Being handsomely paid, a World Series champion and great ballplayer weren't enough.
Alex Rodriguez wanted to be the greatest and his desire on that quest is what will ultimately degrade his legacy.
At least that's the case if you believe Anthony Bosch, the man in the middle of the Biogenesis performance-enhance drug scandal.
In an interview to air Sunday night on 60 Minutes, Bosch says Rodriguez, "would study the product. He would study the substances. He would study the dosages, because he wanted to achieve all his human performance or in this case, sports performance, objectives. And the most important one was the 800 home run club."
There's no telling exactly how long Rodriguez had been on the substances. Reports indicate it was awhile.
Rodriguez admitted using them between 2001-3 while with the Rangers. He made the acknowledgment for those years only in 2007.
Baseball's steroid policy went into place in 2005.
But the latest bombshell to come out, implicating Rodriguez in the Biogenesis scandal, finally landed him the ultimate punishment he had been eluding: a major suspension.
MLB described its rationale for the initial issuance of the Rodriguez 211-game suspension as "his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years" and "for his attempts to cover up those violations and obstruct a league investigation."
Even after an appeal, Rodriguez will lose an entire season of baseball.
He will still make $3 million but, if you trust Bosch's word, which is proving reliable, this blow will be the most painful.
The inability to play will prevent Rodriguez from reaching 800 home runs, maybe even 700 too, as he won't be eligible to return until the age of 39.
Who knows if he'll even play another inning of baseball.
Rodriguez was very willing to play dirty to reach the top, as Bonds, McGwire, Sosa and others allegedly did too.
But now, he won't even do that. At 654 home runs, he won't need an asterisk as a potential home run king.
He won't be one.
His legacy has already been marred.
Baseball has ripped away his last grasp at greed-driven ambition in the twilight of his career.
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