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A-Rod’s lawyers say they’re going to give everything they have to the press on Friday

Alex Rodriguez

New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez arrives at the offices of Major League Baseball, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. The grievance to overturn Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension began Monday before arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. (AP Photo/David Karp)

AP

Some men just want to watch the world burn.

Men like A-Rod’s lawyers, who told Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York that they’re going to break confidentiality of the arbitration tomorrow and give all of the juicy stuff they say they have to the press:

“We’re going to open up everything,” said Ron Berkowitz, a spokesman for Rodriguez. “We’re going to show everything we have to the press so they can show it to the American public.”

Matthews speculates that the dump would include transcripts of witness testimony, sworn affidavits and information supplied to the Rodriguez team by an MLB-employee “whistle-blower.”

They can do that. And it can potentially embarrass Major League Baseball. But I don’t see how it changes their clients’ legal position. The arbitrator is still going to rule. The barriers that must be leapt to get out from under that penalty and into federal court remain exceedingly high.

At one time I assumed the scorched earth tactics were to force MLB to the settlement table. The league seems to have no desire to do that. So now, unless someone can tell me what this does for A-Rod tactically, this seems like spite and P.R. strategy.