A-Rod Caught Traveling With Banned Mule Cousin
Via Mark Feinsand -
Major League Baseball is once again investigating Alex Rodriguez’s relationship with the cousin he admitted two years ago was his steroid mule.
According to a team source, Rodriguez’s cousin, Yuri Sucart, is again traveling with Rodriguez on some road trips, despite being banned by the Yankees from any team-related function or facility. That edict followed A-Rod’s 2009 claim that Sucart provided and injected him with performance-enhancing drugs. Sucart, wearing a Yankee hooded sweatshirt, was spotted at the team’s St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco Tuesday night after the middle game of the Bombers’ series with Oakland. The source also said Sucart has accompanied A-Rod on road trips this year and even last season.
Sucart was spotted chauffeuring A-Rod around in spring training in ’09, prompting the Yankees to ban Sucart from team flights, buses and in restricted areas at stadiums and spring training sites.
“We have been in contact with the Yankees about this matter,” Rob Manfred, baseball’s executive VP of labor relations, told the Daily News Wednesday. “We are looking into it.”
Major League Baseball instituted its own ban of personal trainers and non-team employees before the 2003 season – in part as a security measure in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and in part because clubhouses were rife with personal trainers and hangers-on. The ban does not extend to team hotels nor does it prevent people such as Sucart from purchasing a ticket to a game and watching as a spectator.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman would not comment on the matter when reached at his Stadium office Wednesday.
A-Rod needs a “go-fer.” I get that – especially in today’s paparazzi times. Heck, this is nothing new, actually. Even Dracula needed Reinfeld.
And, A-Rod wants to help his primo by giving him a job – especially after Alex threw him under the bus with the Selena Roberts thing. I get that too.
But, dude, buy your cousin a frozen banana stand on the boardwalk so that he can pay his bills. And, hire someone else to be your butler. This move, of using Yuri Sucart, is just plain stupid.
And, it’s, once again, A-Rod thinking that he’s so big that the rules don’t apply to him – even when the rules were written for him. Gosh, I will celebrate the day this hiney-clown is no longer a member of the New York Yankees.
My first thought was originally that it’s an absolutely stupid move by A-Rod to keep a member of his family close to him with controversial ties, but…
Two things about this story made me question:
1) The source said that his cousin occupied him on road trips as far back as last season. Well… if this was true, why is this story coming out NOW instead of last season? The timing seems a bit odd.
2) Where do the Yankees fall on this? You got a cousin of a player who is a center of controversy who apparently has been around for the last two seasons. Where is the discipline from the top down?
It just seems ridiculous that an organization like the Yankees who are so image-conscious would continue to allow Yuri to come along. It just doesn’t make sense.
And just yesterday there were a few commenters going off on Jeter’s attitude, how much A-Rod has changed with the media and his ability to find humor in being one of the most overrated players in baseball, and how Jeter was just a pisser about it all.
I’ll just sit back, watch all the genuflecting of A-Rod and see how people go off on your opinion of him, Steve. You know nothing gets the fan-base going more than A-Rod, he’s the best baseball talent and we just don’t appreciate it. I can see that being the case from 1996 – 2003, but that also covered his steroid years. Which, btw, I could care less but it always cracks me up how Jeter is always painted as the bad guy for some. I guess Jeter should kiss mirror images of himself, I mean, if there’s anyone who should be kissing his “polished” image is Jeter (as well as Mo).
Wasn’t his cousin the one who injected him too? Wasn’t he in an awful slump a few weeks ago? When did his cousin start traveling with him? All questions I have.
@ Brent:
All good points, it does seem ridiculous but the root of the problem is still Alex thinking it’s a good idea to even be seen with his cousin – let alone keeping him around on road trips. If this is all true, what the heck is he thinking?
YankCrank wrote:
Ridiculous thought of the day: maybe Yuri has some legitimate blackmail on A-Rod that could cut deeper than the steroid/cheating scandals he has already endured. It’s the only thing that has even the remote possibility of being true because anything else? I don’t see any other good reasons. It’s stupid.
Brent wrote:
And your first thought is probably right.
YankCrank wrote:
He probably couldn’t care less.
As for the steroids angle, you’d have to be incredibly naive to think that Yuri Sucart would be the only person who could or would be able to provide PED’s to Rodrigugez.
