Alex Rodriguez, illegal poker ring being investigated by MLB
by Chris McKeown on Aug 3, 2011 1:26 PM EDT
in Miscellaneous
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PrintAlex Rodriguez seems to headline media stories and scandals more often than any other superstar athlete out there. After all, Rodriguez is making upwards of $30 million to play in the most prolific city for baseball in America. However, this story doesn't involved steroids, jogging across Dallas Braden's mound, or tipping pitches to opposing hitters. This time, Major League Baseball is investigating Rodriguez's recent involvement in illegal poker games.
According to RadarOnline, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez engaged "in an underground, illegal poker game where cocaine was openly used, and even organized his own high-stakes game, which ended with thugs threatening players."It was reported in June that Rodriguez was involved in the ring that included celebrities Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. The operation gained attention after Maguire was named in a lawsuit seeking to reclaim $311,200 in losses from the Spiderman star.
In July, ESPN reported that Major League Baseball began a probe into the allegations against Rodriguez. The beleaguered star refused to comment on his alleged poker playing or the investigation when questioned last month. The investigation comes six years after Rodriguez said he would quit visiting illegal poker clubs in New York. -CardPlayer.com
Should Major League Baseball be involved in this? I guess the fact that he told MLB he would stop visiting illegal clubs may warrant some sort of investigation. Either way, Rodriguez looks like a rugged, macho man that plays by his own rules.
Thoughts?
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What is it that makes the poker games illegal?
Aside from the cocaine, what’s illegal about playing poker?
Can't spell "Colletti" without LOL.
It SHOULDN'T be illegal...it is, but it absolutely shouldn't.
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
I play poker in my house for money
Call-Up Jesus
by BrettGardnerLF on Aug 3, 2011 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Poker games become illegal
If someone is taking a rake, which by the sound of this there probably was a rake.
"Oh so if he's not Muslim he just gets a pass? That's called profiling mother and I don't do it!" - Sterling Mallory Archer
by Nick Petrilli on Aug 3, 2011 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s nothing explicit that there was a rake. I don’t know where you get your assumptions from.
by Scooby Snacks on Aug 3, 2011 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
It's a high stakes game at a place that doesn't sound like a home and run by a third party
There’s a rake.
"Oh so if he's not Muslim he just gets a pass? That's called profiling mother and I don't do it!" - Sterling Mallory Archer
by Nick Petrilli on Aug 3, 2011 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's a site
that details it by state:
http://www.homepokergames.com/homepokerlaw.php
However, the prevailing elements that make a home game (or a private game) illegal seem to be:
- a rake
- a paid dealer
- an entry fee (that doesn’t go to the prize pool but goes to the host of the game)
Certain states have limits on the stakes of the game as well as the definition of “gambling.” So, basically, the laws were invented to stop the mob from running illegal casinos (where often, I would guess, the house would fix or cheat to win all the money).
second degree gambling
is a class A misdemeanor in NY.
NYPL 225.10.
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 3, 2011 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
unless
of course, there are enhancements or conspiracies or “gaming devices” or whatever other stuff might attach to whatever is actually happening.
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 3, 2011 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions
In New York State
What makes poker games illegal is:
PEN§225.00 et seq.; 47A:101 et seq.; RW&B 47A§518
Either way, Rodriguez looks like a rugged, macho man that plays by his own rules.
No, he looks like an idiot.
by designatedquitter on Aug 3, 2011 1:37 PM EDT reply actions
I’m sorry
/sarcasm
"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things." - Joe Paterno
Follow me @csm5206
by Chris McKeown on Aug 3, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Well shit
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 3, 2011 1:41 PM EDT reply actions
Big stars with money play poker with each other. Loses their own money to each other…oh man big deal. Outside the cocaine use, which i doubt Arod is on due to him you know being a pro athlete and all that and being drug tested, this seems more like a PR move.
I’m not exactly familiar with why hosting high-stakes poker games is illegal or any of the technicalities, but I agree.
