Alex Rodriguez, The Yankees Don’t Need You

Added by Gina Sorce on March 2, 2013.

Source: Grantland.com

The saying “all publicity is good publicity” certainly does not apply to Alex Rodriguez.  The Boston Globe uncovered that a foundation started by Rodriguez gave only 1 percent of proceeds to charity in 2006, which was the foundation’s first year. The Boston Globe also reported that Rodriguez failed to submit financial reports mandated by the IRS.

In an attempt to solve his public relations crisis, Rodriguez and rapper Jay-Z hosted a celebrity poker tournament for charity in 2006. The event was highly profitable and raised $403,862; however, according to The Boston Globe’s investigation, only $5,000 was given to Jay-Z’s Shawn Charter Scholarship Fund and a mere $90 was donated to a Little League Baseball club in Miami. Keep in mind that Rodriguez is the highest paid athlete in Major League Baseball, which makes the discovery is even more disturbing.

The Boston Globe’s discovery was brought to light only a month after the Miami New Times reported that Rodriguez was connected to a Miami doping clinic. Rodriguez unsurprisingly denied the claim, despite the solid evidence of a relationship with Doctor Anthony Bosch of the clinic.

(Read more about the steroid accusations here http://doublegsports.com/2013/01/29/report-connects-a-rod-to-miami-doping-clinic/)

Needless to say, Rodriguez needs help.  He is a disgrace to the New York Yankees organization, and has failed to uphold the values the franchise has set for their players and employees. Classiness and professionalism are two values the late George Steinbrenner instilled into his beloved franchise. Rodriguez clearly doesn’t own a dictionary.

Rodriguez has seen his fair share of bad publicity throughout his career in pinstripes. From allegedly cheating on his wife in 2007, to denying steroid use after the Mitchell Report was released in 2009, to the Miami doping clinic scandal, and now hiding charitable profits and financial reports from the IRS. Enough is enough.

In addition, Rodriguez’s athletic performance has been declining over the past three seasons. In the early stages of his career, while he was probably doping, Rodriguez averaged around 100 RBIs per season. 2012 was an awful year for Rodriguez, and he finished the season batting .272 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs, according to Baseball-Reference.com. And who could forget his horrendous postseason? Rodriguez batted .111 in the American League Championship Series and went 3 for 25 in the entire post season, striking out 12 times. Rodriguez was benched for the fifth game of the American League Division Series and for two of the four games of the ALCS.

Rodriguez continues rehabilitation from his left hip surgery in January and plans on joining the Yankees sometime after the All-Star break. If I were Brian Cashman, I’d say, “Don’t come back,  A-Rod. We don’t need you.”