History with an Asterisk
The careers of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have forever been intertwined.
The two superstars started out as friendly competitors before becoming teammates in 2004.
Rodriguez, a great shortstop in his time, agreed to play third when he was traded from Texas to the Yankees, allowing his buddy Jeter to stay at his position.
Those two dominated the left side of the infield in the American league, earning 9 out the 10 All-Star starting jobs at SS and 3B from 2004 to 2008. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the two would end up in the Hall of Fame together.
That all changed in 2009, of course, when it was discovered that Alex had tested positive back in 2003, during MLB’s steroid testing survey. Alex, knowing he was caught, seemingly did the right thing and apologized for his cheating ways.
It seemed like the story was over. Sure A-Rod had cheated, but it was years ago and steroids were a part of the game back then. Plus, dude was still hitting homers and chasing the home run record.
Unfortunately, his cheating days were far from over.
In 2013, the truth was revealed that A-Rod had been obtaining performance enhancing drugs from the Biogenesis clinic. A-Rod, who was rehabbing an injury at the time, proclaimed his innocence, but MLB didn’t buy it and suspended him 211 games. Alex sued MLB but later dropped it when his suspension was reduced to a single season.
While ARod was cooling his jets, Jeter was on his farewell tour, which included a series of gifts from clubs around the league and a standing ovation at his final All-Star game. Jeets had cemented his place in the Hall in 2011, when he got his 3000th hit.
In the words of Yankees' announcer Michael Kay, Derek Jeter had made history with an exclamation point.
Now, Rodriguez is among the lucky few with 3000 hits. Just like Jeter, he got his 3000th with style; however, his accomplishment just doesn’t carry the same joy that Jeter’s did.
Whereas,The Captain's 3000th seemed like the penultimate addition to his stellar career, A-Rod's knock marks another tainted moment in a career marred by lying and cheating.
Rodriguez may have forced his name among the greats, but his history in the game will forever carry a ghost asterisk next to it, because who really knows how those feats came to be?