Yesterday on 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley sat down with Anthony Bosch, the owner of the Biogenesis clinic. Players associated with the clinic include Ryan Braun, Jhonny Peralta, and most notably Alex Rodriguez. While the other players connected were handed 50 game suspensions, Ryan Braun was handed 65 games, Rodriguez was handed an unbelievable 211 game suspension.
It was clear MLB was trying to force Rodriguez out of the game of baseball when they handed down his punishment. The normal punishment for a repeat offender is 100 games, so why was Rodriguez given double the normal punishment? Feeling like Bud Selig was out to get him, Rodriguez and his lawyer Joseph Tacopina challenged the 211 game suspension in front of arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. After hearing Rodriguez’s case, Horowitz decided to reduce the suspension to 162 games, one full season. Rodriguez vowed to continue to fight and prove his innocence, but after the 60 Minutes episode that aired last night, it will an even harder fight.
Last night, Tony Bosch, Joseph Tacopina, and Rob Manfred all appeared on 60 Minutes while Rodriguez declined to talk to Scott Pelley. While protecting the integrity of the game was the goal by everyone, it seemed that everyone took very dishonorable measures during the process. Bosch alleged that Rodriguez had threatened his life and said he would not make it to the end of 2013. He also admitted that he received immunity and paid security from MLB for his testimony against Rodriguez. It is very strange that Major League Baseball would pay for a man’s freedom who was the direct opposition of MLB’s Joint Drug Agreement. While it may help the greater good, it shows the problem with our legal system.
Bosch handed over 500 text messages showing Rodriguez initially asking “What did Manny Ramirez take in 2008 and 2009?” He also said the third baseman would take testosterone lozenges/gummies before games which would be out of his system by the time MLB gave him a random drug test after games.
Tacopina vehemently denied anything Bosch said and claimed that his client has never taken any illegal performance-enhancing drugs nor threaten anyone’s life. Considering Rodriguez was willing to settle for a 65 game suspension, that assertion seems highly questionable. He even went further to say Bosch is a criminal who is not under oath and will not be cross-examined making his testimony that much harder to believe.
The entire Biogenesis scandal has put a black eye on baseball. Bud Selig had vowed to keep the game and it is clear he failed at doing that. With fans wanting to see players hit 40-50 home runs a year and players getting $200 million contract for hitting 40-50 home runs, steroids will always be around.
