Michael Kay of ESPN radio 1050 New York uttered that Alex Rodriguez's recent allegations damaged his legacy. I would have to agree with Kay’s response. Of all the bias coming from A-Rod’s mouth, his believability remains anonymous, and still we don’t know and probably never will find out the truth to his enigmatic confession.
He never unmasked enough specifics, and twisted a story around to where it left people mysterious and leery, whether he’s legit or a fraud. To tell you the truth, personally I don’t know what to believe, and I don’t believe anything. But I know one thing A-Rod’s legacy is crippled.
All we wanted was the truth and it seems he’s too ashamed of fully confessing to unveil the entire truth. In the first place, it shouldn't have had to come down to SI.com reports, which originally revealed that Rodriguez had failed a drug test allegedly before arriving to New York when he was still playing with Texas.
As it seemed, the allegations faded away. But it turns out merely to be the beginning to more chaos, surrounding not only Rodriguez, but the Yankees. To think he told the truth in a sincere interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, in likelihood the new accusations would have not unfolded that he allegedly used performance enhancers in high school, released from an upcoming book.
But if he would have admitted everything from the start, Rodriguez could have protected his legacy. Nobody knew of his cousin injecting him twice a month in a six-month cycle until two weeks later, when he confessed in a news conference at spring camp before the season.
And there still might be some things we don’t know as he seems to keep significant information veiling, which gives us the right to label him as a big phony and the newest version of shame. Just like the rest of the sleazes, Rodriguez joins the contaminated list of rogue criminals who violated baseball’s laws.
That said he’s not the same individual who vowed integrity to kids. And now that his legacy is damaged, he’ll be remembered as a rogue steroid user. At one point, he was even a positive role model to kids. With his mystique gradually deflowering, fans and critics will never visualize him as the power hitter many speculated.
In the regular-season, Rodriguez is known for what all populace believed were pure home runs. But in the playoffs, he fails to earn credit and never was named Mr. October in the postseason. Each appearance the numbers declined, giving skeptics and fans reasons to believe A-Rod isn’t postseason caliber. It’s clear that he is unworthy in October and it’s perceptible he's not a legendary icon, serving as a modest figure in the league before destroying his image for refusing to divulge the truth, sincerely.
Every way, that is, A-Rod should join the list of names such as Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire for never confessing the truth. If true, the latest revelations could jeopardize, not only Rodriguez’s legacy, but it could endanger his career. And already, people have a different outlook on a contaminated, deceitful hypocrite.
And if his admission before MLB investigators was fraudulent, Rodriguez could serve a harsh suspension or even worse, maybe get vetoed from the game? The New York Daily News received copies of Selena Roberts’ upcoming book on Rodriguez.
By probing, she gathered reports of him failing a drug test, and recently elicited that he possibly used substances in high school. If so, he was insincere and made matters worst in front of an on-camera interview and during a meeting with investigators.
After all, he never truly confessed, in which he’s technically similar to the rest of the guileful players who haven't gotten off with a free ride as Rodriguez isn’t getting off so easily. In fact, all the bleak criticism won’t relinquish and may even swirl around him and the Yankees.
For much of the season, the troubling hearsay disrupted New York in a year when the pinstripes launched the opening of the new colossal Yankees Stadium, and in the year when the richest franchise signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira to absurdly deals.
In the long run, Rodriguez’s chaotic disruption is a way to self-destruction and endangers the Yankees mystique, traditional pinstripes and championships. Aside from the Yankees losing out, two anonymous major-leaguers affirmed that Rodriguez and pitcher Kevin Brown, whose career was dismantled for his use of steroids, were detected with human growth hormones in 2004. And based on Rodriguez’s side effects, it gave players and staff personnel suspicion that he was using performance-enhancing drugs.
That’s funny, as Rodriguez declines to discuss recent allegations with reporters. Most of that is guilt and denial, bothered by the swarming media and ashamed to honestly admit to the high school allegations, when he stood out as a premier athlete.
Reporters trotted to ask the troubled third baseman questions about Roberts’ upcoming book, A-Rod, but Rodriguez avoided questions and discussed his health status and baseball. By insisting that he broke off the usage with steroids, have us wondering if it’s true or foolish falsification in denying usage. I personally, don’t care and you shouldn't care, either.
The absurdity of Rodriguez’s confession generated shame, only because he never admitted to the truth and destroyed a legacy that can never recover.
First, I called him A-Fraud, which didn’t last anytime before I started referring to him as A-Roid. Then, I settled for A-Spoil, followed by A-Joke. And now, I’m referring to the middle-aged, naive and mindless third baseman as A-Shame.
