It’s been funny watching the New York media trying to make something out of this A-Rod poker story. They staked him out during his rehab workouts down in Tampa yesterday. They were told beforehand by Yankees officials that A-Rod wouldn’t answer questions about poker, and that if they asked, he’d leave. They asked, he left. Headline from the Post: “A-Rod folds.” Never change, New York Post. Never, ever change.
Thing is, there really isn’t anything new to be taken from this story. There are competing allegations about whether or not he was at a poker game and Major League Baseball’s vow to investigate, and that’s it. Oh, and then there’s this little thing from the Post story:
Which was immediately denied by Rodriguez’s PR people. But really, is that a salacious allegation? Is there a more milquetoast celebrity/athlete than Pete Sampras? Heck, if I were making a list of athletes I’d let watch my kids for a weekend, Sampras would probably be in the top three. Maybe the top two now that Harmon Killebrew has died. I’d worry more about him OD’ing on milk and cookies than anything else.
But if that’s where we are, what’s next? “Rodriguez has reportedly played Crazy Eights with the guy who played Ralphie in ‘A Christmas Story’”? “Rodriguez has reportedly played Uno with Kirk Cameron”? “Rodriguez has reportedly played ‘Sorry’ with that Zachary Johnson kid from down the block, and none of the moms really like him”?
I know everyone wants there to be another A-Rod scandal because there isn’t anything much more fun than that, but really, this is all so weak.