YOU’RE “A-ROD” now, but once you were Alex Rodriguez–The “Natural”
By Earl Nash
YOU’RE “A-Rod”— the reviled narcissist adult; but once you were Alex Rodriguez, the little boy with The Dream, the dream that so many little boys had: that you could be the best baseball player of all time.
YOU WERE born Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, endowed by your Creator with extraordinary talents that would give you the chance to realize your dream, but you were not sure that it was enough; a voice told you that your natural gifts were insufficient, you needed something more, something super-natural, something outside yourself to make it to The Show, the All-Star games, the World Series and even the Hall of Fame.
"[Your given middle name Emmanuel is from the Hebrew nameעִמָּנוּאֵל (‘Immanu’el) meaning “God is with us.”]"
"“That’s what God gave me: my talents, my skills. And I want to simplify it in my life. I’m going back to being just a baseball player.” (Sports Illustrated, 7/30/2013, p. 56.)"
YOU’RE “A-Rod” and in some dark moment you morphed from Alex Rodriguez– the Child becoming Man–to “A-Rod”—“Man-Child,” a man with the personality of a child.
When did that moment arrive? When did you agreed to risk it all, to make a bargain with the dark side of The Force for the potion that would make you the greatest player in the history of the game?
YOU’RE “A-Rod” and you say that your father left you when you were just 9:
“After a while, I lied to myself… I tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter, that I didn’t care. But times I was alone, I often cried. Where was my father? To this day, I still can’t get close to people.
In December 1994, while you prepared for a winter baseball game in the Dominican Republic, your father, Victor, suddenly showed up. You agreed to meet for lunch, but you didn’t show up:
“…this was the man who had walked away…I couldn’t just go and see him, just like that.”
YOU’RE “A-Rod” now, but, when you were the boy, Alex Rodriguez, and your father left you, you had to turn to other men as your “role model”—men who could demonstrate how to be a man; men like Joe Arieto, a Miami businessman and family friend, who often counseled you and helped you sign with Seattle and Rich Hofman, your baseball coach at Westminster Prep.
“I have two daughters at home, and I’m sensitive to that, and above all, I want to be a role model, continue to be a role model—especially to my girls. So all the noise sometimes gets on my nerves, but that’s it. I can’t let it get any further than that. I have a job to do.” (Sports Illustrated, 7/30/2013, p. 58.)
YOU’RE “A-ROD” and, until you confessed to using PEDs during your years with the Rangers, many other fathers encouraged their daughters and sons to see you as a role model—are you sensitive to that?
YOU’RE “A-ROD” and when you became a Yankee, you asked Bob Costas about Mickey Mantle, especially why people idolized The Mick.
"“Obviously he was great… But why did people love him so much?”"
Maybe you imagined that you would become the greatest Yankee of all; better than Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle. But, Mantle wondered why they loved Joe D so much and was treated as if he was unworthy of being the heir to DiMaggio’s royal status.
When they were finally began to recognize the greatness of Mantle, who played in severe pain for 17 years, after his shoe caught on a piece of the underground lawn sprinkler, as he and DiMaggio pursued a ball hit by Willie Mays in the 1951 World Series, along came a Right fielder from Kansas City.
Thus, did Roger Maris take Mantle’s former role, and was treated as if he was unworthy of being the heir to The Mick’s royal status, while he successfully pursued Ruth’s single-season record in 1961. And maybe you would have been the “heir apparent” to The Mick, the greatest Yankee of all time, but you can’t now.
YOU’RE “A-Rod” and you played second fiddle to Derek Jeter; when they made you switch to Third base you were insulted, but, for $275 Million you stifled your outrage. You had a chance to pass Ruth and Aaron in Career Home Runs, but now you are booed in Yankee Stadium—by Yankee fans.
"Even before the steroid admission, the Yankee fans castigated you for repeatedly failing to deliver in the clutch and choking in the playoffs."
“The whole world is not New York. There are some people out there who like me…You [writers] don’t always help, but there are some people out there who like me.” you whined.
Now, you will never be compared to Mickey Mantle and you know that New York will never love you:
“Derek Jeter is Mr. New York. It’s understood: Everybody loves Derek. I love Derek. A-Rod’s never going to get that love that Jeter has.”
“No matter what Alex does in New York, he’s never going to be put in that Jeter class or the Mariano [Rivera] class, even though his talents and his stats are incredible.” said former Yankee Johnny Damon.
"Indeed that oft-misused work “incredible” is now ironically appropriate: your stats have no credibility."
“The performance-enhancing-drug stuff—that’s at the heart of it,” Bob Costas said: “Remove that, and all his other stuff sort of fades; it’s a footnote. But the PED stuff doesn’t just confirm it. It pulls it all together.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1208228/3/index.htm
YOU’RE “A-Rod” and you despise Selena Roberts, who wrote the A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, where she opined:
“…the abandoned boy within Alex Rodriguez made him particularly gullible to the influence of successful, authoritative men, so it was easy for (agent) Scott Boras to manipulate him like a sock puppet.”
She suggests that you developed a “well-honed, very orchestrated personality… years in the making of trying to create a persona that would mesh well with the corporate world.”
“He has kind of an Eddie Haskell public persona,” says Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Art Thiel, a press-box regular during A-Rod’s seven seasons with the Mariners. “He always appears to say and do what he thinks the audience in front of him wants.”
“But it means he acts — in what he says, in the gestures he makes when he hits a home run or a double, like a ballet dancer trying to memorize his steps. He aims to please. He never just lets it wail.” says Keith Olbermann.
You told Peter Gammons:
“What makes me upset is that Sports Illustrated pays this lady, Selena Roberts, to stalk me…”
You also claimed that Ms. Roberts was tossed from your New York City apartment building, that she had to be escorted off of the University Miami campus by police when she sought you out at the campus gym for an interview. You claimed that she tried to break into your Miami home where your “children were sleeping”.
You said: “This lady is coming out with all these allegations, all these lies, because she’s writing an article for Sports Illustrated and she’s coming out with a book There are some really respectable journalists that are following this lady off a cliff…”
You charge her with telling lies about you in her book, but none of your posse of lawyers has ever filed a defamation suit against Ms. Roberts.
YOU’RE “A-Rod” and some people believe that you made a compact between your human hubris and some diabolical intelligence; some say you simply became a spoiled, pampered narcissist; others say that you were insecure and turned to PEDs to live up to others expectations.
“We can win three World Series and with me it’s never going to be over. My benchmark is so high that no matter what I do, it’s never going to be enough.” you complained.
