The Biogenesis bans have finally been handed down after weeks of speculation and some pretty on-the-nose reports. The aftermath: 12 players, including three all-stars, were suspended for 50 games while Ryan Braun had previously accepted a 65-game ban.
Oh yeah, and then there is Alex Rodriguez.
This is a guy that has been touted as a future hall of famer since he broke onto the scene, a guy who has 2902 hits, a career .300 batting average and sits fifth all-time on the home runs list with 647 and has three MVPs plus 14 all-star game appearances.
But now, he’ll simply be remembered as the guy who was issued the longest non-lifetime ban in MLB history – hell probably any sport’s history. 211 games is what A-Rod will serve if he loses his appeal. That puts him on the sidelines through the 2014 season.
But for some reason, he is allowed to play until Thursday? How does that make sense?
I get that he has going to appeal the suspension unlike the rest of the guys involved in this Biogenesis mess, but why not just get it over with and make the bans immediate? Especially when you consider the timing of A-Rod coming back from his rehab assignment the day that the bans were doled out.
Now, many think that Rodriguez is deserving of an even bigger suspension – a lifetime ban. I say consider this: He is 38 years old right now and will sit out an entire year of baseball before coming back. Isn’t his career essentially over?
You can argue that it would keep him out of the hall of fame, but when you look at the voters recent track record of support for even alleged PED users, there’s no way that A-Rod will get in.
Also, when you consider that A-Rod is losing an astounding, mind-boggling $154,321 for every single game he is suspended, isn’t that pain enough?
A-Rod deserves what he got – no more, no less – for not just cheating, but lying and trying to circumvent the MLB investigation. It’s a harsh, but fair reality.
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