Saturday, May 30, 2015

FIFA Corruption Scandal – The Empire Strikes Back?

sepp4 Oh, what a twisted web of deceit, lies, and whispers has manifested itself in regard to the ever-growing FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) corruption scandal that threatens to blow apart not just the governing organization for international football (soccer for we Yanks) but perhaps the sport itself. For those of you who think the game is the most important thing, there may be great disappointment as the ugly monsters involved in creating this mess rear their ugly heads.

Some American fans of the game became very involved in the last World Cup (FIFA’s crown jewel) and are maybe wondering why the accusations of corruption are coming from the United States Justice Department. The answer is that the “corruption” noted here is a series of alleged behind the scenes deals made by top FIFA officials. These deals not only involve which country gets the World Cup (held every four years in a different host country) but also the TV networks that get to broadcast the event (not to mention the $1.6 billion marketing rights for companies like Coca-Cola, Budweiser, and VISA).

sepp5The suspicion has long been there that millions and millions of dollars of “bribes” have passed under the table by those indicted, and since the World Cup is equivalent in status to a country hosting the Olympic games, it is an obvious fact this lucrative event can be extremely important to the host country’s economy.

Is it surprising that Russian President Vladimir Putin, always staunchly defending his machinations either in securing the Olympics or a place like Crimea, has come out blasting the United States for the indictments? I guess he is just defending his buddy Sepp (Emperor of the FIFA Empire) Blatter who oversaw the selection process that awarded Russia the 2018 World Cup.

sepp1As for the recently re-elected FIFA president Sepp Blatter (does that not sound like the name of a Star Wars villain to you?) he has been defiant against the accusations he is involved in corruption as those indicted and FIFA in general; however, it has been suggested that a good deal of that under the table “slush” money is involved in paying off many of the 209 member nations (133 of the 209 voted to re-elect Blatter emperor, I mean president) to sway their votes. Talking about the charges of $150 million in illicit funds used by the indicted FIFA officials, Blatter said that “it is not a coincidence” that these charges and arrests came on the eve of Blatter’s bid for re-election. He went on to say:
There are unmistakable signs: The Americans were candidates for the 2022 World Cup, and they lost. The English were candidates for the 2018 World Cup. They lost! If the Americans want to get involved in money or common law offenses relating to North and South American citizens, they should arrest them there, but not in Zurich when there is a congress.
Blatter’s striking back not just on his own behalf but for the empire of which he maintains control. And what a lucrative empire it is, and everyone involved knows it especially the newly re-crowned leader. When that much money is involved in any organization, there are always possibilities for corruption. Blatter has heard all the talk before, so it is not like he is completely shocked by this action by the Justice Department as he now pretends to be.

The United States was supporting Blatter’s main opponent for the presidency (Prince Ali of Jordan), and Blatter tried some smoke and mirrors by mentioning that and how the U.S. and Britain were out to get him because both lost the World Cup to Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) respectively (the Swiss have lodged another investigation in this matter). Blatter refused to directly answer questions regarding the indictments or the rumors of his own involvement in corruption beyond this specific scandal.

sepp3Why does any of this matter, you may ask? You can laugh about the integrity of the game and the purity of the sport, but these things happening in executive offices do have a direct affect on what’s happening on the pitch all around the world. The World Cup is not just one country’s event or that of one group – it is the people’s sport and they have a right to enjoy matches played under proper and legitimate oversight by FIFA, and a major sporting event such as the World Cup should happen in countries that have been chosen through an equitable and understandable process.

Some are whispering that Emperor Blatter’s days are numbered, but with a guy like Darth Putin in his corner, it seems like it will be a drawn out slugfest. For now Blatter has an obligation as head of FIFA to open the books, allow complete transparency, and not make attempts to obfuscate the process. Only time will tell if he cooperates, or will he call on the dark side to continue to spread the nefarious tentacles of his underlings to widen the corruption?

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - MAY 27: A FIFA logo sits next to the entrance to the FIFA headquarters on May 27, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. Swiss police on Wednesday raided a Zurich hotel to detain top FIFA football officials as part of a US investigation into corruption. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)The indisputable truth is that the players and the fans deserve better than what they have right now, and young fans especially need to see that this investigation is handled with integrity and honesty. If things go poorly and even more corruption is uncovered, not only the players and fans will suffer, but the whole sport – perhaps irreparably.