YOU’RE “A-Rod” and before you crossed the line into the darkness, a majority of baseball fans thought you might break Babe Ruth’s Career Home Run record and possibly be one of the greatest who ever played the game:
At that time Erick Neel of ESPN gushed:
“…if A-Rod stays healthy and productive in the years to come, it will become increasingly clear that he is hands-down the best player in the game, and is very likely the best all-around player any of us will even have the privilege to see in person.”
But, although you still take the field and walk through the motions, you have become invisible to the other players; your team mates feel uncomfortable around you; you have become a complete anathema to the game.
"“I just hope that there’s a happy ending somewhere.” you whistfully whine."
Since you tainted your statistics, you can never be “one of the greatest ever,” or break any records, or ever be admired, or even respected by baseball fans and you will never be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The blame for the shame is on you and you wear it on your 24-karat neck chain like the famous scarlet “A,” as a reminder that your broke faith with your team mates, the fans, the boys and girls, and the game.
YOU’RE “A-Rod” now, Dead Man Playing, but is Alex Rodriguez still in there somewhere? Or did “A-Rod” also walk away from that boy? Is he dead?
Does the ghost of the boy, Alex Rodriguez, haunt you in those rare moments when you are alone–a solitary man– in the “close and holy darkness…”?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
“close and holy darkness…” from, “A Child’s Xmas in Wales,” [poem] by Dylan Thomas. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=A%20Child%E2%80%99s%20Xmas%20in%20Wales
A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez by Selena Roberts: http://www.amazon.com/-Rod-Many-Lives-Alex-Rodriguez/dp/B002XUM1Z2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376175407&sr=1-1&keywords=selena+roberts
Here are the 9 criteria. Having 5 of these 9 “qualifies” you as a narcissist…
- Feels grandiose and self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents to the point of lying, demands to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
- Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited success, fame, fearsome power or omnipotence, unequalled brilliance (the cerebral narcissist), bodily beauty or sexual performance (the somatic narcissist), or ideal, everlasting, all-conquering love or passion
- Firmly convinced that he or she is unique and, being special, can only be understood by, should only be treated by, or associate with, other special or unique, or high-status people (or institutions)
- Requires excessive admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation – or, failing that, wishes to be feared and to be notorious (narcissistic supply).
- Feels entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and favourable priority treatment. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her expectations
- Is “interpersonally exploitative”, i.e., uses others to achieve his or her own ends
- Devoid of empathy. Is unable or unwilling to identify with or acknowledge the feelings and needs of others
- Constantly envious of others or believes that they feel the same about him or her
- Arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes coupled with rage when frustrated, contradicted, or confronted.
The language in the criteria above is based on or summarized from:
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition (DSM IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/32647
Everything about the guy has been a lie for more than a decade now. Possibly for his entire life. Especially his earnest tales of yore that he pulled himself up by his baseball bootstraps with good, old-fashioned blood, sweat and batting practice.
Maybe he’s really Beldar, from some distant galaxy where lies are truth and reality is whatever you say it is. I bet the hair on his head isn’t even real. I know his 647 career home runs aren’t.
A-Rod suspended, to appealA-Rod among 13 players banned for Biogenesis ties
On a day unlike any other in baseball history, Commissioner Bud Selig zapped baseball’s Lizard King with a 211-game suspension. And chameleon that he is, Rodriguez filed his appeal and blithely carried on as if it was any other day.
Quick, where is a lifetime suspension when you need it?
Wait. I’ll cut Selig some slack on that given the current spirit of cooperation between management and the players’ union. With players ranging from Zack Greinke to Max Scherzer to Mark Melancon and Will Venable going public with their request for tougher drug penalties since Ryan Braun’s suspension last month, the Greater Good that can emerge from this Biogenesis-palooza is harsher punishments for the cheaters.
And the best way to get that right now is to continue chatting with the players and re-filling their baskets of chips and salsa.
On a conference call Monday afternoon, players’ union boss Michael Weiner addressed the notion of increased penalties: “I don’t know if it’s going to happen. That will be up to the players.”
Danny KnoblerA-Rod returns, and the baseball world goes on
Their next Executive Board meeting is the first week of December.
“It’s going to be an interesting discussion,” Weiner said.
Yes, it is. Pass the chips.
“ARod may lose $34 million, but how much $ has he earned w/ them? Baseball needs a harsher punishment & hopefully 2morrow is a start,” Melancon, the Pirates reliever, tweeted Sunday evening.
“I believe that if you cross over and decide that you are going to used the banned substance, you also should forfeit the support of the players’ association,” Venable, the Padres outfielder, told the Associated Press on Sunday. “They are not worthy of the support of the players’ association.”
Me, I would have handed A-Rod three consecutive life sentences Monday.
One for being a serial cheater, gobbling PEDs as if they were Flintstones vitamins.
One for being so dishonest and disingenuous that he makes pathological liars look like honest, God-fearing men.
And one for being a delusional, deranged dope who long ago should have forfeited the privilege to play major league baseball. And yes, as in whatever job you’re working, A-Rod’s gig is a privilege. Not a right.
Yet in Trenton, N.J., on Friday night, this bad actor had the temerity to say that he really wants to see baseball “get PEDs out of the game.”
Nobody has been more disingenuous than this mutt. Maybe it’s his mammoth insecurity complex. Maybe it’s his enormous capacity for self-delusion.
“I was probably a little bit too naive when I first came up to understand the magnitude of all of this,” he cooed to Couric in ’07.
“I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve,” he gushed to Peter Gammons, then of ESPN, when the first steroids firestorm enveloped him in ’09.
So, to summarize, he did not do steroids because he was too naïve to understand what they did (’07), and then he took them because he was too naïve not to take them (’09).
Rodriguez’s main argument could likewise sidestep his actions altogether and focus instead on the notion that, whatever he did, 211 games is too severe a sanction.
Horowitz can do any number of things with Major League Baseball’s decision. He could sustain the suspension as-is. He could reduce it. He could overrule it in its entirety. The parties could settle before an arbitration begins. Or during it.
The Money
If the 211-game suspension is holds, Rodriguez can expect to lose around $34 million of the roughly $100 million remaining on his contract. Doing the math, that’s a bit over $161,000 a game. Even with some expensive lawyers working with the meter running make shaving every game off that suspension highly desirable for Rodriguez.
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975, in New York. When he was 4 years old, his parents moved the entire family to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. After a few years, they moved back to the United States and settled in Miami. Alex joined the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade when he was 8 years old.
The Damned Yankee condemned strong censure.
