It would be a shock at this point if New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez was not suspended for his alleged involvement with Tony Bosch’s Biogenesis clinic. The suspension is expected to come sometime within the next few weeks, but MLB fans are still wondering how strong of a statement Bud Selig is looking to make. Would he actually ban A-Rod from the game for life?
CBS Evening News’ Jim Axelrod reported on Tuesday that Rodriguez could still be facing a lifetime ban. Axelrod’s report came after a report earlier on Monday that claimed A-Rod is currently trying to work out a deal with the league for a suspension similar to Ryan Braun’s. However, it was also noted that the evidence against Rodriguez is believed to reach “far beyond” what MLB had on Braun.
Bosch reportedly cut a deal with MLB last month and agreed to cooperate with its ongoing investigation. Obviously the evidence against Braun was compelling enough that he decided to not even bother appealing, which could speak volumes to the information the league has collected against Rodriguez.
Selig has already announced that he plans to retire as MLB commissioner after the 2014 season. No matter what he does, he’s going to be remembered as the commissioner who let the steroid era get out of control before finally cleaning the game up. As we mentioned earlier, Bob Costas believes Selig is determined to change his legacy regarding steroids. There could be no louder message than issuing a lifetime ban to one of the best players the game has ever seen.
If A-Rod did use steroids again, he’s a repeat offender, as admitted to using steroids for three years starting in 2001 while playing for the Texas Rangers. There were no penalties for positive test results at the time, but the fact that he allegedly used PEDs again after claiming he was “deeply regretful” the first time around is a disgrace to the game.
The theories about what Rodriguez’s next move will be are endless. Some believe he will appeal any suspension he is given and finish out the season before retiring. Others wonder if he’ll claim he is physically unable to continue his career because of injury and collect the remainder of his salary.
But what A-Rod decides to do shouldn’t matter. If Selig wants to prove he is serious about leaving a clean game behind when he retires, a lifetime ban for one of the league’s biggest scumbags would be an effective way of doing that.
