A-Rod Suspension Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Angel Franco/The NY Times)

At long last, the arbitrator decision in the Alex Rodriguez Biogenesis suspension case was handed down this past weekend.  As many expected, the decision was not in Alex's favor.  As I expertly predicted (for once), the decision ended up being 162 games instead of MLB's original 211.  The immediate reaction from writers, bloggers, and fans alike was plentiful and spread across a wide range of feelings, and that tidal wave of activity only increased in size after last night's "60 Minutes" piece on the topic aired.  I tried to keep my thoughts on the decision to a minimum while the finer details and reactions from all parties involved came out, and I think I've had enough time to read everything, mull the whole situation over in my head, and comment intelligently on the matter.  My take on everything after the jump.

So About That "60 Minutes" Bit Last Night...

If you missed it, "60 Minutes" devoted over half their show last night to the Alex Rodriguez suspension, trotting out Anthony Bosch, Bud Selig, Rob Manfred, and Joe Tacopina to give their versions of everything that's gone down in this case and basically pile on A-Rod a little more.  The reactions to the piece were quick and emotional, with the MLBPA issuing this statement:

“It is unfortunate that Major League Baseball apparently lacks faith in the integrity and finality of the arbitrator’s decision and our Joint Drug Agreement, such that it could not resist the temptation to publicly pile-on against Alex Rodriguez. It is equally troubling that the MLB-appointed Panel Arbitrator will himself be appearing in the “60 Minutes” segment, and that Tony Bosch, MLB’s principal witness, is appearing on the program with MLB’s blessing."

MLB, always quick to cover its own ass, followed up with a statement of its own:

“We have notified the Major League Baseball Players Association on numerous occasions that we intended to respond to all of the attacks on the integrity of our Joint Drug Program. Those attacks continued yet again yesterday with Mr. Rodriguez’s statement. Out of respect to the grievance process and at the request of the MLBPA, we waited until a decision was rendered to make our response."

There's more to each statement but the general theme is pretty clear.  The players union is pissed that MLB decided to take this public and allow statements to be made that make them all look bad after they stayed out of the way of the A-Rod arbitration hearing and said they respected the process.  MLB is pissed that the players made their frustrations public and now everything is public, everybody is pissed, and this circus is no closer to ending than it was when the story first broke last year.

This whole thing is so tiresome and stupid.  I want to say I really can't wait for pitchers and catchers to report to push this to the back burner, but with A-Rod planning to attend Yankee ST I don't think that's going to happen.

Report: A-Rod Prepared To Fight Arbitrator Decision

(Courtesy of Joe Cingrana/CBSNewYork.com)

Now that the HOF announcements have been made, the expectation is that the arbitrator in the A-Rod suspension case will hand down his final decision any day.  When he does, the latest reports have A-Rod and his legal team ready to fight the decision to the bitter end.  According to the NY Daily News, A-Rod will seek an injunction if the suspension is upheld on the grounds that the suspension and subsequent arbitration hearing were "unfair and biased" against him and in violation of federal labor laws.  An anonymous source in the Daily News report said "the papers are all ready" for the official filing and that A-Rod's people "are just waiting for the announcement."

This will basically be a last gasp attempt by Alex to keep his hopes of playing Major League Baseball again alive, and the swiftness with which his legal team has prepared for this course of action provides some insight into what they expect arbitrator Frederic Horowitz's decision to be.  Their belief is that they can follow in NFL player Jonathan Vilma's footsteps and get an "unfair" suspension overturned through the courts, but that was a different case in a different sport with different rules so it's hardly and apples-to-apples comparison.

I honestly can't remember if I'd said this already or not, but I don't think we're going to see A-Rod on the field in 2014 and I think there's a very good chance he's played his last MLB game.  At the absolute least, I see the suspension getting reduced to 162 games and it wouldn't surprise me if the full 211 was upheld.  The deck has been stacked against him from the beginning and he's basically down to his last card.  The odds of him overturning the decision through a court injunction are no better than the odds of the suspension being overturned.

