Has Baseball Seen The Last Of Alex Rodriguez?

As a Red Sox fan, tweaking the Yankees and their fans is one of my favorite sports.

With all the drama surrounding Alex Rodriguez since the conclusion of last season, including his hip surgery, it’s not hard to rile up Yankees fans when the subject is A-Rod.

Jul 2, 2013; Charleston, SC, USA; New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, as part of the Charleston RiverDogs, reacts after striking out during a rehab game against the Rome Braves at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Ever since last season ended and his surgery took place, I’ve been quietly telling people that I am personally convinced that A-Rod will never play another major league game in a Yankees uniform and that the Yankees and their fans would probably be just fine with that.

Apparently I’m not the only one to hold this view.

New York Daily News baseball columnist Bill Madden seems to agree.  He wrote a column in today’s paper stating that he thinks A-Rod has played his last game in New York due to a combination of injuries, steroid use, possible suspension and inner pride.

Madden is a veteran writer and is close to the Yankees.  What makes his hypothesis so credible to me, in particular, is the example he uses comparing the A-Rod injury scenario to that of former Indian and Oriole Albert Belle.

Belle was once the top slugger in the game.  But after leaving Cleveland for Baltimore as a free agent, Belle was forced to retire in 2001 due to a losing battle with injuries.

That scenario was also an explosive cocktail of injuries, inner pride, attitude and, though it was never proven, PEDs may have been in the mix there as well.

The comparison between the two players and their situations is eerily similar.  It is the first time I’ve heard anyone in the New York media publicly mention the possibility A-Rod would retire before the commissioner can suspend him for PED use.

Madden says the whole A-Rod rehab circus is a charade designed to make him look like he’s trying to fight his way back when in reality he’s waving the white flag.

What do you all think?  Is A-Rod’s comeback attempt legit or is it just another circus on his road to premature retirement so he can beat his PED suspension and collect his money?  Vote in the poll below.