04/23/24
August 18, 2013
Alex Rodriguez attorney accuses Yankees of hiding MRI results: Joseph Tacopina, the attorney representing Rodriguez in his appeal of a 211-game suspension for his involvement with Miami-based Biogenesis and performance enhancing drugs, said the Yankees hid MRI results from Rodriguez that showed a torn labrum in his hip in October 2012, an injury that would eventually require offseason surgery and sideline the third baseman for the first four months of the 2103 campaign.
Rodriguez hit just .120 (3-for-25) during the 2012 playoffs for the Yankees, who lost the ALCS to the Tigers.
This claim doesn't make sense. Why would the Yankees punish themselves by playing him in the playoffs if they knew he had a serious hip injury?
posted by rcade at 09:07 PM on August 18, 2013
GM Brian Cashman no longer talking to Arod.
posted by justgary at 10:00 PM on August 18, 2013
Yankees are trying to get out of a horrendous contract any way possible. ARod is a serial PED 'ophile with a well financed legal team.
No possible winner in this game.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:02 PM on August 18, 2013
This claim doesn't make sense. Why would the Yankees punish themselves by playing him in the playoffs if they knew he had a serious hip injury?
That's what I thought too - the motive here is suspect. A-Rod looking like an invalid does nothing for them - it hurt their playoff performance, they still had to pay him for the surgery and rehab period, and how bad he looked negated any chance they'd find a trading partner to eat some of his salary.
Outside of A-Rod getting convinced he's so bad he needs to retire, it's not like his poor performance did anything to get them out of his contract - in fact, quite the opposite. It meant nobody but the Yankees would end up paying him.
posted by dfleming at 07:32 AM on August 19, 2013
The only thing I could see is the Yankees hoping that he would hurt himself badly leading to either a career ending injury or at least missing an entire season so the insurance company could eat the cost.
That of course assumes a complete lack of ethics on the part of the Yankees management.
posted by Mothball at 12:36 PM on August 19, 2013
That of course assumes a complete lack of ethics on the part of the Yankees management
What - from the team whose only developmental strategy is to over pay for free agents by such a margin it creates a marketplace where they are the only players?
Can't possibly imagine there's any ethics involved in Yankees management.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:50 PM on August 19, 2013
I was trying to avoid the appearance of cynicism.
posted by Mothball at 04:22 PM on August 19, 2013
What - from the team whose only developmental strategy is to over pay for free agents by such a margin it creates a marketplace where they are the only players?
Thankfully, this strategy is becoming less viable. Players are signing long term contracts earlier for security, and, for whatever reason, older players seem to be aging quicker.
posted by justgary at 06:53 PM on August 19, 2013
Interesting to see how quickly ARod's legal system backtracked as soon as MLB's attorneys suggested both parties agree to full disclosure on all of the ARod evidence.
Accusing the MLB of playing dirty pool via the media no less.
Appears maybe ARod doesn't have the best lawyers money can buy.
posted by cixelsyd at 07:43 PM on August 19, 2013
From my understanding, the MLB gambit was an empty one. ARod's attorney isn't going to sign anything before reading it (and consulting with his client) and MLB might not have the authority to agree to full disclosure if the MLBPA doesn't agree to it as well.
Nevertheless, ARod's lawyer did need to react a bit better than he did to the situation.
posted by grum@work at 08:44 PM on August 19, 2013
From my understanding, the MLB gambit was an empty one.
It was calling out the fact that ARod's lawyer's been making hay on an empty gesture of saying he wants nothing more than to open the vault.
I kind of wonder where the MLBPA is on this - they've got both sides clamouring to get the evidence out to the public - do they want to be the guy standing in the middle right now? It only sets a precedence that if both sides want to release it, they will - not that it will be released every time a player is accused.
posted by dfleming at 07:02 AM on August 20, 2013
I have no idea if there is anything to this claim, but this is not a healthy relationship between player and team.