A Character Witness?
I am trying to figure out why Joel Sherman spoke to David Segui about A-Rod and steroids. Now Sherman is a wonderful reporter so I imagine he called a ton of people to talk about A-Rod and only Segui was willing to go on the record, but his headline "EX-MATE SEGUI: ALEX 'ROIDLESS IN SEATTLE" is laughable.
After all, David Segui was all over the Mitchell Report, so he is hardly someone who has a lot of credibility on this issue. Maybe some people will look at this and say that since Segui cheated he would know if A-Rod had as well, but I am not buying it.
The problem is it is now Saturday and the stories are still being written. A-Rod has been linked to a trainer who has a very bad reputation and his mystery cousin has been found, but won't talk. We have also learned that "boli" was illegal without a prescription in the Dominican Republic when Alex was taking it. I keep trying to figure out how this goes away and for the life of me I can't see it- at least until the season starts. Once the Yankees start playing A-Rod can make this go away by repeating his April of 2007. But that is still a long way away and the Yankees don't want this hanging over them for the next month.
They will get a break when Alex heads to the WBC and the story follows him to wherever the Dominican Team is training. (On a side note, David Ortiz is going to have some fun times when all the reporters ask him about his stance on steroids and how it applies to his WBC teammate A-Rod. I totally agree with what Ortiz said, I just hope he realizes what is going to happen in a week.) But that break is only temporary and there is a bigger problem hanging over them- April 14th 2009.
That's when Selena Roberts', the person who broke the original story, book comes out. The title is "The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez" so you can expect that it won't be a tribute to him. I have to hope that A-Rod was smart enough (or his PR firm was) to realize he needed to be 100% sure that the story he gave about using steroids only from 2001-2003 and never using other PED's could not be questioned, but with Alex you just don't know. If Roberts has something new or one of the many reporters all over this story find something new, Alex is in big trouble. We are a peculiar nation in that we seem to enjoy seeing the rich and powerful humbled and Alex certainly fits those categories. The Germans call it schdenfreude and we have a big case of it. With the suffering over the economy only going up, people will really enjoy seeing the richest man in baseball getting his ass handed to him. The bullseye is on A-Rod's back, can he survive?
Comments
Schadenfreude is an apy label for this Peter. Couple that with the fourth estate's frenzy to feed that vicious joy with headlines and stories which sell papers and it becomes a purely ugly setting. It's why NY is such a sometimes challenging place to play ball. Boston has a good case of it also but that seems focused more on ANYone and ANYthing having to do with the Yankees. Julius Caesar and others wrote about this when commenting about the "masses" in and around Rome, the masses being called the Vulgas (read: vulgar) and Shakespeare also had some "interesting" things to say about the local audiences as well. It's not a modern development. It's just humans being humans throughout history.
Can A-Rod survive this? Maybe or maybe not, as he seems driven by a desire to be liked and admired. That's what I took away from Torre's book. If he would just "get stupid" and learn to ignore those things he can't control - if he would just learn to shut up and play ball - he might be OK. Can't play ball with your brain working at a high level, you have to let your muscles do their thing. He gets wound tight with an anxiety to be liked and to live up to his salary that Prozac would be a much better drug for him than Boli. LOL.
"Don't think (or talk), it can only hurt the ballclub".
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2009 10:07 AM
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Mitchell - your point about getting stupid is why Manny is so effective, he does not seem to be affected by the fans or media at all.
clock ticking, still think Manny ends up in the Bronx, especially now
Posted by: blmeanie | February 23, 2009 12:18 PM |
About my post above - the word is "apt" not "apy". Duh.
I think my wife and I are going to get into a better mood about baseball after all the Schadenfreude that's been dragging us down about the sport we love - we've decided we're going to do this by watching Bull Durham. We need to hear the collective wisdom of Crash and Annie again - and enjoy the maturing of Nuke. And watch Major League as we need to revisit the Uke (just a little inside), Jake and Ricky Vaughn. Might also spring for The Rookie - just for fun.
Field of Dreams? We just watched it last month. Dialogue is pretty much memorized on that one. Gotta get ourselves ready for some BASEBALL !!!!
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2009 04:29 PM
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pace yourself Mitchell, don't want to over do it so early
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2009 07:16 PM
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BL? Thanks for the advice but, unfortunately, pacing myself is not very likely; this happens this time every year due to weather related craziness.
Last night was snow, this morning was snow shoveling - and tonight it's going to be in the teens. I am ready for Spring, really really ready. Now you may not feel the same way, it's prob in the 60s during the day for you in Hotlanta so you're prob just strolling around in a light jacket enjoying the weather before it gets too muggy and hot to breathe easily. But here in northern Red Sox country, it's a time of restlessness.
Need some baseball, now, real bad. Not stories about roids - no basketball - no hockey. Baseball, nasty pitches, Mr. Splitty, ground balls with eyes, impossibly green grass, well turned double plays, the excitement triples. Full counts with the bases loaded. Chin music, broken bats.
Yep, need it all really bad.
- End Rant.
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2009 08:04 PM
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my arm is tired from all the batting practice I have pitched to my kid's team this weekend.
Saturday practice - estimated 250-280 pitches in the cage.
Sunday practice - "only" about 100 before they had a scrimmage.
Today - I sent his mom to take him to the cage practice so I could rest the shoulder for this coming weekend.
ahhh, late winter in Atlanta...
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2009 08:33 PM
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You know it's not up there with the other ones, but "For Love of the Game" is a baseball movie I enjoy watching. It's like the forgotten Kevin Costner baseball movie.
I have also really enjoyed the MLB channel. Plenty of old games to distract yourself with while we wait for new ones. Luckily, the first games of spring are Wednesday!
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 23, 2009 10:59 PM
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Peter - That was a good movie, sorry to say I'd forgotten all about it.
BL - I can't see Manny in pinstripes this year, but, next year I can. If Boras is smart (yes) and patient (no), Manny will sign for a year someplace for big money, put up big numbers all year, show that he's become a motivated team mate (uh, yuh) and then call up Hankenstein in November and say that Manny's always wanted to be a Yankee, that he wants to end his career back home in the Bronx and that he really wants to play against the Red Sox and show them what they're missing. That's the script that I see.
And enjoy the late winter weather, I envy you.
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 24, 2009 08:55 AM
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