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Hip surgery or off-the-books suspension for A-Rod?

Posted on March 5th, 2009 – 11:04 AM
By Michael Rand

arod.JPGNot to be overly cynical here, but the breaking news that Alex Rodriguez will miss 10 weeks to have surgery on his hip would put him out until, how, mid-to-late May. That’s, oh, 50 games or so into the regular season. And that’s exactly the punishment for a first-time performance enhancing drug offender.

Remember, Roger Clemens had the same coincidental missed time in 2006 and 2007, years when he kept mysteriously coming back in late May.

And Barry Bonds, for all the speculation last year, did not play an inning. Again, no formal steroid suspension but these three things — Bonds, Clemens and now A-Rod — are enough to at least enough to make one wonder if there’s some off-the-books dealing going on at Mr. Selig’s office.

Players get punished; the game avoids sullying itself further; everyone is happy.

Or, maybe A-Rod has a cyst on his hip that just popped up a couple weeks after his steroid problems, Clemens really didn’t want his $4 million/month to include April and May, and no team wanted the greatest home run hitter in the history of baseball.

Conspiracy theories: fun even if they aren’t necessarily true!

(Thanks to M.C. Creme Fraiche for planting the seed on this one. All the way from Seattle, on vacation, and still thinking of us. What a guy).

15 Responses to "Hip surgery or off-the-books suspension for A-Rod?"

Dave MN says:

March 5th, 2009 at 11:11 am

Oh no! What does this mean for the Dominican Republic’s WBC chances?!

Stu says:

March 5th, 2009 at 11:23 am

Thanks to M.C. Creme Fraiche for planting the seed on this one. All the way from Seattle, on vacation

SPRING BREAK! 40 AND RAINY! WOOOO!

roughkat says:

March 5th, 2009 at 11:29 am

Thanks to M.C. Creme Fraiche for planting the seed on this one

That’s what she said.

BoogieNeedsAGoal says:

March 5th, 2009 at 11:51 am

Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

sconway55037 says:

March 5th, 2009 at 11:57 am

“and no team wanted the greatest home run hitter in the history of baseball.”

I didn’t know Hank Aaron was available.

JPF says:

March 5th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

you can add Tiger Woods’ “knee injury” just at the same time the PGA was going to start testing players as another theory.

jama says:

March 5th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Is he still getting paid? If so it’s not a suspension.

newbie says:

March 5th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Didn’t Michael Jordan “retire” amid some allegations of gambling? And then decide he really did want to play again…

newbie says:

March 5th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Also, I missed yesterday’s NewsBreak. Do I have to watch that before today’s so I won’t be lost?

roughkat says:

March 5th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Anyone know if players ever have to give back money they make after failing a drug test? If A-Rod doesn’t have to give any money back, doesn’t that just send the message to use steroids to make enough money before you get caught? The message is never about not taking performance enhancing drugs, it’s don’t get caught.

jama says:

March 5th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

So maybe Boof isn’t really injured but tested positive for having too much bacon in his blood?

Mitch says:

March 5th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

One can only hope A-roid’s hip will heal the same way Albert Belle’s did.

ramon says:

March 5th, 2009 at 1:27 pm

That thing with A-Rod is pretty suspicious. And I’m someone who never for a second believed that Eddie Wilson from “Eddie And The Cruisers” really died.

JuanDinero says:

March 5th, 2009 at 11:35 pm

Ya. He done it. It is either a suspension or it is his body finding peace with the fact that it has to act on its own. He is not the first.

BUT, it would take a lot of evidence for me to believe that Tiger Woods was a Roid head. In fact, I think whoever said that is probably just really jealous.

I have not had the pleasure and athletic fortune to take steroids, but I have seen it done. Golf and steroids don’t really mix. Sure you can get stronger, but that benefit has nothing to do with Tiger’s dominance which rests in his short game and, more importantly, in his putting.

And finally, I think it is entertaining to see Americans pissed off at the stock market crash and steroid use. What? Did you think that either performance was for real? Did you? If so, maybe you should be the one getting suspended or forced into injury.

sto says:

March 7th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

I think this is a brilliant plan by arod and his entourage being hatched right now with this torn labrum business. whether it’s real or not, it’s completely stopped the steroid discussion. plus, assuming it is real, I bet he has surgery and misses 4 months. by the time he returns, no one will care that he took steroids and he’ll avoid all the “A-Roid” and “Who’s your uncle?” chants that currently await him at all away ballparks.
if he doesn’t have surgery, he’ll have a perfect alibi for his drop off in production now that he’s off the juice, and then once he can no longer handle the boos, he’ll conveniently opt for season ending surgery.

brilliant!