THE FALLOUT

I keep saying to myself, "Okay, this is the last time I'll write about this," but it doesn't seem to happen. That's because every day, it gets more ridiculous. As Michael Corleone said, "Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in."

Is A-Rod delusional? Has he thought any of this through? He insisted yesterday that he will be flying to Chicago Sunday night to play third base for the Yankees. If Bud Selig has his way, on Monday, A-Rod won't even be able to say the word 'Yankees,' let alone play for them. He's like a petulant little kid who believes if he doesn't admit it, it doesn't exist.

The trouble is, he's not just affecting himself. Sure, he can dance around the pointed questions and act like there's nothing wrong, but what can the Yankee front office say? What can his teammates say? There are rumors that a number of his teammates and the Yankee front office are all disgusted with the whole mess...and with A-Rod. They can't outwardly condone his actions nor can they dismiss him. So they are forced to publicly answer questions about him with blank stares, clenched fists and bitten lips.

A-Rod's own union doesn't know whether to back him fully, walk away from him or find some middle ground. There is no middle ground - there's only a quagmire called Biogenesis. MLBPA president, Michael Weiner, is doing his best to ride the fence, but that's hard to do with one guy shaking it.

Through it all, Rodriquez hands out quotes that stun everybody.
"We have to get rid of PEDs, no question"
"I'm not willing to negotiate with MLB."
"I will have my platform to answer all the questions soon."
...and my favorite:
"I'm flying to Chicago and I'll be playing on Monday night."

Will someone please make him an offer he can't refuse?

***OH YEAH, BASEBALL***
The Yanks won yesterday in typical 2013 Yankee style. Their pitchers threw a shut-out and NY scored three runs on only five hits. Their biggest rally these days is the 2-run homer. And, of course, another injury is reported. It's Jeter again, who is having a hell of a time just staying on the field. He claims, of course, that he's fine, but you can see that he can't run. But he can still outrun CC Sabathia, who can't seem to beat a runner to first base unless he has a 50-foot head start and the runner is carrying the umpire on his back.
If the Yanks are going to play small ball, then they HAVE to go after every advantage that they can. Friday, a Padre appeared to miss third base on his way to home. Did Girardi appeal to the umpire? Nope! Maybe it wouldn't have worked, but it costs nothing to try. The Umpire can't call it on his own, you have to appeal.

Speaking of which, have you ever seen a worse performance of an umpiring crew than the show put on by the crew on Friday in San Diego. Every umpire - EVERY UMPIRE - blew at least one call. If they really do grade the umpires after every game, this crew shouldn't have gotten a score in double figures.

My grandsons' soccer season is over. This will give me a chance to do some research on the game, because I don't understand a lot of it. The ref blows his whistle and every body changes directions. I don't know why. 


***THEY SAID IT***
"Those PED users awaiting the announcement of their suspensions must be sitting on pins and ...
Nah, too easy."  -- Dwight Perry
"Ex-journeyman Robert Fick admitted to twice using steroids to rehab injuries  Time to put an asterisk next to those 69 career homers and his .258 batting average.”  -- Torben Rolfsen
"The NCAA finally cleared Husker basketball player Tai Webster. Unfortunately, he’s now 32."  -- Brad Dickson
"Maria Sharapova hired tennis legend Jimmy Connors as her new coach. So my application must have got lost in the mail."  -- RJ Currie
"In case you missed the latest baseball news, Joe Mauer's wife had twins and David Ortiz had a cow."   -- Dwight Perry

"A-Rod says he’s set to return to the Yankees unless he’s ‘struck by lightning’. Someone hand him a kite"  -- Howard Fox
"Mark Sanchez was booed today during the New York Jets Green and White Scrimmage. Well, it may be early, but good to see that Jets fans at least are in mid-season form."  -- Janice Hough
"The Ohio State football team recently introduced its alternate uniforms, which I think are pinstripes featuring ankle monitoring devices."  -- Brad Dickson

LeBron James is seriously giving "some very heavy thought" to running for the top spot in the NBA players' union. He's already king - and he wants to be president, too?  -- Dwight Perry

"It is not looking good for Alex Rodriguez. There's a good chance he could be banned from baseball for life. How good? He got 2-to-1 odds from Pete Rose."  -- Jay Leno
"Lindsey Lohan has been in rehab. This is her sixth visit. You know what that means. The next one is free."  -- David Letterman

CP-