Report: A-Rod Decision Could Be Coming Soon

Told MLB is expecting decision on ARod appeal very early in January, possibly right after New Year’s.
— Bob Klapisch (@BobKlap) December 23, 2013

It's been one of many slow-playing offseason storylines for the Yankees, but a resolution to the Alex Rodriguez steroid suspension saga could finally be coming.  According to a report earlier today by Bob Klapisch, Major League Baseball is expecting the arbitrator to hand down his decision "very early in January, possibly right after New Year's."

This is in line with some other reports/theories that have been floating around the Yankosphere lately.  The timeline for a decision was always set in early-to-mid January after the hearing wrapped up last month, and with HOF announcement set for January 8th, the prevailing thought is that MLB would want to get the A-Rod announcement out of the way early or late enough to not distract from that.

As far as the Yankees are concerned, a post-New Year's decision would be ideal.  They've put the brakes on their offseason activity since their payroll started creeping close to the luxury tax ceiling, and probably aren't going to make any more moves to address third base or their pitching staff until they know how much of A-Rod's money is going to be coming off the books.  If this schedule holds, it will put an end to a long, bizarre, frustrating, and often entertaining part of the 2013 offseason.

BREAKING NEWS: A-Rod Sues MLB (Updated)

Well this is quite the unexpected turn of events.  According to a story published this morning by the New York Times, Alex Rodriguez and his legal team sued Major League Baseball last night, claiming they are leading a "witch hunt" to force him out of the game that MLB engaged in "tortious interference" as part of their attempt to build their suspension case against A-Rod.

The biggest accusation is one involving an MLB investigator paying $150,000 to Anthony Bosch for records on A-Rod that his legal team claims were stolen.  The specifics of the money exchange read like something out of "Ocean's Eleven" and if this turns out to be true that would be a huge blow to MLB.  I can't imagine that 211-game suspension would be upheld by the arbitrator if it turns out they were using tactics this shady to gather intel.

A-Rod said a few months back that he was going to be in a fight for his life with this appeals case and he's certainly handling it that way.  Love him or hate him, you have to give his legal team credit for doing everything they can to discredit MLB and paint A-Rod in a more sympathetic light.  The appeals hearing won't wrap up today, and there's no scheduled time table for when it will pick up again, but with this latest twist it should only get more interesting from here.

** UPDATE 10:00 AM- Here's the PDF of the full lawsuit.  Definitely take a minute to read that introduction. **

A-Rod's Lawyer Kicks It Up A Dozen Notches With New Accusations

The Alex-Rodriguez-New York Yankees-Major League Baseball threeway legal dance surrounding the Biogenesis case and A-Rod's resulting suspension has already been playing out like great TV drama.  As someone who's admittedly tired of all the steroid talk in baseball and really doesn't care about it, I'll admit that I find each new rumor and leaked story to be both fascinating and entertaining.  When the baseball season ends and the appeal happens, it's going to be absolutely wild.

How much wilder will it be after the latest story and newest twists laid out by A-Rod's legal team?  Probably somewhere between "much" and "way."  In a story published by the New York Times yesterday, A-Rod's newest lawyer, Joseph Tacopina went on the offensive in his efforts to build A-Rod's defense case.  He accused the New York Yankees of intentionally hiding MRI results revealing A-Rod's labrum tear and continuing to play him while he was hurt, working in collusion with MLB to void A-Rod's contract and ban him from baseball, and singled out team president Randy Levine for allegedly telling the doctor performing A-Rod's hip surgery "I don't even want to see him on the field again."  That's not just "looking to get on base" type of going on the offensive, it's swinging for the fences as hard as you can with a juiced bat.

Alex Rodriguez Officially Suspended By Major League Baseball (Updated)

From the league itself:

"Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2013 Championship Season and Postseason and the entire 2014 Championship Season for violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and the Basic Agreement.

Rodriguez’s discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years. Rodriguez’s discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation. The suspension, which will become effective on Thursday, August 8th, will cover 211 Championship Season games and any 2013 Postseason games in which Rodriguez otherwise would have been eligible to play.

Under the terms of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, Rodriguez’s suspension will be stayed until the completion of his appeal if Rodriguez files a grievance challenging his discipline."

There you have it.  With the suspension not starting until Thursday it's a few less games than initially reported, but this is basically what was expected to come out of this announcement.  Now let the fun of the appeal process begin...

