A Rod is just one example of everything that is wrong with baseball. From the money and Steroids, to just plan cheating. There are 156 homeruns I want back. Those are just the ones he hit during the time-frame that he admitted juicing.
If you don't agree, you’re not a fan of Baseball itself. You’re just a fan of a "team" or maybe even A-Roid himself.
It's just sad to see him in the WS.
Sorry, I know I preaching to the choir.
"A Rod is just one example of everything that is wrong with baseball."
He's just one example, though. There are plenty of guys who are just as selfish, just as greedy, and cheated just as much as he did. He just happens to have a lot more talent than those guys.
"If you don't agree, you’re not a fan of Baseball itself. You’re just a fan of a 'team' or maybe even A-Roid himself."
You should stop watching baseball, then. If you don't like A-Rod, then you don't really like 200+ other players playing the game right now. How is A-Rod any more of a cheater than Ryan Franklin, Andy Pettitte, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, or any of the other countless players who, whether or not they were ever caught, used steroids to enhance their performance, and were hugely rewarded for their cheating?
Think of the biggest story of this century so far, the 2004 Boston Red Sox. That was a total fraud. Everyone was saying Ortiz & Manny were like Ruth & Gehrig. No, they weren't. They were total cheaters juiced-up on steroids. No steroids, and the Red Sox would be staring at ninety-one years without a title. Instead, Bud Selig and MLB have marketed the s*** out of that team, like all these guys taking steroids to win a WS was really some heartwarming story.
It's not fair to put the shame of baseball on A-Rod's back. There were guys cheating before A-Rod came into the league. There are guys who cheated just as much who haven't gotten caught. There are still guys cheating today.
"It's just sad to see him in the WS."
I understand why you feel that way, but you're still coming-off as bitter. Did you hate A-Rod from 1996-2000? 'Cause he was probably on steroids then, too. Oh, and do you really think A-Rod was the only Seattle Mariner who was on steroids? I'd bet that if we really learned each and ever steroid user the past twenty years that there would be some very, VERY surprising names on that list, possibly some names that would break your heart...
I am bitter! “You’re not?” Isn’t everyone that truly loves baseball bitter about this subject? I agree with you, A-Rod isn’t any different than Manny and Pettitte, or all the others that have done or are doing steroids except for one thing: he is at the top. He is the highest paid player, on the biggest team, with arguably the biggest fan base. That is why he should be the target. I am not going to stop watching baseball. But I am a bit tired of that thought in the back of my head every game, every time a player has an unusually good season. “Is he or isn’t he?” Come on, aren’t you? You say it’s not fair to put all the blame on him. I say it IS fair to put all the blame collectively onto any one player’s back if they cheat. If we cheat on a test we hurt ourselves because we didn’t assimilate the information, and we lose out because of it. But you cheat in baseball and you hurt everybody who loves it, players and fans. Just because we don’t know the identity of every player to have cheated, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t punish the ones we know have. Fans have become complacent. If enough of us speak out it could change things. Bring signs, go to games but refuse to buy concessions if a player known to use steroids is playing. I would never say just stop going or watching. This isn’t new! They were using amphetamines in the late 60’s. But if we just throw our hands up in the air and say, “Oh, well!”—that’s the worst of all. We need to defend the game we love, not any one player. Baseball will survive this but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t use our help.
Pete Rose, one of the best to ever play the game, bet on his own team to win. He did not cheat. But it’s as if he never played an inning. Manny Ramirez gets a 50 game suspension for taking something that would help him change the outcome of a game….
I’m just saying.
"A-Rod isn’t any different than Manny and Pettitte, or all the others that have done or are doing steroids except for one thing: he is at the top. He is the highest paid player, on the biggest team, with arguably the biggest fan base. That is why he should be the target."
That's why he isn't.
"Bit of a gear shift for you there on Alex, isn't it? You used to loathe the dude."
Don't get me wrong: I still don't like the guy. Like him or not, A-Rod is a tremendous all-around baseball talent. I think it's good for the game, in a small way, for a national audience to see (probably) the game's best all-around player performing well on a big stage. That doesn't mean I like him as a person, approve of the fact that he cheated, approve of his monumental greed and ego. But as a baseball player, there are a lot of things that A-Rod does right...
