I like Nelson Cruz. As a player, obviously. But also as a clubhouse character.
In March 2012 I was in the Rangers' clubhouse in Surprise, Arizona on the morning of Yu Darvish's first MLB Spring Training outing in nearby Peoria.
"Can't wait. Very exciting," Cruz said with a twinkle in his eye, "It's gonna be like ... China
Town!"
Don't worry about the fact that Cruz screwed up his geography - Darvish, of course, is half-Iranian, half-Japanese - he's at times just a fun-lovin' kid merely playing a game.
He's also, no way around it, the author of two of the biggest mistakes in Rangers' franchise history.
In November 2011 he misplayed David Freese's fly ball to right field, costing Texas the World Series. And in August of 2013 he received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball for knowingly taking steroids.
He's a cheater.
A liar.
And - being that Cruz is the team's best power hitter and his actions have ended his regular season - he's severely jeopardizing the Rangers' 2013 playoff push.
But in baseball's Steroid Era that is now officially harder to kill than Freddy Krueger, are we eagerly willing to shrug our shoulders, forgive, forget and cheer his next at-bat in a Rangers' uniform - which would come in an October playoff game?
Despite the ugly facts, I
think know we are.
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After beating the Angels last night to climb within two games of the A's in the AL West, Cruz's abandoned teammates talked of the slugger as a "great teammate." Said outfielder Craig Gentry, one of the many who will attempt to take up the slack left by Cruz' departure, "We know where his heart is."
Do we?
According to the original story detailing the business dealings of the south Florida anti-aging clinic Biogenesis -
broken by the Miami New Times in January - Cruz was a customer that went by "Mohamad" and bought $4,000 worth of "product" from center director Anthony Bosch.
And, after the story went viral, Cruz - through his law firm - called the story bullshit.
"We are aware of certain allegations and inferences," read a statement released by Farrell & Reisinger in Febuary. "To the extent these allegations and inferences refer to Nelson, they are denied."
No, actually they've now all been confirmed. And, when caught red-handed and now punished along with a dozen other players including Alex Rodriguez, now Cruz is, um, being inconsistent yet again. Unless I'm reading his Monday statement wrong, he's using an illness as an excuse while claiming he's not using the illness as an excuse.
Right?
I
have been notified by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball that I have
been suspended for 50 games for violation of the Joint Drug Agreement. I have
decided to accept this suspension and not exercise my rights under the Basic
Agreement to appeal. From November, 2011 to January, 2012, I was seriously ill
with a gastrointestinal infection, helicobacter pylori, which went undiagnosed
for over a month. By the time I was properly diagnosed and treated, I had lost
40 pounds. Just weeks before I was to report to spring training in 2012, I was
unsure whether I would be physically able to play. Faced with this situation, I
made an error in judgment that I deeply regret, and I accept full
responsibility for that error. I should have handled the situation differently,
and my illness was no excuse. I am thankful for the unwavering support of my
family, friends, and teammates during this difficult time. I look forward to
regaining the trust and respect of the Rangers organization, my teammates, and
the great Rangers' fans, and I am grateful for the opportunity to rejoin the
team for the playoffs.
If the Rangers somehow sneak into the post-season, they'd be eligible to bring back Cruz, their biggest bat. If they miss the playoffs, Cruz becomes a free agent who may have played his last game in a Rangers' uniform.
Cruz is light years from the fraud A-Rod's handling of the whole ordeal. But still, the fun-lovin' kid with the shady geography has been replaced by a liar and a cheater and, perhaps, a
former Ranger.
And to think, this whole steroid shitstorm began
15 summers ago when a reporter spotted a bottle of Andro in Mark McGwire's locker. Baseball is still taking steps to recover, but evidenced by Cruz, et al, it ain't healed yet.