** UPDATE 2:26 PM- Bud Selig has issued his own personal statement, if you're interested in reading what he has to say. **

** UPDATE 2:47 PM- Yankees have released their official statement as well, and it contains a return of fire across A-Rod's bow in its denial of any involvement in the investigation.  Fun times. **

** UPDATE 3:39 PM- The MLBPA has issued a statement on all the suspensions, pledged their support to A-Rod and his decision to appeal, and said that they believe Bud Selig "has not acted appropriately under the Basic Agreement." **

A-Rod Goes On The Offensive

(If that isn't the biggest "you can all go fuck yourselves" smile I've ever seen, I don't know what is.  Courtesy of the AP)

Does this sound like a guy who's ready to make a deal with MLB to you?

"There is more than one party that benefits from me not being on the field. It’s not my teammates and not the Yankees fans.”

In the end he's probably going down big time, come hell or high water, but good for A-Rod for not just laying there and taking it.  And good for him for having the balls to come out and say what any reasonable and rational fan has already thought and what every MSM writer is afraid to report on.  The Yankees have to be ecstatic about how this is going to go down.  If Bud gets his way, they aren't only off the hook for Alex's salary next year and in a much better position to make Operation 189 work, they could be off the hook for every last cent for every last year of that miserable contract that they themselves created and offered to Rodriguez back in 2007.  I don't think it's fair to suggest that the Yankees are helping MLB make their case against Alex, but they certainly aren't and haven't been doing anything to help him.

This is really all A-Rod has left and he knows it's basically him against the world.  Can't hate on a guy for taking that opposition head on.

Last Time On "As The Quads Strain"...

Alex returned to the field yesterday, in a simulated game somewhere near the team's Tampa complex.  Shielded from the media, he got 6 at-bats in and also played the field and ran the bases.  The team announced plans for his next rehab assignment, which he is scheduled to start today in Double-A.

Meanwhile, things off the field were getting just as hot (and even heavier) than the action on the field.  After early reports came out that A-Rod and his team of lawyers were working with MLB on a plea deal, Joel Sherman reported last night that those talks were off and his team was back on the plan to appeal any suspension handed down.  T.J. Quinn of ESPN reported later last night that the settlement talks had stalled between A-Rod and MLB based on the amount of games he was willing to accept and his desire to recoup at least some of his remaining contract.  Obvious sticking points for both sides, so it doesn't sound like there's a deal to be made there.

Is A-Rod making a deal?  Is he not?  Will the suspension be announced today?  Will he appeal?  Will we ever see him in a Yankee uniform again?  And how much champagne is ownership putting on ice for the celebration of not having to pay him next year?  Find out next time on "As The Quads Strain."

Bud Out For Blood With A-Rod

The Alex Rodriguez/Biogenesis case gets more cutthroat by the minute.  The latest news, via The NY Daily News, is Bud Selig's reported plan to invoke the rarely-used "power of the commissioner" to ban A-Rod based on the always fun grounds of the game's integrity.  Coming on the heels of last night's report that MLB was now seeking to punish and suspend A-Rod for violating the terms of the CBA and not the drug rules to block his appeal, it's pretty obvious that this whole case has turned into Bud's personal witch hunt against A-Rod.

Whether you believe Rodriguez is deserving of this type of persecution and punishment, and your reasons for those believes, is your opinion and that's fine.  I certainly am not going to sit here and try to defend the guy for repeatedly cheating, repeatedly lying about it, and being dumb enough to get caught multiple times.  But the lengths MLB has gone and is still going to to get A-Rod out of the game, and the swerves they're pulling to avoid the standard procedures for these types of cases that they created are completely ridiculous and based in nothing more than Bud's desire to make a real impact on steroids before his term is up.  After willingly turning his eye to it like everybody else, he's out to make A-Rod his white whale and he's stacking the deck to make sure he nails him.

We'll see where the story goes today, but it doesn't look like it's going anywhere good for Alex.  More and more it looks like the book is being closed on his playing career, one way or the other.

Waiting For The Other (Horse)Shoe To Drop

(Courtesy of Steve Nesius)

I've made a point to keep the Alex Rodriguez steroid talk to an absolute minimum on AB4AR.  I think it's boring and I don't think it serves any purpose other than to give the irrational A-Rod haters reason to blab, but in light of what went down yesterday with Ryan Braun and what the implications now are for A-Rod, I think it's appropriate to talk about it now.

