Alex Rodiguez: The Man, The Myth, The Soap Opera
Nobody has more on the line this baseball postseason that Alex Rodriguez. Not George Steinbrenner. Not Jim Leyland. Not Willie Randolph or Carlos Beltran. Alex Rodriguez’ future is on the line this postseason. Period.
Let’s review the facts. Last year, A-Rod won the American League MVP during the regular season, then the hero disappeared into a zero in the playoffs, and he did not perform when he wasn’t getting paid extra, going 2-for-15 for the one-and-done Bombers in the Divisional Series.
This year has been a tough year for the man with purple lips. His numbers are good enough, with a .286 average, 34 home runs and 116 RBIs. His slugging % is also strong at .516 and he has 106 runs scored. However, as has been well documented, A-Rod has disappeared for long periods of time, going through huge well-publicized droughts at the plate during which he swung and missed so much he generated air conditioning in Yankee Stadium. In addition, he has had a poor season in the field as well, with 23 errors, most of them, like his strikeouts, coming in bunches.
Now a Sports Illustrated article comes out in which A-Rod says, among other things: "[Mike] Mussina doesn't get hammered at all," he told SI. "He's making a boatload of money. Giambi's making [$20.4 million], which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass. When people write [bad things] about me, I don't know if it's [because] I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team ..."
As we head into the postseason, the Yankees are the prohibitive favorites to win the World Series for the first time since A-Rod joined the club. Based on baseball’s ridiculous rules, Cashman and Steinbrenner have done a masterful job of assembling a team that almost cannot lose. Except they still have to play the games. And if they somehow pull defeat from the jaws of victory, and A-Rod has a sub-par postseason, this city will turn on him worse than they ever have to date, and it has been pretty bad to date. Cashman and Big George will have almost no choice but to trade him.
A-Rod is a great player. He is having a sub-par season that most big leaguers could only dream about. But when you are the highest paid player in the game and have the demeanor he does, big responsibilities fall on his shoulders. The fun question to watch unfold this postseason is whether those shoulders can carry the heavy load that has been thrust upon him. Stay tuned….
Note: Picture coutesy of cbc sports
posted by Dils @ 9/20/2006 10:26:00 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
based on Dils' analysis, Ted Williams should be removed from the HOF. Who cares how good he was in the regualr season. He only got his team to the post-season once, and he hit .200 as he watched the Sux lose 4-3 to the Cards. Until Ted is removed from the HOF, that insitution remains a joke.
Sounds like Stitzer. Let's hope we see a complete A-Fraud collapse in the postseason so he gets skewered and Stitzer goes on tremendous tirades! And if you would have read my commentary, I never said A-Rod does not belong in the Hall, I said he better perform this postseason or he will be ridden out of town. Try to react to what I actually say instead of going in a completely different direction. For the record, I am usually much more strict on my HOF admissions that they are in the real world, and I would vote A-Rod in on the first ballot. So stick to what I say, not to where you want to go with it.
"Based on baseball’s ridiculous rules, Cashman and Steinbrenner have done a masterful job of assembling a team that almost cannot lose." What rules are those? That 24 Owners can routinely not try to put winning teams on the field. Why were all the Owners sued for collusion after the 1986 - AND LOST THE CASE - yet 75% of the teams routinely allow their best players to become free agents - HOW ARE THESE OWNERS NOT SUED AGAIN FOR COLLUSION?
Gee, I don't know Stitzer (and can you please stop signing in anonymously), maybe that there is no salary cap and they have created an uneven playing field in which the Yankees have a distinct competitive advantage over every other team in the game. For you to not recognize that baseball is flawed ruins all credibility you have, as apparently you and Bud Selig are the only two people who do not recognize this.
There is no Salary Cap in College Hoops or College Football. Teams like Notre Dame, USC, Michigan, Duke, etc...spend hundreds of thousands of dollars more per year on their programs - which translates to getting the best talent - and nobody has seems to have cite $ as why those programs win 80% of their games every year, those are just great, storied programs I guess/
Not sure what any of that has to do with baseball. At least you are consistently off point.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ gives you a better chance to win. That is why Duke goes to the Sweet 16 team every year & Michigan goes to a Bowl every year & the Yankees go to the playoffs every year. Winning is important to those organizations, so they spend $ and realize that by investing in the acquisition of talent, they will be rewarded with not only victories, but Championships every few years, and revenues from tickets, telvision, concessions, merchandise, etc...They take the $$$$$$$$$ and re-invest it in their programs.
wonderful for them. and baseball still has a system that is flawed and does not allow all teams to compete evenly. if you think it does, then you are a fool. if not, then stop replying and just admit baseball has a system that enables the team you like to have the best chance to win....not that it has done them a lot of good since the year 2000...
I agree that there should be a salary cap. But what I disagree with is the presumption that the Yankess are the only team that CAN spend $150MM on salaries than their local broadcasting rights guarantee them, they are the onoy team that CHOOSES to do this. That is all I am trying to say. The Small Market crap is BS. It comes down to individual owners willing to invest in talent. If the Communist Players Union woulkd just agree to a salary cap, this would all be for naught
so College Hoops is flawed as well then according to you? At least we both agree that College Football is already flawed due to their lack of a viable post-season tourney.
So you think the Twins (who win anyway), the Royals, the Indians, the Pirates, the Brewers and others can choose to spend that kind of money? Are you smoking crack? Stop the insane argument that any owner can choose to spend money because they are all rich. This is a business, and they need to make money, not lose tens of millions. While I agree that investing will help the financial picture to a certain extent because wining will improve attendance, concessions and merchandising to a degree, NOT ALL TEAMS HAVE THE SAME ECONOMIC MODEL. For you to say it is as simple as "Buy it, they will come" is naive and incorrect.
college football should have playoffs. everybody wins; we get a National champ and the NCAA makes more money. I cannot believe that this has not happened it is a no brainer.
A-Rod is a singular talent but has never been team player. In Texas the team was bad when he was there but got better when he left. NY is a media microscope and A-Rod is proving to have thin skin. This will not work out well for him if the Yankees lose. As to the Yankee's spend what it takes attitude towards players, as long as they are in the black it will not stop and baseball will never change that because it creates media attention and as well all know, there is no such thing as bad publicity. The Yankees overspending, while not necessarily fair is good for the league as it exposes them as the money grubbing cry babies we know them to be.
Money does not buy success in baseball. GMs, managing, scouting, mental toughness, fan support, leadership and professionalism are the biggest factors. If $ bought titles, the Yanks and Mets would play each year and the A's, Twins, Reds, Marlins, Tigers and Padres would lose 90 games instead of being playoff contenders. The ChiSox had the 13th highest payroll in 2005. Plenty of GMs won't spend and instead pocket the $ set up by socialist revenue sharing. I say this even as a Yankee Hater.
Post a Comment
<< Home