Alex Rodriguez Banned 162 Games

Arod gets 162 games
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 11, 2014

The suspension has finally been announced, and Alex Rodriguez got the ban reduced. However, going down to 162 games from 211 wasn't enough, and ARod will continue to fight the ban by heading to federal court.

It's been said that Supreme Court judges do not have much leeway when it comes to overruling arbiter's decisions, so I don't expect this ban to be reduced any further. And honestly, I think our government has better things to do than get involved in Major League Baseball.

I should also point out that Alex will not be able to hit six more home runs this season, which would trigger one of his bonuses of $6 million. So the Yankees will essentially save $33.5 million, not just the $27.5 million the AAV of Rodriguez's contract is worth. Then again, I suppose Alex could play in the postseason and hit a half dozen homers, but I highly doubt the Yankees would put him on the playoff roster after sitting all season (Joel Sherman tweeted that his suspension includes the postseason).

EDIT: I just came across the statement ARod made in regards to the suspension...

"The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. This is one man’s decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable. This injustice is MLB’s first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review. 

I have been clear that I did not use performance enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline, or violate the Basic Agreement or the Joint Drug Agreement in any manner, and in order to prove it I will take this fight to federal court. I am confident that when a Federal Judge reviews the entirety of the record, the hearsay testimony of a criminal whose own records demonstrate that he dealt drugs to minors, and the lack of credible evidence put forth by MLB, that the judge will find that the panel blatantly disregarded the law and facts, and will overturn the suspension. No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with, and I am exhausting all options to ensure not only that I get justice, but that players’ contracts and rights are protected through 

the next round of bargaining, and that the MLB investigation and arbitration process cannot be used against others in the future the way it is currently being used to unjustly punish me.

I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship. I want to sincerely thank my family, all of my friends, and of course the fans and many of my fellow MLB players for the incredible support I received throughout this entire ordeal."

EDIT 2: The Major League Players' Association has stated that they will no longer back Alex Rodriguez, saying the arbiter's ruling is "final and binding". ARod is on his own when it comes to the Supreme Court. Rodriguez has more than enough money to buy the best lawyer's possible, but this is going to hurt his case.