A-Rod May Never Wear Pinstripes Again, Says Daily News

I don't know if this is a story or not. I don't think it really is, but it's out there and so we might as well talk about it: in a Daily News story by Bill Madden, Christian Red, and Teri Thompson, "sources" say that:

Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to ever wear the pinstripes again, sources familiar with the Yankees' situation with their troubled third baseman told the Daily News, no matter what happens regarding new allegations that he is again involved with performance-enhancing drugs.

According to numerous baseball sources, the hip surgery Rodriguez is now recovering from will likely derail his playing career, leaving him in such a diminished role that he may consider a settlement or an outright retirement. He still has five years and $114 million left on his contract.

This comes just after the doctors involved in Rodriguez's surgery said that the hip wasn't as bad as initially thought, so either (a) the doctor lied, or (b) the "baseball sources" quoted here are not in a position to know and this is just a lot of air.

It does seem reasonable that Rodriguez would be significantly debilitated at this point. Scratch that: just look at his stats and playing time and you will see that he is significantly debilitated. I made this same point just a couple of days go. However, it's a big hobble on crutches from there to "Rodriguez will never be back." All of the scenarios suggested in the article require that the medical reports were significantly wrong or that rehab proves to be impossible, that the commissioner oversteps his bounds in punishing Rodriguez, or Rodriguez just says, "I'm taking my ball and going home" either because he's tired of being hated or can't play up to his old abilities, Joe DiMaggio style.

...Or perhaps the Contract Fairy can void Rodriguez's contract. I would not advise you to place your bets on any of these things happening.