A-Rod suspended for rest of season & all of 2014, appeals

[Steak Snabler]

On the table if he keeps playing hardball with the commissioner's office. So says USA Today's Bob Nightengale:

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2606319

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

I don't think that's what it says.

Commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to levy a lifetime suspension on New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, while suspending about eight others before the weekend, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.

It doesn't say he is going to do it. Or even that he is likely to do it. I think it's just ramping up the threat level to get him to accept the suspension they want him to take.

Of course maybe they announce the lifetime ban tonight, who knows. But that report does not appear to advance things a whole lot from where they are.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Yeah, that's why I put the question mark in the header. I could have worded the OP better, though. I'll do that.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Without knowing what's in the report, it looks like this is crazily unfair to both A-Rod and the rest of baseball, and it looks like he's going far beyond prior precedent. Plus it's happening at a time that the Yankees are in pretty big trouble competitively, now and in future years, and it looks like a shortcut to help them back to the top.

The ONLY team that wants this to happen is the Yankees. Everyone else wants them to pay for their own arrogance and their belief that money solves everything.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Can anyone explain to me why Alex Rodriguez should possibly be facing a lifetime ban?

I get that nobody likes him. Hell, I don't like him, and I don't particularly like the Yankees. He signed a big, bad contract and hasn't dominated in the playoffs. But on what grounds could anyone possibly justify a lifetime ban for a guy who would technically be a first time drug offender?

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Can anyone explain to me why Alex Rodriguez should possibly be facing a lifetime ban?

I get that nobody likes him. Hell, I don't like him, and I don't particularly like the Yankees. He signed a big, bad contract and hasn't dominated in the playoffs. But on what grounds could anyone possibly justify a lifetime ban for a guy who would technically be a first time drug offender?

That's where it gets even crazier. They are supposedly looking at banning him under the "best interests of baseball" clause. Essentially Bud will kick him out for the same reason Bowie Kuhn sent Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi back to the A's.

Makes no sense whatsoever. And I can't see it holding up in court, and I can't see A-Rod dropping it when there's about $100 million on the line.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

BTW the potential end of the road is this week's SI cover -- S.L. Price visits A-Rod at his minor league stops. Nothing all that revealing, but I didn't know Cashman has refused to use "Alex" and instead calls him "Mr. Rodriguez."

The Yankees' pettiness and immaturity exceeds even A-Rod's these days.

 

[H.L. Mencken]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

As I said on the other thread, much of the media (the tabs mainly, not SI or Price) is cheerleading the thought of this ban and how it might benefit the Yankees. It's pathetic.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

As I said on the other thread, much of the media (the tabs mainly, not SI or Price) is cheerleading the thought of this ban and how it might benefit the Yankees. It's pathetic.

I can't understand why the Red Sox, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays aren't raising holy hell about the prospect of letting the Yankees off the hook.

 

[outofplace]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

BTW the potential end of the road is this week's SI cover -- S.L. Price visits A-Rod at his minor league stops. Nothing all that revealing, but I didn't know Cashman has refused to use "Alex" and instead calls him "Mr. Rodriguez."

The Yankees' pettiness and immaturity exceeds even A-Rod's these days.

Agreed. Cashman has not come off well in this at all. The F-bomb he dropped in response to Rodriguez tweeting that he was ready to play was extremely unprofessional.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Can anyone explain to me why Alex Rodriguez should possibly be facing a lifetime ban?

I get that nobody likes him. Hell, I don't like him, and I don't particularly like the Yankees. He signed a big, bad contract and hasn't dominated in the playoffs. But on what grounds could anyone possibly justify a lifetime ban for a guy who would technically be a first time drug offender?

Is really facing lifetime ban though? Like H.L. mentioned, it's mostly speculation from media who appear to have lost all objectivity on this one.

Now, if someone wants to make the point that suspending him for 100 games would essentially be a lifetime ban, I might agree with that.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Can anyone explain to me why Alex Rodriguez should possibly be facing a lifetime ban?

I get that nobody likes him. Hell, I don't like him, and I don't particularly like the Yankees. He signed a big, bad contract and hasn't dominated in the playoffs. But on what grounds could anyone possibly justify a lifetime ban for a guy who would technically be a first time drug offender?

Is really facing lifetime ban though? Like H.L. mentioned, it's mostly speculation from media who appear to have lost all objectivity on this one.

Now, if someone wants to make the point that suspending him for 100 games would essentially be a lifetime ban, I might agree with that.

If he's suspended for 100 games, he still has $80 million waiting on the other side. He isn't walking away from that.

 

[wicked]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Can someone wake me up when they make an announcement? It's been a few weeks of this nonsense already.

 

[Hokie_pokie]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

As I said on the other thread, much of the media (the tabs mainly, not SI or Price) is cheerleading the thought of this ban and how it might benefit the Yankees. It's pathetic.

I can't understand why the Red Sox, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays aren't raising holy hell about the prospect of letting the Yankees off the hook.

The notion of the Yankees "getting off the hook" is kind of silly.