Garcia wrote:
On B&C on WFAN this AM, they were saying something like “He’s hitting .390 since the cousin showed up.” No idea is this is true or not.
Raf wrote:
Agreed. But, then again, someone in A-Rod’s position would need someone who he trusts 1,000,000% to score and inject him. See: Clemens, Roger. You never know when your injector will turn on you. And, Sucart could have easily made some $ off this when the Roberts story broke. But, he pulled a Greg Anderson and said nada – even when he was reportedly broke. A-Rod knows that he can trust his primo more than anyone. So, it would make sense that Sucart would be his first choice for this – even ‘tho there may be some others who could supply and be willing to inject him.
It’s been at least 5 hours since this story broke and it’s amazing how many of the “Pollyanna Yankees Blogs” have no mention of it. I just checked three of the usual suspects and they have no post on it yet. Yankees Blinders, indeed.
Raf wrote:
Absolutely correct. My only point is whether Yuri was actually giving him PEDs on these road trips or not – pure speculation on our part – Alex just can’t have this guy around anymore and should understand that. The Yankees banned him, Alex labeled him his PED supplier, so why even be seen with him in public? He may not care, but he should.
I remember when the story of Alex using PEDs first came out, and I said Alex had around 8-9 years to be a model citizen, play great baseball, win a championship or two and bury the PED story in his legacy if he wants a chance for the Hall of Fame. Stuff like this doesn’t help his case.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Yankees Blinders, Yankees Crosshairs. Both extremes are terrible.
@ Garcia sez: “And just yesterday there were a few commenters going off on Jeter’s attitude, how much A-Rod has changed with the media and his ability to find humor in being one of the most overrated players in baseball, and how Jeter was just a pisser about it all.”
Well, he was. Jeter whined about the SI list like a guy with no sense of humor. Nobody else made as big a stink about the list than he did. Not even Jonathan Papelbon. I know that comes as a shock to those of you who, to use your word, “genuflect” at the feet of Jeter, but it’s true.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
There is no one worth trusting, because there is always the risk that sometime down the line that they’d turn on you.
Having said that, I find it hard to believe that other players (Manny, Papi) wouldn’t recommend someone else to Rodriguez, if he really wanted someone.
Sutcart being broke in the DR isn’t the same as being broke here and if his services were even 1/2 of what was presented, there was or is only a matter of time before someone hires him; IOW, he won’t be broke for long. There are plenty of players on the island that would look for an edge; remember there are STILL players who are failing the tests.
There’s so much that doesn’t make sense, but don’t underestimate the family angle.
G.I. Joey wrote:
Yes, they are two extremes. But, one ignores the truth and the other focuses in on the truth. So, I would agree that the former is terrible. But, the latter is only terrible if you can’t handle the truth.
lisaswan wrote:
You go beyond genuflecting with A-Rod, you are more like Baghdad Bob.
YankCrank wrote:
He could be a model citizen, it wouldn’t matter. Remember that Rodriguez catches flack for the most mundane things; sunbathing in central park and getting fed popcorn by his gf are a couple of examples.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Not quite. Either approach uses selective interpretations. Blinders or crosshairs, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Maybe, maybe not, but streaks and slumps happen during the course of a season.
Raf wrote:
Case in point, compare and contrast the private and public images of Kirby Puckett. Had he been less willing to “play ball” with the media, do you think that they would’ve “exposed” him sooner?
Garcia wrote:
Oh please. Get over yourself, and try to conduct an argument without name-calling. I never said ONE WORD ABOUT A-ROD in this thread. All I pointed out was that Jeter was extremely humorless in his reaction to the SI list, which YOU BROUGHT UP in the first place. Your name-calling is unwarranted.
@ lisaswan:
FYI, I have personal friends who read this blog and the comments left here. But, they never comment at the blog. And, these friends, when we get together, sometimes like to talk about what they’ve read here.
It usually goes something like “I saw what you wrote about [insert name of player]. They were getting on you pretty good about that one. What’s the problem with [insert name of comment maker]? Are they an asshole, or, just insane?”
And, FWIW, on more than one occassion, one of these friends has said to me (something like) “Who’s that Lisa Swan? What is she, sleeping with A-Rod? Or, does she just have his posters all over her bedroom walls?”
