Alex Rodriguez has a gambling problem

[BornToRun]

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/6830659/mlb-looking-alex-rodriguez-illegal-poker

[AtWork]

I could care less about players personal lives. He was warned not to do it in 2005 though and it sounds like MLB is taking it seriously. A suspension would be hilarious.

[Flynnatic10]

On a related note, Let Pete Rose in!

[BornToRun]

I could care less about players personal lives. He was warned not to do it in 2005 though and it sounds like MLB is taking it seriously. A suspension would be hilarious.

 

If nothing else, A suspension could serve as come-uppance for any one of the many douchetastic things he's pulled over the years.

[Palodios]

Definitely. Ban him from games 1, 4, and 7 of the ALCS, that ought to do the trick.

[yankees228]

I guess I'll be the one to state the obvious here ... suspending A-Rod for this but not suspending players for actions that put people's lives in danger would be ridiculous.

[TedWilliams101]

OMG he plays high-stakes poker 'under-the-table'! Oh NO!!!!!!

 

The ONLY problem in all these stories should be that he needs to be careful which games he gets himself involved in. The majority of these "less-than-legal" games are perfectly safe, but I'm sure the Yankees don't want him taking the chance of getting involved in an ugly fight/situation that could occur with some characters. I'm still surprised that poker gets this kind of reaction. He isn't betting on games (and that suggestion of this being a gateway is beyond ludicrous), he's playing a card game everyone enjoys.

[Palodios]

Online poker is a gateway addiction. Start with slots, move to cards, then to dice, then you're spinning the prize wheel to try to get into a showcase showdown where the Barker's Beauties are significantly less attractive than your actual girlfriend, and then who knows, maybe he'll be financing anti-whaling campaigns too. What a hard life.

[AtWork]

I guess I'll be the one to state the obvious here ... suspending A-Rod for this but not suspending players for actions that put people's lives in danger would be ridiculous.

 

If he gets suspended, he has it coming to him. MLB has already asked him not to participate in these games and it sounds like he's ignored them.

[AtWork]

This is the stuff I'm interested in. Please don't turn it into a the Yankees do steroids fight though. I'm sure many of our players are using performance enhancing drugs as well.

 

MLB is also concerned that Rodriguez's name will resurface in the ongoing federal investigation of Dr. Anthony Galea, the Toronto physician charged with smuggling human growth hormone and other illegal substances into the United States. Galea has treated numerous professional athletes, including Rodriguez and Tiger Woods.

 

"It's like there's something new with him every day and it's impossible to keep up with it," a baseball insider said.

 

Recently, it was revealed that Rodriguez still employs his cousin, Yuri Sucart, after fingering him as the "mule" who transported his performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 after his steroid usage was revealed in a 2009 Sports Illustrated story, despite being told by the Yankees that Sucart would no longer be allowed in the clubhouse and encouraged to keep his distance from him.

 

"You get the feeling that Alex says what he thinks he needs to say to get by, and then goes out and does what he wants," the MLB executive said.

[Emmz]

Who cares, it's petty crap. He's not cheating, he's not gaining competitive advantage, nor is he doing something negative towards other players. I don't like A-Rod, I think he's a piece of crap cheater, a poor sportsman and a arrogant douchebag, but this is just stupid.

[Emmz]

This is the stuff I'm interested in. Please don't turn it into a the Yankees do steroids fight though. I'm sure many of our players are using performance enhancing drugs as well.

 

WOW! A story about baseball players doing steroids, I better take that at it's word for sure!

[boston22407]

Who gives a s***,It's his life!!

Some people have to much spare time !

[AtWork]

Who cares' date=' it's petty crap. He's not cheating, he's not gaining competitive advantage, nor is he doing something negative towards other players. I don't like A-Rod, I think he's a piece of crap cheater, a poor sportsman and a arrogant douchebag, but this is just stupid.[/quote']

 

It may be petty, but you get the feeling there's a strong chance he could get a suspension - which is all I really care about. The commissioner told players not to use performance enhancing drugs and he shows up as a client of a doctor busted in an hgh ring. Then the commissioner asks him to stay away from his drug mule and his drug mule shows up at his hotel. Then the commissioner asked him to stop participating in these poker games and he shows up at one. He's practically begging to be suspended.

[Hawkguy]

If nothing else' date=' A suspension could serve as come-uppance for any one of the many [b']douchetastic[/b] things he's pulled over the years.

 

Borntorun, you need to franchise that word....... TFF!!!!! Come on Bud, I know you want to take Alex's bat and ball and send him home.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

I guess I'll be the one to state the obvious here ... suspending A-Rod for this but not suspending players for actions that put people's lives in danger would be ridiculous.

 

This. Exactly this. Tons of players get caught drunk driving this year and they get nothing. A-Rod gambles with his own money on his own time and faces a suspension? This league can be ridiculous sometimes.

[Emmz]

It may be petty' date=' but you get the feeling there's a strong chance he could get a suspension - which is all I really care about. The commissioner told players not to use performance enhancing drugs and he shows up as a client of a doctor busted in an hgh ring. Then the commissioner asks him to stay away from his drug mule and his drug mule shows up at his hotel. Then the commissioner asked him to stop participating in these poker games and he shows up at one. He's practically begging to be suspended.[/quote']

 

Except that he's already set the bar pretty low by not suspending people who get by (with the league at least) scot-free for much worse.

[AtWork]

Except that he's already set the bar pretty low by not suspending people who get by (with the league at least) scot-free for much worse.

 

How many of them have ignored 3 different warnings that Bud's given them?

