With the Yankees already on record as not wanting Jorge Posada to participate in the World Baseball Classic, the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck wouldn’t be surprised if the club had a hand in A-Rod’s recent decision to skip the competition.
I’m sure the New York Yankees are just heartbroken that Alex Rodriguez has decided not to play in the World Baseball Classic, and if you detect a hint of sarcasm in that observation, you are very perceptive, indeed.
It should be obvious to everyone by now that I never met a conspiracy theory that I didn’t like, and the announcement by A-Rod that he was pulling out of the WBC because he didn’t want to dishonor either his U.S. citizenship or his Dominican heritage is far too convenient to pass without suspicious comment.
The Yankees were never particularly fond of the idea of their zillion-dollar players spending much of spring training putting themselves in harm’s way, but they were forced to endorse baseball’s version of the World Cup because it is Bud Selig’s baby … and perhaps will be his most enduring legacy.
Can’t blame them for being concerned. They’ve got the biggest payroll – by far – and don’t relish the possibility of having to pay big guaranteed bucks to players injured in an international tournament that does nothing to advance Yankees hegemony.
Rodriguez presents the biggest financial and competitive risk, so it wouldn’t shock me if this whole thing was cooked up to keep him out of the WBC without damaging his image.
I’m supposed to take the opinion of a guy named Schmuck seriously?