Now, when they bring this up, I do mention that I know you, you’re OK, and just a passionate Yankees fan, etc.
But, I do want to share this as an FYI, that, based on comments you have left here, there are people in the general public who see you as a major A-Rod genuflector, FWIW.
lisaswan wrote:
Baghdad Bob had shirts made in his honor. He’s a beloved figure and has a favorable q-rating. I don’t see how this is name calling, nor do I see how this offensive. I just see it as relevant, and it applies with how you and others view A-Rod — he’s great, we are just too dumb to see his greatness, and the media hates him.
My opinion of him is as follows: he’s an above average baseball player now, he was great at one point in his career, but he’s hardly someone that’s mentioned in the great category any longer. Been a few years since that, unless you count this year’s MVP spring training stats.
He’s very needy, but in between the lines he runs hard all the time, he plays hard and he’s a hard worker. I respect that. Most of the criticism he gets is warranted, lately he’s been better, but for the most part his time here has been a circus. A lot of that IS his own doing, except, of course, for his ability to laugh at himself and add levity when it comes to being considered overrated by other MLB players. I guess that’s a great reason to bash Jeter. Not! BTW, that stupid SI poll is stupid, I could care less about it. However, I thought it was comical how it was used to bash Jeter.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Steve, I appreciate your response. But I cannot take the opinions seriously of any reader who would say something like “Who’s that Lisa Swan? What is she, sleeping with A-Rod? Or, does she just have his posters all over her bedroom walls?” It’s pretty sexist and frankly offensive, IMHO. If somebody thinks I’m too pro A-Rod, fine, but don’t bring my gender into it.
Garcia wrote:
As Judge Judy would say, don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
lisaswan wrote:
Is “Judge Judy” what they refer to as the rear part of the centaur now?
As per the Star-Ledger/ESPNNewYork.com:
“Major League Baseball told ESPNNewYork.com that a reported sighting of Alex Rodriguez’s cousin, Yuri Sucart, at a team hotel in San Francisco did not violate the terms of Sucart’s ban from restricted team areas imposed by the Yankees.”
So basically, he’s just stupid, not breaking the rules or thinking that the rules don’t apply to him.
@ Brent:
But, the DN said: According to a team source, Rodriguez’s cousin, Yuri Sucart, is again traveling with Rodriguez on some road trips, despite being banned by the Yankees from any team-related function or facility.
Is not the hotel that the team is staying at considered a “team-related facility”? The Yankees are footing the bill for the players there, no?
@ Brent:
@ Steve Lombardi:
I think “restricted team areas” may be places where you normally wouldn’t find the general public; clubhouses, the field, team charters, etc
And another thing (or two)…. We are back in first place… On a four game winning streak…. Heading into series with LAAAAA and then the Tribe who are both playing ~ .500 ball lately…. Jeter is squaring up the ball better… Botox just dropped 4 in a row including home games…. The pitching staff looks 100% better than we feared going into the season…. Gardner is stealing bases again (Jeter too)… Colon is like a Phoenix, rising from Arizona…. Granderson is playing better than we could have hoped for…. AJ hasn’t had a black eye so far this season… Tex and Cano have been producing better… We are regularly scoring early in games… There is even a slight glimmer out of Swisher’s bat….
Okay, if A-Rod starts driving the ball better and Posada, now a platoon DH, swings the bat better we’d be rolling.
@ Raf:
@ Steve Lombardi:
I would think the same as Raf. To further MLB’s statement from ESPNNewYork.com:
“All we can do is control his access to areas that [MLB] or the team control. We will stay in touch with the Yankees to make sure that prohibition is being respected. A hotel lobby is a public place; there is nothing we can do.”
Just going to pass on the article I’m referencing to: http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6618321
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Then I only have one question for you Steve, did you order the code red?!?
MLB and Cashman say case closed and not an issue. Sucart can’t travel on team planes, buses or be in non-public areas of stadiums but no other restrictions apply.
A-Rod has never been praised for his intelligence and good judgment. He’s a fool to drag this cousin around with him in view of their shared history. BUT that does not necessarily mean they have reverted to their former ways.