  Photo credits: CNN, Getty Images, 10thyearseniors.com, businessinsider.com,duke.edu

Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Days of Future Past - A Short Story by Victor Lana

mem 1First appeared on Blogcritics.

I walk up and watch the parade pounding down the street. There are American flags flying from houses, being carried by marchers, and waved by people in the crowd. I stand there as if the world is on mute – not hearing the people cheering or strains of music coming from the high school marching band.

The fire trucks start rolling down the street, gleaming in the sunshine. Ahead of the trucks the firefighters proudly march in their stiff dress uniforms with shiny gold buttons. The pageantry weakens my knees a bit as I still recall 9-11, the motivation for my going over there to get payback for my brother Bobby dying in the South Tower. 

Someone comes running up to me and grabs my arm. Suddenly sound turns on again, and I hear him saying, “Why aren’t you marching with the VFW, Mark?”

I stare at Billy Watkins, whom I have known forever. We were in Boy Scouts together and in the same class all the way through high school. We played on the same baseball and soccer teams, and then went separate ways in college. After 9-11 I went off to war and he came back home, unable to find a job in a terrible economy.

“I’m just not able to walk like that yet.”

He looks down at my legs as if searching for a prosthetic limb. No one realizes the wounds I suffered, though none were physical, but they are unrelentingly painful just the same. No one likes to talk about it with me, and Billy just may have even forgotten I had time away to get my head straight.

Crowd Waving Stars and Stripes FlagsBilly pats my arm and says, “Sorry, man. “ I watch him walk away into the sea of people waving flags. 

I struggle through the crowd and make my way to the park. I can hear distant strains of “Stars and Stripes.” The song makes no sense to me anymore. Neither do the Pledge of Allegiance, “The Star Spangled Banner,” or “God Bless America.” What is called patriotic seems obscene especially coming from people who have never been where I have been and seen what I have seen.

I sit there for a long time, thinking about the guys who never came home. They were my friends, allegiances that were forged in the heat of the desert and the fire of battle. I see their faces now, smiling and young and healthy. I recall them eating and laughing and listening to their music, their headphones white lines in the black of night.

Once I am certain the parade is over, I venture back through the streets to my house. It used to be my grandfather’s house. He served in Korea, and there were many stories told about that war that I heard as a kid. My Dad served in Vietnam, and he felt as if all the praise that his father experienced never came his way.

I walk in and see Mom staring at pictures of Dad, Bobby, grandpa, and her father, Papa Bill, who died in Korea. She is wearing a red, white, and blue dress with flat white shoes. I walk over and put my hand on her shoulder. “How was the parade?”

I stare at Dad’s picture in his Navy uniform and say, “Oh, it was great, Mom.”

“Are you going up to the party?” Every year after the parade there is a celebration held at the local VFW hall. Pitchers of beer will flow and hot dogs and hamburgers will be devoured. Many of the vets will wear their ill-fitting uniforms, sweaty from the long march. As a boy I spent every Memorial Day there, watching these men and my father and uncles and listening to them talk about war. It all seemed glorious then; it always seemed glorious, until I got over to a war of my own.

“Maybe later, Mom.”

She grabs my hand and squeezes it. “Your uncles will be there and Jenny and the baby.”

Jenny is my brother Jeff’s wife. He is stationed over in Korea now – a police action that really was a war that never ended. He’s just miles from a madman with nuclear weapons. No wonder he insisted Jenny and little Jeffie stay here.

“I’ll have to see how I feel.”

Mom stands and looks at me with watery blue eyes. She feared losing Dad in Vietnam and instead lost him in a different war against cancer. No matter what the battle, the losses are the hardest thing to fathom or accept. “Remember all the years you went there with Daddy, and Papa, and Uncle Billy and Uncle Jeff? All the parades we watched and the music and the food?”

“Yeah, I do remember it all, Mom. Vividly.”

I didn’t feel like seeing my father’s brothers, who still ask the same questions even though I have been home for almost two years. I don’t hold it against them; they are of a different generation and maybe talking it out helped them understand or even was a way to forget.

I go into the kitchen and grab a cold beer from the refrigerator. I turn and see Mom put on her large white hat and sunglasses. She picks up her small white pocketbook and turns to me, “I can bring some food back. I know you used to love those hot dogs.”

