In a move that makes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and their ilk look even more stupid than they did before, Alex Rodriguez followed in Andy Pettite’s footsteps and apologized for his use of performance enhancing drugs.  It’s amazing how simple this concept is, and how horribly the Bonds and Clemens crew failed at it.  Instead of fessing up to their mistakes and admitting what they did, they’re under investigation for perjury.  Pettite and Rodriguez both made the same mistake, but instead of denying it with piss poor lying and million dollar lawyers, they apologized for it.  The result?  They’re going to be just fine.

Already, just hours after his apology, according to an espn.com poll Alex Rodriguez has been forgiven by 38% of Americans, while another 30% say there is no need to forgive him.  This is compared to the remaining 32% who have not forgiven him.  The fact that he has been given a clean sheet by Americans just days after it was reported he used steroids should be a blueprint for any other athlete who is in a bad situation again.

While I don’t necessarily agree with this automatic forgiveness, it clearly is an effective tactic.  It seemed to work for Michael Phelps last week, it did work for Andy Pettite and now its working for Alex Rodriguez.  Perhaps if Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens hadn’t been such dicks the baseball world would still be willing to accept them and their tainted achievements.

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be surprised or am supposed to just fade into the popular train of thought that A-Rod was destined to get caught and just another one of “those guys” during the steroid era.  Either way, as I’m sure you know by now, Alex Rodriguez got busted after it was revealed that he had tested positive for the juice in 2003.  What the hell, man.  I mean, looking at A-Rod’s frame now compared to when he was with the Mariners as a rookie is a Bonds-esque progression; I get that.  And I’m not going to bother proposing the rhetorical question of “was every asshole who played in the 90’s and early 2000’s on juice?” because that’s like asking if babies take shits in diapers.  No, instead I’m going to go the easier route and once again be disappointed that another sports icon during my years growing up has tested positive as a steroid user, a liar, and a cheater.  Damnit.

What the hell is the hall of fame ballot going to look like in 15 years?  Alex Rodriguez, no.  Mark McGwire, no.  Roger Clemens, no.  Sammy Sosa, no.  Tony Gwynn is one of the few great players from the era to get in because he only injected deep fried jelly donuts and mayonnaise.  Cal Ripken got in because he basically told injuries, sickness, and anything else to screw itself and just played through it.  Ken Griffey Jr will get in because, well, it’s Junior and the only thing that he did over the course of his career was strain his calf/leg/quad like fifteen times.  Outside of that, it’ll be interesting.  I guess that’s what baseball has come to; the division between baseball players and baseball cheaters.  Thanks for ruining my childhood memories of baseball, assholes.

With Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings wrapping up over in Sin City, the biggest story of baseball’s offseason has finally come out: CC Sabathia is going to be a New York Yankee for a long, long time. Initially wanting to stay on the West Coast, the Yankees finally lured the big man to the Bronx by giving him 7 years for $161 million, not to mention a city with more restaurants than any other city in the world.

The deal, according to a source close to negotiations, gives Sabathia the right to opt out of the contract after the first three years, by which time he will have been paid $69 million. Sabathia appreciated the clause because it satisfied concerns he had about living in New York and the impact it might have on his wife and three children.

He will make his opt-out decision after the 2011 season with four years and $92 million remaining on the deal, at which time he could renegotiate, leave or stay.

I’m sure this contract will give Sabathia enough money to avoid sending his children to Public School 36A in the middle of the Bronx. But does it make the  Yankees the favorites in the American League? We saw Johan Santana have a great year in his debut season with the Mets, but it still wasn’t enough to get them back into the playoffs. Can Sabathia and the mysterious remainder of the Yanks’ rotation get the job done?

Anyone who uses the argument of Sabathia’s playoff disappointments has lost the plot. Sure, Sabathia has struggled in the three postseason starts he’s made. But were those September starts on three days rest not clutch performances? Was his MVP-caliber performance in Milwaukee not enough to prove he can take the ball in important games and deliver? I’m not crazy about the Yankees’ negotiations with Burnett or Sheets, but signing Derek Lowe would be a nice get for a team in desperate need of pitching.