If he just wants to make up for throwing the guy under the bus and leaving him behind broke, unemployed and foreclosed on, someone needs to break it to this very dim bulb that the same money he spends on flights and hotels for his cousin would support the guy comfortably in the Dominican.
cr1 wrote:
True. Unless, of course, there’s something more sinister involved here. Like PEDs and needles and everything nice. Not that I care about that stuff, if the Yanks win and A-Rod’s scrotum sack reduces to the size of a pea then I seriously hope all the galaxies will align and bless his heart.
I seriously wish A-Rod all the best, I don’t think he’s a bad guy at all, just a very complex person
throwstrikes wrote:
But, is Cashman and the Yankees happy with A-Rod for bringing cause for all this to become an issue that warranted looking into?
G.I. Joey wrote:
LOL.
@ Garcia:
I’ve wished the fool extremely well since the day he started wearing the Yankees laundry and will continue to do so as long as he sports it. Beyond that he is of no interest to me except in the very general sense of being a fellow human being as such worthy of the same broad good-will as any other of our species.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Make that 9 hours now…and counting. Amazing.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
If MLB and the GM says it’s not an issue then the issues lie with the newspapers for trying to make it an issue.
If anything, guess this means it’s time to put away the torches and pitchforks, until next time. Move along, nothing to see here.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
I don’t know if they count as “Pollyanna Yankees Blogs” but The Captains Blog, Replacement Level Yankees Weblog and Bronx Banter don’t have any mention.
Perhaps the other “Pollyannas” were just smart enough to realize that A-Rod being seen with his cousin on Tuesday night and not reported on until Thursday morning is something to fill dead space on an off day rather than real breaking news?
throwstrikes wrote:
That’s the most logical thing written in this entire thread.
Of course, the Pollyannas Fanboys would be supportive of the Pollyannas Yankees Blogs call to wear blinders on this news item. I get that. Much more easier on the eyes and heart to discuss anything other than something that paints Lord A-Rod as being a fool.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Which would be fine, except
Pete Caldera wrote:
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Thank God we have you to save us from all the idiots out there. At least we know that we can come here and get completely unbiased, honest, factual and straight-forward information. No sticking our heads in the sand or circular logic, target moving, or strawman arguments. Ever.
Steve, you’re a good guy but this is just ridiculous. For a guy that admires the quiet leadership and non-showboating ethos of a Thurman Munson, this comment is anything but.
At any rate, it’s only a matter of time before Rodriguez finds himself back in the news.
Raf wrote:
For putting ketchup instead of mustard on his hot dog. Oh, the horror!
Pollyanna Beat Writer….
eboland11 At the heart of this A-Rod/Sucart story is the classic slippery slope fallacy. Cousin’s presence=PEDs. C’mon, think people
@ throwstrikes:
Just to clarify for those that don’t know, “eboland11″ is Erik Boland of New York Newsday.
Glad to see that at least one person in the traditionally dense media made a point that was the opposite of a rush to judgement.
@ lisaswan: “Jeter whined about the SI list like a guy with no sense of humor. Nobody else made as big a stink about the list than he did. Not even Jonathan Papelbon. I know that comes as a shock to those of you who, to use your word, “genuflect” at the feet of Jeter, but it’s true.”
Lisa, will you pls provide a link(s) to Jeter Making “a big stink” about the SI list?
This is yet another lets bash A-roid for nothing story.
The cousin hasn’t been in the clubhouses, on the field or any other “baseball” facility.
MLB executive vice president of player relations Rob Manfred said “We’ve talked to the Yankees and they’ve assured us the prohibition has been respected.”
There is no way MLB can control the hotel or where A-Roid wants to hang out with his FAMILY.
I was going to comment on this, but everything I would’ve said has been said by someone, and events outstripped the need to say anything…
…well, it’s possible A-Rod’s paying Yuri a lot of money because he owes him big time for standing there and taking the hit when A-Rod put the blame on him as his supplier in his steroid confession, or, possibly, to keep Yuri quiet about other things, worse things he might know that haven’t been revealed publicly yet. But this is sheer speculation on my part, attempting to invent a reason for what would seem to be yet another p.r. mistake by A-Rod.
In any event, MLB has investigated and it satisfied, the Yankees have no objections, so as far as I’m concerned, this is now a non-issue.
redbug wrote:
From http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110531&content_id=19840146¬ebook_id=19840926&vkey=notebook_nyy&c_id=nyy:
Jeter — who coincidentally was SI’s Sportsman of the Year two years ago — was clearly not amused by the magazine’s suggestion.