"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things." - Joe Paterno
Follow me @csm5206
by Chris McKeown on Aug 3, 2011 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I am guessing
that it is hard for the government to keep track of the money and therefore they cannot tax it.
by Livestrong77nyy on Aug 3, 2011 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Valid
"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things." - Joe Paterno
Follow me @csm5206
by Chris McKeown on Aug 3, 2011 2:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
If the person running the game takes a cut of the money involved, and they're not a casino, that's where it gets illegal.
Which is why for the most part these high stakes games outside of casinos are illegal, cause there is someone usually taking a cut. If all the money goes to the winners, it’s fine. I’m assuming that’s what the situation is, wherever the balls this was being played.
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
So he's playing a game of skill, on his own free time, by his own free will....
WHO CARES!!!!!!!!
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
Spooky language.
Baseball Statistics and Acronyms Explained
Follow me on the tweetbox - @LordDuggan12
Bet you he was playing strip poker…..
Crouching moron, hidden smarta**
Optimism, pessimism, F*CK THAT; we're gonna make it happen. As God as my bloody witness, I'm hell-bent on making it work.
"Not four, Not five, Not six, Not seven......" Try getting one first.
Masai Ujiri: Magnificent Bastard
And going all in.
Oh wait, are we still talking about poker…?
Can't spell "Colletti" without LOL.
by D4P on Aug 3, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions
"I dont give a shit about whales so go and hug a tree!
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun."
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 3, 2011 1:59 PM EDT reply actions
I was talking about Wales the countryyyyy.
Baseball Statistics and Acronyms Explained
Follow me on the tweetbox - @LordDuggan12
Despite the first inning
Chien-Ming OneEyedMonster doesn’t look that bad. Of course, it is the Braves offense.
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 3, 2011 2:12 PM EDT reply actions
....well except for that two base error he just gave up on that erratic throw to 1st base
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 3, 2011 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions
...and the 3 run HR to Dan Uggla
Yeah….nevermind.
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 3, 2011 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Dammit.
"I've got three bullies over there waiting for Thursday," Rob Ryan said. "These are proven players, and that's what we need. I don't know if we win the all-hype team, I think that might have gone to somebody else, but we're going to beat their ass when we play them."
who cares?
I only care if Alex used cocaine- and I doubt him being a pro athlete who is tested all the time that he would do that.
As for the poker, it’s really not a big deal. And so long as this shit doesn’t cost the Centaur time on the field (and I doubt it will) then it really doesn’t matter. Everything else is money related. If he gets fined, so what? He’s the richest athlete in the world.
CALL UP JESUS MONTERO!
Wallace was told by one MLB executive that A-Rod could be suspended if his involvement in the game is confirmed. “We’re talking to people involved in the investigation and we’re taking this very seriously,” the source said. “Because he had been warned about this before, I would say a possible suspension would be very much in play.”
"Now I've had everything except the thrill of watching Babe Ruth play."
by WhatwouldJeterdo on Aug 3, 2011 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Poop
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Aug 3, 2011 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
can't they just worry about baseball
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
I'd rather Selig not worry about baseball
He tends to screw it up when he does.
CALL UP JESUS MONTERO!
I think that would be too simple
and though MLB is simple-minded, they don’t like being seen as simple-minded.
I wonder how many players that have DUIs get suspended. Or that run red lights, or speed, or do anything that is breaking the law. How many of them get warnings and then are threatened with suspension if they don’t stop?
Plus, all it affects is A-Rod’s piles of money and maybe his own body if he’s doing cocaine (which I would doubt).
Brett Myers
Took a leave of absence and was not suspended for that.
Matthews is a dick
He always writes these sensational stories to get a rise out of people and to justify his existence as a so-called sports journalist. Always makes a story out of nothing and wets his pants when the national press picks it up.
“Well placed sources,” “an unnamed executive,” “if this happens, then that could happen…..”
So there’s a potential for a possible suspension, there’s also the likelihood that this ends up as nothing.
