MLB

Of Course An MLB Official Compared A-Rod To Lindsay Lohan And Britney Spears

If we polled America on which baseball player – and maybe even which athlete, period – was most likely to be compared to the likes of Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears, we’re confident Alex Rodriguez would be the name we heard the most. He’s one of the greatest players in baseball history, but he’s always been ripped on. The huge contract with the Rangers, the eventual steroids admission, the “opting out of his Yankees contract during the World Series” PR nightmare, the general perception that there’s just something fake about the guy…some people are just natural punching bags.

Not that such status is entirely undeserved, in A-Rod’s case. This photo was asking for it, for example. This column today from ESPN’s Ian O’Connor makes note of how he’s good for “an extended migraine a couple times a year” and the “unwanted drama and distraction he will surely keep creating through 2017,” when his 10-year deal runs out (and when he’ll be 42). Backing up this point of view, O’Connor quotes an anonymous MLB official:

“In a lot of ways Alex is no different than Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. He’s a thrill seeker, and he does everything he can to be overt. He’s a classic example of where we are in society, the age of celebrity, where everyone loves triumphs and tragedies.”

It was only a matter of time before someone went there. Superstardom, high-maintenance, too much too soon…it was inevitable. Only thing is, A-Rod might not deserve his most recent round of negative publicity (the alleged participation in an illegal high-stakes poker ring). One pro poker player said A-Rod wasn’t even at the game that allegedly included drug use and a fight,…though a different source said he attended at least one illegal game. (For the record, A-Rod’s publicist said the original report “contains numerous factual inaccuracies,” but stopped short of outright saying A-Rod wasn’t at the game at all.)

It doesn’t matter, anyway. Whether A-Rod is actually punished at all for this or not, whether more evidence comes out that says he was or wasn’t at the game…he’ll still be A-Rod, so he’ll still be low-hanging fruit for snark-slingers. There’s just something about the guy. Even without the gambling story, there’s the matter of steroids. There’s the Super Bowl popcorn thing. The “purple lips” thing. The A-Rod joke well never runs out. He’s the Chris Bosh of baseball, with a better career. The sheer number of things he’s been ripped for, some overblown but some rightfully, is staggering. Sure, the Lohan/Spears comment is fitting, but ultimately, another executive provided an even better summation of the essence of A-Rod: “It’s always something with Alex.”

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