Rodriguez was suspended through 2014 on Monday when Major League Baseball nailed him and 12 other players for their relationship to Biogenesis of America, an anti-aging clinic in Florida accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs.
647 career homers, placing him fifth on the all-time list behind Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (660).
Hank Aaron is the all-time career home run hitter. And Roger Maris is the all-time single-season king. I don’t care what the record book says. The record book is now flawed, just like the players who have made a mockery of those records.
McGwire, who had 583 home runs and 1,626 hits during his 16-year career, also seemed at peace with the fact that his use of performance-enhancing drugs will prevent him from ever getting into the Hall of Fame.
“Unfortunately, I don’t believe there will be a day that I will be in there,” McGwire said. “That’s OK. That’s the way things are. I’ve dealt with it. I’m OK with it.”
When he was young and brash, before he became old and brash, the great Ted Williams was quoted as saying: “I wanted to be the greatest hitter who ever lived. A man has to have goals and that was mine, to have people say ‘There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived.’’’
The Boston Globe examined records of 50 nonprofit charities started by athletes and found give “far less than the 65 to 75 cents” on the dollar “that nonprofit specialists say is an acceptable minimum.”
The report found Rodriguez’s foundation, A-Rod Family Foundation, only “gave 1 percent of proceeds to charity during its first year of operation in 2006, then stopped submitting mandatory financial reports to the IRS and was stripped of its tax-exempt status.”
The foundation’s website still says the A-Rod Family Foundation “is a non-profit organization dedicated to positively impacting families in distress by supporting programs focasing on improved quality of life, education and mental health.”
In 2006, the A-Rod Family Foundation raised $403,862, but IRS records revealed the “foundation gave $5,000 to Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund and $90 to a Little League Baseball club in Miami” and not much more to other groups.
I attended the Sox/Yankees game last night and in all the years I have been going to games, I have never heard so many boos for one person. Even the Yankees fans were booing him at an away game.
VIDEO: http://deadspin.com/heres-chicago-booing-a-rod-in-his-first-at-bat-1035455947?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
A-Rod: “The last seven month have been a nightmare. Probably the worst time of my life.”
MOST CAREER STRIKEOUTS
Record Holder: Reggie Jackson — 2,597
Alex Rodriguez’s Total: 2,032 (fifth on all-time list)
CAREER RBIS
Record Holder: Hank Aaron — 2,297
Alex Rodriguez’s Total: 1,950 (seventh on all-time list)
Most Career Wins Above Replacement Among Third Basemen
Record Holder: Mike Schmidt — 106.5 WAR
Alex Rodriguez’s Total: 110.7 WAR (considered shortstop)
CAREER HOME RUNS
Record Holder: Barry Bonds — 762
Alex Rodriguez’s Total: 647 (fifth on all-time list)
Rodriguez’s discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation.
“These guys that are doing performance-enhancing drugs are taking away from a lot of other people that are doing it the right way. They are taking opportunities away and they are basically stealing,” Markakis said.
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-nick-markakis-says-ped-users-need-stiffer-punishments-20130805,0,2356536.story#ixzz2bD0kKkEy
“I know what people are going to say,” Rodriguez told USA TODAY Sports in July. “They’re going to say, ‘This is a bad guy. This is an evil guy. He’s a prima donna. Look what he’s done.’
“Sometimes, you just want to say, ‘Uncle, already.'”
A-Rod played in rehabilitation games for the Yankees’ Double-A Trenton affiliate Friday and Saturday, and he worked out for less than an hour yesterday at Trenton’s Arm & Hammer Park, taking batting practice and running lightly, in his final tune-up for tonight. He made his presence felt in Trenton, producing sellout crowds and massive media attendance and also making explosive remarks in a Friday night news conference in which he implied that MLB and the Yankees were out to get him.
8/16 17 Fox 4:10 18
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Alex Rodriguez made an amazing comeback, joining Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds as history’s only 40-40 players,
July 27, 1975: Alex Rodriguez born in New York City. Rodriguez spends part of his childhood in Dominican Republic, before family moves to Miami in the early ’80s. A-Rod later stars at Westminster Christian High School.
June 3, 1993: Seattle Mariners select Rodriguez with the No. 1 overall pick of 1993 amateur draft.
Aug. 30, 1993: Rodriguez, 18, signs with Mariners for three years guaranteed, at approximately $1.6 million. “I’m sorry it took so long,” says Rodriguez after the marathon negotiations were completed with the help of super agent Scott Boras. “I think some people might have some bad ideas about me, but this was a business thing. I had to make a decision that was best for me and my family. It took a while, but I think I made the right decision, finally.”
July 8, 1994: Rodriguez makes Seattle debut as an 18-year-old, playing shortstop in a game against the Red Sox at Fenway. A-Rod goes 0-for-3 in the 4-3 Mariners loss.
June 12, 1995: A-Rod hits first career home run off Kansas City starter Tom (Flash) Gordon (a future Yankees reliever) at the Kingdome – “A 3-2 curveball. You never forget that. Quite a thrill,” Rodriguez tells Daily News in 2010, when recalling the milestone.
Oct. 8, 1995: With Mariners trailing 5-4 to the Yankees in bottom of the 11th inning of the Game 5 ALDS clincher, Rodriguez watches from on-deck circle as Edgar Martinez doubles in the tying and winning runs. A-Rod’s teammate, Ken Griffey Jr., slides into home and pandemonium erupts in Kingdome. “To this day I have no idea why they pitched to (Martinez),” Rodriguez says in 2010 News interview. “Yeah, double, Griffey scored. I tackled him at home plate. It was one of the best upsets ever.”
Feb. 24, 1997: With his right arm draped around Rodriguez’s neck, Derek Jeter and his Mariners friend grace cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline, “Short Story: Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez head up the finest group of shortstops since World War II.”
MARTA LAVANDIER/AP
A-Rod gets the call from the Mariners as Seattle makes him the No. 1 overall pick in 1993.
Aug. 12, 1998: Rodriguez socks 100th career home run, a two-run shot, off Toronto’s Nerio Rodriguez (no relation) at Skydome.
Aug. 6, 1999: During a ninth-inning brawl between the Mariners and Yankees in Seattle, Rodriguez and Jeter appear to joke with one another in front of Seattle dugout while bench-clearing brawl ensues. Yankee reliever Jason Grimsley plunks Seattle DH Edgar Martinez in the 8th and Mariners reliever Frankie Rodriguez drills Chuck Knoblauch in the 9th, sparking the fracas. Yankee Chad Curtis takes exception to Jeter fraternizing with A-Rod. “There was a little difference of opinion there, and I think it’s something that is just between us,” says Curtis of his talk with Jeter.
