I am not a fan of Alex Rodriguez. I have little sympathy for someone who has made hundreds of millions of dollars playing baseball and who, by his own admission, broke the rules.
But, I think the 162 game suspension is too much. The suspension is not truly tied to baseball's new steroid testing policies. Rodriguez has never flunked a test. Rather, the now affirmed 162 game suspension rests within more esoteric readings of baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
While one's first impulse is "get that cheater", one has to wonder exactly what they are punishing Rodriguez for? Again, he did not fail a test which would have brought a 50 game suspension. A second failed test would have meant 100 games. The number of the original suspension, 211 games, is not referenced in the potential penalties contained in baseball's collective bargaining agreement ("CBA").
So how was the number arrived at? The Commissioner of Baseball's sense of an appropriate penalty. The Commissioner's office believes it has evidence that not only was Rodriguez guilty of using banned substances and consorting with a distributor of those substances, he also actively impeded baseball's investigation. So while Jhonny Peralta and Nelson Cruz got 50 games for consorting with the same clinic, Rodriguez gets 162.
Yes, Ryan Braun got a little more (64 games) than some of the others, but he failed a test and impugned the integrity of the test handler.
So why does Rodriguez get hit with a suspension three times longer than others involved in the same scandal?
Could it be that Major League Baseball, while drawing some satisfaction from the lack of Hall of Fame votes for alleged steroid users, wants to try and emphatically slam the lid shut on the "steroid era" with a long high profile suspension? Bonds and Clemens retired before baseball could hand down any discipline. By effectively kicking Rodriguez out before he can leave on his own, MLB can say "mission accomplished" (although the political junkies among us know that phrase hasn't always worked out so well).
Or could it be that Major League Baseball wants to lend a hand to one of its glamour franchises, the New York Yankees, by giving them some payroll and soap opera relief? The suspension could allow the Yankees to move on from the A-Rod saga and rebuild their lineup (although there is the pesky matter of A-Rod's guaranteed contract for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons).
So what should become of Alex Rodriguez? A-Rod says he is going to seek an injunction and pursue a lawsuit. The lawyer in me recognizes that there are millions of dollars in contractual obligations at stake. The baseball fan in me sees little way that A-Rod, with declining bat speed and limited defensive value, will be at all effective as a 39 year old player returning in 2015 from a one year layoff.
So settle it. Convince A-Rod to retire but make sure he gets his money. Maybe they can structure the payments out over several years to afford the Yankees some payroll relief and A-Rod an income stream into middle age. I am not worried about either party's finances in this situation, but a contract exists and the money needs to be addressed. It's not going away. Baseball cannot wave a magic wand and make Alex Rodriguez disappear.
But maybe, just maybe, if he gets his money, Alex Rodriguez will.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Parenting advice 101: teach them to throw left handed
I have made a few mistakes as a parent and still have time to make many more, but I already know what my biggest one is: not forcing my sons to throw left handed.
A left handed pitcher can earn a seven figure salary well into his forties. What other skill promises that type of economic return? We send our children to school with promises of a better future with an education. We gear up to spend hundreds of thousands on college and graduate educations, but it all could be taken care with more time in the yard developing the ability to throw strikes from the left side.
And you don't even have to throw that hard. Sure, it's fun to see Aroldis Chapman hit 105 mph. on the radar gun. I love watching Clayton Kershaw throw a curve ball that looks like it will cross the plate at eye level and ends up being a called strike at the knees. Yet, Jamie Moyer was able to pitch until he was 49 years old with a fastball that might have been respectable at my son's Little League field.
Even if you can't make it as a starting pitcher, MLB will have jobs for lefthanders requiring them to only face one batter. The Dodgers just signed J.P. Howell, an effective but somewhat nondescript left handed reliever, to a two year $11 million contract. Jesse Orosco was a one out specialist until he was 47.
Do you still think baseball is not in love with lefthanders? Take the case of Mark Mulder.
Mulder is a relatively young 36 years old. He just signed a one year contract with the Los Angeles Angels (I still have trouble calling them that). When I first read the story, I remembered Mulder had some pretty good years with the Oakland A's and the St. Louis Cardinals. I also had not heard his name in a bit.
Why? He has not pitched in the major leagues since 2008! He has not won a game since 2006. For the last several years he has been working as a TV analyst. He apparently decided this winter that he still wanted to play and auditioned for two or three teams. Presumably when those teams realized he was throwing the ball with his left arm, offers materialized. He could make up to $6 million this season.
Little League seasons are starting up all over the country. Moms and Dads will head to the backyard or the local park to play catch and get their kids ready. For me, my sons seem stuck throwing right handed. However, for many parents it is not too late: put the ball in their left hand and fabulous riches will come your way.
A left handed pitcher can earn a seven figure salary well into his forties. What other skill promises that type of economic return? We send our children to school with promises of a better future with an education. We gear up to spend hundreds of thousands on college and graduate educations, but it all could be taken care with more time in the yard developing the ability to throw strikes from the left side.
And you don't even have to throw that hard. Sure, it's fun to see Aroldis Chapman hit 105 mph. on the radar gun. I love watching Clayton Kershaw throw a curve ball that looks like it will cross the plate at eye level and ends up being a called strike at the knees. Yet, Jamie Moyer was able to pitch until he was 49 years old with a fastball that might have been respectable at my son's Little League field.
Even if you can't make it as a starting pitcher, MLB will have jobs for lefthanders requiring them to only face one batter. The Dodgers just signed J.P. Howell, an effective but somewhat nondescript left handed reliever, to a two year $11 million contract. Jesse Orosco was a one out specialist until he was 47.
Do you still think baseball is not in love with lefthanders? Take the case of Mark Mulder.
Mulder is a relatively young 36 years old. He just signed a one year contract with the Los Angeles Angels (I still have trouble calling them that). When I first read the story, I remembered Mulder had some pretty good years with the Oakland A's and the St. Louis Cardinals. I also had not heard his name in a bit.
Why? He has not pitched in the major leagues since 2008! He has not won a game since 2006. For the last several years he has been working as a TV analyst. He apparently decided this winter that he still wanted to play and auditioned for two or three teams. Presumably when those teams realized he was throwing the ball with his left arm, offers materialized. He could make up to $6 million this season.
Little League seasons are starting up all over the country. Moms and Dads will head to the backyard or the local park to play catch and get their kids ready. For me, my sons seem stuck throwing right handed. However, for many parents it is not too late: put the ball in their left hand and fabulous riches will come your way.
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