News is expected today announcing the fate of maligned New York Yankees
third baseman Alex Rodriguez. For his role in the Biogenesis performance
enhancer scandal, he is expected to face anything from a lengthy suspension to
being banned from the game. He has reportedly
vowed to fight to the end, and accept no punishment despite there allegedly
being volumes of evidence linking to his use of PEDs, active recruitment of
other players and interfering with MLB’s investigation. Regardless of what
happens, it promises to not be pretty.
It’s a shame it has come to this. It didn’t have to. The 38-year-old
Rodriguez was a baseball prodigy who oozed talent. Staying on top of his game
may not have been easy but ending his career on such a down note, when he could
have been celebrated as one of the best players to ever don a uniform, is a
antithesis. Not only is he going out as a cheater, he is flaunting a me-first
oblivious sense of entitlement never before seen on a baseball diamond. Even Barry
Bonds and Roger Clemens saw the writing on the wall and faded into the sunset
after their affiliations with PEDs became prominent.
Rodriguez’s long track record of arrogance is overwhelming any sense
that he may in the right. Although he had admitted previous PED use, he has
never officially failed a test. His suspension/banning will either come under
the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement
or by the commissioner invoking his ability to act in the best interests of the
game. In either instance, the lack of true due process is questionable at best.
Unfortunately, Rodriguez has burned so many bridges with his narcissistic and
grating ways that he has become like the boy who cried wolf. Instead of
stirring up an army of supporters, he is simply giving more ammunition to the
growing number of people who would simply like him to go away.
***The PED users who have thrown away parts of their careers and their
reputations puts the following story into perspective. Baseball is enjoyed by a
wide swath of people around the world. There is flourishing World
Series of Beep Baseball, which is a modified game played by blind
participants since the 1970s. Pitchers are signaled by a high-pitch beep that
allows batters to know when to swing. Runs are scored if hitters reach base
before the ball is picked up by an opposing fielder. There have been five balls
caught on the fly in tournament history. It’s great to see those who love
baseball able to get out on the field and play the game after adapting it to
their abilities.
***Was there anything Yankees legend Babe Ruth couldn’t do? In addition
to being the Sultan of Swat, he was also known to enjoy croaking out a song or
two. This picture,
which was taken in 1938 when he was the first-base coach for the Brooklyn
Dodgers, shows him warming up his pipes with some of his players. Meanwhile,
this rare footage is
of the Babe doing a little arm-swinging song routine for the cameras during the
earliest days of television. He wasn’t as successful a crooner as he was a
baseball player, but like everything he did, he was larger than life in every
one of his endeavors.
***Later this week marks the 110th anniversary of one of the darkest
days to ever take place at a major league stadium. On August 8, 1903, a
large crowd turned out for a doubleheader at Huntingdon Street Baseball Grounds
in Philadelphia between the Phillies and Boston Beaneaters. A disturbance in
the bleachers caused the structure to collapse, injuring hundreds and killing a
dozen spectators.
The Phillies didn’t play for another 12 days, as an investigation into
the tragedy was conducted. It was determined that rotten timber was the main
culprit, and the team wound up playing the remainder of their home games that
year at the park of the American League rival Athletics. Stadiums are no longer
the tinder boxes they once were, thanks in part to an incident such as this,
which has gone largely forgotten.
***The New York Public Library is still looking for baseball
artifacts that were stolen from them 40 years ago. The collection includes
rare baseball cards, photos, letters and other priceless artifacts from the
early days of the game. While some of the items have been returned to the
library over the years, the whereabouts of the bulk that were taken still
remain unknown. It will be great if they can eventually be recovered so they
can be enjoyed by the general public.
***The Boston Red Sox lost two alumni last week, when it was announced
former first baseman George “Boomer” Scott had passed away at the age of 69,
and former pitcher Frank Castillo, 44, had perished in a drowning accident.
Both were popular and productive during their stints in Boston, and their
deaths will be felt by Red Sox Nation.
***When Yankees outfielder Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s 34 year-old
single-season home run record in 1961, when he hit 61 round-trippers, it
changed more than just his own life. The 61st home run was hit off Boston Red
Sox’s Tracy Stallard, and caught in the stands by a young New Yorker named Sal
Durante. He got to meet Maris after the game and was encouraged to keep the
ball.
Durante, who was engaged, sold the ball for $5,000 a few weeks later,
allowing him to marry his fiancé and start their new life together. This short film tells their
terrific story, which is an all-time baseball classic.
***And now, your moment of Zen. Several years ago, Phillies’ pitcher
Kyle Kendrick had a very cruel but funny prank pulled on him by his teammates.
An elaborate ruse was
concocted to convince the young hurler he had been traded to a Japanese team.
He endured several minutes of uncomfortable incredulity before finally being
let off the hook. He’s still with Philadelphia, and while he may actually get
traded before his career is over, he’ll likely never forget the time he was
briefly sent packing across the ocean.
You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
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