MLB drops lawsuit against Biogenesis

[#tamale]

Per ESPN:

MIAMI -- Major League Baseball has withdrawn its lawsuit against a defunct Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of the scandal involving use of banned substances by players, including New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.


A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances.

Fourteen players associated with the Coral Gables clinic were disciplined by MLB, including a season-long 2014 suspension imposed on Rodriguez. The Yankees star recently dropped his lawsuit against MLB and agreed to serve the suspension.

Although the lawsuit sought unspecified money damages, it also provided MLB a way to subpoena clinic records.

I have two thoughts about this:

1.) Selig doesn’t want this lawsuit hovering over the upcoming baseball season. It already took away the attention from the 2013 MLB season.

2.) Whatever your feelings are about Alex Rodriguez, this was Selig going to make an example out of him.

Braun would have been as well, but his credibility is dead after pleading his innocence, was caught lying, and decided to make a deal to lessen the blow. A-Rod stood defiant against Selig and Selig wanted to flex his muscle. Selig went blind with McGwire and Sosa, was late on Bonds, had the Mitchell Report, and many other steroid related scandals.

He wanted at least one win for his legacy, and while this may be a win for him, it still doesn’t change the fact that the sports world will continue to view him as the incompetent commissioner during an era where he looked the other way while this was going on and when he decided to go after it, he was a day late and a dollar short.

Do you feel Selig’s legacy is improved after this investigation? Do you think Selig finally found someone to make an example out of this situation? Will this improve the public perception of MLB and it’s players?

 

[Akhilleus]

Not sure how I feel about this. I didn't have anything wrong with the lawsuit, but I agree with you that Selig probably doesn't want this hovering over the season. It isn't a bad move in that case to just let it go and move on. It is his last year after all so why even worry about it? My feelings on A-Rod. I never cared for the guy at all, and it was actually sort of funny to watch this. At the same time the investigation did seem to get out of hand at times and I almost pitied him at certain points of it. The MLB was coming down very hard on all of them, but it's because like you said they had to make an example out of someone. With Braun taking the banker's deal and accepting his defeat, A-Rod didn't. Did he deserve the suspension, yeah I would say in the end he did. Yet the witch hunt just seemed like it went too far, and that's my opinion on it all.

I don't think Bud Selig's "legacy" has changed either way. He's done so much in a positive way for the game of baseball. He is the exact contrast of Roger Goodell. Selig has changed the game for the better, and Baseball has surely improved since he took over as commissioner in 1998. He put meaning into the All-Star game by having the winner get home field advantage for the World Series. He worked in inter league play. Created Jackie Robinson day, brought in the second wild card team for the playoffs, and the most important one was finally introduced a full instant replay system effective this 2014 season.

The man is probably the only active commissioner that I respect right now. I hate Roger Goodell, and I'm not a big fan of David Stern either. I can't speak for Hockey, although the guy did just let a lockout happen a year ago so points get taken away just for that. Selig was great to me, and I hope someone just as good takes his place and not someone who's related to Roger Goodell or something.