Sure, if the Steinbrenners can get out from under A-Fraud's contract, they'd like to do that. They don't want to pay him anymore than Arte Moreno wants to pay Pujols the $200 million he's owed for the next eight years of his fast-fading career. They'll take a mulligan if Selig offers one.

Hal and Hank are trying to institute some sort of fiscal sanity, or else they already would've paid A-Fraud to go the hell away.

But $100 million isn't going to make any difference in whether the Yankees are able to compete in the near or distant future. The franchise is still printing money and will be able to sign big-time free agents, whether they ultimately have to pay A-Fraud every dime they owe him or not.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

T.J. Quinn cites "a source familiar with discussions" saying A-Rod is weighing an agreed-upon suspension now.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9526910/alex-rodriguez-representatives-negotiating-possible-settlement-lengthy-suspension-according-source

I'm sure the person Quinn talked to is indeed a source and is indeed familiar with discussions. But there is not much indication that the source is coming from A-Rod's camp. So, more BS posturing from baseball, or real? And where will Dwight Howard land next? Tune in tomorrow ...

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

As I said on the other thread, much of the media (the tabs mainly, not SI or Price) is cheerleading the thought of this ban and how it might benefit the Yankees. It's pathetic.

I can't understand why the Red Sox, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays aren't raising holy hell about the prospect of letting the Yankees off the hook.

The notion of the Yankees "getting off the hook" is kind of silly.

Sure, if the Steinbrenners can get out from under A-Fraud's contract, they'd like to do that. They don't want to pay him anymore than Arte Moreno wants to pay Pujols the $200 million he's owed for the next eight years of his fast-fading career. They'll take a mulligan if Selig offers one.

Hal and Hank are trying to institute some sort of fiscal sanity, or else they already would've paid A-Fraud to go the hell away.

But $100 million isn't going to make any difference in whether the Yankees are able to compete in the near or distant future. The franchise is still printing money and will be able to sign big-time free agents, whether they ultimately have to pay A-Fraud every dime they owe him or not.

By all accounts the Yankees are tremendously interested in getting under the $189 million luxury tax threshold, next year and forevermore. And losing A-Rod's $21.5 million annual average is central to making that happen. Now, do they NEED to get under the tax? No. But they really want to, and having to pay A-Rod would work against that goal. They also aren't likely to just let him walk with close to $100 million, both because they'll be taxes on it anyway and because they'll be opening the door for him to go somewhere for $1 million (Tampa, anyone?) and beat them as a DH. So he's going to be on the team. And they don't want him on the team. That should tell you how "silly" the notion of letting them off the hook is.

The Yankees are praying for this to happen.

 

[Boom_70]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

Wake me up when the Arod news is concrete. All it is now is speculation .

 

[Hokie_pokie]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

As I said on the other thread, much of the media (the tabs mainly, not SI or Price) is cheerleading the thought of this ban and how it might benefit the Yankees. It's pathetic.

I can't understand why the Red Sox, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays aren't raising holy hell about the prospect of letting the Yankees off the hook.

The notion of the Yankees "getting off the hook" is kind of silly.

Sure, if the Steinbrenners can get out from under A-Fraud's contract, they'd like to do that. They don't want to pay him anymore than Arte Moreno wants to pay Pujols the $200 million he's owed for the next eight years of his fast-fading career. They'll take a mulligan if Selig offers one.

Hal and Hank are trying to institute some sort of fiscal sanity, or else they already would've paid A-Fraud to go the hell away.

But $100 million isn't going to make any difference in whether the Yankees are able to compete in the near or distant future. The franchise is still printing money and will be able to sign big-time free agents, whether they ultimately have to pay A-Fraud every dime they owe him or not.

By all accounts the Yankees are tremendously interested in getting under the $189 million luxury tax threshold, next year and forevermore. And losing A-Rod's $21.5 million annual average is central to making that happen. Now, do they NEED to get under the tax? No. But they really want to, and having to pay A-Rod would work against that goal. They also aren't likely to just let him walk with close to $100 million, both because they'll be taxes on it anyway and because they'll be opening the door for him to go somewhere for $1 million (Tampa, anyone?) and beat them as a DH. So he's going to be on the team. And they don't want him on the team. That should tell you how "silly" the notion of letting them off the hook is.

The Yankees are praying for this to happen.

LTL, my only point was that the fiscal responsibility is a self-imposed edict from the Steinbrenners, not a situation where they're cash-strapped and being forced to tighten their belts.

So while yes, obviously, the Yankees are praying their mostly unproductive, divisive and drug cheat third baseman would either go away quietly (not gonna happen) or be forced to go away by MLB (who knows?), A-Fraud's contract isn't going to make or break the franchise going forward.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

And I don't think I said it would. However, they would very much be "off the hook" for their bad decision.

 

[Mark2010]

Re: Lifetime ban for A-Rod coming?

I wouldn't object if they do. I really don't think they have the balls to go through with it and stick to their guns once the lawyers get involved.