The Daily News profile of Alex Rodriguez as part of its Modern Yankee Heroes series says that the New York Yankees third baseman has finally found peace and harmony. I wonder if that's really true.
Winning a World Series title after having a monster postseason can do wonders for a baseball player's soul, no question. But that peace didn't last long for ARod, either personally or professionally. First came the end of his high-profile relationship with actress Kate Hudson. Now he has a cloud hanging over his head with the questions about his interactions with Canadian doctor Anthony Galea.
I don't believe this latest incident is as bad as last year, when he was outed as a steroids user by Sports Illustrated. But it does remind us about the permanent black mark on ARod's career and character. While opposing teams' fans can no longer call him a choke artist, they can still call him a cheat.
It also casts a fresh light on ARod's poor judgment. I've never seen a ballplayer make things more difficult for himself, simply by making bad choices. In this case, it was not sticking to a team-approved treatment plan and going to see a doctor from another country when he could have received similar treatment by a doctor actually licensed to practice medicine here in the states.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, ARod always seems to sabotage himself. If it hadn't been for the Galea questions, this spring would have been all about him overcoming his playoff slump and helping the Yankees finally win another title after a long drought. Instead, we get daily updates about who ARod is meeting with and what he's telling them. It's not something that he can ignore or something that will go away, as much as ARod would like it to. And that makes me question whether he is truly at peace with himself.
Winning a World Series title after having a monster postseason can do wonders for a baseball player's soul, no question. But that peace didn't last long for ARod, either personally or professionally. First came the end of his high-profile relationship with actress Kate Hudson. Now he has a cloud hanging over his head with the questions about his interactions with Canadian doctor Anthony Galea.
I don't believe this latest incident is as bad as last year, when he was outed as a steroids user by Sports Illustrated. But it does remind us about the permanent black mark on ARod's career and character. While opposing teams' fans can no longer call him a choke artist, they can still call him a cheat.
It also casts a fresh light on ARod's poor judgment. I've never seen a ballplayer make things more difficult for himself, simply by making bad choices. In this case, it was not sticking to a team-approved treatment plan and going to see a doctor from another country when he could have received similar treatment by a doctor actually licensed to practice medicine here in the states.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, ARod always seems to sabotage himself. If it hadn't been for the Galea questions, this spring would have been all about him overcoming his playoff slump and helping the Yankees finally win another title after a long drought. Instead, we get daily updates about who ARod is meeting with and what he's telling them. It's not something that he can ignore or something that will go away, as much as ARod would like it to. And that makes me question whether he is truly at peace with himself.
Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.
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