A-Rod's motives
He makes his Hollywood friends, chills at their parties, plays at their poker table…and then bangs their galpals.
uggh
Nowadays everybody wanna talk, like they got something to say, but nothing comes out when they move their lips, just a bunch of gibberish and motherfu****s act like they forgot about Dre
by King Henry the 2nd on Aug 3, 2011 3:04 PM EDT reply actions
Athletes + gambling + drugs
Any Commissioner’s nightmare. If, as indicated, ARod was warned about these games and agreed to stay away, things could get very ugly. Even do-nothing Selig can’t afford to be blown off like that. It’s hard to imagine a scenario without a lengthy suspension.
ARod makes $32 million per year (before alimony) and is on a team which is always in the playoff hunt. A lot to risk for a poker game. I have to wonder what he was thinking.
Mickey C
Probably," I’m going to play poker with a bunch of rich guys I know."
by lololol on Aug 3, 2011 4:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Ridiculous.
If A-rod was caught up in a police investigation and MLB wanted to suspend him that’s one thing. But why in the fuck would they be conducting their own investigation into illegal poker games? Does the MLB have a homicide unit too? When did Bud Selig become Jimmy fucking McNulty?
Status quo.
Bowie Kuhn
Suspended Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle from participating and working in MLB for working as greeters at an Atlantic City Casino. They were both retired and in the HOF at the time.
Bowie Kuhn
Was often wrong, but he was pretty consistent on the gambling thing. See McClain, Denny
"Hank Aaron breaking the HR record?"
“Sorry can’t make it!”
Unless you're a pitcher or Gustavo Molina, kindly SWING THE BAT and ignore the Binder's bunt signal.
Hall of Fame in Cooperstown
Wanted a seperate exhibit for the Negro League players and to continue excluding Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Larry Doby, Satchel Page et al from being inducted into the HOF in spite of the loud protests of Ted Williams and others, Kuhn was on the side of full inclusion but could not get the HOF directors on board. Kuhn gives them the go ahead for their second class treatment of the Negro League greats knowing that trustees of the Hall will all get third degree burns on their asses for insisting on a segregated Hall of Fame in the post civil rights era. In short, he let them do the wrong thing in order to be forced by angry public reaction to do the right thing. He did not break down the last color barrier in MLB, but he set that barrier up to be obliterated. Bill James description was fascinating:
" he seemed….very proud of how he handled the affair, doing an end run around the Hall of Fame board of directors by exposing the Hall — and himself — to public criticism. Perhaps this does reflect some personal courage, and he was able to see that the right thing was done. But the Hall of Fame was also damaged. … The message that got through to the public, loosely translated, was that the Hall of Fame was a racist institution. … Bowie Kuhn would have been a better friend to the Hall of Fame if he had led them to come to terms with their institutional racism in private, rather than leading them to expose it to the public."
What needs to be said was that the Hall directors were hurting the hall, Kuhn was not doing it for them.
He did drop the ball on Hank Aaron. No argument there. Lifetime game passes for the Iranian hostages was a nice touch though.
by Iggy Poptart on Aug 4, 2011 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Go bother someone else, MLB!
How bout Ortiz?
He's still doing his own investigation
I’m sure we’ll hear about that in due time…
by waw on Aug 3, 2011 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Really hope he doesn't get suspeneded
The Yankees can’t afford to not have him in the lineup during the stretch run. And suspending him over this bullshit is ridiculous. I doubt he did cocaine, so MLB wants to suspend him because he spent his own money in a poker game? It’s not baseballs money he’s spending- it’s his own.
If A-Rod did this (I assume they haven’t proved he was actually there yet), then yea he’s an idiot. Fine him. I don’t care. But suspending him for a lengthy period of time would suck for the Yankees, and doing it over this?
Seriously, baseball needs to go bother someone else, rather than conduct an investigation into everything that A-Rod does in his life. Oh no, his cousin is visiting him. Investigate! The Galea stuff that didn’t even involve him, and now they will possibly suspend him over poker. Do they not realize how ridiculous it all sounds?