[Emmz]

That's not the point. The point is that it's not severe, and MLB would possibly piss off people who for one, are not pricks who think that petty BS like gambling is severe enough to warrant suspension, and also, thought that endangering the lives of others like Miguel Cabrera DID, however, warrant suspension of some sort.

 

If he does this, he's pretty much just trying to show everyone that he's in-charge, which is pretty weak. Endangering lives of others>>>>>>>>>Bud Selig's control complex.

[AtWork]

That's not the point. The point is that it's not severe, and MLB would possibly piss off people who for one, are not pricks who think that petty BS like gambling is severe enough to warrant suspension, and also, thought that endangering the lives of others like Miguel Cabrera DID, however, warrant suspension of some sort.

 

If he does this, he's pretty much just trying to show everyone that he's in-charge, which is pretty weak. Endangering lives of others>>>>>>>>>Bud Selig's control complex.

 

I'm fairly certain that participating in illegal gambling violates the CBA. He was warned at least once not to do it and he continued to do it anyways. Selig has every right to suspend him.

[Divinity]

So Arod was at a party in Bev Hills, others are doing coke. Some dude losses a half million and doesn't want to pay up and got into a fight. Sounds like he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

[AtWork]

So Arod was at a party in Bev Hills' date=' others are doing coke. Some dude losses a half million and doesn't want to pay up and got into a fight. Sounds like he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.[/quote']

 

He's a client of a doctor busted in an hgh ring - wrong place wrong time.

His drug mule cousin shows up at his hotel - wrong place wrong time.

A fight breaks out at an illegal poker game - wrong place wrong time.

[Emmz]

I'm fairly certain that participating in illegal gambling violates the CBA. He was warned at least once not to do it and he continued to do it anyways. Selig has every right to suspend him.

 

Not the point, which you seem to be completely missing.

[Youk Of The Nation]

The only high-stakes game I want A-Rod to play is Russian Roulette.

[Divinity]

Me too, would be nice for the Yankees to get rid of that insane contract.

[AtWork]

Not the point' date=' which you seem to be completely missing.[/quote']

 

Take the emotion out of it and it boils down to this. A-Rod did something he wasn't supposed to, the comissioner asked him to stop doing it and he said he would, then he continued to do it. And it wasn't a one time lapse in judgement either, A-Rod has a well known history of saying he'll follow MLB rules and then breaking them.

[AtWork]

You may have seen an article this morning, published by Star magazine and RadarOnline.com, about Alex Rodriguez and his alleged participation in "an underground, illegal poker game where cocaine was openly used." (The report also said that A-Rod "even organized his own high-stakes game, which ended with thugs threatening players.") Well, we know for sure that Major League Baseball officials have seen it, because a league executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity to ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews, says that the league is looking into the report, and that Rodriguez could be suspended if his participation is confirmed.

 

This is what Selig is trying to protect MLB from. It's not gambling that's the issue, it's running and participating in illegal gambling that could put players in compromised positions. Toby McGuire recently had to pay back $300,000 that he won at one of these illegal poker games and that kind of money or physical threats could have some influence over baseball players.

[TedWilliams101]

You guys are WAY overstating the danger of a poker home game. Hollywood is in your head, get it out. It's not the wild wild west. The OVERWHELMING majority of these mid to high stakes games are just home-games for the rich. This isn't underground casino's run by the mobs where Arod is going to get into debt. Fights happen everywhere, it's not a big deal.

 

The story here ISN'T the gambling, it's that Arod isn't listening to Selig. Personally, I don't care what the players do on their free time. The steroid connections are the actual problem, not this.

 

And by the way, gambling should be LEGAL across all states. Unfortunately I had to all but give up internet poker thanks to our stupid Gov't. Apparently April 4th isn't enough, they keep telling me where (and where not) to stick it. Well f*** you too, Gov't.

[AtWork]

You guys are WAY overstating the danger of a poker home game. Hollywood is in your head, get it out. It's not the wild wild west. The OVERWHELMING majority of these mid to high stakes games are just home-games for the rich. This isn't underground casino's run by the mobs where Arod is going to get into debt. Fights happen everywhere, it's not a big deal.

 

The story here ISN'T the gambling, it's that Arod isn't listening to Selig. Personally, I don't care what the players do on their free time. The steroid connections are the actual problem, not this.

 

And by the way, gambling should be LEGAL across all states. Unfortunately I had to all but give up internet poker thanks to our stupid Gov't. Apparently April 4th isn't enough, they keep telling me where (and where not) to stick it. Well f*** you too, Gov't.

 

I agree, typical home poker games are not at all dangerous. I've participated in many myself. But I imagine multimillion dollar games with security and people bumping lines off the table are just a little bit different than the games we're used to.

[Emmz]

Take the emotion out of it and it boils down to this. A-Rod did something he wasn't supposed to' date=' the comissioner asked him to stop doing it and he said he would, then he continued to do it. And it wasn't a one time lapse in judgement either, A-Rod has a well known history of saying he'll follow MLB rules and then breaking them.[/quote']

 

Take the emotion out of it and it's not that big of a deal on A-Rod's end. It's gambling, who cares, gambling is not against the rules, gambling on games is against the rules, there's a huge difference.

 

Gambling isn't a big deal, if MLB decides to suspend him, it won't be because of this crap, it will be solely because of defiance, which is itself a crock of s*** for a reason to suspend someone considering it's their life, and he wasn't endangering people's lives by playing a game of poker.

 

As of right now, their bar is set pretty low by not suspending players who were driving while under the influence of controlled substance. That is the point.