Towards the end of 2008, fans of the Bronx Bombers long forgot about their team’s absence from the 2008 Playoffs. The Yankees, who did not play October Baseball for the First Time Since 1994, truly had an offseason for the ages.
First, Carsten Charles Sabathia (known in the baseball world as C.C) signed a monster 7-year, $161 Million Contract, the most lucrative for a pitcher in baseball history. Shortly after, the team signed A.J Burnett to a 5-year, $80 Million Deal, and with that possibly created the most lethal 1-2 punch in baseball- and let’s not forget Chien-Ming Wang, who’s 2008 Season was shortened due to injuries. Their pitching staff is clearly set for 2009.
Then, a few days before Christmas, New York Yankee fans received yet another gift from the Yankees front office. It seemed as if Free-Agent Mark Teixeira was “Shipping Up to Boston”, much to the dismay of Yankee Fans. Instead, he couldn’t resist the lights and sounds of “New York, New York”, and he packed his bags in LA and headed to the Bronx. During his Press Conference, which was the last event held at the Old Yankee Stadium, he said it was his wife who wanted him to be a Yankee. I am sure the 8-year, $180 Million deal had an influence on his decision as well.
Yankee fans headed into 2009 with fantasies of a ticker-tape parade down the Avenue of the Americas, and a 27th ring for their finger. That was all until a man who was adored by the Yankee Faithful decided to write down some of his experiences as the Yankee Skipper. The New York Yankees have had players who have written books to expose the negative aspects of being a part of the big picture that is Major League Baseball. The first of these “tell-all” books was Jim Bouton’s Ball Four, a book that spoke of the sleazing, infidelity, and the abuse of amphetamines during his time with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Seattle Pilots. Bouton’s book, which shocked the baseball world, opened the door for Jose Canseco, who we all know wrote Juiced. Canseco’s book is best known for connecting numerous names to Baseball’s Steroid Ring, and brought us into the predicament that we are in today regarding steroid allegations, perjury, et cetera.
So this Yankee Skipper, a man by the name of Joe Torre, opened the Yankee floodgates once again. Best remembered for bring the Yankees back to dominance with World Championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, and who can forget that 2000 Series. Joe Torre- you would have thought he would have been the one to walk away in Yankee lore, on his own terms. Apparently the Yankees had a different plan. They didn’t renew his contract after the 2007 Season, and in the Final Year of Yankee Stadium, he was coaching the Los Angeles Dodgers- oh excuse me, the 2008 NL West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees replaced him with a manager who Joe Torre once coached- Joe Girardi led these Yankees in 2008, and led them to an October-less season. Torre, on the other hand, played October baseball in sunny California.
So his book, The Yankee Years by Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated and Joe Torre, was one of those “tell-all” books that the media loves and I am sure the execs in the Bronx are fuming about. One particular section of the book has received much press- The term “A-Fraud”. Used by personel in the Yankee Clubhouse, this term referred to A-Rod’s obsession with fitting in and even being a “fake”, if you can call it that. The book opened on February 3rd, and many people call it the ruination of Joe Torre’s reputation with the Yankees. But as of now, Joe Torre is no longer employed by the New York Yankees- Unlike when David Wells wrote his book, speaking of the drinking binge he went on the night before his Perfect Game, as well as other wild adventures he had as a Major Leaguer. The hottest story on the Press this week is going to be about ol’ Number 13, Alex Rodriguez- Or as Joe affectionately called him “A-Fraud”. As of now, there is a new name that many fans adopted for him, “A-Roid.”
In the United States, perhaps the most recognizable B-word (besides Bailout), may be BALCO. Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, which was owned and operated by Victor Conte, was the company that first advertised “The Clear”- the undetectable, performance-enhancing supplement. The most notable member of the BALCO case is the All-Time Home Run Leader Barry Bonds. Jason Giambi, former New York Yankee, was also involved with the case and eventually came clean of his steroid use. When this was going on during the 2003 Season, the MLB Players Association decided to conduct anonymous steroid tests throughout Major League Baseball. With over 1,000 tests issued, one of them was done by then-A.L MVP Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers. The tests were anonymous, and it just so happened that Mr. Rodriguez failed the test- along with 103 other Big Leaguers. There was no punishment for the failed test, because at the time it was not illegal to use these supplements. Instead, with a failed test, you were just told never to use the supplements (whether it be “The Clear” or other PEDs) again.
Now, here’s where the interesting stuff happens. Alex Rodriguez has been given the two most lucrative contracts in Baseball History- First a 10-year, $252 Million deal with the Texas Rangers, then a 10-year, $270 Million deal with the New York Yankees after the 2007 Season. Rodriguez failed the test at the end of the 2003 Season- that offseason he was dealt to New York. Did the execs down in Arlington knowingly trade him to avoid the negative press and steroid allegations? At this point, these tests were anonymous. That was until they were seized with a warrant by the government in this mounting steroid case that has seen Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds face a Grand Jury.
Honestly, hearing of A-Rod’s failed test hurt me as a fan of the game of baseball. When I was younger, I remember watching Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa chase history in 1998, and I will never forget the soft liner that Big Mac hit off of then-Cub Steve Trachsel that just cleared the left field wall at Busch Stadium. I just thought these men were big and strong, and were the ultimate power hitters. I remember seeing Rafael Palmeiro get his 3,000th hit, a double that went down the left field line in Seattle, when he was a member of the Orioles. I thought these players were great, but I was just naïve. I remember seeing Barry Bonds hit home run after home run in McCovey Cove, and becoming the Single-Season Home Run leader- just 3 short years after McGuire set his. When McGuire set the record in 1998, he broke a 37-year old record. The suspicion mounts.
Well, those players sealed their fate, and we all thought Alex Rodriguez was going to save baseball. His lean frame was unlike McGuire’s, Sosa’s, and Bonds’- steroids were out of the question. He was the Chosen One. We will forever forget BALCO, and we will only remember Alex Rodriguez and his effortless swing that vaulted home runs into the bleachers and gave souvenirs to the ghosts in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park. On Saturday, February 7th, 2009, all of his home runs to date have been put into question. The fastest to 500, and a sure bet to be the All-Time leader in Home Runs when he hangs up his cleats, has been exposed. Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty, or until he confesses. But regardless of the outcome, it has been a rough turn of events for the New York Yankee Organization as well as Major League Baseball.
Also, who were the other 103 names? Let the confessing begin.
Until Next Week,
Len
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