Nov. 13, 2000: Then Mets GM Steve Phillips says the club is out of the A-Rod free agent sweepstakes. “I have serious reservations about a structure in which you have a 24-plus-one man roster,” Phillips says. “I don’t think it can work.” Mets balk at agent Scott Boras’ extra demands for his client, which reportedly include personal office space at Shea Stadium, the right to use Mets uniform for whatever marketing purpose of A-Rod’s, and maximum billboard exposure in New York City.
Dec. 11, 2000: Rodriguez reaches agreement on record 10-year, $252 million deal with Texas Rangers and then team owner Tom Hicks. “Alex is the player we believe will allow this franchise to continue its dream to become a World Series champion,” says Hicks.
Spring training, 2001: In April issue of Esquire, Rodriguez rips his buddy Jeter, already the face of the franchise, saying Jeter doesn’t scare opponents. “Jeter’s been blessed with great talent around him,” Rodriguez says in Esquire piece. “He’s never had to lead. You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie (Williams) and (Paul) O’Neill. You never say, ‘Don’t let Derek beat you.’ He’s never your concern.”
May 12, 2001: Rangers pound White Sox 16-6, with Rodriguez connecting for his 200th and 201st home runs. No. 200 is a two-run shot off Jon Garland.
July 10, 2001: In a nod to one of his idols, A-Rod tells Cal Ripken Jr. to switch from third base to shortstop – Ripken’s original position – before first pitch of the All-Star Game in Seattle. It was Ripken’s last appearance in the Midsummer Classic.
JOHN MABANGLO/AFP/Getty Images
A-Rod pushes Orioles legend over to short during 2001 All-Star Game at Safeco Field.
April 2, 2003: Rodriguez takes Angels starter Ramon Ortiz deep in Anaheim, a three-run shot, for his 300th career homer.
Nov. 17, 2003: Rodriguez, in what would be final season with Rangers, wins first MVP award.
December 2003: A proposed deal between the Red Sox and Rangers that would send Rodriguez to Boston in exchange for slugger Manny Ramirez falls through after the union does not approve a restructuring of A-Rod’s contract.
Jan. 16, 2004: During a pick-up basketball game near his California home, Yankee third baseman Aaron Boone – the hero of the ’03 ALCS vs. Boston – tears ACL in left knee, leaving the Bombers without their projected starting third baseman. He is eventually released by club.
Jan. 25, 2004: Rodriguez attends New York chapter of Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards dinner, where he collects his MVP award. With the Red Sox deal dead, then Rangers owner Tom Hicks says, “There is no possibility (A-Rod) will be traded. It looked like a possibility at one time. It didn’t work out. We’re going to put it behind us.” Rodriguez is also named captain of the Rangers at the event.
Feb. 16, 2004: In one of the biggest blockbuster deals in Yankee history, Rodriguez joins Bombers in a trade that sends Alfonso Soriano to Texas. A—Rod agrees to shift from shortstop to third base, in deference to Jeter.
Feb. 17, 2004: At lavish introductory press conference at the old Yankee Stadium, Rodriguez slips on a No. 13 pinstriped jersey with the help of an unsmiling Derek Jeter, as Yankee manager Joe Torre, Reggie Jackson, Hal Steinbrenner and A-Rod’s then wife Cynthia look on. “I have come to a point in my career where winning is the most important thing,” Rodriguez says. “It was team over personal. This energizes me. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe how I feel. Derek has four world championships and I want him to have 10. We’re going to make a great tag team.”
Howard Simmons/New YOrk Daily News
The Yankees introduce A-Rod during 2004 press conference with Derek Jeter looking on.
July 1, 2004: In a game against the Red Sox at the old Yankee Stadium, Jeter bloodies his face diving into the stands for a pop fly and A-Rod plays his old position, shortstop, for a half inning after Jeter leaves game. Yankees win, 5-4, in 13 innings.
July 24, 2004: Rodriguez spikes the already tense Yankee-Red Sox rivalry when he goes mano-a-mano with Sox catcher Jason Varitek – at Fenway Park. The Yankee third baseman takes exception to pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s third-inning plunking, barks at Arroyo while taking first, then finds Varitek’s mitt and right hand thrust in his face. A bench-clearing brawl ensues, and Boston wins a wild game, 11-10, on Bill Mueller’s walk-off, two-run homer against Mariano Rivera. “There’s no question it wasn’t just a generic fight,” Rodriguez says after the game. “You could tell there was some residual passion from the past. . . I think it escalated the rivalry, if that’s possible.”
Oct. 19, 2004: Rodriguez is involved in infamous “slap play” during Game 6 of the ALCS with Boston. With the Yankees trailing 4-2 in the eighth inning, and Jeter on first with one out, Rodriguez hits dribbler to Arroyo who fields ball and runs toward first to tag A-Rod. Rodriguez slaps ball out of Arroyo’s glove, but is called for interference and ruled out. Yankees lose the game.
PHOTOS: A TIMELINE OF ALEX RODRIGUEZ’S CAREER
Oct. 20, 2004: In historic Yankee collapse, club loses Game 7 of ALCS after leading series 3-0. Rodriguez is 0-for-4 in deciding game, a trend in futility that will carry into his next three Yankee playoff runs.
April 26, 2005: A-Rod whacks three homers in one game, a 12-4 demolition of Angels at Yankee Stadium. “Tonight was one of those magical nights,” says A-Rod, who drives in 10 runs and goes 4-for-5 with a grand slam, three-run homer and two-run shot.
June 8, 2005: A-Rod hits career homers No. 399 and 400 in Milwaukee. No. 400 comes off reliever Jorge De La Rosa.
James Keivom/New York Daily News
Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek (l.) go toe-to-toe, sparking a 2004 brawl.
Sept. 21, 2005: In a Daily News report, Rodriguez is spotted at a Chelsea poker den with pro card player Phil Hellmuth.
Oct 10, 2005: Yankees booted in first round of playoffs by Angels. In Game 5 clincher, Rodriguez is 0-for-4 and bats .133 for the series. “I played great baseball all year. I played like a dog the last five games,” says A-Rod after the game.
Nov. 14, 2005: After winning second MVP award, A-Rod says, “Obviously, it wasn’t the right thing to do,” referring to his visits to New York City poker parlors, which raised Yankee and MLB eyebrows. “In retrospect, it is probably a place I shouldn’t have gone.”
Jan. 17, 2006: Rodriguez announces he will play for U.S. – not Dominican Republic – for inaugural World Baseball Classic. “I appreciate the support and understanding of my fellow Dominican players and friends who aided me in making this decision,” says A-Rod in statement.
