C.J.: Cris Carter says he gave A-Rod an earful

Not many peers have probably dared to tell A-Rod this truth: His baseball career is finished.

In an appearance this week on ESPN's "Mike & Mike," former Viking Cris Carter, an ESPN football analyst, claimed he went there.

Carter said he was getting a tour of the Yankees museum when he ran into Alex Rodriguez, who is currently in hearings appealing his 211-game suspension from Major League Baseball for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I know A-Rod from being a resident of south Florida, playing golf and different things," Carter told the radio show broadcast on TV. "He was coming out of the batting cage and we began to talk. I just really felt compelled at that point to just say something to him. I was really just concerned about the state of baseball, the PEDs and all the PR around him. I told him he could really make a difference in a lot of kids' lives.

"And he went into, Well, you know, I'm fighting for my life, and I basically just interrupted him and said, 'Your life as a baseball player is over with. Now what you decide to do with the rest of your life — that's the decision that you have to make. You and a number of other athletes have lost a whole generation of kids. Now, they're going to be experimenting with PEDs because you guys have been successful doing it. What are you going to do to try to repair that?' "

Carter went on to tell A-Rod: "That's really what your legacy should be. What you decide to do is totally up to you. I don't care. I'm nobody — I'm just a fan. But I thought I should tell you that. You have an opportunity — and it could start today — that you could have the greatest legacy as far as PEDs, kids, high school athletes."

Carter said he told A-Rod he could continue hiding behind fighting the case. "They could have a congressional hearing and make you innocent, but what difference is that gonna make?" Carter told the Mikes.

A-Rod's response was "a little different," said Carter. "He's still living in a fantasy world. He's still trying to fight as if he is innocent. If he's innocent or not is irrelevant," said Carter. "In the public eye he's going to always be guilty."

Wednesday via Twitter I attempted to reach Carter to ask him to explain some of his thoughts, and to reach the Yankees, for A-Rod's reaction to Cris disclosing this conversation.

Confirmation of this conversation did come from co-host Mike Greenberg, who remarked: "It's a really interesting story. Several people had mentioned to me they had seen you two talking. I was curious to hear what the conversation was about."

Badfinger hits back

I assumed that Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland was chuffed that the group's 1972 hit, "Baby Blue," was played in the last scene of the "Breaking Bad" finale.

Molland acknowledged my usage of U.K. slang for "delighted" with a hearty laugh before remarking, "You could say that."

Molland said he didn't see the AMC show live. "I've seen the episode since. I recorded it actually for my son, who's a big fan of the series," said Molland. "Anyway, it's great news for us. Knockout. The band will get all the royalties due. It's all handled through our accountants in London. Needless to say, myself and all the families of the members — because I'm the only one who's alive — are very excited. Chuffed, you might say. It will make a big difference to everybody's lives, especially Peter's family [Pete Ham], of course, who wrote the song. I'm just glad they chose our record! It was a big hit for us back in the day, and here it is a hit again. Fantastic."

Holland, who lives in a west suburb with one of the two sons he and his late wife, Kathie, raised here, currently performs with "Joey Molland's Badfinger Concert Band." His new record, "Return to Memphis," is a tribute to the city that made the music he listened to as a young chap.

Suggs vs. the commish

Ravens player Terrell Suggs' mouth just set him up for a verbal smackdown from the NFL commish.

Offering no proof, the Twin Cities native told ESPN's Lisa Salters that he believes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was responsible for the power outage that occurred during the 2013 Super Bowl when the Ravens defeated the 49ers.

"I was like, Vegas, parlor tricks, you know what I mean?" Suggs told Salter. "I was like, ahh, Roger Goodell, he never stops, he always has something up his sleeve. He just couldn't let us have this one in a landslide, huh?"

When I first saw the clip on "Around the Horn," I assumed this knucklehead had been drinking from the same bottle of stupidity being swilled by former teammate Ray Lewis.

I felt vindicated when Tony Kornheiser of "Pardon the Interruption" labeled Suggs' comment as "moronic" and predicted a call from Goodell was in Suggs' future.

C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject. Attachments are not opened.