Alex Rodriguez’s baseball accomplishments shouldn’t be celebrated.
Instead, he should be shunned and baseball should be ashamed to see him reach another undeserved milestone.
Rodriguez joined rarefied air on June 19 when he hit his 3,000th career hit, a home run off Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander.
Rodriguez received a standing ovation from the home Yankee Stadium crowd.
Shame on you, Yankees fans.
And this is coming from a person who is a fan of the Yankees.
Rodriguez, who has repeatedly lied about his past steroid use, cast a dark cloud over the game and on his team.
Yes, people will say that I’m beating a dead horse, and that people deserve second chances, and I agree to a certain extent. But Rodriguez already had his second chance after admitting that he used steroids when he was with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
Rodriguez said he used performance enhancing drugs because of the pressure of trying to live up to an astronomical $256 million contract.
He seemingly bounced back from that and led the Yankees to a World Series title in 2009.
But injuries and age caught up to the third baseman.
After struggling to regain his form, Rodriguez was caught up in the Biogenesis scandal and was suspended by former MLB commissioner Bud Selig a record 211 games.
Eventually his suspension was reduced to a single season, 162 games, but the damage to his reputation had been done.
He came into this season within striking distance of a number of baseball records and accomplishments including the 3,000 hit club which has members on it that are held in the highest esteem in baseball circles.
Players like Roberto Clemente, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. and Derek Jeter among others.
With his hit in the third inning on Monday night, Rodriguez is tied for 26th on the all-time hits list with 3,011 hits and inching closer to another disgraced baseball player and steroid user: Rafael Palmeiro, who ended his career with 3,020 hits.
Rodriguez is a liar.
Plain and simple.
And some will even compare him to Pete Rose, who has been banned for life for betting on baseball.
I wouldn’t say he’s the same as Rose, but Rodriguez isn’t that far behind him. Rodriguez should cherish what he has left of his career, because once it’s over, I think the majority of people won’t remember him as one of the most talented players to ever play the game.
He’ll be remembered for the damage he did to the game of baseball and how big of a disgrace he was to America’s pastime.
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII.
New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, center right, celebrates with CC Sabathia after Rodriguez hit a home run — his 3,000th career hit — during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers on June 19 at Yankee Stadium in New York.
