DRAMA MAJOR
A-Rod's place in eye of latest storm just par for the course
BALTIMORE — Aug. 5, 2013, will go down as one of the most entertaining days in baseball history, and gosh, how many of those have starred Alex Rodriguez?
In the afternoon, Major League Baseball announced the 211game suspension of A-Rod for his involvement with Biogenesis. And at night, ARod, having appealed his penalty, made his season debut at U.S. Cellular Field after missing the first four months recovering from left hip surgery.
The baseball gods seemed to be setting us up for the possibility of a worthwhile sequel on Monday: What if, on Monday afternoon, ARod formally appealed the Yankees’ choice to not activate the $6 million marketing agreement for tying Willie Mays on the career homerun list and then, on Monday night, the beloved supervillain picked up hit 3,000 — in his adopted hometown of Miami, to boot?
It would present a delicious juxtaposition and underline how Rodriguez, even with his 40th birthday arriving next month, arguably still packs the best onfield/offfield combination in all of professional sports.
But as long as ARod remains in peacekeeping mode, don’t expect such a perfect storm to occur.
“At this point in time, the focus right now [is] on the field,” Players Association executive director Tony Clark said Saturday at the James Mosher Baseball Fields, about three miles northwest of Camden Yards. “I know there are other things that are out there, but the focus right now, being in the field, is what’s been beneficial to everyone. For now, we’re going to make sure that remains the focus, regardless of anything or any dialogue that happens in conjunction.”
Asked directly whether the Yankees’ decision would be appealed, Clark said, “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
Monday represents a soft deadline for ARod to appeal, as it’s the 45th day since he cracked home run 660 (on May 1, at Fenway Park) to pull even with Mays. However, the “dialogue” to which Clark referred — among ARod, the Yankees, Major League Baseball and the Players Association — seems to have reached a consensus this is an issue best resolved in the offseason. So the union can formally ask for a hold, which extends the deadline. Or there can just be an informal agreement to keep the situation in play without acting on it.
The Yankees have initiated the idea of settling this potential dispute with a charitable donation; remember, if the Yankees lost the appeal, they’d owe ARod $6 million and then another $6 million for the luxury tax. To date, ARod hasn’t agreed to that, although that doesn’t mean such a resolution is off the table altogether.
The Yankees’ designated hitter — he likely won’t start the two DHless games in Miami, manager Joe Girardi has indicated — began play Saturday, with the Yankees set to take on the Orioles, owning 2,994 career hits.
“How about that?” asked Clark, who was ARod’s teammate on the 2004 Yankees. “... I know we’re in an age right now where some numbers resonate more than others, or some represent something different ... but the numbers that we’re talking about here, when you start introducing Babe Ruth and [Joe] DiMaggio and [Lou] Gehrig and [Mickey] Mantle and [Hank] Aaron, when those names start entering the conversation, you’re in some rarified air.
“We’re pleased that he’s on the field playing, and that the dialogue is focused on what’s happening between the lines. I’m ecstatic for particularly someone who’s had two hip surgeries — I’ve had one — that he’s able to perform at the highest level the way he is. Even as a fan, I can appreciate what he’s been able to do.”
Most fans, love A-Rod or hate him, seem to appreciate the drama that accompanies his every move. Too bad an epically dramatic Monday doesn’t seem to be in the cards.