Center of Attention

Did you catch the irony in the number of players handed suspensions on Monday to the Biogenesis scandal? 13, the number of the only one among them to appeal his sentence, Alex Rodriguez. So instead of packing up his gear and headling home as Jhonny Peralta and Evereth Cabrera did, the Yankees 3rd baseman instead made his season debut last night against the White Sox. It was a totally forgettable game with Andy Pettitte again hit hard, Derek Jeter again landing on the disabled list and the Yankees offense again barely showing a pulse. But the center of attention was A-Rod, now 38 and trying to recapture his old form after his second hip surgery. Despite an alleged mountain of evidence not only linking him to PED use, but suppression of evidence in a case that's been a steady presence in the news since last winter, Alex's comment when he met the media was to paint himself the victim, claiming he's "fighting for my life." A fight that now features lawyers and not players and likely to drag on into next winter. I give more credit to Nelson Cruz of Texas, one of the dozen who accepted their suspensions. Even while floating a flimsy excuse of using PEDs to recover from a gastrointestinal issue, he was still candid enough to say, "I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret...I should have handled the situation differently, and my illness was no excuse." No such words came from #13 on your Yankees scorecard who, with much of the public, has clearly swung and missed.