FROM A-GOD to A-FRAUD: The Impact of a Self-Destructive Superstar

By Chris DeAngelis

While I desperately wanted to talk about Sean Avery’s return to the Rangers, and despite the constant coverage already underway, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the A-Rod steroid revelation. In the process I will try to incorporate every nickname ever created for Rodriguez that begins with an “A-___”.

While Yankee fans and haters alike point to Louis Gonzalez’s walk-off single against Mo as the beginning of the end for the Yankee dynasty, I would have to disagree. No team can be expected to win every year, and the Yankees have been back to the World Series since that loss to Arizona. The true end to the Yankee dynasty occurred on December 18, 2003, when the A-God trade to Boston died. Since then, the light of the Yankee star has gone out. One man – an arrogant, insecure and ultra image-conscious man – has single handedly tarnished a mystique that has been built up over a 100 years. From Ruth to Gehrig to DiMaggio to Mantle to Maris to Jeter, the Yankees are the gold standard for successful sports franchises. And now that franchise must face the greatest mistake they’ve ever made: the acquisition of A-Fraud. Since that fateful day when he landed in New York, A-Hole’s massive ego and inability to come through in the clutch has destroyed this once proud franchise. And the damage didn’t stop in the Bronx. Since the Yankees acquired A-Choke, the Boston Red Sox have won 2 titles, broke an 86 year old curse and have become the model franchise, especially when compared to the dysfunctional group operating out of the Bronx (watch out for Brad Penny and John Smoltz in Fenway this season).

While hanging out with strippers in Toronto, slumping in October and announcing his opt-out from his contract in the middle of the World Series were all offenses worthy of the back page coverage they received in the New York Post, they all pale in comparison to this latest controversy. No matter what you thought about Gay-Rod, his career statistics were the one thing that couldn’t be disputed. He was the greatest offense player of his generation and maybe of all time. But now even his statistics are a fraud. And the Yankees, not the Texas Rangers, are left to answer questions and cleanup his mess. What a way to open the new temple in the Bronx. The worst part is that Alex isn’t the only one to blame here. Everyone is to blame: A-Roid for taking steroids, Major League Baseball for not suspending players who tested positive (a rule that was changed in 2004) and for not destroying the 2003 survey test results, the player’s union who defends their criminals no matter what the evidence says and the team owners who chose to ignore the use of steroids because homeruns equaled big dollars (Chicks dig the long ball!). If anyone should feel slighted here, it’s the Yankees, who just 15 months ago had a chance to part ways with Asterix-Rod. I can’t help but wonder 3 things:

1) Why didn’t the Yankees know about the failed 2003 test (or did they)?
2) Is Cynthia Rodriguez, A-Roid’s ex-wife, one of SI’s sources that broke the story?
3) Where is Derek Jeter celebrating this great news…