“Nothing for me, Mom.” She turns and goes out the door into the afternoon sunshine.

mem 4I sip the beer, walk over to the wall, and stare at my father’s picture. I wonder why he would survive the insanity of war only to come home and die from a disease that caused him such suffering. I touch Bobby’s picture and feel my hand shaking. I pull my hand away, finish the beer, and go get another one.

This is how I want to spend this day – sitting alone in the quiet house, staring at pictures, remembering what I wish I could forget.


  Photo credits: huffington post, yournaperville.com, the buscherproject.com

Friday, May 15, 2015

Mad Men Series Finale – Make Room For Daddy?

First appeared on Blogcritics.

While the line “Is there a doctor in the house?” has been used for comic reasons in many films and in live shows, there are also times when a doctor is needed in real emergencies and one hopes he or she is in the audience. In relation to the series finale of Mad Men coming this Sunday night at 10 p.m. on AMC, it seems medical professionals may be needed both on screen and for the audience watching at home. There definitely will be a need for a box of tissues and a shoulder to cry on if nothing else.

One character we know for certain has already seen a doctor – with devastating results. The fact that Betty Draper Francis (January Jones who seems unappreciated by critics and some fans) has terminal cancer threw a sucker punch at us. Here we were expecting Roger, Pete, or Don to kick the bucket, and along comes news that is both tragic and far-reaching in scope. Betty’s being told that she has nine months to live doesn’t just change her trajectory, but that of Henry (her second husband), her children, and good old Don (Jon Hamm).

All sorts of thoughts about the finale have been running through my head for weeks now, dancing like sugar plums and hand grenades. While I expected dire consequences for certain characters, Betty was not one of them. In fact, when Don looked back on the happy Francis-Draper family as he left the house after a visit, I felt it gave him the incentive to start a journey of no return, knowing that all was okay with them. How wrong I and many other viewers were.

If ever a dramatic TV series were like a novel, Mad Men certainly is the closest thing I have experienced. Series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner has allowed the story to take its time, meandering here and there perhaps, but always bringing tertiary moments back into the bigger picture in some way. He has been especially brave in development of back stories, particularly Don’s upbringing as Dick Whitman and the explanation for how Dick became Don.

So while other story lines seem resolved – I am not certain, but as far as I am concerned all the other major players are settled in my mind. We know Betty is going to die; Joan is off with her new beau to California; Pete is back with Trudy; Ken got his revenge; Harry got his computers; Megan got a cool million dollar pay-off; Roger accepts his fate (as his dirge-like organ playing clearly demonstrated), and Peggy got perhaps the best curtain call in the history of TV dramas as she strutted into the office with a cigarette dangling from her mouth while carting Bert Cooper’s painting of an octopus pleasuring a woman for all the stuck up male bastards at McCann-Erickson to take note – don’t mess with this woman!

No, for me, the only major character yet to have a resolution is Don. After watching “The Milk and Honey Route,” the penultimate episode of the series, I was struck by how similar it was to “The Granite State” (not in content but in theme,) the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad. Just as Walter White spent this episode not interacting with any of main characters in a place foreign and far from home, Don is similarly displaced and dealing with people he doesn’t know, but because we know Don we understand his reactions and they all have meaning in this episode directed by Mr. Weiner.

Remember when Jim Hobart dangles the Coca-Cola account to enhance Don’s interest in working for McCann? Well, how funny is it that Don is asked to fix a Coke machine in his modest hotel in Oklahoma? He also is asked to fix a typewriter and has difficulty getting the young motel handyman Andy to smuggle him a bottle of booze.  These things seem strange but in essence this is Don’s penance, his opportunity to do some good deeds, and then some.

Don goes to the pool for a swim and he sees an attractive woman on a lounge chair. We know the old Don Draper wheels are turning in his head for a few moments, until her noisy kids and husband break the spell. Don should have expected no less here in the middle of nowhere, so he takes off his shirt and dives into the pool – a symbolic baptism similar to season two’s dip in the Pacific Ocean.

Don is not done with penance here though. He gets talked into going to a fund raiser with all the veterans in town after revealing to the motel owner that he himself is a veteran. For those who don’t remember, while serving in Korea as Dick Whitman under Lieutenant Donald Draper, Dick accidentally causes an explosion that kills Draper and burns his body beyond recognition. The wounded Dick exchanges dog tags with the corpse and becomes Don – inheriting not just an identity but the opportunity to go home quickly.

