Source: ARod faces lifetime suspension

[mth123]

I believe the way they arrived at the 211 game suspension originally was 50 first time offense, 100 second time offense, and 61 obstruction (was the announcement made at the same time as Braun's?). That should have taken away the rest of the 2013 season and nearly all of the 2014 season.

The fact that it shrunk to 162 game suspension tells me that the arbitrator might have minimized the obstruction charges. I believe A-Rods defense on that was that although he was covering up his tracks, it wasn't during baseball's investigation therefore could not be considered obstruction.

Regardless, I stick by that he is being made the scapegoat. Not that he is blameless but, just the one that is being made an example of.

I'll be glad when he is finally out and away from baseball.

I think it's simpler than that. They wanted the rest of 2013 and all of 2014 and 211 just happened to be the number. Now that 2013 is gone, they just reduced it to 2014 to give the appearance of reducing it.

[Mutaman]

Hundreds of guys have done steroids and there are probably lots of guys still doing steroids. But baseball is totally focused on putting away one guy by any means necessary .... because he did steroids. This pretty much sums up Baseball In The Age Of Bud Lite.

[westofyou]

http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/the-60-minutes-report/

Baseball is a great game. It is a great game when we are little and we try to hit giant whiffle balls with plastic bats. It is a great game when we play ball with other kids in the neighborhood, right-field off-limits because you don’t have enough people to put an outfielder there. It is a great game when we put on a real uniform for the first time — with those great baseball stirrup socks and spikes and gloves that still smell like new leather– and when we swing a bat and connect so well that the hands don’t even feel vibration.

And it’s a great game when we are watching the best in the world play, when watching Miguel Cabrera unleash on a pitch, when watching Clayton Kershaw hit the corner with a fastball, when watching Andrelton Simmons go into the hole and backhand a ground ball or watching Mike Trout run in the outfield. It’s always been a great game, even if there has always been ugliness surrounding it.

At the end of the 60 Minutes report, all is ugliness. A-Rod is guilty and lying, surely, Anthony Bosch seems a first-class lowlife, Rob Manfred comes across as Old Man Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and the only winner in the whole mess — THE ONLY WINNER — seems to be the drugs themselves, which apparently work miracles and, if used right, are undetectable.

So what point of all this again?

Scott Pelley ends the report like so: “And Bud Selig has announced his retirement from the game. Part of his legacy is the establishment of the toughest anti-doping rules in all of American pro sports.”

There it is. Bud Selig, who has been commissioner over the worst drug scandal to ever hit American sports, who presided over a game that ten years ago DID NOT TEST for drugs, got 60 Minutes to put that line at the end. Part of his legacy is this glorious chapter of buying papers from Bobby, threatening and paying off Boesch and nailing Alex Rodriguez.

The report ended and only then, if you watch the Internet videos, do you get the biggest lesson of all. You get to see who sponsored the report.

Viagra.

[Sea Ray]

ARod will turn 40 during the 2015 season, and will be over two years away from playing a full season of MLB ball. I can't see him playing another MLB game.

I don't think this is about "playing". It's about "paying". He wants his $$

[Mutaman]

I don't think this is about "playing". It's about "paying". He wants his $$

Everything is pretty much about money, but there is no doubt in my mind that ARod loves to play baseball and part of this is about the fact that he wants to play baseball next year.

[Mutaman]

"There it is. Bud Selig, who has been commissioner over the worst drug scandal to ever hit American sports, who presided over a game that ten years ago DID NOT TEST for drugs, got 60 Minutes to put that line at the end. Part of his legacy is this glorious chapter of buying papers from Bobby, threatening and paying off Boesch and nailing Alex Rodriguez."

So true. Bud's legacy is that Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, and Jeff Bagwell are not eligible for the Hall Of Fame. And that has nothing to do with Alex Rodriquez.

[Chip R]

A-Rod is going to sue MLB and the Players Union. Strange bedfellows and all that.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/judge-d...8258--mlb.html

[Strikes Out Looking]

Mr. Rodriguez did not get a 211 game (shortened to 162 games) suspension simply because he used steroids. The suspension was lengthened by his actions outside of just taking the banned substances.

Now he's not only suing MLB but the union. My guess is that if he can successfully get the suspension overturned, he may be fighting pitches thrown on the inside portion of the plate for the rest of his career.

He's a first class jerk and no matter what you think of anyone else in this story, he has created his own situation. For him, Karma sucks.

[KronoRed]

Hundreds of guys have done steroids and there are probably lots of guys still doing steroids. But baseball is totally focused on putting away one guy by any means necessary .... because he did steroids. This pretty much sums up Baseball In The Age Of Bud Lite.

A-Rod is the symbol, they can't go after Bonds or Clemens, but dammit they will crush this guy

[savafan]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-...ampaign=buffer

"The Players Association has vigorously defended Mr. Rodriguez's rights throughout the Biogenesis investigation, and indeed throughout his career," Clark said. "Mr. Rodriguez's allegation that the Association has failed to fairly represent him is outrageous, and his gratuitous attacks on our former Executive Director, Michael Weiner, are inexcusable. When all is said and done, I am confident the Players Association will prevail."

[George Foster]

If this goes to federal court MLB is on shaky ground. First there are no positive drug test. Secondly, the guy who gave him the steroids first said he didn't. Then changed his story when MLB agreed to pay his legal bills, his security, and dropped the law suit against him. I think he's guilty too but in a court of law u got to have real proof. I mean the guy saying he gave Arod steroids is not exactly credible.

[George Foster]

If this goes to federal court MLB is on shaky ground. First there are no positive drug test. Secondly, the guy who gave him the roads first said he didn't. Then changed his story when MLB agreed to pay his legal bills, his security, and dropped the law suit against him. I think he's guilty too but in a court of law u got to have real proof. I mean the guy saying he gave Arod roads is not exactly credible.

[Mutaman]

The suspension was lengthened by his actions outside of just taking the banned substances.

What "actions" were those?

How did those "actions" differ from the actions taken by Braun or anybody else?

[Mutaman]

He's a first class jerk and no matter what you think of anyone else in this story, he has created his own situation.

Relative to who? Braun? Clemens? Selig?

[Chip R]

If this goes to federal court MLB is on shaky ground. First there are no positive drug test. Secondly, the guy who gave him the roads first said he didn't. Then changed his story when MLB agreed to pay his legal bills, his security, and dropped the law suit against him. I think he's guilty too but in a court of law u got to have real proof. I mean the guy saying he gave Arod roads is not exactly credible.

Federal courts very rarely overturn the decision of an arbitrator.