New York Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez, arguably the most famous baseball player in the Major League and definitely the highest paid with a $275 million 10-year contract was reported engaging in high stakes poker games with well-known celebrities that included Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Reports surfaced last week that Rodriguez was involved in poker games in Beverly Hills in 2009 in which hundreds of thousands of dollars changed hands, cocaine was openly used and a fight broke out over unpaid debts. However, a poker pro said Rodriguez was not there because he was playing in the World Series at the time.
On the surface, playing straight poker doesn’t seem all the bad, but the other allegations complicate the matter. Those reports and the fact that a high profile athlete like Alex Rodriguez with his history of bad behaviour and negative publicity, such as steroid use, are expected to keep their noses clean. Rodriguez, whose baseball nickname is A-Rod, and maybe that is his poker nickname also, is currently under review and a suspension has been talked about but recent reports from sports news sources like ESPN say it is unlikely.
A-Rod is currently in recovery from knee surgery undergone on July 7 due to a torn meniscus which has kept him on the bench and away from the action. Unless there are any further health or poker related setbacks, Rodriguez is expected to make a comeback to baseball within the next few weeks.
