New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is going to play through his 211-game suspension as he tried to appeal the ban that was placed on him and as he does it, the media around the nation will take their shots at him, but based on this countdown that is nothing new.
A-Rod has been the subject of numerous headlines from the NY media especially over the years and here is a look at some of them from along the way. Rodriguez was supposed to be the clean one, the guy who did it right and saved us all from the awful Barry Bonds home run record to put a clean player at the top of baseball's totem pole.
But after the admission in 2009 and the most recent case with Biogenesis, now everything Alex ever did can be put into question and while many feel that he could have been a Hall 0f Famer without the steroids, now we may never know because it can't be proven or not proven that he was taking PEDs throughout his career. Whether he took them over the past few years or not, A-Rod will finish his career, whether it is very soon or later on after his suspension is reduced, with some of the best numbers of all-time.
Rodriguez has career numbers comparable to the great Willie Mays by putting up 647 homers, 1,950 RBI, a career batting average of .300 and an on-base percentage of .384, but now everything looks different through the prism of steroids. Alex put up some ridiculous numbers in New York, Texas and Seattle during his career and one wonders what may have happened if Alex stayed in Seattle. The team may have won a World Series in 2001 and he may not be caught up in all this business.
Some of his other stats and seasons include 52 and 57 homes runs with 135 and 142 RBIs in back to back seasons with Texas and the other year he had 47 and 118. Rodriguez was a beast during that time and he was a Gold Glove shortstop and a speedy player on the bases. Once again, everything looks different. Depending on what happens, he likely will fall way short of what once appeared to be his home run record to get. Now Bonds shall remain as the top career home run hitter until, hopefully, a clean player comes along.