Dan:

I feel bad for Alex Rodriguez.

Actually, let me clarify that, just to avoid any confusion. First, understand this: I despise Alex Rodriguez. DESPISE him. I despise him for having his separate area for A-Rod merchandising at the Texas Rangers spring training camp. For begging out on his team (the Rangers), then saying he wanted to remain with the Rangers at a press conference where he was named team captain — mere days before asking for and receiving a trade to the Yankees. I despise him for his obsession with Jeter. I despise him for his bush-league antics, like yelling when opponents are trying to catch a pop-up, or pointing at where the outfielders are when he’s on second, or slapping a ball away when he’s running to first. I despise him for screaming at Bronson Arroyo about being hit by a pitch — a frigging BREAKING ball. I despise him for backing out of his contract, and announcing it in the middle of a World Series game — a game in which he was supposed to be there to honor Hank Aaron, but for some reason couldn’t make it. He’s a fake, a phony, a complete and utter dirtbag.

All of which leaves me confused as to why, on the day he takes the mantle as Baseball’s Ultimate Villain, I feel sympathy for him when I should be rejoicing. It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s true.

I feel bad for Alex Rodriguez.

I’ve been shocked at the number of top columnists who have jumped on A-Rod about the steroid scandal. Yeah, we all love to hate A-Rod. But, really, this isn’t his fault. Who can blame A-Rod? How can you blame a guy who in the late 1990s was perhaps the most talented player in the game (or at least in the Top 3 at the time), who was watching all these other players using steroids and getting all the glory. How can such a highly competitive individual so close to the cusp of all-time greatness not use steroids? We all like to be holier-than-thou, but almost all of us would make the same decision A-Rod would.

And that is why I can’t understand how the best baseball writers in the country are beating on A-Rod. They are saying he has soiled the game; ruined it. That he has ruined his legacy, and he deserves the hate. I wish I could feel that way, I really do. I jumped for joy when the report came out. But now, I feel bad for A-Rod. He doesn’t deserve this. It’s not his fault. There are people who deserve this; people who really are responsible for the Steroid Era and how it has soiled the game. And those people’s names are Bud Selig, Don Fehr and Gene Orza.

In case you haven’t heard, Bud Selig makes more than $17 million a year to be baseball’s commissioner. That’s more than all but the very elite players in the game. But at least those players get that money because of their effective performance. I’ve chronicled Selig’s many failures in this blog before, and I won’t rehash it here. But understand that memoes have shown the commissioner’s office was aware of a steroid problem in baseball as early as 1993, and chose not to take it seriously. When records were being trounced in the late-1990s, Selig chose to look away and let the sport reap the cash rewards instead of doing the one job at the heart of the position of baseball commissioner: Protect the integrity of the game. He failed miserably at that, and he failed at that on purpose. He knew of the problem and chose to look away while the game and its most hallowed records were soiled. For failing so horribly to protect the integrity of the game, Selig is certainly the worst commissioner in baseball’s history, and he should be fired. Of course, his cohorts — baseball owners — would never do that.

But Selig isn’t the only one at fault. Fehr, Orza and the rest of the Players’ Union is to blame. They knew – without a doubt — about the steroid problem, and chose not to act. Instead, they actually worked to keep steroids in the game. Former Rangers pitcher Rick Helling told the Players’ Union they needed to do something about steroids. He told them that in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. The Union ignored him. They then went on to try everything in their power to protect the use of steroids in the game, from fighting every effort at testing, to allegedly even tipping-off players about when they might be tested (reports are Orza may have tipped-off A-Rod about a test in 2004).

Of course, while the Union fought testing, Selig provided no leadership. He might argue that it would have taken a strike, and baseball couldn’t survive another strike. Well, he could have at least yelled and screamed about it, instead of remaining silent. And if it takes a strike to weaken the union, then that is what baseball needed to do and should do. Have a lock-out, bring in scabs, whatever baseball needs to do to protect the game. Baseball can survive another strike. Baseball fans love baseball, and they’ll always come back eventually. Baseball will survive strikes, and it will survive the Steroid Era . . . but it will be tainted forever.