May 9, 2006: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, upon leaving the old Stadium in the top of the 8th inning of a 14-3 drubbing of his team by the hated Red Sox, says that he is “upset at a lot” of Yankee players, then singles out Rodriguez for a direct hit. “The third baseman!” booms the Boss. Rodriguez is 0-for-3 in the game and makes two errors. “The Boss can do whatever he wants,” Rodriguez says. “He just wants to win like we all do.”
July 17, 2006: Rodriguez is photographed sunbathing shirtless and wearing jeans in Central Park while with wife Cynthia. That night, against Seattle at home, Rodriguez makes three errors on defense, whacks a foul ball off his left big toe and goes 0-for-4.
Aug. 17, 2006: In a blowout 12-2 loss to Baltimore, Rodriguez and Jeter converge on a routine pop fly in 6th inning, but neither catches it. Jeter appears to glare at A-Rod after gaffe, as a runner scores from second.
Ron Antonelli/New York Daily News
A-Rod gets slappy with Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo during Game 6 of the ALCS in 2004.
Sept. 25, 2006: Rodriguez graces the cover of Sports Illustrated again – this time in not such a flattering portrayal. Cover headline is “The Lonely Yankee,” and article quotes teammate Jason Giambi ripping A-Rod and telling manager Joe Torre to “stop coddling” the third baseman.
Oct. 7, 2006: In Game 4 of ALDS series vs. Tigers, Yankee manager Joe Torre bats Rodriguez in No. 8 spot, the mother of all demotions. Tigers win game, 8-3, and advance. Rodriguez bats .071 for the series. “I certainly don’t want to go anywhere,” Rodriguez says after the game. “I want to finish my career in New York.”
Nov. 15, 2006: At a charity poker event he hosts at Jay-Z’s 40/40 club, Rodriguez says he has no plans to opt out of his contract in 2007. “My choice is to play for the New York Yankees. I love being a Yankee. I believe we’re going to win with me being a Yankee. I’m hopefully going to be a big part of it,” he says.
Feb. 19, 2007: Rodriguez meets with reporters in Tampa and reveals one of the worst-kept secrets – he and Jeter are no longer close friends like they once were. “It is what it is. People are just assuming that things are a lot worse than what they are,” Rodriguez says to a media throng. “They’re not. But obviously, it’s not as good as it used to be, when we were blood brothers. Let’s make a contract. You don’t ask about Derek anymore, and I promise I’ll stop lying to you.”
May 30, 2007: A-Rod is photographed with a blond gal pal in Toronto that is not his wife Cynthia. She is later identified in reports as stripper Joslyn Morse. In a game against the Blue Jays that same day, A-Rod admits to yelling “Ha!” while passing Toronto third baseman Howie Clark on base paths during a routine pop fly. Instead of Clark catching ball for third out, it drops for run-scoring single. Toronto manager John Gibbons calls Rodriguez’s antics “bush league.”
June 1, 2007: In a game at Fenway Park, A-Rod is jeered by Red Sox fans wearing masks of a blond woman, mocking his off-field saga. Daily News front page for June 2 screams “Curse of the Bimbinos” with photo of Rodriguez in front of mocking fans.
Aug. 4, 2007: A-Rod slugs 500th career home run off Kansas City’s Kyle Davies at the old Stadium. “To do it at home, wearing this beautiful uniform, it’s special. You know, I’ve had my trials and tribulations here in New York. I’ve learned from them. I’ve had some great times and some tough times. But a day like this kind of brings it full circle and maybe there’s a happy ending for me somewhere,” says Rodriguez.
James Keivom/New York Daily News
A-Rod launches home run No. 500 in 2007 off Royals pitcher Kyle Davies.
Oct. 8, 2007: After another first-round playoff loss – in which he hits .267 in the ALDS against Cleveland – the baseball world awaits to see if Rodriguez will opt out of his contract with Yankees.
Oct. 28, 2007: During Game 4 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Rockies, Sports Illustrated reports on its website that A-Rod will opt out of contract and become a free agent. Boras confirms the report.
Nov. 19, 2007: A-Rod wins third MVP award, after batting .314 during the regular season, whacking 54 homers and driving in 156 runs.
Dec. 13, 2007: On the same day that former Sen. George Mitchell releases a damning report on baseball’s doping past and culture – in which A-Rod’s name is not among those outed as steroid cheats – Rodriguez returns to Yanks, signing a 10-year, $275 million deal. He admits the World Series opt-out announcement was a “mistake.” “That was handled extremely poorly,” Rodriguez says. Meanwhile, former Bash Brother Jose Canseco says in a Fox Business Channel TV interview that he is stunned Rodriguez’s name is absent from the Mitchell Report. “All I can say is the Mitchell Report is incomplete,” Canseco says. “I could not believe that (Rodriguez’s) name was not in the report.”
Dec. 16, 2007: In a “60 Minutes” interview with Katie Couric, Rodriguez tells her that he has never used performance-enhancing drugs. “I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball field,” says Rodriguez.
Feb. 20, 2008: Rodriguez is peppered about the Mitchell Report, Canseco and PEDs at spring training. “I have no concerns,” Rodriguez says about the legitimacy of his career. “Right now, the game is in a very non-trusting situation with the public and our fans. Some of the things that I have accomplished – and potentially some of the things that people think I can accomplish – my name has come up and will probably come up again in the future. It is what it is.”
March 25, 2008: A week before its official release, portions of Jose Canseco’s book “Vindicated” appear in online report by Joe Lavin. Canseco writes that he is “confident” A-Rod took steroids. “I did everything but inject the guy myself,” says Canseco.
Lori Beecher/AP
A-Rod and then wife Cynthia sit down with Katie Couric in 2007 for a ’60 Minutes’ interview.
RELATED: A-ROD HIT WITH UNPRECEDENTED 211-GAME DRUG BAN
March 27, 2008: In a “Nightline” interview, Canseco says that he will not publicly name a steroid dealer – nicknamed “Max” in Canseco’s book “Vindicated” – he says he introduced to Rodriguez.
April 18, 2008: “Max” is identified as Joseph Dion in a Sports Illustrated story. Dion denies he ever supplied A-Rod with steroids. “That’s really, really funny because I am the one person that hates steroids,” Dion tells SI. Rodriguez calls Dion a “great man.”
July 1, 2008: Rodriguez romantically linked to Madonna in report.
Sept. 28, 2008: Yankees fail to make playoffs for first time in 14 seasons. Rodriguez bats .302 for the year, whacks 35 homers and knocks in 103 runs.
