Cooler heads have seemingly prevailed in baseball’s war against itself.
Alex Rodriguez stepped up to the plate on Friday to announce that he was passing the buck in pursuing his suit against major league baseball and accepting his full-year suspension, the longest in MLB history, as a chronic and repeat steroid abuser.
I know, I know the fact that MLB officials remain entrusted with the power of still being able to render sentencing for a crime they largely conspired to perpetuate seems as lawless as the idea of all the nation’s biggest banks secretly gifting the likes of Bernie Madoff the financial records of all the world’s most affluent and active investors.
Rodriguez’s suit sought damages for what his attorneys deemed “tortious interference,” but make no mistake there’s been only one victim in all the madness. And his name is not Alex Rodriguez; nor, for that matter, Bud Selig.
“We have been informed that Alex Rodriguez has reached the prudent decision to end all of the litigation related to the Biogenesis matter,” Major League Baseball said in a statement. “We believe that Mr. Rodriguez’s actions show his desire to return the focus to the play of our great game on the field and to all of the positive attributes and actions of his fellow major league players. We share that desire.”
In confirming all the most recent developments, Rodriguez’s lead attorney Joe Tacopina confirmed to ESPN, without explanation, that the case had been dropped, again rendering all of Baseball Nation to figure out all the sordid details all by their lonesome.
In the days leading up to what amounts to an agreed-upon settlement between the two sides, sources told ESPN Rodriguez came to his decision to drop his suit largely based on being able to avoid having to pay upwards of $10 million in legal fees and to preserve whatever chances he has of protecting his post player dreams of someday becoming a sports announcer.
One ESPN source summed it up best with the succinct observation that with that goal in mind it’s more likely Rodriguez can remain in the good graces of the powers that be by morphing into admitted cheater Ryan Braun than to, say, remain the ever defiant likes and thus banished Pete Rose.
Just last month, a more mellow and resolved Rodriguez reflected “I think that in the year 2014, the league could have done me a favor because I’ve played 20 years without a timeout. I think 2014 will be a year to rest mentally and physically prepare myself for the future and begin a new chapter of my life. I have three years left on my contract starting in 2015 and I hope to play very well and finish my career in New York.”
That’s all well and fine, but again where’s the love; the sympathy for the fans? The only real victims in all this. How can the solution to it all that’s transpired not at all take their thoughts or interests into consideration?
ESPN reports Rodriguez plans to stay out of the limelight over the next season, as he toils behind the scenes to rebuild his relationship with the Yankees and plot what will be his much anticipated comeback.
Meanwhile legal experts continue to wax poetic about how there can be no winners in Rodriguez and MLB scraping to destroy themselves. Truer words were never spoken. Especially when it comes to all the forgotten about fans.
