Pocket A-Rods

    Despite Alex Rodriguez being on the disabled list for a month, he is still making baseball headlines and providing distractions for the NY Yankees by being involved in illegal, high-stakes underground poker games.  Having already been severely warned by Bud Selig in 2005, these latest reports of gambling may warrant a stiffer penalty for Rodriguez, possibly a suspension.
    Millions of people gamble and play poker in casinos and in friend's houses.  However, it is much different when you are a high profile, 250 million dollar face of the Yankees who has already been warned not to partake in these activities.  Ever since the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal in which players were paid to throw the World Series, Major League Baseball has been real strict to make sure gambling is no where near the league.  Then came Pete Rose who bet on and fixed games as a player and manager for the Cincinnati Reds.  He is still currently ineligible to be involved in the MLB and cannot be elected to the Hall of Fame even though he is the all-time leader in hits.
    Gambling comes in a variety of fashions and there is a major difference between playing poker and betting on baseball. A-Rod is only one of many professional athletes who gamble and play poker.  For instance, our own Paul Pierce made it to the second day of the 2011 World Series of Poker before being eliminated, thus losing his $10,000 entry fee.  The main difference between these two instances is that Piece participated in a legal tournament in Las Vegas during the NBA's offseason.  Rodriguez has been reportedly playing in illegal underground "basement games" throughout the year in which some cases drugs and weapons have been present.  Star Magazine reported that A-Rod "played in an underground, illegal poker game where cocaine was openly used, and even organized his own underground high-stakes game, which ended with thugs threatening players."  One can only imagine if A-Rod's poker etiquette is anything like what he has done on the baseball field, yelling at players trying to catch fly balls or slapping the ball away from being tagged out.  These "thugs" may be justified to threaten him if he acts like he does on the baseball diamond.
    While A-Rod may not get suspended for this incident, he is certainly on very thin ice with the Commissioner and the NY Yankees.  According to several reports, MLB is looking to adding a clause to the next collective bargaining agreement to ban players from playing in these underground poker games.  Since the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez in 2004, he has always seemed to provide distractions for a ballclub that traditionally doesn't tolerate any misbehavior off the field.  Whether it is celebrity relationships, steroids, or illegal gambling, A-Rod always finds himself in the headlines for his off-the-field life.  Being on the disabled list for over a month, the only news A-Rod should be making is when he will start his rehab assignment.   Perhaps A-Rod should focus more of his attention on baseball related activites instead of poker.  Maybe then he will begin to produce home runs instead of producing distractions.