Dec. 6, 2008: At slugger David Ortiz’s Dominican charity golf tournament, guest Alex Rodriguez says he will play for the Dominican World Baseball Classic team, a role reversal from three years earlier, when he plays for U.S. team in inaugural WBC. “I’m very proud to represent the Dominican team. It’s a dream come true,” says A-Rod.
Feb. 7, 2009: Sports Illustrated reports on its website that Alex Rodriguez tests positive for Primobolan and synthetic testosterone in 2003, the year of MLB’s survey testing.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News
A-Rod talks about his steroid use during a Tampa press conference in 2009.
Feb. 9, 2009: Admitting to his doping past following the SI report, Rodriguez tells ESPN’s Peter Gammons in a televised interview, “I did take a banned substance, and for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful.” A-Rod admits to using PEDs from 2001-03 only, calls the era in which he doped “loosey-goosey,” and throws SI reporter Selena Roberts under the bus, accusing her of trying to “break into my house where my (two daughters) are up there sleeping.” Miami police deny there was any such attempted break-in.
Feb. 17, 2009: In Tampa press conference, A-Rod reveals his cousin, later identified as Yuri Sucart, procured PEDs for him from the Dominican and that the two used them from 2001-03. Rodriguez refers to using “Boli,” a street name for Primobolan. “It was his understanding that it would give me a dramatic energy boost and otherwise harmless,” Rodriguez says. “My cousin and I, one more ignorant than the other, decided it was a good idea to start taking it. My cousin would administer it to me, but neither of us knew how to use it properly, proving just how ignorant we both were.”
Feb. 20, 2009: Daily News report reveals A-Rod has worked with Dominican trainer Angel Presinal, who has steroid links from his past and who is banned from MLB clubhouses.
March 3, 2009: Yankees announce that Rodriguez will see Dr. Marc Philippon in Vail, Colo., to assess A-Rod’s hip injury. Team reveals Rodriguez has cyst on right hip. He leaves Dominican WBC team.
March 9, 2009: A-Rod has right hip surgery in Colorado, and is expected to recover in 6-9 weeks.
March 17, 2009: Details Magazine’s April issue hits newstands with A-Rod gracing cover. In magazine spread, one photo is of A-Rod kissing himself in a mirror.
May 8, 2009: In first game back from hip surgery, Rodriguez hits first pitch he sees from Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie for a three-run home run at Camden Yards.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News
The Yankee slugger rides down the Canyon of Heroes with Jay Z after ’09 World Series.
Nov. 4, 2009: In clinching Game 6 of World Series vs. Phillies at Stadium, and with girlfriend Kate Hudson in stands, A-Rod is 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks, as Bombers win, 7-3. For the ‘09 postseason, Rodriguez hits .365 (19-for-52) over three series, socks 6 home runs and drives in a club record 18 runs. “Look, a lot of people were running the other way and my teammates and coaches and organization stood by me and now we’re together as world champs and I couldn’t be prouder and happier,” Rodriguez says in victorious clubhouse after Yanks win 27th title.
Nov. 6, 2009: Standing next to Jay-Z on a float up Canyon of Heroes, Rodriguez celebrates first World Series championship of his career.
March 1, 2010: Daily News reports of link between Toronto physician Anthony Galea and Rodriguez. Galea, at the time, is under federal investigation for alleged drug violations. Galea later claims to having treated Rodriguez with anti-inflammatory medication only.
April 1, 2010: Rodriguez meets with MLB investigators to discuss Galea, a meeting first reported by Daily News, and tells them he never received PEDs from Galea.
April 22, 2010: In Oakland, A-Rod scampers across the pitcher’s mound and rubber while returning to first base after a Robinson Cano foul ball in sixth inning. A’s pitcher Dallas Braden takes exception and blasts Rodriguez following 4-2 Oakland win. “(Rodriguez) should maybe watch his captain a little more often,” Braden says, referring to Derek Jeter. “It doesn’t start and end with him over there at third.”
Aug. 4, 2010: A-Rod hits 600th career home run at new Yankee Stadium, and joins Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa in the 600 club (Jim Thome later reaches 600 career homer milestone). Rodriguez drills two-run shot off Toronto’s Shaun Marcum to enter record books. “For me, the perspective of hitting 600 home runs, it feels really good,” Rodriguez says. “But when you win a World Series – which is what I worked my whole life for – no personal achievement can compare to celebrating on the mound and being the last team standing.”
Oct. 22, 2010: A-Rod strikes out looking to Rangers closer Neftali Feliz to end Game 6 of ALCS. Defending World Series champion Yanks are out of postseason in second round.
Daily News back page from Wednesday, June 5, 2013.
Feb. 6, 2011: A-Rod caught on camera with girlfriend Cameron Diaz feeding him popcorn at Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium.
Oct. 6, 2011: Rodriguez strikes out swinging against Tigers closer Jose Valverde in Game 5 of division series at Stadium to end Bombers’ season. A-Rod whiffs three times in Game 5 and bats .111 in the five-game series. “It’s devastating,” A-Rod says after Yankees are ousted. “This one’s going to hurt for a long time.”
Oct. 10, 2012: Raul Ibanez pinch-hits for A-Rod (who is DH) in bottom of 9th inning of Game 3 of division series vs. Orioles at Stadium, with Yankees trailing by a run and one out. Ibanez swats game-tying homer, and later socks game-winning home run in the bottom of the 12th. “I’m one of the leaders of this team. Maybe 10 years ago I react a much different way, but I’m at a place in my career right now where team means everything,” A-Rod says after game. “I don’t think there was anybody in the ballpark more excited for Raul than me.”
Oct. 11, 2012: In Baltimore’s 2-1 win to tie series, Joe Girardi pinch-hits Eric Chavez for A-Rod in the bottom of the 13th inning. Chavez lines out to end game.
RELATED: LUPICA: A-ROD PLAYS THE BLAME GAME OVER DRUG BAN
Oct. 12, 2012: In Game 5 ALDS clincher, Girardi benches A-Rod, replacing him at third with Chavez. Yankees win 3-1 at Stadium and advance to ALCS. For the series, Rodriguez bats .125 with nine strikeouts. “Obviously, I’m not happy and obviously I’m disappointed,” Rodriguez says. “You want to be in there in the worst way. But I keep telling you, this is not a story about one person, it’s about a team and we have some unfinished business today. Our objective is to win one game and keep this thing moving.”
