For about an hour yesterday afternoon, I started wondering if this controversy could actually help Rodriguez in the long run. I know it's crazy, but Rodriquez, as we all know, has always tried just a little too hard--from his frosted tips, to his exposed socks--to be the best. Maybe, I allowed myself to think, as of Sunday morning, with his worst nightmares finally realized, his fraudulence and perfidy finally brought to light, that maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to show up at the ballpark 162 times a year and just play baseball, just as he did as a 16-year-old, without the burden of being A-Rod, the greatest player of his generation, if not in the history of the game. Maybe, with everything he ever worked for now spiraling helplessly down the toilet, he could concentrate instead on grinding it out, hitting to the opposite field, moving runners over. In short, letting his natural talents take over. No longer having to worry about being A-Rod, he wouldn't have to try to smack the ball 425 feet over the fence every time he stepped to the plate. With nothing left to lose, he would come into his own as a ballplayer and, finally, find some solace playing the game he's always loved.
But then I remembered Alex has the emotional makeup of a 14-year-old anorexic girl. There's no way he's going to come out of this unscathed.
The more I think about Madden's suggestion, the more I like it. Or the Yankees could choose to go a different route this Spring Training.
UPDATE: Rodriguez has admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs. He also apologized. He's also still a giant tool, and a member of the Yankees through Obama's second term. Pitchers and catchers can't report to Spring Training fast enough.
