Reputation on the line.

MLB might announce its suspensions Monday (though I assume they'd immediately be appealed).

ARod may get injured before Monday.  ARod may feign injury or perhaps even announce his retirement from baseball.

But if ARod plays one game with the Yankees in 2013, then Bill Madden (and his "sources") will be instantly embarrassed:

"According to all the involved parties — Major League Baseball being the one notable exception — A-Rod time is upon us. Or is it?"

In what way is MLB the notable exception?

Is Madden saying that MLB is going to suspend ARod on Monday morning?  Maybe they will and Madden will be proven right.  I sure haven't seen anything that suggests the suspensions could be enforced that quickly.


"On Thursday, Alex Rodriguez told reporters, 'yeah, of course' he expected to be back with the Yankees in Texas Monday. He didn’t say in what capacity and conceded 'we have one big obstacle' in this weekend of Triple-A games to close out his 20-day rehab session. Then on Friday Yankee GM Brian Cashman said that, if healthy enough to play Monday, A-Rod 'would play third, he would play DH, he would pinch-hit and he would take days off.' ”


Sounds sensible to me.  I'm not expecting much in the field or on the basepaths, that's for sure.

I'm also still not seeing how MLB is a notable exception.


"When further asked why A-Rod wouldn’t be limited to just third base or just DH, Cashman said: 'Why would we do it in the minor leagues but not in the major leagues.' ”

1) What kind of a dumb question is that?

2) Cashman answered a question with a question, but you forgot the question mark.


"What is interesting here is the apparent double standard Cashman is applying to A-Rod as opposed to his adament stance with Derek Jeter in spring training in which he said the Captain needed to prove to the Yankees he could play shortstop before he would be activated. 'We don’t need him to DH,' Cashman said. 'We have plenty of DHs. We need him to play shortstop.' ”

1) Not interesting at all.

2) You spelled "adamant" wrong.  Who edits this newspaper, anyway?


"Well, nothing has changed since then."

Nothing has changed since spring training?

Is that seriously your proposition?



"The Yankees do not need A-Rod to DH. They’ve got plenty of people who can DH on any given day."

The Yankees kind of don't have plenty of people who can DH on any given day.


Wells hasn't hit a HR since mid-May.  Hafner is completely shot.  Even Almonte is now on the DL.



"What they don’t have is a third baseman, unless, of course, you believe Luis Cruz is the answer."

Overbay has been quite good, relative to expectations.  No complaints.

Cano and Garnder have been pulling their weight.  Ichiro is good enough, I suppose.

Everyone else on this team is garbage.

"What they don't have" is a catcher, shorstop, third baseman, left fielder, and DH.  They also don't have any bench depth.


"So why is Cashman seemingly tip-toeing through the A-Rod tulips when it comes to activating him for what the Yankees really need him for? The answer to that is twofold: For one thing, the Yankees do not want to put themselves in a position where it is perceived they don’t want A-Rod back and are deliberately keeping him away from the team, and so, if he says put me in coach, I’m ready to play' they have no choice but to take him up on it."

The team can't hit.


"At the same time, however, does anyone believe A-Rod can play regular third base at an even average level any more? The answer to that one is no — not even A-Rod himself."

No one expects a lot from ARod at third base.


"Of course, no one is going to come out and say so."

For all intents and purposes, Cashman just said so.


"The proof, as they say, will be in the playing — if and when that actually happens. Meanwhile, the long arm of Sheriff Rob Manfred and the MLB drug posse hangs heavily over A-Rod, only adding to the uncertainty of what’s left, if anything, of his career."

Congratulations to Bill Madden.

With the help of pristine MLB sources, a tireless editor, and an adament spell-checker, Madden has been able to uncover a secret Yankee plot.

A secret plot that was just detailed in public by the Yankee GM.