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Jobu ponders what’s next for the Yankees and the A-Rod albatross around their necks.

Why is it that Alex Rodríguez always has to try to overshadow other sporting events? In 2007, he opted out of his contract during the World Series. This year, he may or may not have been revealed as a giant cheater (again) during Super Bowl week. In fact, he has interrupted Super Bowl week on Jobu’s Rum as well! As a Yankees fan, this was a pretty crummy day. I was sad, angry and even a bit hopeful (contract problems) all at the same time. I didn’t want to immediately react on this blog post, or I would have lit up my torch and joined the A-Mob for A-Rod like so many other area sports bloggers and reporters did. I took my time and did some research, and here are my thoughts on the matter.

Allow me to be a fan for one quick paragraph though. In my heart of hearts, I want nothing more to do with A-Rod. I want the league to suspend him. I want the Yankees to release him or void his entire contract. Basically, I want what everyone else who went crazy yesterday wants. I want A-Rod out of my life. He’s like a bad girlfriend. You take her back again and again and, no matter how great she is the first few months, she’s still a bitch deep down. She comes back to haunt you. That’s A-Rod. I’m done with him. I can’t ever picture myself wanting to cheer him for anything. I’m even hoping his hip surgery keeps him out all year so that I won’t have to deal with him in 2013.

OK. Now that that’s out of my system, here’s what actually happened. The Miami New Times broke a story this week about Anthony Bosch, a Coral Gables “doctor” who ran a rejuvenation clinic named Biogenesis in the area. The New Times got ahold of a lot of Bosch’s hand-written notebooks with a lot of damning information about the clinic’s doings, which apparently include selling performance enhancing drugs to several athletes with ties to the area. A-Rod was listed in many of those records. Granted, he wasn’t the only on on there. Yasmani Grandal, Melky Cabrera and Nelson Cruz also appear, as well as other baseball players, athletes from other sports and even the head coach of the Miami University baseball team (which has some pretty serious implications on it’s own). Anywho, if you are to believe what the New Times found in those reports, A-Rod didn’t just cheat from 2001-2003, like he said a few years ago. He might have stopped for a while, but he’s been juicing again, since at least 2009.

Some of the damning evidence... his name on a list.
Some of the damning evidence… his name on a list.

Let’s keep in something in mind. The notebooks and records of Biogenesis were delivered to the New Times by a former employee of the clinic who was unhappy with his pay… or lack there of. That’s right, apparently Bosch not only sold banned substances to athletes, he also didn’t pay his employees. This is wildly irresponsible for someone doing something sort of illegal. Sort of, you say? Yes. It is not illegal to sell HGH per se. It’s banned from all major sports, and it’s illegal to prescribe things to patients if you haven’t seen them (it is unknown if Bosch did this). It’s technically not illegal to sell HGH. However, there are some allegations of actual anabolic steroids coming out of the clinic too, so it remains to be seen what a full investigation reveals.

This is the approach we must take with A-Rod too. The league, and the DEA, are currently investigating the clinic. When they have their findings organized, we’ll know more. This is why the people who are calling for the Yankees to void A-Rod’s contract are crazy and irrational. The investigation is still wide open. Alex has categorically denied all accusations, calling the documents completely false. Until everything is proven and on the table, MLB can’t do anything to Alex. This means that neither can the Yankees. If they try anything without indisputable proof that A-Rod actually did something wrong, he’ll sue them for even more hundreds of millions of dollars.

This is why everyone needs to be patient and let this thing play itself out. Are the Yankees probably looking into their options as far as voiding the contract goes? Of course they are! They’re diligently looking at every single option and scenario right now. This is a team that has stated they are dropping the payroll to below $189MM by next year. Trust me. They’re looking into everything. It’s good business. They’ve probably been hoping to get out of this contract since the 2009 World Series. Unfortunately for them, even if all of the allegations are true, there might not be much they can do about it. The league will discipline A-Rod as they see fit. That’s really, legally, the only thing that can happen. Now, an arbiter might have something different to say. Opinions on PED usage and punishment have changed greatly in the last decade. A legal precedent could be set in this case, but that’s going to be about as complicated to achieve as it sounds.

I know it's unrealistic, but I hope we never see him again. (AP)
I know it’s unrealistic, but I hope we never see him again. (AP)

People have suggested all sorts of madness to resolve the situation. They say A-Rod should get a doctor to say that his hip is beyond repair and he can never play again. Then, the Yankees could collect about 80% of their money back from the insurance they took out on the contract. Sure. What’s a little insurance fraud between friends? Also, do you really think the insurance company is going to lay down and let that happen? Sure, here’s $80 MM back to you, good sirs. Nix that idea please.

Another thing I read on Hardball Talk was that A-Rod should cop to it and begin serving his suspension immediately, because then he could serve it while on the DL for his injury. I actually think this is a great idea for A-Rod. I also agree with the author when he says that A-Rod would never do this though. He’s too into himself and his crumbling legacy to give it the final push over the cliff by admitting to being a two-time cheater. Sociopaths don’t do this type of thing. The Yankees could also just release Rodríguez and eat the $114 MM left on his contract, but would any team really do this? That’s a lot of money to throw away. Perhaps if all other avenues were exhausted, maybe they would turn to this method, but I doubt it.

I really don’t know what’s going to end up happening with this. I just really hope his injury knocks him out for the year so that we get some time away from him before he possibly comes back. This would also give the Yankees some time to think and act. It will be nice to dream of a life without A-Rod, even if it only lasts a year. But really… Can he really come back to the field? I know in his brain he can, because he’s a sociopath, but I just don’t see it. Here’s hoping for something to make him go away. Let’s go Youk.

Featured image courtesy of: The Star-Ledger-US PRESSWIRE

Martin Stezano

About Martin Stezano

Uruguayan born and American raised with a unique perspective on the domestic and international sports scenes. It will both tickle your funny bone and enlighten your mind. Love it or hate it...just read it.