At the fund raiser there is a good deal of drinking. The vets at Don’s table each share war horror stories. One old guy (played deftly by Max Gail of Barney Miller fame) tells of killing Germans in World War Two. The look in his eyes reminds of us of Don’s glare, which always seems to mask the depth of horror and the heft of guilt for crimes better left forgotten. Don’s inspired to tell his story about dropping a cigarette lighter and killing his Commanding Officer, and instead of getting negativity or derision he gets a support group.

This is a crucial moment in Mad Men history because other people know Don used to be Dick Whitman and don’t care (as Bert Cooper once told Pete Campbell), but for Don to admit publicly what he did to his CO is what amounts to being in a confessional. Earlier that day he seemed to be baptized and then he gets a chance to confess his greatest sin – can absolution be far away? Perhaps not at all.

When Andy steals the bag of money from the fund raiser, the vets come to Don’s room and blame him. They beat him with a phone book (talk about letting your fingers do the walking), take his car keys, and warn him that he has to get the money back. While some may see this as more penance for Don – even retribution for the real Draper’s death – it is another wake-up call. Don gets Andy to return the money, drives him out of town, and then turns over his car keys to him. This seems to be Don’s way of saying grace, of receiving the absolution he most desperately needs and desires at this point by saving another human being's soul. Andy had all the signs of going the Dick Whitman to Don Draper route, and Don stops him in his tracks and gives him a way out in a sort of symbiotic moment of salvation.

That is why, after the kid drives off in his car, Don sits at the bus stop in the middle of nowhere with a smile on his face. He is carrying all his stuff in a bag from Sears, has no car, and ostensibly no more connections to anything or anyone back home. At this point whoever he is – Dick/Don or Moe, Larry, or Curly, the man is totally free.

The series finale should be “California here I come” for him, a return to the ocean for another cleansing. I pictured this as the last shot of the series – Don diving into the waves, happily accepting a return to being something other – not Dick Whitman but not Don Draper either. I believed he would assume another identity, get a quiet job someplace, and allow regular life to subsume his once high cost lifestyle.

All this would have been well and good until I learned about Betty. Now the most important woman in Don’s life – not Betty but his daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka) – will need him more than ever. Don’s connection with Sally is deeper and more meaningful than anything in his life, and he not only wants her to be happy but also to know that he cares about her. Sally is the only person Don has probably ever truly loved, and no matter what Sally may say outwardly, she needs Don to be there for her and to be her father.

My feeling is that Weiner wants to end this series like the great novels – in my mind especially as Hemingway ended The Sun Also Rise. Just as Jake Barnes and Brett Ashley were never meant to be happy, neither were Don and Betty; however, I think Don will give up everything to make his daughter happy and to be with Sally and her brothers, even if that means a return to New York and all that entails.


Don living out his days in an ascetic lifestyle in California used to be what I envisioned as the end of the line for Mad Men, but now I think that it will be a slightly warped but earnest version of Make Room for Daddy. At least until Sunday night, as Hemingway wrote, “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”

  Photo credits: AMC       

Saturday, May 9, 2015

NFL DeflateGate – Tom Brady Faces Suspension; May the Farce Not Be With You

First appeared on Blogcritics.

brady1 - getty Let me start by saying I am a NY Jets fan (I have bled green as far back as I can remember), and nothing delights me more than to see the New England Patriots have some sort of difficulty. In my mind we Jets fans are the "Jeti" (like the Jedi from Star Wars) and the Patriots and their minions are the Sith (arrange this word’s letters a little differently for an even more apropos appellation) of the National Football League.

brady5-bleacherreport  Led by “Darth” Bill Belichick and his willing apprentice “Darth” Tom Brady, the Patriots have used the dark side of the farce (a power derived from insanity, greed, and some talent) to assert the reach of their evil empire over as much of the NFL planet as possible. Whenever the Jeti or other forces of good question their tactics, the farce is employed to warp the minds of investigators and the denizens of their empire to trick them into believing Darth Bill is just an innocent and fun-loving coach with no designs on becoming Emperor.

