Alex Rodriguez participated in a three person TV interview of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred during yesterday's Yankee - Red Sox game in London.
Am I the only one creeped out by this?
A-Rod was suspended for the entire 2014 (age 38) season even though he never failed a drug test for performance enhancing drugs, including steroids. A-Rod was persecuted, not prosecuted. His persecutor was Rob Manfred, who was the right hand man to the previous commissioner Allan Huber "Bud" Selig. Manfred and Selig were the tormentors of Alex Rodriguez.
At the time Alex Rodriguez lashed out and behaved badly in reaction. But he came back and performed surprisingly well, much to the consternation of the top MLB officials, media and many active MLB players. Most had assumed that such a harsh punishment at such an old baseball age (38) would finish off Rodriguez. But he returned and persevered. 2015 (age 39):
PA 620
OPS+ 129
HR 33
2016:
PA 243
OPS+ 58
HR 9
The Yankees pulled the plug on Rodriguez in August 2016 after the Yankees had made a conscious
decision to tank the 2016 season. The Yankees prevented Rodriguez from trying to reach 700 career home runs for two reasons:
- not to have to pay Rodriguez $5 million dollars bonus money
- petty spite.
Rodriguez finished with 696 home runs, fourth most in MLB history.
Rodriguez has behaved well since then and is now one of the three ESPN announcers for Sunday Night Baseball. Rodriguez was in London yesterday to do that job during the day game.
Commissioner Manfred was interviewed live during the game. All three announcers asked him questions. As best that I can recall, Manfred answered questions from Rodriguez but did not call him by name or behave friendly. Rodriguez didn't behave any differently than he would normally doing that job.
It was an eerie spectacle. Odd. These two had been bitter antagonists. Now both chose to ignore that.
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