So, A-Rod has admitted that he actually was given steroids by Tony Bosch, surprising virtually no one. And, of course, in true A-Rod fashion, this comes the week after his year-long suspension ended and he was reinstated to the Yankees' active roster.
A-Rod's admission and recent actions haven't changed public opinion about him. Most people already thought he was an arrogant, selfish liar. He hasn't really given anybody any reason to think differently. If anything, all he's done is made even more people hate him. Plenty of them would like A-Rod to just go away. Well, he's not going away anytime soon. And the Yankees wouldn't have it any other way.
The great columnists Mike Lupica and Bill Madden, both of whom I respect greatly, are two of the leaders of the anti-A-Rod crusade. Lupica has been against Rodriguez for years, and he's been basically pleading with the Yankees to find a way to buy out the remainder of his contract. Madden, meanwhile, has suggested that George Steinbrenner never would've allowed this. If he were still alive, The Boss would've found a way to deal with the A-Rod "problem" a long time ago. I'm not so sure about that.
As sordid a l'Affaire A-Rod has become, I'd bet the Yankees are relishing every moment of it. This is a classic case of the old adage, "There's no such thing as bad publicity." Now, I live in New York, so the story may be getting more play here than it is nationally, but everyone loves themselves some A-Rod, go I'd bet there's still a good amount of national play. And that's exactly my point. It's a week after the World Series, and instead of talking about the Giants or free agency, we're talking about an 84-win team that missed the playoffs for the second year in a row and might be in a similar boat again next year.
For their part, the Yankees have said what people want them to say. Their basic stance has been, "We're stuck with him, so we're gonna make the best of it." I'm sure if given the choice, the Yankees would like to be rid of A-Rod, if for no other reason than getting $25 million in payroll back. But they also understand that, like it or not, he's going to be a part of the their team unless they want to buy him out. And even the Yankees don't have $75 million lying around to do that.
And make no mistake. The Yankees know what they're doing. They're fully aware that the A-Rod Show is perhaps their biggest selling point going into the 2015 season. The Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter retirement tours were enough to distract fans to the Yankees' on-field struggles over the past two seasons. It gave people a reason to buy tickets when they were already out of the race in September. This is a team that had bleacher tickets for its last two home openers going for thousands of dollars online, despite the fact they weren't going to make the playoffs. They were selling out on the road, too, just because fans across the American League wanted one last glimpse of Mo and Derek.
You don't think next season is going to be exactly the same thing? The A-Rod Circus is going to be perhaps the biggest draw in baseball in April and May, if not the entire season. Even if people are coming out just to boo him, which seems likely, they're still going to buy tickets. Fans in New York might eventually get a little bored, and they won't be coming to games for the same reason they were coming in the last two years. They won't want to get that last glimpse and say goodbye to a beloved Yankee. Alex Rodriguez is decidedly NOT Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter. Everyone knows that. But that doesn't mean he'll be any less of a draw.
It'll be more evident on the road. A-Rod won't be receiving any gifts from opposing teams as the Yankees make their way through the American League and NL East. But their fans are going to come out and see him. You can count on that. Think what you want about A-Rod. There's no denying he'll be the reason a lot of people come to the ballpark in 2015. (It's like that phenomenon where everyone going the other direction slows down to see a car wreck.)
This isn't about my feelings towards Alex Rodriguez or how much I think he can contribute for the 2015 New York Yankees. This is about why the New York Yankees are willing to take the criticism and welcome him back with open arms in 2015. Because baseball is a business. And Alex Rodriguez is good for business.
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