The A-Rod Situation

(Go on take the money and Run A-Rod.)

So I realize I haven't made a new posting since last Friday. College has kept me very busy over the past week and a half and now that I have some downtime we can discuss some issues...


Apparently, Alex Rodriguez and his ego-building agent Scott Boras believe they are bigger than the game of baseball. In the bottom of the 6th inning during the World Series, Fox Sports Analyst Ken Rosenthal reported that A-Rod would elect to opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees and essentially making him a free agent. A news break that sent a shock wave through baseball fans nationwide.



Yankees GM Brian Cashman has said repeatedly throughout the season that if A-Rod chose to opt out of the remaining three-years of his contract and become a free agent, the Yankees organization would not pursue him on the open market.

As a Yankee fan this really got to me, considering I have sympathized with A-Rod since he became a Yankee. I was at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day 2004 and was so excited that I purchased a Rodriguez jersey. I had high hopes for the superstar short-stop turned third-baseman.

Through his ups and downs as a Yankee I always stood up for him. A-Rod criticisms ranged from his "inability" to produce in the postseason to his sometimes shoddy defense and the fact that after winning the AL MVP trophy in 2005, he finished the 2006 season with 35 HR, 121 RBI and a .290 batting average. Which to me are VERY good numbers, I will take those numbers from any third baseman for a full season of work.

There are a number of reasons why I used to stand up for A-Rod, but not quite anymore. Let's face it the Yankees haven't had a legitimate pitching staff since 2001 with the combination of Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez and Ted Lilly. As we all know pitching wins championships, you cannot slug your way through the postseason like A-Rod tried to do the past three seasons because the pitching staff was lousy. In trying to slug through the postseason A-Rod ended up swinging at bad pitches and hurting his team.

So there he goes, the richest man in baseball just got richer. It makes me wonder why he would want to make more money which will only make him more vulnerable to criticism. Considering the fact that people already despise of him because he hasn't won a World Series despite being the highest paid player in the Major Leagues.

What A-Rod did was a slap in the face to the game of baseball. The World Series is the most coveted event in baseball and he has to make a news break in the middle of the game proclaiming that he will be turning his back on the Yankee Faithful like Joe Torre and Rudi Guiliani have in the past week?

That is ridiculous, he had until 10 days after the World Series to declare himself a free agent why did he have to do it in the middle of the World Series? He gave the Yankees no time to find a new manager, although they did yesterday in the form of Joe Girardi whom I believe is an excellent choice, nor did he give them anytime to discuss a possible contract extension with him.



I hope wherever A-Rod ends up he is practicing his golf swing every October in hopes of someday winning a championship in the PGA Senior Open because he will not bring any team a World Series. I used to idolize the man, now I believe he is nothing but a money hungry, conniving and ambitious monster, who can play baseball but never win a championship because of his selfish ways.

Shame on you Alex. Now I know why even your own fans booed you.





As for the hiring of Joe Girardi as the new Yankee manager, I believe it is a great decision. He brings a whole different type of hands-on teaching that Joe Torre used to do, but has cut-back on in recent years. I believe he was the better candidate over Don Mattingly because he has previous managerial experience, you can't deny the fact that he won NL Manager of the Year in 2006 with the Florida Marlins.

Hopefully he's a reincarnation of former Yankee manager Billy Martin. Girardi is charasmatic much like Martin was, he is a former Yankee, like Martin, and because of the fact he played with Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada, I believe there is a strong possibility that they might resign to play for their former teammate, whom they enjoyed winning three World Series rings with.