My nightmares are much more imaginative.

Can't take your eyes off him, can you?:

"You watch Alex Rodriguez in the Yankee Stadium sun a little before 4 in the afternoon, fielding one ground ball after another, making throws across the infield to first base and occasionally to second, and try to remember what it was like, less than four years ago, when he owned the place."

Infield practice? I sure hope Nunez taking infield practice. I didn't know big-leaguers did that anymore.

Oh, as for "owning the place," my memory tells me that ARod has been the most hated player in baseball since 2001.

My memory is correct.


"Not only did he own the place in the postseason of 2009, when the Twins and Angels and finally the Phillies couldn’t get him out, when he was finally the kind of October Yankee he had always wanted to be, he was supposed to own the place for a long time."

Yeah, it was great.

It's certainly an odd situation when a player inspires such passion, both good and bad. His presence instantly pushed attendance up 1 million per season, but it seemed like 1/2 the people were there to boo him.


"Now it is September of 2013, what the Yankees hope will be a big September as they try to clinch a wild card or maybe still win the American League East from the Red Sox, whom they would play in three hours. And less than four years from A-Rod’s dream October, he has become Major League Baseball’s worst nightmare."

Aaron Hernandez.

Jerry Sandusky.

Sarin gas attack.


"The idea of Rodriguez in the playoffs has to be about as appealing for Bud Selig as it was for the late Pete Rozelle to hand Super Bowl trophies to Al Davis in the 1980s, back when Davis was suing Rozelle and his own league every couple of hours.

Or as appealing as it was for Selig to be in the ballpark when Bonds, an obvious drug cheat, hit the home run that passed Aaron.

Might still turn out to be a dream September for the Yankees. Maybe the best of it starts this weekend. Doesn’t change the fact that their third baseman is their game’s worst nightmare."

My dream, however unlikely, is Selig handing the World Series MVP trophy to ARod in a champagne-soaked locker room.

ARod accepts the trophy with a huge grin on his face. Awkwardly hugs Selig and refers to Selig as "Buddy."


The AL MVP race is between a steroid cheat and a drunk driver. The supposed leader for NL Comeback Player of the Year is coming back from a PED suspension.

Is ARod's presence on the baseball field unappealing for Selig?  Yes.  That's because Selig has a personal gripe against ARod.

Would ARod's presence in the playoffs be Selig's worst nightmare?  Hardly.  Unless good ratings and mountains of money is a nightmare.