Buck Showalter's Opinion On A-Rod & Yankees Shows Prejudice And Bias

by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

The baseball world is currently obsessed with all things A-Rod, as a potential suspension is imminent.  Consensus is that the Yankees, no matter how much they would like to, are unable to void A-Rod's contract for alleged steroid use as the remedy for such an offense is within the hands of MLB.  Perhaps that is why the Yankee organization is seemingly hoping MLB suspends A-Rod or even bans him for life.  

To make matters worse, Buck Showalter has recently added his tainted two cents worth, declaring that MLB should not impose a lifetime ban against A-Rod.  But Showalter's opinion in this matter is not rooted in altruism or because he believes such a penalty would be unfair, considering A-Rod has never been previously suspended.  Showalter's opinion has nothing to do with the integrity of baseball or equitable punishment.  Showalter's reasoning is that a lifetime ban or even a 1 or 2 year suspension, will help the Yankees get out from under A-Rod's contract and assist them in clearing the $189 million team salary bar, thereby avoiding the luxury tax.

In other words, Showalter's proclamation is really based on revenge and animosity for his rival Yankees.  Not only are the Yankees a division rival for Showalter and the Orioles he currently manages, but he has an axe to grind with the Yankees that dates back to 1995.  Buck Showalter was actually the Yankee manager from 1992 to 1995.  He helped improve the Yankee team and bring them out of the division basement and turn them into a division leader.  But after the 1995 season, George Steinbrenner decided to make a change and hired Joe Torre to be the new Yankee manager in 1996.  The rest was history as Joe Torre managed the Yankees from 1996 to 2007.  Under the managerial leadership of Torre, the Yankees reached the post season each year and won ten American League East Division titles, six American League pennants, four World Series titles (with six World Series appearances) and compiled a .605 winning percentage overall. With 2,326 wins, Joe Torre is currently ranked 5th on the list of all time managerial wins. In hindsight, the managerial change was nothing less than Steinbrenner genius, especially in light of the fact that to this day Buck Showalter has never won even a single world series with any team he has managed.

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