Fredric Horowitz is the Arbitrator Who Will Decide the Fate of Alex Rodriguez. Here's His Story

The power to enforce and uphold Major League Baseball’s 211-game suspension of Alex Rodriguez is in the hands of arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, a 60-something Dodgers fan. Initial reports put the time frame for the arbitrator process at around 45 days, however MLBPA chief Michael Weiner said Monday he didn’t expect a ruling until after the season, likely in November.

Via the New York Post, Horowitz is a Dodgers fan:

"“He’s a baseball nut,” said Doug Collins, another arbitrator based in Southern California. “He’s a Dodgers fan, of course, but he can put that aside when it comes to a case. He’s the consummate professional.”"

Newsday outlines a little more background on Horowitz and his background:

"Horowitz has been an arbitrator since 1988, presiding over such matters as salary arbitration in the National Hockey League to disputes in the airline industry, postal service and county civil service issues. Horowitz is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and holds a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law."

Rodriguez is estimated to lose around $160,000 for every game he misses through suspension. There’s obvious incentive for him to try to get the length of his ban reduced.

There are some decent arguments Rodriguez could make in his appeal to Horowitz. Such as … he didn’t actually fail a test under the Joint Drug Agreement. He could challenge the credibility of baseball’s case being based off the testimony and evidence of Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch.

In 1992, baseball tried to hand Steve Howe a lifetime ban following his seventh drug-related suspension. In arbitration, the ban was reduced to 119 games.