#360USA: A-Rod hogs the spotlight again on and off the field

Steve Brenner 07:20 20/07/2015
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  • Swing and a miss: A-Rod.

    Alex Rodriguez has been called all sorts over the years. Cheat, disgrace, liar, fraud, drug user. He is an American sporting superstar who divides opinion like no other.

    Yet there were new accusations being bandied around this week, ones which are never normally associated with a convicted steroid abuser whose disgraceful actions of the past will forever taint his legacy.

    People were accusing A-Rod of being horrifically unfunny yet, most importantly, human. Why, some were even thinking the 40 year-old Yankees star could be verging on almost normal. Strange days indeed.

    At a glitzy ESPN awards show in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Rodriguez, flanked by a bloke who was in the Hangover, hung himself out to dry in front of millions, openly mocking himself to the world.

    See what you think above. It won’t win any comedy awards. Bear in mind, this was an evening when fun was poked at NY Giants star Jean Pierre-Paul and his amputated finger following a July 4th firework party accident.

    It was an absolute disgrace. ESPN and host broadcaster ABC should be ashamed. The incident and its repercussions for Pierre-Paul and his family are far too raw for humour. For Rodriguez, however, it’s open season. That will never change.

    The joke doing the rounds on the Twittersphere has been ‘Blame A-Rod for everything’. So, under the bright lights in Tinsletown, A-Rod did just that. He smirked at himself for being stupid, reeling off a series of supposed gags with a nod towards the feebly pathetic letter penned to Yankees fans at the start of his latest comeback.

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    “I’m sorry that Jon Snow died on the season finale of ‘Game of Thrones,’” actor Ken Jeong read from the fake apology.

    “And I’m sorry I just spoiled that for some of you. I’m sorry for the water shortage in California and the economic collapse in Greece.

    “I’m sorry for carrying all of this guilt on my shoulders,” Jeong continued. “I’m sorry for gluten, I invented it. I’m sorry you can’t run near a swimming pool. I, Alex Rodriguez, slipped and fell once and now it’s a rule everywhere. I also apologize to Knicks season-ticket holders, Knicks individual game holders, and people who watch ‘The Knick’ on Cinemax.”

    It could have (and certainly screening social media in the aftermath many believe Rodriquez was wrong to castigate himself considering the seriousness of his misdemeanors) been interpreted as a horrific error of judgment.

    Drug abuse in sport is no laughing matter. Its stains are lasting in baseball and one only needs to look at the horrific damage done to the integrity of cycling and athletics to realise that smiles and laughs only last so long. People’s reputations and lives are inexorably damaged in the process.

    There was not one single mention of performance enhancing substances yet you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to work it all out. In the aftermath, Rodriguez has been called both brave and stupid.

    Whatever your view, in allowing the public to laugh at his own expense at least proved the third most lethal hitter of all time possesses a human side. Or is he just plain crazy, craving the attention when silence would suffice?

    “I thought it was a nice way to laugh at myself, at my expense,” Rodriguez said. “It was a great night.”

    Yes, he’s done wrong. That weak letter penned to try and appease the hate from fans desperate for him to leave the franchise once and for all fooled no-one.

    Time, and performances, however is a healer. And, with the Bronx bombers entering the second half in the season in a solid position to cement their place in the play-off’s for the first time since 2012, Rodriguez, unsurprisingly, has become central to their plans. And for that, he must be commended.

    The mental strength shown to fan furious flames of discontent should not be underestimated. Of course, sitting on a $50 million contract in New York means whatever happens, Rodriguez cannot lose.

    Yet no matter what his bank balance reads, facing up to the hecklers and producing with a bat in his hand requires a kind of courage and fortitude not owned by many mere mortals.

    Physical barriers have been hurdled with similar gusto. His self-inflicted year on the sidelines helped alleviate a hip problem which had threatened to derail his career for good.

    Rodriguez is performing at a level not seen since 2011. He hit the winning home run against the Mariners on Friday night to ease the pain of being snubbed for this week’s All-Star game. Something has clicked – on and off the field.

    “He’s been amazing,” said Yankees team-mate Chris Young. “He’s been one of the most clutch guys in our lineup. He’s been round the block a few times but has been consistent all year with quality at-bats time in and time out. He seems to come through in big situations.”

    Wednesday was one of them.

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