Day two of the pitchers and catchers portion of Spring Training saw the arrival of Francisco Rodriguez, or K-Rod, as he is commonly known. The first thing on K-Rod's agenda was to express his remorse over his assault incident last August.
As a result, he lost $3.1 million of his salary, had to have thumb surgery for his injury in the incident and had to undergo anger management as a result of his plea bargain in order to avoid jail time.
He has paid a high price for just a few minutes of stupidity. Whether it was deserved is not what I wish to debate. The real question is simple: Was it worth it for him? According to him, no.
“I’m going to have to be realistic: It’s a very unfortunate situation I put myself in,” said Rodriguez, who had not been in Mets apparel since appearing in an Aug. 14 game, then undergoing surgery to repair a torn right thumb ligament suffered in the incident. “Obviously I regret [it] a thousand percent. But I’ve got to move on. I’ve got to learn from those mistakes. It made me grow up more as a human being. I’m truly sorry for the way I put my teammates, the Mets organization, the fans, in that spot.”
He has endured public ridicule and career exile for a temper tantrum. He knows he is wrong and he admits it to that effect. He has stated how he was in the wrong, and how if he could do it again, he wouldn't. That is the true definition of remorse and repentance.
The next logical question is just as simple. It concerns whether or not the same team, organization and fans that he was so remorseful towards are ready to forgive him and accept him back as a vital part of the clubhouse?
The answer to that is not so simplistic. It exists in three parts: the team, the organization and the fans. First, the team. The players seem more than willing to stand up for him and accept him back.
They have proven on several occasions (Oliver Perez's refusal of accepting demotion and Carlos Beltran's no-show at the 911 fire station last year among other examples) that they turn a blind eye toward this type of thing eventually. In sports, athletes have to have short-term memories.
From their own in-game blunders to major off-field issues that breach the harmony in the locker room, they have to accept faults and move on without a trace of them in their collective memories.
Otherwise, they will hold on to those issues. Then the issues will burn inside of each player and cause a division in the clubhouse. A team divided is a team that is destined to lose. The players have an obligation to one another to forgive K-Rod and move on from it.
Next, the organization. The Mets franchise has invested a lot of money ($37 million for three years) in Rodriguez over the past few seasons. It also will have more money ($17.5 million) invested in him if he pitches in 55 games.
The Mets have spent too much on him to give up on him now. From a monetary standpoint, they need him. Not just for what they have spent on him, but for what he can help them earn. If he has a good, healthy season, he is worth at least 45 to 55 saves. That means the team is winning.
That would mean that the team is in contention throughout the season and that means happy fans. Happy fans spend more money and go to more games. That is the ultimate desired effect for the franchise. His acceptance is a necessity for the organization. But that acceptance only comes with the stipulation of his added success.
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