"He is the highest paid player, on the biggest team, with arguably the biggest fan base. That is why he should be the target."
I don't agree with that attitude. First of all, it was Texas who made him the game's highest-paid player. I also don't think that a player should take significantly more flak just because he's very talented. Cheating is cheating. When it comes to PED use, I don't think A-Rod is any worse than Jason Giambi or Mo Vaughn or Dan Naulty or Ryan Franklin. These guys were all cheating. They were all motivated by greed. In fact, some of these guys cheated other players out of being in the major leagues, or got huge contracts that they didn't deserve. A-Rod isn't the only bad guy here.
"His opinions only stay consistent if the former helps the current."
Man, you're a whiner.
I agree with you. But I also agree with dale. Why? Because this is the game the owners allowed to happen by letting the players dominate. I hate A-Fraud. But I think I hate the owners even more for capitulating the rule book to the players, who have shown time and time again that the game is second to their desires.
My two cents worth.....
"Why is $15M-$20M p/y for a baseball player reasonable?"
Because corporations shell-out big bucks for those luxury boxes. They don't' even go to half the games, but they still pay for them. When I was growing-up in NY in the '80's, an upper deck seat in Yankee Stadium was around $5. Now, that same seat is $25-30. And it's the same all around baseball. Bleacher seats used to be bargain basement. Now, they go for $14+ all around the league. Factor-in the $5 hot dogs, the $6 sodas, the $9 beers, the $20+ to park your car, and multiply that by eighty-one, and you'll see that these owners are raking in a bundle of money.
Then, you have all the games being moved to cable, which increases revenue. So there's even more money going to the owners. The owners gauge the fans. The players, in turn, argue that they're the reason that the owners are able to make all that money. So every now and then, they do what they did in '94, which is to say that either you pay us what we're worth, based on the profits we're making for you, or we're not going to play.
Basically, the MLBPA knows how much owners are making, so they know how much money they're "worth." And once everyone - players and owners - are making a certain amount, it's just against human nature for people to take less than what they've been making, even if they're already millionaires, or, in the cases of some of the owners, billionaires.
It's just an endless cycle of greed. It's the human condition.
"Which begs the question: Why is $15M-$20M p/y for a baseball player reasonable? "
You can thank the massive profits of the MLB and the players association for that.
The product being made is extremely profitable (MLB) and the people that are MAKING the product (Players) have done everything in their powers to assure that they get as large a chunk of that profit that they can.
With large profits come large salaries.
That's the really short version.
Honestly, I'm okay with it. I'd be handing my ticket fair to the bat boy at the top step of the dugout if it were up to me. I'm all for players receiving my money as a fan than the owners.
I understand what you’re saying however they did it fair and square under Selig's watch. As we have seen Money does not always guarantee championships every year. In fact look at the Marlins 2 time WS series champs with arguably the lowest or one of the lowest payrolls.
We are seeing present day smarter GM's and good coaches making the field competitive regardless if you’re a Yankee, D-Back, or other small market teams.
Is it unfair that the best FA's are bought up by the richest teams? Sure but those FA's don't always seem to be worth the salary, or as talented that we may think.
My point being we just need our GM to be smarter and Waka to continue being a good Manager, and the fact we cant change the rules of FA as it stands right now.
One thing I do know ids the Yanks get a chunk of money from the YES network, and selling out all those seats along with their large fanbase and products.
Concerning players who used PED's it was MLB's & the players Unions faults for allowing it to exist. Selig isn't the only guilty person you have Don Fehr who protected the Players Union. Technically while Steroids and Illegal drugs have been against the law. Some PEB's & Supplements weren’t. you can't blame all of the players, but the fact it was acceptable to do the things they did. Everyone was to blame trainers and other staff along with the players.
I did a research project in college about this very topic and interviewed a independent league manager along with the bench coach. Good Stuff.
PEB use is more rampant than a lot of us thought. I worked with someone that grew up with a ex-player and close friends of a Pro baseball player and they stayed friends while he was playing pro. The player who I won't reveal mentioned some players have to cheat to even make the cut. Whether it’s true or was. It makes you wonder is this the norm, or not?
Having said that I don't support PEB use or what happened nor do I support a monopoly on FA's. It it what it is. You should ask will those in high offices down to the players learn from the past mistakes?
