Alex Rodriguez' s slow start is certainly a cause for concern in Yankee-land. Could the lack of certain P.E.D's be the root of his poor performance this year?
How quickly things have changed. A little over a month ago, Rodriguez homered in his first at bat of 2009 and the joyful "pie in the face" celebration seemed to be a nightly occurrence for the New York Yankees. Now Rodriguez is facing a two game benching in his hometown of all places, Miami, Florida. A-Rod had reserved around 100 tickets for his family and friends for the three game set against the Marlins. It looks as if Pro Player Stadium will have to wait until Sunday for its attendance to double.
Manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman met with Rodriguez and the group decided a two day break would be best for the slugger. While Alex claims he is experiencing no soreness, it is hard to ignore that only a few short months ago Rodriguez had hip surgery. Perhaps his .212 batting average can be accredited to that damaged hip. Hitting is so dependant on timing and any small hitch can completely alter a player's swing. It is very possible that Rodriguez's hips are not rotating through the zone like he is accustomed to.
But for now, let's just assume that his hip is completely fine and there is nothing wrong with his swing. Could it be possible, that for the first time in his career, Alex Rodriguez is facing Major League pitching without the benefit of performance enhancing drugs? Whether or not they are true, there were reports that A-Rod began taking P.E.D's as early as high school. Rodriguez admitted to taking them only when he was with the Texas Rangers. We all watched him lie to Katie Couric and it would be ignorant to wholeheartedly believe his statement that he only took them in Texas.
Sure, Rodriguez has slumped before, it's just usually in the postseason when his numbers drop. A 132 at bat slump during the regular season, especially early in the season, is very rare for Alex. Maybe Rodriguez really hasn't been on P.E.D's since his days as a Ranger, but for him to validate that claim, he needs to start hitting this year, the first year after his name was released as having failed a drug test in 2003. Baseball fans may have been duped during the Steriod Era, but we cannot give guys a free pass anymore. Shame on you if you fool me once. Shame on me if you fool me twice. I, for one, will be closely monitoring Rodriguez the rest of the year. A-Rod desperately needs to produce for his own legacy and future Hall of Fame consideration. If he fails to do so, A-Fraud will be thrown atop the heap of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and on, and on, and on...
Keywords: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
