A-Rod, PEDs, and a Shocking Conclusion!

As I'm sure you've heard by now, New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been banned from baseball for the entire 2014 season (post-season included, if the Yankees make it that far) for cheating, lying, and being a jerk (OK, those aren't the official reasons, but they describe A-Rod in a nutshell).  Rodriguez was involved in the Biogenesis scandal where 13 Major League Baseball players were suspended last season for having used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).  A-Rod was the only player to appeal - all others admitted their guilt, served their punishments, and moved on.  Not only did Rodriguez deny having been injected with PEDs by Anthony Bosch of Biogenesis, but he's gone on to sue everyone from his doctors to the Yankees to Major League Baseball.  It's one of those cases where the more you lie, the more you start believing that those lies are true.

What's my take on the A-Rod situation?  Honestly, I just don't care.  I have never liked "A-Fraud" (especially after reading Joe Torre's book), and I find the whole PED thing very disappointing.  I was heartbroken when Lance Armstrong fessed up to using PEDs (about as heartbroken as I was when I read that Sports Illustrated article depicting Kirby Puckett as a wife beater and women-groper).  Finding out that a previously-superhuman athlete is really a fraud is very deflating and discouraging.  I never felt like that about A-Rod (I just want him to go away), but there's a certain part of me that is expecting to feel like that in 2017 when my idol, Iván "Pudge" Rodriguez, is eligible for a Hall of Fame nomination.

While Pudge's turn won't come for another few years, this whole A-Rod thing has me thinking.  When an elite baseball player retires, the question of whether or not he will be elected to enter the Hall of Fame comes up. In the case of Pudge, the answer to that question is a bit complicated. Based on Iván's merits and statistics alone, he's a shoe-in.  He has the most games caught of any catcher, finished his career with almost 3,000 hits, won an MVP award, a World Series MVP award and was arguably the best defensive catcher of all time (go ahead, argue that one with me!).

But then there’s the PED problem (I know, I hate talking about Pudge and his possible use of PEDs!).  As we’ve seen in recent years, players with any PED associations are basically blackballed from Hall of Fame consideration no matter how strong their on-the-field performance was throughout his career.  No Bonds, no McGwire, and no Sosa in the Hall, but yes to Frank Thomas, who was never implicated in any PED scandals despite hitting a ton of home runs.  Basically, if the members of the BBWAA have morals and think you don't, you’re not getting into the Hall of Fame.  As someone who longs to be a member of the BBWAA, I have to agree.  The Hall of Fame is for the elitest of the elite; if you did something dirty that affected your performance, you don't belong in the Hall of Fame.  Like Pete Rose, who did not deserve to be banned from baseball for life but does not deserve to be in the Hall.  Sorry; Rose also wrote a good book, and I like the guy, but betting on baseball while you're an active participant is a no-no.

So where does Pudge Rodriguez fall in the PED-scheme of things?  He was not named in the Mitchell Report or as part of the Biogenesis scandal.  He has not been revealed to be on the famous list of 103 ballplayers who tested positive during baseball’s pilot testing program in 2004 (which was supposed to be anonymous but wasn't).  He has not admitted to any PED use.  So doesn't that make him a first-ballot shoe-in?  Not so fast.  Former teammate José Canseco wrote in his book (one book I actually don't care to read) that he personally injected Iván with steroids (even though we all know that Canseco is a big fat liar).  And when asked if Canseco's statements were true, Iván just said "Only God knows!"  What's THAT supposed to mean?  Hmmm...  Then there's the first team he played for, the Texas Rangers, where he played with known juicers Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, and A-Rod himself.  Plus, those of us who have paid close attention to Pudge's body over the years (for different reasons!) noticed that he was beefier before the drug testing years and noticeably smaller once testing was implemented in MLB (not that it ever bothered me!).

All of this is circumstantial evidence at best, inadmissible hearsay at worst.  In the world of baseball, any more or less reasonable suspicions that Pudge did, in fact, take PEDs are more than enough to get writers to withhold votes.  So would I vote for Pudge if I was on the BBWAA?  I know some of my posts tend to be shallow and you all know how much I love Pudge, but since I would take my vote as seriously as everyone else, I'm not so sure I would vote yes.  At least not in his first year of eligibility.  Surprised?  I know; I shocked myself as well.  But unless something happens to change the current pattern of Hall of Fame voting or Iván does a better job of denying his use of PEDs, I think he will be on the outside looking in for some time, and I will no longer wish to join the BBWAA.  Sigh!

(I hope my priest reads this so he knows the extent to which I will uphold my morals.  Not even hottie Iván Rodriguez can sway me from trying to be fair and honest!).