Francisco Cervelli Named In Newest Biogenesis Clinic Report

(Now I know why the batting helmet was so big.  Courtesy of Kim Klement/US Presswire)

It didn't create the media waves that Alex Rodriguez's connection did, but the Yankees continued to stay closely tied to the investigation of Anthony Bosch and his Miami-based Biogenesis clinic when a new report surfaced yesterday that included Francisco Cervelli's name.  Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports had the full story, which also included recent former MVP and test beater Ryan Braun, and while Cervelli's name was not listed next to any wording outlining specific PEDs, this has to be a concern for the Yankees with how seriously MLB has been taking their investigation into the clinic.

From a strictly Yankee-centric standpoint, this could actually work to their benefit.  They've stood pat at the catcher position all offseason, willing to punt and sacrifice some defense and a lot of offense to save a buck.  If MLB digs deeper on Cervelli and finds something substantial that would be grounds for a suspension, suddenly the Yankees are back down to one catcher.  They seem pretty set on starting Austin Romine in Triple-A this year, so while it might not be under the best circumstances, this situation could give them a reason to go out and seek an upgrade at catcher.

Looking at the bigger picture, this latest news and the stuff we already know about this situation is starting to add up to create the appearance that PEDs are still deeply ingrained in the game of baseball.  For all the time MLB spent patting itself on the back when it first administered its new testing and punishment procedures, they are still woefully behind the times when it comes to testing, particularly for HGH, and players have found a way to beat the system.  Nothing has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt and nobody has been punished yet, but when the names connected to this case include upper-tier players and all-time greats like Braun and A-Rod, emerging stars like Gio Gonzalez and Melky Cabrera, and nobodies like Cesar Carrillo and Cervelli, that's a good indicator that PEDs are still a league-wide problem.

To his credit, Cervelli did make a statement admitting to consulting the Biogenesis clinic after his foot injury in 2011 and purchasing supplements that he said he was certain did not contain banned substances.  Unlike A-Rod, he has no past PED connections and has earned the benefit of the doubt.  As with A-Rod, all we can do is wait and see what comes as a result of this new report.

New Report Connects A-Rod To Additional PED Use

(Get ready for more of this.  Courtesy of the AP)

When the 2012 season ended, I said I wasn't going to spend the entire offseason on this blog talking about Alex Rodriguez and what a bum he was, and promised only to write about him in situations where it was warranted. I think this is one of those situations. In a report released today by the Miami News Times, A-Rod's name was included in a group of professional athletes who have been receiving various performance enhancing drugs from Anthony Bosch, currently under investigation by both MLB and the DEA. Written records from the clinic Bosch runs indicate Rodriguez has been receiving PEDs, including HGH, from Bosch from 2009 through last season. What has already been a tumultuous last few seasons for A-Rod, starting with his original PED outing and admission in 2009, is only going to get worse with the release of this new report.

Melky Cabrera: Master Internet Criminal

I didn't say anything about the Melky Cabrera steroids story this week for 3 reasons: 1) I wasn't all that surprised by it, 2) I didn't really care, and 3) He doesn't play for the Yankees anymore, so I wasn't going to start talking about him until he was officially a free agent.

But with the latest part of this story breaking today, now it's time for me to get involved.  This latest news is much more up my alley...

"The scheme began unfolding in July as Cabrera and his representatives scrambled to explain a spike in the former Yankee’s testosterone levels. Cabrera associate Juan Nunez, described by the player’s agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, as a “paid consultant” of their firm but not an “employee,” is alleged to have paid $10,000 to acquire the phony website. The idea, apparently, was to lay a trail of digital breadcrumbs suggesting Cabrera had ordered a supplement that ended up causing the positive test, and to rely on a clause in the collectively bargained drug program that allows a player who has tested positive to attempt to prove he ingested a banned substance through no fault of his own."

Really, Melky?  That was your plan?  Just hop on the old interwebs, get a sweet new Go Daddy domain name like Danica Patrick, and boom, problem solved!  It's brilliant.  It's no wonder you got caught in the first place.  You're an idiot.

P.S.- If they didn't name this phony company "Vandelay Industries," they did it wrong.