Go investigate why Youk possesses the ugliest face in baseball.
CALL UP JESUS MONTERO!
This is really stupid. Who the hell cares if Arod played poker in his off time? I don’t care if it was a “legal” game or not.
So now the guys in the subway are saying Jesus is coming on October 21, 2011, but that would mean he wouldn't be on the playoff roster, let alone be eligible for it. I really don't know where these guys are getting their information from...
It's all image
The highest paid player in the game, the man who is expected to challenge Barry Bonds’ HR record, participating in illegal gambling in the presence of illegal drugs? Both MLB and the Yankees were going to sell the hell out of the record chase. This is a PR disaster. I see millions of Little League parents deciding not to buy their kids anything with #13 on it and not really caring how many HRs he hits.
In any case, if he was warned about it years ago and agreed to stay away, then it’s too late to say it’s a private matter. If the Commissioner is going to retain what little credibility he has, he is forced to act.
Mickey C
since when was it the commissioner’s job to police the player’s personal lives? Should the commissioner also look into his breakup with Cameron Diaz? Keep your nose out of their personal lives, and stick to baseball.
So now the guys in the subway are saying Jesus is coming on October 21, 2011, but that would mean he wouldn't be on the playoff roster, let alone be eligible for it. I really don't know where these guys are getting their information from...
slaughtering dogs is a little different from being involved in an illegal poker game.
So now the guys in the subway are saying Jesus is coming on October 21, 2011, but that would mean he wouldn't be on the playoff roster, let alone be eligible for it. I really don't know where these guys are getting their information from...
oh
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the commissioner’s office will interview Alex Rodriguez regarding his alleged involvement in illegal, underground poker games.
CALL UP JESUS MONTERO!
Oh what reckless behavior he's showing for playing a game of skill, what an asshole.
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
Actually
Alex isn’t exactly the sharpest tack in the box when it comes to non-baseball things. It could be very reckless of him to have his hands in that
Just sayin is all
Its his friggin money.
If he’s playing cause he thinks he’s good, who cares. If he’s playing for fun, who cares.
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
Players haven’t been suspended for speeding, driving drunk, smoking weed and etc. Then ARod plays cards with his friends, he suddenly may face suspension? BS
by lololol on Aug 3, 2011 5:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
This is riduclous
Poker is a game played by millions of people and it is only illegal if you are playing in a place that rakes/charges in some way. But even that is ridiculous: Invite some friends over to watch the baseball game on TV and have everyone chip in for pizza and that’s cool; invite the same friends over for poker and the pizza contributions – even if completely voluntary – make the game illegal, technically.
If you watched the HBO Jeter documentary, you saw that in Derek’s apartment was a sweet poker table. You think he doesn’t play cards there?
We should also suspend that Babe Ruth guy for drinking alcohol while it was illegal…Get on it Selig!
by lololol on Aug 3, 2011 6:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
MLB players are not supposed to consort with gamblers.
MLB has to investigate.
You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone.
Poker isn't gambling
First definition of gambling:
“Play games of chance for money”
Poker isn’t a game of chance, it’s a game of skill.
And professional poker players are on TV all the time, not shadowy mob figures.
NYPL again
§ 225.00 Gambling offenses; definitions of terms.
The following definitions are applicable to this article:
1. “Contest of chance” means any contest, game, gaming scheme or
gaming device in which the outcome depends in a material degree upon an
element of chance, notwithstanding that skill of the contestants may
also be a factor therein.
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 3, 2011 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
It has nothing to do with NYPL. There is a code of conduct professional baseball players are required to adhere to in order to play the game, and that is managed by the Commissioner’s office. Consorts with gamblers and being involved directly in illegal gambling networks is illegal because professional athletes are in the position to directly influence games which have immense gambling interests attached to them.
Much like if you work for a bank, you can lose your job for any kind of connection with fraud or financial impropriaty, even if it is minor and/or considered acceptable by the average guy on the street. Hell, you can lose your job for financial mismanagement by tanking your credit rating and becoming a potential liability.
