“You were the Chosen One! It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!”
Obi-Wan Kenobi shouted those words at Anakin Skywalker (Spoiler alert: Anakin becomes Darth Vader), but the same lines are equally applicable to Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was the Chosen One of Major League Baseball. He was going to be the one to vanquish Barry Bonds’ tainted marks and restore balance to the record book.
But on Monday, MLB suspended Rodriguez for his role in the Biogenesis scandal and his attempts to cover up evidence implicating him.
Even though Rodriguez didn’t fail a drug test, his legacy is as tainted as his urine would have been. He doesn’t need to fail a test.
Rodriguez is appealing his suspension, but MLB reportedly has a novel’s worth of evidence pinning A-Rod to the Biogenesis clinic.
I watched Rodriguez win two MVP awards in New York, and I marveled as he put the 2009 Yankees on his back en route to a World Series title.
Those were the memories I expected to have when I told my kids about him.
The prodigious shots that carried over Monument Park, the walk-off homers, how he graciously accepted a move to third base to allow Yankees captain Derek Jeter to continue playing shortstop, even though he was clearly the superior defender.
Nope. Not anymore. The only things people are going to remember are that he cheated, lied and tried to game the system. That ridiculous mega-contract might get a mention, too.
What he did on the field doesn’t matter anymore, and that’s a shame. He was a great player.
He was easily on pace to set the home run record and reach 3,000 hits. Injuries sapped his strength during the last few seasons, and now the imminent suspension puts him out of action for an entire year. Both marks are almost definitely out of reach.
He was a 40-40 player and a three-time MVP. Doesn’t matter.
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols may be the next great hope, but he has slumped since leaving the Cardinals, leaving no one to cleanse the record books.
I always thought Rodriguez was very image-conscious. I thought the reason why he struggled in the playoffs was because he put so much pressure on himself. He wanted people to like him.
But maybe I was wrong. Someone who was interested in his legacy wouldn’t put it in such danger by using steroids.
I thought Rodriguez wanted to be the good guy, but now he’s just the steroid-using Darth A-Rod.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez looks on during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago on Monday.