Now that you have the background, there are signs that the farce may no longer be with them as we get DeflateGate (Part Two). Don’t confuse this with DeflateGate (Part One), which basically placed the blame on deflated footballs used in last season’s AFC Championship game on a poor anonymous underling. That, of course, is one of Darth Bill’s best mind games – I didn’t do anything wrong and neither did my right hand Darth Tom, but now we are learning that the story has legs longer than that guy on stilts in the circus, and the farce will not be with the Evil Empire anymore.

Their nefarious tactics are being revealed now in the Wells Report submitted by investigators hired by the NFL. It indicated that Darth Tom was “at least generally aware” of the deflation of the balls by Jim McNally, a Patriots locker room attendant, and John Jastremski, an equipment assistant (I ask you if you have ever heard two better names for red shirts?). The steaming light saber (or smoking gun if you’re tired of the Star Wars references by now) involves text messages between the red shirts (months before the incident) indicating Darth Tom wanted his balls deflated to his liking.

brady3-thedailyshowOne can understand now that more than the farce was with Darth Tom and the Patriots as they defeated the Colts 45-7 with his doctored balls. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show is one of the many fans around planet NFL who is outraged by the story and vents anger at the QB, even if he jokingly refers to how “handsome” Darth Tom is and all that junk with the wife and kids (hey, creepily a lot like Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader). 


brady2-APNow we get word that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will suspend Brady and that it will be announced next week. While some are hoping for a full suspension for all of the 2015 season, there are indications (according to sources for the NY Daily News) that Brady will only be suspended six to eight games. While we Jeti are delighted and savoring this news, it is with sadness that we learn old Darth Bill, the brains behind his brawny apprentice Brady, will seemingly walk away from this at least personally unscathed (meaning no suspension and no fine as in SpyGate). Of course, Darth Bill without Darth Tom is probably as lost as Beavis without Butthead and probably will have no idea where to find his remote control, but I wouldn't cry for the guy who has finally seen that the win any way possible philosophy has its limitations.

brady4-gettyIt is encouraging to see that Goodell is taking this report seriously. All kidding aside, it is hard not to do so. Every fan of the game should want it to be played cleanly and fairly. Goodell has suspended guys for domestic violence, illegal activities, and drug use, and these things take place off the field; however, what Brady has done is an on-the-field violation that could directly affect the outcome of games – including championship ones.

The Patriot minions are no doubt crying foul this morning in hearing about Darth Tom’s impending punishment, but the Jeti and all the rest of NFL fans everywhere are celebrating this victory over the dark side. It used to be funny to joke about Brady’s balls, but now more than they will be deflated – Darth Bill has lost the power of the farce, and Patriot plans for domination in 2015 are seriously in question.

Photo credits: getty images, AP, thedailyshow, bleacherreport

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Baseball Brouhaha – A-Rod Hits Historic Homer; Yankees Want a Do-Over

First appeared on Blogcritics.

rod5 When I was a kid playing stickball in the streets of Queens in New York City, not far from where my beloved Mets played at Shea Stadium, we had one thing those guys in Major League Baseball could never use – the “do-over.” A do-over was a fail-safe mechanism, a corrector of supposed wrongs, and an eraser of something that shouldn’t have been. In short a do-over was the answer for anything that could be argued or couldn’t be explained.


If I was in the field and a ball got hit my way but was deflected by the bumper of a parked car, I simply yelled, “Do over.” If the car had not been there, the ball would have been in my glove, so it seemed without question that the play had to be rewound and done again. If my friend was at the plate and about to swing, but a car came speeding his way as he swung the bat and missed the ball, clearly that called for a do-over. Anything we could not resolve (safe/out, foul ball/fair ball) would be ripe for do-over status. Amazingly, once a do-over was called, no one on either side ever took offense or objected – it was a safety net that avoided arguments, fights, and delays of the game.

Now in the real world of MLB the venerable New York Yankees organziation, the team that calls upon a tradition of excellence and a history of championships, is basically calling for a “do-over” with Alex Rodriguez – the man without a country in 2014 because of a suspension for using PED. Now A-Rod is back and with a vengeance, hitting homers and defying the general opinion that he would be washed up and useless without his meds.

rod-3On Friday night in Boston A-Rod slammed career homerun 660, tying him with the great Willie Mays. This normally would be something for MLB and the Yankees to celebrate profusely (anyone remember the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa parties?); however, it is being downplayed because the Yankees owe A-Rod a $6 million bonus for this achievement that they are now unwilling to pay. The team management’s logic is simple – who knows how many of those previous 659 homeruns came as a result of PED use? How can we honor a milestone that is in itself suspect? How can we promote suspect homeruns when they are unmarketable?