If the report is correct, A-Rod broke a basic and fundamental rule from the Commissioner’s office despite repeating warnings. So what is there to say he isn’t making the odd strategic strikeout or error in close games to reward his friends or is being pressured/blackmailed? His associations make him vulnerable to being compromised by elements who can benefit by his production, and based on repeated warnings, you can’t completely trust whether or not he’s telling the truth. Drunk driving can’t compromise his performance in the field; gambling and drug use potentially can, which is why the rules are there in the first place.
Really?
I’m sorry, but do you really think that when you’re involved in illegal gambling rings, money is the only kind of leverage they have on you? What about ‘Hey A-Rod, we’ve got some pictures of you with those hookers after you dropped the ten large at the table. Did you know one of them is seventeen? Yeah, ‘cause we placed her here. So here’s the deal. When we call you, you make an 0-for that day and we won’t send the pictures to the cops’. None of us know what went down in those games, and that’s exactly the problem with him being involved in them.
That why you don’t get involved in illegal gambling because it compromises your ability to claim innocence. And the MLB’s code of conduct is not the same as the rules of New York state. He was warned that consorting with gamblers and participating in illegal poker games was not tolerated under the rules of the MLB and he broke them. Which mean the MLB has every right to impose a fine, suspension, or outright ban on him regardless of whether or not actual criminal charges are ever filed.
You can think up whatever ridiculous scenario you like
Doesn’t make it true, or even likely. But that’s what we can expect, all the haters to come out of the woodwork and accuse ARod of everything under the sun, call for his banishment, whatever. It’s a banner day for every fan that hates Alex or the Yankees, that’s for sure.
by waw on Aug 4, 2011 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, A-Rod’s potential suspension for doing something the league specifically told him not to do is about hating the Yankees. Shouldn’t you be posting on ESPN forums or something more your intellectual speed?
I'm not going to get personal
but I do agree with the sentiment of your comment. Baseball has always had this stance on gambling and yes, he was specifically warned about this. What you need to understand is this is a Yankees site, so the natives aren’t going to take kindly to any attack on A-Rod, whether he brought this upon himself or not.
I bet it's good to be playing again, huh?
I was replying to NYC Native
and the point that “poker is a game of skill”. Most gaming laws I have read have a section similar to that one in the NYPL.
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 4, 2011 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Poker IS a game of skill.
Yes, there’s luck involved. But, if some wealthy buisnessman, whose played once before, to go to Vegas and play some poker professionals in Vegas, it’s entirely possibly he beats them once. If they play 3 times, he might win 2. If they play 10 times, they might win 5. If they play 100 times, he might win 20. If Crappy Baseball Team A plays WS Favorite Team B in a 3 game series in July, it’s possible crappy team wins 1, 2, or maybe 3 games that series, cause it’s baseball and that happens. If they’re in the same divison and play 19 times a year, the WS Favorite will probably win more than they lose.
Yes, there’s luck in poker, but over the long run, it’s gonna even out, and if someone wins cause they get good hand after good hand after good hand, that’s gonna stop. Just like BABIP usually evens out, so does someone getting smacked over the head with good hands. People like Barry Greenstein have made a living playing poker for 20+ years. Yes, because sometimes he has a better hand than someone, but also when he’s not making hands, he adjusts how he’s playing to exploit who he’s playing against.
Short term, yes there is a crap ton of luck and some guy, who has no idea what playing cards are until he sits down, can win. But the longer he plays the more likely he’s gonna get destroyed.
Bah.
"in order that you will write correctly of wat you really see if you dint go around with your eyes shut"
Cricket blog?
Again, really irrelevant
that’s how it’s defined in gaming laws. Baseball is a game of skill too, but playing for $50 per base hit makes it “gambling”.
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 4, 2011 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
not supposed to gamble on something unrelated to baseball?
how about drinking and driving or drug use? If A-Rod got drunk and drove his car into the side of Yankee Stadium, ok MLB has a case, but he hasn’t done anything related to the sport so how can they have jurisdiction?
