Alex Rodriguez has remained intent on fighting whatever suspension Major League Baseball decides for the disgraced Yankee third baseman, and should he choose to do so, Bud Selig is prepared to use one of his most extreme powers as commissioner; the right to “take action to preserve the integrity of the game” reports the Daily News.
By invoking that rarely used power — embodied in Article XI, Section A1b of the game’s collective bargaining agreement — Selig would attempt to effectively keep Rodriguez from ever returning to the field by bypassing the grievance procedure outlined in the joint drug program MLB operates in conjunction with the Players’ Association, sources told The News.
Rodriguez would be suspended immediately for interfering with MLB’s year-long investigation into Biogenesis, the South Florida anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to the aging infielder and other players, and would later be hit with an additional suspension for violating baseball’s drug program.
MLB investigators believe Rodriguez attempted to intimidate witnesses and purchase incriminating documents to keep them out of the hands of baseball officials.
In an unprecedented action by a commissioner, suspensions for Rodriguez — once the sport’s biggest star — and 14 other players are expected to be announced imminently.
If these reports are accurate, Rodriguez will have the option of accepting a suspension through the end of 2014 without pay, or appeal and fight a lifetime ban on two fronts; all signs point to him opting for the latter.
It has become clear that MLB is ready to use any and all means to make sure Rodriguez is held accountable for his actions, even if it requires a long, dragged out legal process in order to do so, which they also appear prepared to take on as well.
The decision on A-Rod is imminent, but no matter the ruling, Alex Rodriguez is not going away any time soon. If Rodriguez and his camp choose not to negotiate, which they have repeatedly stated will be the case, then this ruling could result in an all-out legal face-off between them, MLB, and the union.
This is not the end, but only just beginning.