Oct. 13, 2012: On a night remembered more for Derek Jeter breaking his ankle, A-Rod reportedly flirts with two women in the Stadium seats near Yankee dugout during the ALCS opener against Detroit. Chavez pinch-hits for A-Rod in 8th inning after Rodriguez is 0-for-3 with a whiff. Ibanez ties game in bottom 9th with two-run homer, but Yanks lose 6-4 in 12 innings. Jeter breaks ankle in the top 12th ranging for a grounder.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s message is heard loud and clear.
Oct. 16, 2012: Rodriguez benched for second time in postseason, as Tigers win Game 3 at Comerica Park, 2-1.
Oct. 18, 2012: Tigers sweep Yankees in four games, including 8-1 rout in Game 4 clincher. Rodriguez pinch-hits for Ibanez in the 6th inning of Game 4, and is 0-for-2. He finishes series with .111 average and three strikeouts. “This was a terrible way for the season to end,” Rodriguez says. “Obviously we’re all very disappointed. You’re crushed; you work eight months to get to this point. I know there are a lot of teams that would love to get in this position in the ALCS with an opportunity to go to the World Series, but we just came up short.”
Dec. 3, 2012: Yankee GM Brian Cashman, at the winter meetings in Nashville, announces that A-Rod will have a second hip surgery, this time on left hip. “Despite a lot of the noise that gets surrounded with this particular player, when he’s healthy and we can run him out there, we are a significantly better franchise for it,” Cashman says. “We will wait for Alex. We will cushion the blow.”
Jan. 8, 2013: Dr. Bryan Kelly, who later in month performs left hip surgery on Rodriguez, tells reporters on a conference call that performance-enhancing drug use played no role in Rodriguez’s hip issues.
Jan. 16, 2013: Rodriguez has his second hip surgery in four years, this time on the left hip.
Jan. 26, 2013: Daily News report reveals association between Rodriguez and Anthony Bosch, the founder of a Coral Gables anti-aging clinic at center of MLB investigation.
Jan. 29, 2013: Miami New Times publishes alleged Biogenesis documents that include Rodriguez and numerous other major leaguers’ names. Rodriguez’s spokesperson later says documents are “not legitimate.”
The Yankees thought they were tired of the A-Rod circus in July … what about now?
April 1, 2013: Rodriguez makes appearance at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day, but is not part of pregame introductions. A-Rod says he doesn’t “need to be introduced to feel like I’m part of this team. I’ll tell you what – when I get introduced, I want to be on the field and not look back.”
June 6, 2013: In Daily News report, according to a source, Bosch tried to get financial help from A-Rod, but slugger rebuffs him.
June 25, 2013: A-Rod tweets that Dr. Bryan Kelly gives him green light to play rehab games. Yankee GM Brian Cashman, angered by Rodriguez going around team protocol, tells ESPN that A-Rod should “shut the f— up.”
June 27, 2013: Daily News reports that A-Rod and his camp, concerned about Biogenesis scandal closing in on slugger, expedite Rodriguez’s timetable to return to field, so he can claim he is physically unable to perform, retire and still collect the $100 million he is owed by Yankees.
July 12, 2013: A-Rod, while playing for Single-A Tampa during his rehab assignment, meets with MLB investigators in connection with Biogenesis. Daily News reports that, according to source, Rodriguez is shaken after sit-down. He fails to show up at stadium for rehab game that night.
July 13, 2013: A-Rod complains of tightness in quad and refuses to report to Buffalo for minor-league assignment.
July 14, 2013: Daily News reports that A-Rod’s camp is engaging in internal discussions to broker deal with MLB and possibly reduce looming suspension.
July 21, 2013: Rodriguez takes himself out of lineup before final rehab game of 20-day assignment, travels to NYC from Moosic, Pa., and is diagnosed by team physician Christopher Ahmad with a Grade 1 strain of quad. He remains on disabled list.
July 22, 2013: Ryan Braun accepts suspension of 65 games – the remainder of ‘13 season – in connection with Biogenesis scandal.
July 24, 2013: Michael Gross, a New Jersey orthopedist, makes media rounds and says after reviewing A-Rod’s MRI, he sees “nothing significant.” Yankee GM Brian Cashman issues press release and says A-Rod did not follow labor agreement rules seeking second opinion. Daily News reports A-Rod will be disciplined by team.
July 30, 2013: Daily News report says commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to invoke extreme privilege – his right to take action against a player to preserve the integrity of game – if A-Rod appeals suspension in an effort to keep playing and try and preserve his contract.
Aug. 2, 2013: After playing with the Double-A Trenton Thunder – where he socked a mammoth home run at Arm & Hammer Park – Rodriguez takes a swipe at baseball and his employer after the game. “There’s more than one party that benefits from me never stepping back on the field. That’s not my teammates and not the Yankee fans,” says A-Rod. “When all this stuff is going on in the background, and people are finding creative ways to cancel your contract, that’s concerning for me.”
Aug. 3, 2013: Rodriguez plays a second rehab game with Thunder, walking four times. He vows he will rejoin his team in Chicago when the Bombers begin a series there Aug. 5. “Ready to go. I feel great,” says A-Rod. Meanwhile, MLB is furious with the slugger’s Aug. 2 remarks and rejects request by Rodriguez’s team to negotiate a settlement.
Aug. 4, 2013: With unprecedented punishment expected to come down on the Yankees’ $275 million man, Rodriguez is in Chicago and is penciled in for game against White Sox.
Aug. 5, 2013: Rodriguez is banned 211 games – the remainder of 2013 season and playoffs and entire 2014 season – by MLB for his role in Biogenesis scandal. “I am disappointed with the penalty and intend to appeal and fight this through the process,” says Rodriguez. “I am eager to get back on the field and be with my teammates in Chicago tonight. I want to thank my family, friends and fans who have stood by my side through all this.” Rodriguez arrives at U.S. Cellular Field visiting clubhouse in golf cart and is in the lineup and batting cleanup.
BASEBALL
1921: The “Black Sox”: Eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox were first suspended, and then permanently banned, for throwing the World Series against the Reds. The players, most prominent among them “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, were acquitted in a trial, but subsequently banned by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis nonetheless.
1947: Leo Durocher: The fiery, controversial manager of the Dodgers was suspended for the entire 1947 season by Commissioner “Happy” Chandler for “the accumulation of unpleasant incidents,” including his association with people involved in gambling.
1970: Denny McLain: The last 30-game winner, McLain was suspended by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for three months of the 1970 season due to his association with gamblers.
1979: Willie Mays: The Hall of Famer was permanently suspended by Commissioner Kuhn for accepting a job at a casino. He was reinstated by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth in 1985.