"best interests of the game"
Baseball only appointed a commissioner in the first place to control gambling/gamblers influence on the game.
Now, of course, it’s Bud, so his blue ribbon committee should really swing into action as fiercely as all the others. I wonder if George Mitchell is still available.
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 3, 2011 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions
This is patently
f###king ridiculous. Since when did Bud Selig become J. Edgar Hoover? Is MLB going to start investigating players’ DUIs, unpaid child support, extramarital affairs? Let the damn government deal with potential illegal stuff. You just worry about baseball (that’s not ideal either, but it’s better than J. Bud Hoover).
If MLB hits A-Rod with a suspension, would it be likely to kick in this season, or next?
I count myself an A-Rod fan, in part because I think the guy has genuinely struggled over the years to become a better person, and in part because I think he really loves the game and has matured a lot in his veteran years. Whatever the legality of these games, if he participated in them it’s disheartening, evidence of some really poor judgment on his part (especially if he told Selig years ago that he’d stay away from them). I refuse to jump to any conclusions, I think there’s a fair case to be made that even if he did participate he doesn’t deserve to be suspended (fined instead), and I agree that he’s now held up to excessive scrutiny… but damn, really stupid on his part if he did participate. My biggest immediate concern, though, is the impact on the team, and that’s why I hope he doesn’t get suspended as a result of MLB’s “investigation”.
Farewell and thanks to #46.
The difficulty
Is that MLB commisioners have precedent for being really hard on anyone associated with gambling.
Again, doesn’t make it okay.
Unless you're a pitcher or Gustavo Molina, kindly SWING THE BAT and ignore the Binder's bunt signal.
You have to ask
Why is gambling so feared in baseball?
Sponsers pay for a product that is above board. Fans pay for a product that is above board. TV networks pay for a product that is above board. The fear is that if people in baseball have connections to individuals who could profit from having a predetermined outcome to a couple of games a year the sponsors, the tv networks and the fans would bail. The fear is that MLB games would be on second rate cable networks along with professional wrestling and the advertisers would be limited to Axe shower products, local car dealerships and male enhancement product producers. Player salaries would plummet, merchandise sales would drop, the World Series would be on the FX channel.
That is the fear. Is it reasonable? Probably not. But nobody wants to be remembered as the commisioner who was on the job when MLB became less profitable and a less desirable product than MLS, so errors on gambling will always be on the side of caution.
by Iggy Poptart on Aug 4, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, I think it is reasonable
One scenario: A-Rod gets in debt to some shady character for a shitload of money. Said low-life threatens A-Rod, tries to force him to affect the outcome of a game or else (fill in the blank). Reasonable or not? That may be in the mind of the beholder. But he should have heeded MLB’s warnings.
I bet it's good to be playing again, huh?
Ahem
the advertisers would be limited to Axe shower products, local car dealerships and male enhancement product producers
I guess you haven’t watched a game lately
Actually, I have MLB Extra Innings
Local broadcasts tend to have some interesting ads for electric fences (San Diego) discount furniture (Minnesota) etc. Games on Fox, ESPN and MLB don’t tend to run a lot of Extendze commercials.
AY
I’m Giuseppe Franco, I watched a game yesterday!
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 5, 2011 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Bud Selig?
Has anyone been disciplined for gambling since Bart Giamatti died?
May 29, 2010: Steven Revetria becomes Giants General Manager. The rest is history.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
Bandwagons are fun- that's why people get on them in the first place.
by natteringnabob on Aug 4, 2011 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
This is stupid
The commissioner couldnt be at The Stadium for Jete’s 3K, but they are going to get up A Rods ass about what he does in his free time with hollywood people? Didnt MJ used to stay up all night at casinos? No one grilled or suspended him. They just talked about how competitive he was.
May Doug Marrone bless you and keep you.
Oh, Jordan was definitely grilled.
Here’s a link on another take.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/131997-mjs-1st-retirement-was-it-a-secret-suspension
I bet it's good to be playing again, huh?
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