When Alex Rodriguez hit a home run in the top of the 1st inning off Detroit’s Justin Verlander there was a mixed bag of reactions. Many were happy for Alex and for his accomplishment but some, including Zack Hample who caught the 3,000th hit, were not so happy about the milestone. There were many opinions thrown out there that ranged from the mindset that he would have reached the plateau anyway without PED’s to that he is a lying, cheating scumbag that has ruined the legacy that is the 3,000 hit club. While 28 players have reached the milestone before Alex you cannot say with a straight face that all 28 of them didn’t do their own part in tarnishing the legacy themselves.
Pete Rose leads Major League Baseball history with 4,256
hits in his career and will join the likes of Rafael Palmeiro, who failed a
steroids test, and Rodriguez in the all-exclusive “I hit 3,000 hits but I’m not
going to the Hall of Fame” club. Rose was banned from the sport for betting on
games while he was a manager of the Cincinnati Reds and new evidence suggests
he may have been betting on games heavily while he was still playing in 1986.
Palmeiro finished with 3,020 hits in his career but will be more remembered for
him wagging his finger at a Congressional committee stating that he never used
steroids, period. Less than five months later the positive test hit the news
and my collection of his baseball cards were worthless.
Ty Cobb finished his career with 4,189 hits after bragging
that he killed a drifter in 1912. Cobb also once jumped into the seats to beat
up a disabled heckler that we once covered in our “This Day in New York Yankees
History” blog. Cobb also confessed that games were fixed in 1919 by the Chicago
White Sox when Tris Speaker, who finished with 3,514 hits, was also involved. Speaking
of illegal activities Eddie Murray, who finished with 3,255 hits in his career,
was hit with insider trading charges back in 2012 by the SEC who reported that
Murray had received roughly $235,314 in illegal profits.
Not everyone is going to be Derek Jeter. Some are going to
lie, some are going to cheat and some are going to steal. Alex was not the
first to give the 3,000 hit club a black eye and he probably won’t be the last
so stop acting like he’s the anti-Christ. Thank you.
I do so like the way you write Daniel.
ReplyDeleteAs I have stated many times, "I will never forgive him for what he did with the God given talent he was given"!
Conversely, his talent alone along with his baseball instincts and hard work habits would have him gotten him named "One of the all-time greatest players ever!"
The numbers would have been better because taking the stuff he took has shown to promote health problems...lower body, feet and legs.
As it is, I still say he has been one of the best players I have ever seen play baseball...and that is saying one hell of a lot!
I do have an "I told you so", Daniel. I said A-Rod would have to lower his leg kick, he did and it is paying off right now. He was getting beaten by 91/92 mph fastballs (2013-2014)...now, not so much!
You did have the leg kick Reed, you were 100% correct. He was being beat by fastballs at the beginning of the season and now he is catching up to them with ease. It's the leg kick. Give this man a job.
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