What Would You Do to Stop PED Use?

Alex Rodriguez is Major League Baseball’s biggest villain. Bigger that the other 12 players who were suspended 50 games for their involvement with the anti-aging Biogensis clinic in Florida.

The following players were handed a 50 game suspension: Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Antonio Bastardo, Francisco Cervelli, Jordany Valdespin, Jesus Montero, Fautino De Los Santos, Cesar Puello, Fernando Martinez, Jordan Norberto, and Sergio Escalona.

2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun was also suspended last month for the remainder of the 2013 season after being linked to Biogenesis.

A-Rod's ban extends through the 2014 season. Not only is the Yankees third basemen appealing, but he gets to play through it as well. Some say the appeal may not be settled until November, meaning Alex Rodriguez would be able to play the remainder of the 2013 season, assuming he stays healthy.

Did he do it? Here is part of his statement from the yesterday's Chicago press conference:

"What we've always fought for is the process and I think we have that, and I think at some point we'll sit in front of an arbiter and we'll give our case. That's as much as I feel comfortable saying right now."

You can view A-Rod's press conference courtesy of ESPN below.

When asked several times in several different ways if he ever took PED’s, Rodriguez said, "we'll have a forum to discuss all of that and we'll talk about it then.". Maybe it’s me, but I thought that forum was the news conference he was speaking at.

~~A-roid~~ A-rod was booed in his Yankee return last night where he went 1-4 against the White Sox in Chicago. But who is really the bigger villain when it comes to steroids? The players who take them, or the game itself?

If baseball really wanted to stop the use of steroids, all they have to do is put in every contract that, if you’re caught, not only is there an immediate lifetime ban instead of 50 games, but your contract is immediately voided.

Regardless of what the outcome of the appeal, Alex Rodriguez will still make millions of guaranteed dollars from the Yankees. In fact, if the suspension is upheld and Rodriguez returns in 2015, he'll still have three years left on his Yankees' contract, worth $62 million.

According to the Major League Baseball drug policy,

Players are entitled to salary retention for the first 30 days they are required to be in inpatient treatment or outpatient treatment that forces his absence from the Club, and half salary retention for the next thirty days, over the course of his career. However, players are not entitled to salary retention for any such period after 60 days during the course of his career.

Basically, under the current bargaining agreement, a player can take steroids to get a Major League contract, play, and make millions. If he gets caught, he sits for 50 games or so, depending on how bad he got caught, then can come back and not only gets to keep the money he’s already made, but gets to make more.

Owners take a blind eye because they want the home runs that bring people to the ballpark. By the way, there were 2500 walk-ups to see A-Rod's return at US Cellular Field in Chicago, for a team that’s going through one of its worst seasons ever. Do they think of A-Rod as a villain or a cash cow? How much more money will baseball make while A-Rod plays through his appeal?