1980: Ferguson Jenkins: Kuhn suspended Jenkins for life after being arrested in Toronto for possession of drugs. However, Jenkins’ suspension was overturned by an arbitrator later in the same month.
1983: Mickey Mantle: Like Mays, Mantle was banned by Commissioner Kuhn for his association with a casino. Like Mays, he was reinstated by Commissioner Ueberroth in 1985.
1989: Pete Rose: Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader, was placed on the permanently ineligible list by Commissioner Fay Vincent as a result of his gambling on baseball. Rose was permitted to apply for reinstatement but remains ineligible to this day.
1990: George Steinbrenner: The Yankees owner consented to a lifetime “agreement” with MLB as a result of his attempts to discredit player Dave Winfield. He was reinstated in 1993.
1992: Steve Howe: The reliever, who battled substance abuse for nearly his entire career, was permanently suspended by Vincent for drug use. That followed a one-year ban which cost him the 1984 season. He was later reinstated and pitched again in 1994.
1993: Marge Schott: The owner of the Reds, Schott was removed from day-to-day operations of the club for the entire 1993 season due to a number of racially offensive remarks. She was suspended again for similar behavior from 1996 through 1998.
2007: Neifi Perez The Tigers infielder was suspended 80 games by Commissioner Bud Selig for a third positive test for a banned stimulant.
2011: Manny Ramirez: Ramirez was suspended 100 games early in the 2011 season for his second violation of MLB’s drug policy. Instead, he voluntarily retired. Upon his application for reinstatement, it was announced that Ramirez would still be required to serve 50 games once he was signed to a contract.
2012: Guillermo Mota The Giants reliever was suspended 100 games during the 2012 season for his second violation of MLB’s drug policy. He returned to pitch for San Francisco in September and in the postseason.
2013: Ryan Braun: Though Braun successfully appealed a suspension for a 2011 positive drug test, he was suspended 65 games earlier this season for violations of MLB’s drug policy.
fraud
(frôd)
n.
1. A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain.
2. A piece of trickery; a trick.
3.
a. One that defrauds; a cheat.
b. One who assumes a false pose; an impostor.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fraud
Fraud must be proved by showing that the defendant’s actions involved five separate elements: (1) a false statement of a material fact,(2) knowledge on the part of the defendant that the statement is untrue, (3) intent on the part of the defendant to deceive the alleged victim, (4) justifiable reliance by the alleged victim on the statement, and (5) injury to the alleged victim as a result.
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/fraud
December 2007 interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” during which Rodriguez told Katie Couric he had never used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2009/02/video_cbs_news_katie_couric_20.html Couric: For the record, have you ever used steroids, Human Growth Hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?
Rodriguez: No.
Couric: Have you ever been tempted to use any of those things?
Rodriguez: No.
Couric: You never felt like ‘This guy’s doing it, maybe i should look into this too? He’s getting better numbers, playing better ball … ”
Rodriguez: I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I’ve always been in a very strong, dominant position and I felt that if I did my work — since I’ve done since I’ve been a rookie back in Seattle (with the Mariners) — I didn’t have a problem competing at any level. So … no.
Couric: What’s your reaction to this investigation (the Mitchell Report)?
Rodriguez: Katie, you’re putting me in a tough spot. These are guys that I’ve played with. They’re my teammates, friends … if anything comes of this, it would be extremely disappointing. And it would be a huge black eye on the game of baseball.
2/10/2009 Rodriguez told veteran baseball reporter Peter Gammons that he experimented with steroids during his seasons with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03, trying to convince people he was worthy of a record-setting $252 million contract.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX6_pvzs8CY
“…it’s the biggest regret I have in my life because baseball’s given me everything, and I have so much respect.”
“You know, again, I think God has a reason for everything, and I’m sorry we have to be in the middle of these controversies. But at the end of the day, I feel good today about coming forward and being honest and turning the page to the next chapter in my life.”
PETER GAMMONS: Are you worried now about how often you’re going to have to answer these questions about those three years?
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Um, well, I’m answering ’em here today. I hope soon enough we can put it in a vault and move forward. I mean, I know the consequences. But I know the truth is the truth.
“I mean, you know, the one good thing is, I feel the truth will always set you free.”
Alex Rodriguez looked at the award he just received from Babe Ruth’s granddaughter with big eyes and a broad grin. It was as if he almost couldn’t believe it was his.
“Postseason MVP. Wow,” Rodriguez said Saturday night. Pausing for effect he added, “What’s next, the good guy award?”
Less than a year ago, it would have been difficult to decide which would be more preposterous for the troubled star to earn.
Rodriguez completed a tumultuous season that began with an awkward confession to past steroid use and then hip surgery that kept him out until May by being selected the winner of the Babe Ruth Award as the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s postseason MVP.
A-Rod picked up the hardware at the 87th annual New York baseball writers’ dinner Saturday night.
Rodriguez used his time away from the team to rehabilitate his hip as a period of reflection. He returned with a mantra: simplify things.
And after he told fans at the dinner that “he’d stick to the script of 2009 and keep it very, very brief,” he choked up, taking a long pause — save for a nervous laugh — to look down at the podium and smile awkwardly.
Unlike the extended pause he took during his steroids news conference, this one was broken when an attendee — the dinner was crowded with Yankees fans — shouted, “You’re the best, A-Rod!”
1/2010
In his three seasons of steroid use, Rodriguez averaged 52 homers and 132 RBI’s with a slugging percentage of .615 for the Rangers. In his other 10 full seasons (using seasons with at least 500 AB), he has averages of 39.2 home runs and 119 RBI’s with a slugging percentage of .574. Those numbers are still very impressive, but not quite as eye popping as his three seasons in Texas.
“I just hope that when his career is all said and done, the Hall Of Fame committee rewards him with an enshrinement. Whether you like A-Rod or not, he has at least come clean about things, which is more than you can say for some of the other players from this era who have been put under the microscope.”
By
Paul Carreau
(Correspondent) on July 27, 2010
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/425871-alex-rodriguez-hall-of-famer-or-steroid-era-poster-child
Updated Aug 6, 2013 4:42 AM ET
Don Hooton doesn’t want to use the word “deceived” when it comes to Alex Rodriguez, but it is true that Rodriguez was scheduled to make an anti-steroids speech for Hooton’s organization this coming Sunday — or what is now known as six days after MLB suspended the third baseman 211 games for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Alex Rodriguez Field in Appleton has been stripped of its name. [8/5/2013]
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20130805/APC0206/308050242/Alex-Rodriguez-Field-name-dropped-Appl