A-Rod. One more go-round

Alex Rodriguez is thought of in different ways by different people, but a few things are indisputable.

As a teenager playing baseball, he was considered much like Lebron James would be years later. A phenomenal talent. A player who's abilities and potential were mind-boggling. The whole package -- and then some. His combination of power, speed, and defense were incredible for a man of his physical stature.

Indeed, after breaking into the Major Leagues at the tender young age of 18, he lived up to the hype -- and more.

Fourteen times an All-Star.
Three MVPs.
The youngest player to ever hit 500 home runs.
Same for 600 home runs.
He was on pace to -- maybe -- pass Ruth, Aaron, and even Bonds for the all-time home run record.

Taken alone, this was very impressive stuff. Sure, he had his detractors along the way, but that was likely more about sour grapes and jealousy than anything else. The guy was tearing it up at a record pace, and some people found ways not to like it.

Then along came the whole 'roid thing. A-Rod admitted to using while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003, and the eleven years since have sparked quite the controversy over how juiced he was or wasn't while with the NY Yankees.

Another thing that is indisputable is Rodriguez still holds the record for the largest contract ever signed by a professional baseball player. A ten-year deal inked after the 2007 season for a whopping $275 million -- guaranteed. In other words, the Yankees are still on the hook for over $60 million for the next couple years whether A-Rod plays or not.

That puts them in quite a spot. A-Rod is likely non-tradeable. He would definitely be a lightning rod drawing mostly negative attention from another team's local media. Radioactive might be an appropriate word. It's highly doubtful any other club would take on his salary, much less give up a player in return.

What Rodriguez did or did not do with "banned substances" since 2008 is a matter best left to others to haggle over. They say this and he says that. Certainly few would doubt the "court of public opinion" has found him guilty, but that always happens when the media sensationalizes allegations as they're prone to do. Something about ratings, whether they know the facts or not. Good grief, not long ago Anderson Cooper and CNN saw their "numbers" jump while reporting for an entire MONTH on a missing airplane. It's STILL missing several months later, so obviously they didn't know anything at the time -- but they sold the pseudo-hype to the masses. So who are the dummies indeed that tune in and draw conclusions over unsolved mysteries? Jimmy Hoffa/Amelia Earhart, anyone?

Nevertheless, a few facts stand out regarding A-Rod's recent and current situation. He's now 39 and will turn 40 in July. Also, he had to sit out the entire 2014 season due to his "drug related" suspension.

How many hits, homers, and RBIs he may have racked up last year if he had been allowed to play is anybody's guess. Certainly his productivity had slowed in recent years but, besides age, he had battled through injuries as well. Still, it could safely be said he would have increased his career statistics. Maybe by a little, or maybe by a bunch. It's all hindsight and speculation. Nobody will ever know because that year has come and gone. Poof.

Now he's in spring training with the rest of the Yankees. While the Yankee front office might not be pleased at the prospect, what choice do they have? For over $30 million a year, they might as well let the dude play, rather than paying him for doing nothing. He might even still be pretty good with the bat. Who knows?

Justified or not -- draw your own conclusions -- the missed 2014 season likely cost A-Rod any chance of ever becoming the all-time home run leader. Hey, had Babe Ruth, Hammering Hank, or Barry Bonds been forced to sit out a whole year, the record books might look a whole lot different.

But A-Rod is on the cusp of several notable accomplishments.

At 654 home runs, he stands only 6 behind Willie Mays for 4th place on the all-time list. Even if the Yanks only use him as a designated hitter this year -- surely he will surpass that.

A-Rod has 1969 career RBIs. Will he get a meager 31 more in 2015 to go over 2000? Likely so.

And he currently stands at 2939 hits. Sixty one short of the magical 3000 club. Can we safely pencil that in as well?

So even one more year will see Alex Rodriguez surpass a lot of milestones in MLB.

If not for the 'roid fiasco, between facts and speculation, he'd be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he became eligible.

But it probably won't happen. Ask Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds. They were never found guilty of anything either. Just speculation, media hype, and the gullible court of public opinion. Decades later, all-time hits leader Pete Rose continues to twist in the wind because he dared to bet on his team -- TO WIN!!  How can that be so terribly wrong?

The worst scenario of them all continues to be Shoeless Joe Jackson. Most remember him as the ring-leader of the infamous 1919 Chicago "Black" Sox that threw a world series. He was banned from baseball for life and remains so almost a century later. History will tell you Jackson maintained his innocence until the day he died -- over 60 years ago.

But if one looks it up, they will find that after all the evidence had been collected, and testimony taken, Shoeless Joe was found completely innocent years later of any wrong-doing. The fans that beseeched Jackson at the time with the famous question -- "Say it ain't so, Joe", turned out to be prophetic. It was NOT so.

Yet sadly, then and now, few bother to actually wait for the whole truth to come out before making final judgments based on nothing more than speculation. And 100% of the time such verdicts come back "guilty".

It ain't always so.

The truly tragic part is three-fold.

First, lives and careers are destroyed when people in power with their own agendas make a "statement" before all the facts are in.

Second, even if proven wrong later, the media that jumped on such things in the first place will never go back and admit they misled the public. On to the next story, and who cares about the carnage they left behind?

Lastly, the people themselves that continue to believe everything they read or what the talking heads tell them, without ever stopping to think objectively on such matters. Sometimes the deception is subtle, but other times blatant. At yet other times, it's just a matter of ignorance staring one in their face while trying to convince them of something.

Regardless, here's wishing Alex Rodriguez all the best in his comeback. Whatever he did or did not do in the past, the man has certainly already been punished enough.