That’s if you believe Bob Klapisch, of course. He takes a look at A-Rod’s return to the Yankees and -- despite noting that the Yankees are awful and A-Rod is actually looking like he is capable of helping the team -- he casts a cynical eye on Rodriguez’s presence on the Yankees. And it’s not even a money thing. Klapisch even admits that anyone would play if there was money at stake so it’s hard to fault Rodriguez for that. But:
I forgot the part where A-Rod claimed he could “rescue the Yankees,” but hey, if you want to paint someone in the most negative light possible sometimes you have to take some liberties. After all, it’s boring to say that A-Rod is playing because (a) he’s a healthy baseball player under contract; who (b) is eligible to play because his suspension is under appeal. Much better to chalk it all up to vanity and ego and stuff.
But really, the efforts people are taking to make mounting a defense to a draconian punishment look like evidence of bad character on A-Rod’s part is amusing. I mean, it’s not like you need to find new avenues for attacking A-Rod’s character. But even if you do, this is an odd one, as I’m really curious to know whether Klapisch or any of his like-minded noble souls would simply roll over and accept four times (and then some) the workplace punishment they thought they were subject to beforehand. Would they not fight that, even if they were as guilty as sin? Would they not continue coming to work if their union contract said they could?
Nah, of course they wouldn’t. They aren’t so vain, egocentric and narcissistic as all that, I’m sure. They’d just disappear.