AROD APOLOGY ISSUED. NOW CAN WE PLAY BALL?

In an effort to make amends with everyone he offended through his actions, Alex Rodriguez has issued the last apology before the season begins in a handwritten letter, addressed to the fans.

"To the Fans,

I take full responsibility for the mistakes that led to my suspension for the 2014 season. "

"I accept the fact that many of you will not believe my apology or anything that I say at this point. I understand why and that's on me. It was gracious of the Yankees to offer me the use of Yankee Stadium for this apology, but I decided that the next time I am in Yankee Stadium, I should be in pinstripes doing my job."

You can view the entire letter on the MLB site. Honestly, I feel like it took far too long to come out. Maybe it was him deciding to lay low during his suspension. I could appreciate him taking a back seat, but I think it would have been better served as soon as the suspension was handed down. I already heard some of the responses. Some fans couldn't care less. Others have given him a nod, and are just ready to play ball. Of course, there is that small portion of fans that get down right nasty, like the person with whom Casey exchanged tweets with earlier.

@TheBrooklynLife harsh and not necessary. I appreciate the passion, but come on.
— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) February 17, 2015

Casey wasn't trying to be the ARod Cops of anything. He was just making a point... it's just baseball and in the end, ARod did it to himself.  He just thought it was over the top... and you know what? I agree.

Look, I'm not an ARod cheerleader. My job here is to bring you the news as unbiased as possible. But what BYB has tried to do throughout this process is to explain the simplest part of this ARod mess.  If you're gonna hate ARod, go nuts. Don't hate the ARod fan.  When are we going to stop attacking each other over how we feel about this? Can't we just respect each other and the game? C'mon, people! "Harsh" is being polite. The comment was down right rude.

ARod didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Every player that has been suspended has issued the some sort of apology to the fans. If you don't like ARod? Cool! If you love ARod? Cool! Can we just get to a space where we aren't attacking each other over ARod? Cause that would be great!

Look, he's taken responsibility for his actions and he wants to play.  He loves the game, and yeah, he messed up, but he wants to give it all he's got while he still can. And he plays for the Yankees. So as long as he is producing, right? Get out there and have some great at bats!  Help the team with the ultimate goal; winning the Championship. Simple!

Now that the apology is issued, all sides have spoken, and baseball is the only thing left.

Pitchers and Catchers report on Friday. The season is almost here, folks!

Focus!

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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