Probably knowing that his handlers will be taking legal action against the Yankees, to his credit the usually blabbering A-Rod has kept rather low key throughout all this. Despite all the people who do not like him, no one can deny that the man knows baseball and in fact loves it. At times one can say A-Rod is consumed by the sport; however, it’s hard for many people to forgive A-Rod for what he did, but the truth is that no one can deny what he has accomplished statistically. In his mind this must be A-Rod's ace-in-the-hole.

The average Joe off the street can take the same PED that Rodriguez took, get in the batter’s box, and not even make contact. The thing people forget is that A-Rod was and is full of natural talent and ability; he could hit, field, and play with the best of them. The drugs didn’t do that for him; he was born that way. Unfortunately, now A-Rod becomes a good deal like Pete Rose – a man with all the Hall of Fame statistics in the world but with no way to get elected.

rod-4At a press conference the day after A-Rod hit the historic homer, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman indicated that the team had a right but no obligation to pay A-Rod the homerun bonus. What Cashman is basically saying without saying it is this – We will accept the homeruns A-Rod hits on the field that win games for us and put people in the stands, but we will not recognize them on or off the field. Apparently, MLB is in agreement with this attempt by the Yankees to basically call a “do-over” in regards to A-Rod’s performance.

When asked if he thinks that A-Rod is clean now, Cashman cautiously responded, “I hope so.” Notice the salient way this questioned was handled. Cashman is clearly calculating every angle in hopes of voiding whatever he can in the future should any testing results come back that can assist in the Yankees attempt to vilify A-Rod or void their contractual obligations.

As a Mets fan I must admit that I have never liked A-Rod. Long ago when there were rumors that the Mets were trying to trade for him, I hoped that they wouldn’t be successful. When he was signed by the Yankees, it only exacerbated my dislike for the man. I felt he was egotistic and the worst thing of all for his team, the fans, and especially the kids watching him – a totally “me” player all about himself and what “he” could accomplish.

Now, I oddly find myself on A-Rod’s side. For one thing, the man paid his debt, if not to society definitely to MLB. After serving the punishment, he came back to the slings and arrows of outrageous reporting and rumors that he was washed up. A-Rod showed them all what he could do during spring training and is still doing it during the regular reason. Maybe the Yankees don’t want to acknowledge that he hit that homerun officially, but they are gladly accepting the win over the Boston Red Sox that it provided. This is most certainly hypocrisy at its worst.

After tying Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list, A-Rod seemed overwhelmed by the moment and its significance. He said, “It’s good to do it in a good team win. I got emotional there.” Obviously, A-Rod feels the pressure and understands the implications – not just of the accomplishment but of the Yankees refusing to acknowledge it. Some people may say that it took him until now to be a team player, but forget the bonus because there is more than money at stake here – it’s A-Rod’s legacy.

rod-2As for the great Willie Mays, he remains a class act all the way and released this statement: “Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez on his 660th home run. Milestones in baseball are meant to be broken and I wish him continued success throughout his career.” It goes without saying that Mays had the kind of career any player, including A-Rod, would have wished for as a kid. Now Mays wishes him well as he ties his career homer mark, and you can’t help but wonder what is going on inside A-Rod’s heart and mind.

When told of Mays’s statement, A-Rod responded, “I’m speechless.” Of course, as the enormity of the situation becomes clear to him, the reality of what he has done and failed to do, someone with the class of Willie Mays could loom as a reminder of what could have been. That makes A-Rod a tragic figure – someone along the lines of Hamlet or Macbeth, someone enormously gifted and fortunate who could have had it all except for one tragic flaw.

Still, no matter what Cashman and the Yankees organization would like the narrative to be, there are two simple facts here. One is that A-Rod hit all those homeruns (660 as of this writing). Two is that nothing they can do can erase them. The Yankees would like it to be different, but there are no “do-overs” in big league baseball. MLB knows that, the fans know it, and so does A-Rod; now it becomes clear that sooner or later the Yankees will have to know it too.

  Photo credits: sport-kid.net, daily news, MLB