“We’re doing this again? I’m focused on more positive things,” said Jeter, who added that he did not participate. “I’ve never understood those anonymous polls.”
@ Brent:“We’re doing this again? I’m focused on more positive things,” said Jeter, who added that he did not participate. “I’ve never understood those anonymous polls.”
Unless someone can cite something else Jeter said, this doesn’t amount to “Jeter whined about the SI list like a guy with no sense of humor. Nobody else made as big a stink” as Lisaswan wrote.
redbug wrote:
Agree, 100%. It’s laughable that the Fans of A-Rod Club consider this to be “whining.”
Steve Lombardi wrote:
What’s laughable is that you infer that it’s A-Rod fans who consider this to be whining. Being an A-Rod fan has nothing to do with Jeter and vice versa.
Whatever Lisa may or may not be with respect to Alex Rodriguez has no impact on her interpretation of Derek Jeter. That you automatically rush to marginalize one’s viewpoint in that condescending manner of yours is reprehensible.
And, finally, Rodriguez’s and Chamberlain’s somewhat lighter and humorous tone regarding the SI poll do stand in contrast to Jeter’s comments on the subject. Whether he was “whining” or not, I can’t say for sure because I didn’t hear the tone of his voice. But between laughing something off and Jeter’s more curt response, it’s hard not to at least interpret a more palpable sense of irritation on Jeter’s part.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Um, no. I know that the Derek-wearing blinders of the Fans of Jeter Club would like pretend that their guy never says anything imperfect.
But Jeter, unlike everybody else who was named, was not amused, as a quick Google search shows (or, for that matter, a quick look at my blog would show, as I wrote about the story — http://subwaysquawkers.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-i-find-overrated-baseball-players.html)
Here are some tidbits from Newsday:
http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=BCEA28EAAC276C7F5E9A.3083?site=newsday&view=sports_item&feed:a=newsday_5min&feed:c=sports&feed:i=1.2917762&part=0
Jeter was not close to being amused.
“We’re doing this again?” he said. “I have no comment on anonymous polls. I’ve never understood those anonymous polls.”
He added: “It’s the same thing they do every year, right? I’m focused on more positive things. How about that? There’s your quote.”
Discussing his chase of 3,000 hits later on, Jeter amended that.
“Consistency is underrated,” he said, putting emphasis on “underrated.” “That’s the quote.”
* * *
Jeter did say one funny thing: it is amusing to see a hitter who has been anything but consistent over the past year when it comes to his career numbers talk about consistency.
lisa, I “agree” that’s just awful and beyond the pale by Jeter. Where have all the good SS gone? Like the ones that get massive amounts of money from a team, feel “pressure” to perform and live-up to said contract by then injecting themselves with PED*. I wish I had a guy like that, at the very least their numbers would remain “consistent” and get better over time.
*I really don’t care about PED, but I do find it hilarious that Jeter kicked Lisa’s dog. I still don’t see her point, but she’s bothered by Jeter so that must mean the sun came out today. Ho-hum!
@ Garcia: Ahem. Earlier in the thread, Redbug specifically asked me to provide the actual Jeter quotes. That’s what I did. If you have an issue with me doing that, take it up with Redbug.
.@ lisaswan:
Thanks for replying to my request Lisa.
I think the fact that I remain a fan of Jeter’s (have been since ’96), I don’t see his comments as whinning. Perhaps those who aren’t fans read the same words see it as such.
redbug wrote:
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure it has to do with being a fan or not being a fan. Perhaps “whining” is not the right term but I do think (as I said above):
MJ Recanati wrote:
It’s not hard to make the leap that this topic irked Jeter to the point of a less-than-amused reply. Now, that’s not to say that two separate individuals have to reply to the same question in the exact same way. Rodriguez and Chamberlain chose to respond with humor and levity and Jeter chose to respond with mild exasperation and a somewhat tart comment about consistency. The latter, when contrasted with the former, does lead one to believe that Jeter took the SI poll a little more personally than he probably should have. That doesn’t make him a bad person and no one has insulted his character for pointing out the difference between the two.