And the poor Yankees will have to pay him a bonus for milestones now.
If he performs, all is forgiven. Btw, the Tanaka we see today is the guy he was last year. Confident, throwing 4 seamers in and out and dropping sick breaking pitches off the heat. He doesn't need 95mph, but he needs to work off his FB
NY is morally bereft.
He'll have a ticker tape parade when he breaks Arron's record and we will all have to watch a ton of new endorsement deals on TV.
He is not Arron Hernandez, to be sure. But he is not worthy of our respect, either.
I've been consistent on the PED issues in the past. I honestly don't give a fuck if someone used. But to be a Red Sox fan and lambaste us for having a steroid user on the team is the pot calling the kettle black. Your best player over the last decade is also a steroid cheat. Your best player from 01-08 was a huge steroid cheat. My only hope out of the ARod debacle was that his contract would be voided. Since it couldn't be, what am I gonna root against him? That's just plain dumb and reeks of a massive lack of intelligence.
And we just swept the Rays. That team is in trouble. Their best starters are on the DL, their offense is bereft of talent and their pen is a disaster.
I have always been very "Who cares" about steroid usage. The league vilified the players who made it great, and it should be a black mark on the league, not the players.
That being said, there is a breaking point where players go well beyond cheating. Guys like Pettite and Ortiz really aren't problems. However, some players make the league just look bad because they are caught cheating time and time again. Colon's frankenstein fat stem cell ped bullshit, and then guys like Braun, Manny and Arod.... they all should have lifelong bans.
I am very glad that Arod is not on the Sox and that we don't have to pull for him. He's a snake. He is in a different class of cheaters than most. As I posted before, the idea that he is helping the Yankees win games makes me sick.
That said, I also think it would be hypocritical for most to say that we would root against him if he were on the Sox. If he's up in a big situation, I am pretty sure I would be hoping he gets a big hit for my team.
All is good right now because he's hitting well. Just wait until he goes into a slump, and watch how the fans and media turn on him.
It is also hypocritical for fans to boo him and then when he goes on a tear they applaud him.
Spud, that happens to all players, especially in Fenway.
Hal sucks
And I get that ARod is in a different league of cheaters since he is a post PED crackdown cheat. Then again, I say so be it. He paid a price that no other steroid user has ever paid. And the idea that he and the Biogenesis guys are the only one using it is a farse. A lot of players are still using theoretically banned substances. It still changes nothing. I was hoping he'd have had his contract voided. Since he cannot, then he's still a member of our team and still wears the colors. When he is at the dish, I hope he hits homers
Hal sucks