A-Rod gives Hall voters more food for thought

The more Alex Rodriguez tears up pitching in these baseball playoffs, the more he assumes a position as the classic steroids test case in this way:

How much will others forgive?

The numbers never are going to matter for some who cast Hall of Fame ballots. Rodriguez could lead the Yankees to world championships in each of the next five or six seasons, and some voters only will remember his nationally televised admittance to using the sort of juice Ocean Spray doesn't manufacture.

Some never will grant him pardon, and that is their right. He cheated. There is no gray area to it.

But he is 34. You have to figure if Rodriguez keeps his body fit and nose clean while his career creeps toward the neighborhood of 2014, the historic statistics he is capable of generating will cause many to think twice about denying him a Hall of Fame plaque. He is playing today and beyond for those middle-ground voters not yet convinced either way on his potential inclusion.

Think about it: Rodriguez is 180 home runs from breaking the all-time mark of Barry Bonds, 592 RBIs from overtaking Hank Aaron and 613 runs from passing Rickey Henderson. They all are attainable marks if he stays healthy and continues to date Kate Hudson, because the last time someone had this much influence on one of the Yankees' best hitters, George Costanza was giving pointers to Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams.

Whatever her magic, Hudson should bottle and sell it. I'm sure most teams would pay top dollar, though the Pirates probably would trade it before taking advantage of its worth.

"The Hall of Fame is always going to be problematic (for Rodriguez)," said Tim Sullivan, sports columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune and Hall of Fame voter from 1991 to 2005. "We have an evolving standard. It will be interesting in the next few years, as (Sammy) Sosa and (Rafael) Palmeiro and others become eligible, to see if there is any shift in sentiment. One advantage A-Rod has over those guys is that he is still playing and has a chance to rebuild his reputation while he is still pretty close to his competitive peak.

"If he (retires) with most of the significant records in the game and he is six, seven years between the steroids stuff, how forgiving people will be. ... I can't answer that, but I think as the years go by, it becomes clear that virtually an entire generation of players are tainted, and there could be some softening (with voters). If he owns all the all-time records, it's going to be hard to say he doesn't belong except for (steroids)."

Sullivan notes that one of the more interesting story lines to these playoffs has been how the media perceives Rodriguez and his torrid hitting: not as a feature character in baseball's detailed steroids story but rather as a guy who has overcome what was a lethal case of October futility.

On its face, a .299 career postseason average with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs in 174 at-bats hardly is a forgettable effort. But when you take away the last several weeks, you realize how bad Rodriguez was in previous playoff seasons with New York.

He hit .133 against the Angels in 2005, .071 against the Tigers in '06 and .267 against the Indians in '07. He totaled one home run and one RBI in those three series, all of which the Yankees lost. It doesn't seem that long ago when Joe Torre dropped Rodriguez to eighth in the batting order because, well, he stunk at the time.

But even the most fervent Yankees hater can't deny that when Rodriguez joined the club this season following rehabilitation from hip surgery, what was an average team to that point took off. When he hits like this, the Yankees are unbeatable most nights.

But can he find enough forgiveness with voters the next several years?

Depends. Nothing like age slows bat speed. Aaron hit 40 home runs at age 39, 20 the next year, 12 the next, 10 the next and was done. Rodriguez has the potential to own many hallowed records, but it's not a certainty.

He has been durable. From 2001 to 2007, Rodriguez never played fewer than 154 games and three times played in all 162. How will those numbers fare now with the hip issues?

How impressive can he build his resume until the time comes when those who decide Hall of Fame membership have their say?

"I think he's shorter with his swing now, more patient, a lot more patient," Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said after Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Tuesday. "He looks different at the plate. So he definitely wants it. You can tell by the way he's swinging.

"That guy's a bad guy, man. I wish he was on my team."

A bad guy with a sizzling bat.

But will enough people with votes one day forgive?

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He also can be heard weeknights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on "The Sports Scribes" on KDWN-AM (720) and www.kdwn.com.