Thread: A Rod banned. I just don't get it

Originally Posted by barbaro

Now here is a former baseball player.

I played little leagues and the Babe Ruth leagues, the latter was high school competitive teams.

I loved it

It is a team sport, but highly individual. If you screw up, everybody knows it.

As you know failsafe, we have to be ready at any instant. You never know when that ball will come flying at you.

Before a hit may come to you, you have to know where the throw, if you can make a play. Or, you have to go for the second option. It happens in seconds.

As for hitting, there is the curve ball, slider, breaking ball, change, knuckle, etc.

When teenagers starting throwing the curve that is when my hitting slumped. Sometimes the curve did not curve or beak it came at my head.

It is a game for the purist, in many ways.

Great memories.

Hear, hear! Great post. You put words to my thoughts, 'bro.

My hitting slumped back in little league when I got beaned. From that point on, I was a weakling at the plate. I could field and throw a little bit so continued playing through high school but was never a competitor because I didn't realize that competition can be an internal struggle (beat that fear demon first). That's part of the individual aspect of the sport.

And A Rod is A Fraud.

Originally Posted by FailSafe

^

I agree DH will probably be his best (or only) option- he'll turn 40 in 2015, and he's already got a bad knee- there's no way he can play in the NL.

He'll need to play somewhere next year to stay sharp- maybe in Japan or Latin America.

Another great option. Some team like the Yomiuri Giants would pay him at least 5 million and they're all corporate owned teams so they could afford it. They would treat him like a King and he'd have top shelf JN koochie thrown at him.

Originally Posted by FailSafe

^

The Players Association just formally filed his appeal- according to an ESPN article, an independent arbitrator probably won't make a ruling until November or December at the earliest, so he'll play out the rest of this season.

Alex Rodriguez formally files appeal of MLB doping suspension - ESPN New York

I'd almost say they filef it "reluctantly" ... But what else can they do? Even if they agree they can't stand by idle when the commish is pulling penalties out of his ass.

Originally Posted by FailSafe

Yeah, I played through high school (I wasn't good enough to play in college) but I faced some pitchers that would eventually be drafted (though no one who made it all the way)- some of these kids could already throw mid/high eighties- it was like trying to hit a bullet (and almost as terrifying, as their control usually sucked- if one of those caught you in the ribs, you were in trouble). I was an outfielder, and I could always get a good jump on the ball, but I never had the quickness to play regularly in the infield (I'd play first base on occasion).

Baseball is much more athletic than those who haven't played it give it credit for.

If I lived in BKK, I'd be playing in a softball league (which is fun, but isn't even close to the same game as baseball as far as intensity in concerned).

I totally agree: it's athletic. But can you stand watching it? Some people can. But did they play it? I don't know....

^
Maybe they played T-Ball?

Oh fuck and professional sports used to be the joy of my life. Even without the drugs with the money earned, the prices charged, no loyalty at all by the athletes, and corporate ownership I am glad I loved sport when I did. When you played for the game, not the bucks. You were well paid but not way overpaid. Two San Francisco Giant players and one 49 player lived within a kilometer of the house I lived in through high school. Nice but no freaking mansion.

Damn- A-Rod better wear two helmets every time he's at the plate from now on- there are gonna be more than a few fastballs headed toward his ear if these allegations are true- nobody likes a rat.

No shit, worse than a racist tight end in the NFL.

Originally Posted by aging one

No shit, worse than a racist tight end in the NFL.

The n-word is all over the NFL.

This guy hears it all the time. He said the n-word. Who cares?

^He cares. Did you see his slobbering apology. All real nice and intelligent. But look at his face. The guy is a Southern racist, clear as shit. I hope somebody like Cromartie knocks his fuckin' head off.

American blacks call each other that; OK. You black, you can talk black.

Originally Posted by wjblaney

You black, you can talk black.

Did you tell the wiggers that?

^"A white person who tries to emulate or acquire African-American cultural behavior and tastes." Is that what you mean by wigger? Funny. Well, I'm a free speech advocate and if it works for you, np. Hey, we haven't even named the guy we're talking about: Kenny Chesney. I think he's a racist or he wouldn't have felt the need to apologize. The damn video was nowhere near being off the charts, imnsfho. But the NFL thought it was.

^

Actually it was Riley Cooper (who made his comments at a Kenny Chesney concert).

Originally Posted by FailSafe

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Actually it was Riley Cooper (who made his comments at a Kenny Chesney concert).

God damn, how stupid. I been drinkin' last night. Fuck me.

Originally Posted by FailSafe

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He's hoping to get it knocked down by 50-100 games (I won't be surprised to see the suspension lowered to ~150 games if he really comes clean and acts contrite)- I agree he should just retire and end it, but it's SO much money... At 28mil per year, he gets nearly 175K per game- even if he can get only a reduction of 10 games from the 211 games he's been penalized, it's very substantial.

I was close- his suspension was reduced to 162 games (an entire season)- that's a $25,000,000 hit (which would have been the 2014 salary out of his $275mil contract):

Alex Rodriguez suspended for 162[at]games | The Strike Zone - SI.com

^Small blessing for A-Roid...