The current situation with the Yankees and Alex Rodrigez is one of the most fascinating case studies in fan behavior I can remember. Everyone from Lance Armstrong to Barry Bonds always provided a relatively clean exit after they were finally caught cheating w/ PED's. They were caught and they left the game. At that point you either still rooted for them or you hated them. But those who rooted were able to root for past performance that may have not been tainted. You could wax nostalgic. Andy Petite and Jason Giambi were slightly different in that they were caught, paid the penance (of sorts) and played on but in a diminished state. You maybe never saw them the same way but they seemed contrite. A-Rod and maybe Ryan Braun are entirely different animals. A-Rod lied about cheating, then was caught, then admitted it but said he was young and dumb, and then was caught again! He continues to lie and to cheat, and to scheme. The more of the story that comes out the dirtier he seems. The Yankees have tried to extricate themselves from the circus but they were so clumsy they made it seem all about the money and in these times a huge rich organization trying to claw back money are as big a villain as the cheater they are trying to take it from. Making it an even more difficult situation is that A-Rod has been suspended for cheating. But there are rules and even though nobody really wants him around you cannot just kick him out of the game. Apparently you can only do that to gamblers like Pete Rose but not drug users. OK, so he gets suspended and pays the penance and can come back and get his 32nd chance like every other celebrity right? Not so fast! He appeals and lawyers up. So now, the known cheater, liar, schemer is back and playing even though he will at some point be suspended for cheating. So let's forget the past for a second and not go think about the validity of recent seasons (such as the 2009 championship team littered w/ PED cheats). This year the Yankees are scratching and clawing just to make the playoffs. If they do it certainly will be with some contribution from a known cheater. If it is your team to you really want to win or just quietly go away this year and come back next year with a clean slate? If you are a Yankees fan you have long loved cheaters so it is championship or bust! Queue the music for Clemens, Petite, Giambi, A-Rod, Cervelli, Mariano (sorry, he has not been caught yet). The fans cheer him, the writers like Wallace Mathews defend him, John Sterling orgasms every time he gets a hit, and his manager and team rally around him. Are they all admitting that the game is a mess and rife w/ drug use? Shouldn't you bristle at the thought of supporting your co-worker who has taken money out of your pocket directly from the result of cheating? Maybe I am just a hard ass... Apparently Joe Giardi very rarely curses but used several blue lines last night after Ryan Dempster showed A-Rod what Boston thinks of him. Good for you Joe... support your scumbag player. He is one of your guys. I am fully in support of standing up for your guys... unless they have screwed you over, multiple times. All bets are off at that point because they are not really a teammate, or a friend. It is just a guy taking your money. So what am I saying? F*** you A-Rod... you are a piece of shit. And f*** you Yankees. You could do the right thing and park that cheater on the bench, or you could treat him like a mistreated victim. By doing the latter you tarnish your image as a beacon of baseball light.
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