Dear Hank,

Let me start this quite simply so we are clear on where I stand.  I can’t stand you.  I think you’re a disgrace to the sport of baseball, I think you have no place running one of the greatest franchises ever, and I think you should never EVER open your mouth.  You confirmed this thought of mine by your bitching and moaning comments today about the current state of baseball.  According to the New York Daily News, you said this Hank, “The biggest problem is the divisional setup in major league baseball” you said that you hate the divison set up now, but you hated it  in the 1970’s too.  And of course because you’re an almighty deity you, you didn’t even give us a better way to align the divisions.  You just bitch and moan that the Dodgers don’t belong in the playoffs because the NL West sucks.

So what do you propose Hank?  That we just ignore divsions and give the top four teams in each league a playoff spot?  Okay fine, your team still doesn’t make it.  You say its “not fair” that the Dodgers are in.  You’re the head of the Yankees and you want to talk about fair Hank?  How about we have a chat with the Orioles, Blue Jays and Rays.  Hell let’s bring in all the small market teams from around the league, and lets see what they think about you complaining about things not being fair.  I’m guessing they would feel as bad for you as Ohio State fans feel for Michigan fans right now.

Another great line from you Hank, you say that if L.A. were in the AL East they wouldn’t be in the playoff conversation.  I find that fascinating, Hank, and so does this map. In case you’re struggling with that, notice that Los Angeles is on the left side of that map (we call that the West) and New York is on the right (we call that the East), now I know this 1st grade geography is really tough Hank, but having L.A. in the A.L East doesn’t make any sense.  In fact, it makes about as much sense as you complaining about things not being fair.

Enjoy your billion dollar stadium, destorying history and getting no sympathy from everyone.  And I’ll end by suggesting you take that stick out of your ass, and get those sour grapes out of your office.  There’s no place for them or you in Major League Baseball.

Sincerely,
The guy who thought he would never have wanted George Steinbrenner back in charge of the Yankees so badly.

Yankee Stadium is, for all intensive purposes, a concrete history book.  It’s role in shaping sports in America is unrivaled by anything built in our country’s history.  Since its’ construction, 20% of all World Series games have been played there.  Think about that, let that marinade for a second.  Legends such as Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Berra used to call this home.  It’s where men like Jeter, Brosius, and Boone have launched moon shots into the history books.  It’s where Mr. October was coined, where the great Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in three consecutive pitches.  It’s where the first papal mass in the Western Hemisphere was celebrated, where the “win one for the Gipper” speech was coined.  And soon, it’ll be where a steel ball crushes into its’ walls, effectively destroying the holy ground.

As a history buff and more importantly as a sports fan it’s tough to see a site like Yankee Stadium go.  If you ever had the chance to visit or attend a game at Yankee Stadium, you know.  There’s just nothing quite like the aura that exists on that field each time the pinstripes run out for nine innings of baseball.  There’s nothing like the white arches that surround the top of the stadium, giving it an unmistakable identity.  There’s nothing like the bleacher creatures doing roll call chanting names like “De-rek Je-ter!” and “Ro-bin-son!”  There’s nothing like the plaques that stand in left field, honoring the Yankee greats and providing audience for the current Yankees.  It’s irreplacable.

Next year the Yankees will move across the street to their new billion dollar home and in about a year, all will be forgotten as the current stadium will be demolished in favor of a park.  Even though the stadium will be long since gone, however, the memories of those who played there and even those who attended games there will never be forgotten.  Yogi Berra said it best yesterday when he said Yankee Stadium will live inside of him, just like it will live inside many of us.  And as Nick Trotta said in a Sports Illustrated article, “Those walls are alive.  They are going to scream.”

Alex Rodriguez hit his 35th home run and drove in his 100th RBI the other day, making it the 12th straight season he’d done so.  In accomplishing this feat, A-Rod passed Babe Ruth as the only player to ever do such a thing.  “Passed Babe Ruth”…Now there’s a phrase that cements an accomplishment as legendary.  So where do you rank Alex Rodriguez in the history books?  Exactly how great is this guy considering his accomplishments and his post season failures?