"When he gets up to bat, you can hit him and hit him hard. That’s what I’d do. He sued us. Jhonny Peralta and Nelson Cruz screwed up. You know what? They owned up to it. They took their medicine. (Rodriguez) needs to be scared of coming back."

Well, the Yankees have found their lead-off man for 2015: Alex Rodriguez! He'll always be on base, because his union brothers will bean him, out of revenge.

Listen: If this is what constitutes a modern union debate, I understand why organized labor has fallen into such a sorry state.

Yahoo yesterday quoted several Major League Baseball Players Association union "leaders" as fuming over A-Rod's lawsuit, wanting to boot him not only out of their club but from baseball, entirely. And why? Because his lawyers are following the law. They are suing MLB and the union.

OK, bear with us here. It gets tricky - but not too:  A-Rod’s lawsuit against MLB stems from the Labor Management Relations Act. The statute says that when a union member sues his employer for breach of contract... he must also make a claim of "breach of the union's duty of fair representation." It's not personal. It's not new. For decades, lawsuits against car-makers or public entities, because of insurance claims, forced families to also sue friends or loved ones. I've seen several such cases. I bet you have, too. They're horrible situations. Everybody feels bad. But it's the way the system operates.

A union "leader" ought to be able to understand this.

So the players union wants to expel A-Rod... but it can't. Doing so would be illegal. It would also help A-Rod. (It would, ironically, support his claim.) So... they'll throw at him? He's now the equivalent of a scab? Some unnamed "leaders" are fuming over the fact that union official Michael Weiner - now deceased - is listed in the suit. Yeah, it's emotion being expressed. But Weiner would have been first to explain the situation to these thug-wannabees. And considering the wanton, under-the-table acts said to be done by MLB in its probe, there are many reasons why the players union might want A-Rod's suit to move on - or at least get a public hearing. 

Listen: We don't know how this will play out. But I hope it happens in full view of the American public. If it does, I think both A-Rod and Bud Selig will get what they deserve.

A-Rod's life and reputation will suffer enormously, and financially, if and when he is proven to be a juicer. But MLB's underhanded tactics - the bags of cash, etc. - they need a full airing, as well.

And finally - because honestly, I'm tired of A-Rod; it really is getting to me - I hope the Yankees keep the guy, just for the drama. Come 2015, the entire world will focus on his attempted comeback. Love him or hate him, what an incredible story! It needs to play out on baseball's biggest stage. Good grief, if he's hitting for the Newark Bears, what a loss for everyone. (Except the Newark Bears.) And if he's in LA or Chicago, or anywhere but New York, we will be missing so much theater. For better or worse, I hope he stays a Yankee. We are, after all, the Evil Empire.