The Bronx is burning with the raging fire that is Alex Rodriguez and his feud with his own team. With A-Rod in the crosshairs of MLB for his involvement in the Biogenesis-PED saga and the words "lifetime ban" being thrown around, it's a full three ring circus and it's just getting started. The strangest element in all this may be the relationship between A-Rod and the Yankees, which has the best chance of being solved by Maury Povich at this point. Check that, maybe Bill Cunningham. Maybe calling it a "relationship" isn't even accurate anymore. On Monday, the sports pope, Mike Francesa of all people, was caught in the middle of the latest drama thanks to a New Jersey doctor.
To briefly set the scene – the Yankees shut down A-Rod thanks to a quad strain just as his return was imminent. Rodriguez than got a second opinion without team approval to Dr. Michael Gross. Gross studied the MRI and deemed A-Rod healthy, although he didn't examine him in person. Incredibly, Gross revealed all of this in an interview conveniently set up with Mike Francesa on WFAN with his patient's permission. It's not too often you see a doctor who gave a rogue second opinion go on a publicity tour with one of the most prominent sports talk hosts in the country, but here we are. Here's the audio…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=otKj7tH1JCY
Why is A-Rod's health and the will he-won't he drama this significant? The Yankees can reportedly collect at least 75% of the remaining money on Rodriguez's contract if he's injured and can't return to the lineup for a full season according to ESPN. A-Rod and his people appear to now be on a media crusade to paint him as a victimized slugger whose bosses are preventing him from playing the game he loves. The Yankees have said the right things in public… well, except for Brian Cashman telling A-Rod to shut the f*ck up… and both sides have been involved in so many rumors of conspiracies, insurance schemes, injuries, comebacks, and setbacks that it's impossible to keep it all straight. Oh, and to make it even better, Gross has evidently been reprimanded for not properly treating patients with steroids in an unrelated case (we think).
And to think, we're only in Act I of The Fall of Alex Rodriguez. Who knows where we go from here, but count me in for having a front row seat to watch it all crash and burn.
[Audio via @WFANAudio]
Comments are closed.
About Matt Yoder