Questions for A-Rod?

Should I pick you or Hanley Ramirez No. 1 overall in my fantasy baseball draft?

 

If all the Yankees are going to literally stand united behind A-Rod during the news conference, in an attempt to show solidarity and perhaps bully the assembled media, my question would be: "Since you're all here, can those of you who have ever used performance-enhancing supplements please raise your hands for the official record? Thank you."

 

"Already one of the great players of your generation, what did you feel you had to gain by using dangerous performance-enhancing drugs?"

 

Nice job.

I felt the same way when I heard about the massive turnout expected from fellow teammates. It struck as a way of eyeballing the media folks who ask the tough questions, with the implication that they'd be remembering that as the season goes forward. That wouldn't likely have a chilling effect on the news reporters and sports investigative people working this story, but it could give pause to some beat people or regular columnists.

Hopefully, there will be more independent-minded journalists present who won't be affected by that "A-Rod's gang vs. the media gang" dynamic.

 

You guys getting more than a little paranoid with stuff like "A-Rod's gang vs. the media gang" and "perhaps bully the assembled media."

There's been a lot of speculation since the release of Torre's book that his teammates don't respect/like him and some of his teammates have decided to demonstrate they have his back.

The "us vs. them" stuff is childish.

 

"Alex, talk about using steroids."

 

I put my "A-Rod's gang" stuff in quotes for a reason, cranberry.

But if this sort of stuff doesn't depend on and heighten the adversarial element that should always be part of our jobs, nothing will. An enterprise we devote long hours and big bucks to covering has systematically tried to prevent us from knowing certain truths.

BTW, your terminology about teammates demonstrating that they "have his back" suggests that someone or something is planning to blind-side him. That's us vs. them stuff too.

 

So are they the Yankees or the Baseball Furies?

 

One question that I would want to ask of teammates who have unified in support of A-Rod is this:
"Are you showing true, genuine support of a teammate because you believe in him or are you doing this out of a selfish realization that his talent is required for all of y'all to be successful?"

I have covered the games people play long enough to fully realize that it's kosher for teammates to be unified when such controversy occurs, but how much of it is truly thought out or more of a "good ol' boys" network. I have found it, too often, to be so shallow in its thinking and approach.

 

Can you give an example of this? Because, really, A-Rod has every right in the world to say, "None of your business" and just walk away. He's not obligated to say anything to anyone and it seems to me he's going way out of his way to get past this episode.

It's a way of demonstrating to A-Rod, their teammate, that they're being supportive. They probably don't give a shit what anyone else thinks.

 

I see some of this "group love" by teammates almost like the proverbial fisticuffs that break out after a brush back pitch and the Joe Smoes run from the bullpen to help out, probably not even having a clue as to what to do or why in the hell they're even out there in the first place.
It's done because every Tom, Dick and Harry has done it for eons before and, well hell, it's part of being a teammate or tradition.
"Hey, my dude mates are doing it so I better get my ass out there."
Same with this kind of stuff, I think.
Again, has it been thought out or is it a simple knee-jerk, better-go-along-with-the-crowd line of thinking?

 

Do you really think he would have gone out of his way to come forward had the SI story never been broken?

And yeah, he has every right in the world to say "None of your business," and just walk away. Of course, seeing how well that has worked out for Clemens, McGwire, Sosa and the rest, I think it's safe to say his handlers didn't need to try too hard to convince A-Rod not to go down that road.

I can't believe there are people out there, credible people like Buster Olny and Tim Kurkijian, willing to be so quick to commend A-Rod for doing something no other player of his stature has done by "telling the truth" when he blatantly and willingly lied to Katie Couric last year on "60 Minutes," and then proceeded to attack Selena Roberts in the Gammons interview while at the same time dodging all of the tough topics. I thought one of the last questions was perhaps one of the best, when A-Rod was asked why, after lying to Couric, and then being guarded with Gammons, thus allowing bits and pieces of the story to have to be addressed in each interview, we should believe that what he said today is the whole truth and nothing but the truth? He didn't really have a good answer for that one.