Oh A-Rod

If you're a regular reader, then you know I'm a Yankee loyalist. I grew up there and I doubt I'll ever be able to fully change allegiences. But don't think there aren't times when I truly don't like being a Yankees fan. Like when potentially the greatest player ever turns out to have cheated.

I have no way to defend A-Rod, nor do I wish to.

Do I think that the fact that his name came out is kind of ridiculous? Absolutely. If your union tells you what you're doing is 100% confidential and baseball even agrees that nothing gets done with those sample except to decide whether they should actually think about official testing and penalties, well, then this should have never come out. The union, in fact, had the opportunity and the right to collect the samples and data afterwards and destroy it all. And they obviously should have, but they failed to do that. And in turn, they failed their players -- the people they're supposed to fight for in all aspects. And so if I were A-Rod, I would sue the shit out of the union.

But back to reality. A-Rod cheated. At least once that we know of, which of course means it was more than that. I'm comfortable saying it was at least 1-2 seasons of cheating. Maybe it was more, but that's all I'm comfortable saying for now. And for that, well, what can you do? He took these things when they were not banned in baseball and there were no penalties (or testing) in place. So, no, nothing should be done to him unless he fails one now.

However, this has ruined his legacy. He will forever be known as a cheater, just as Bonds was. And maybe even more so, since Bonds never has failed an official drug test. A-Rod has.

I heard some very good points made by Michael Kay, the Yankees radio voice, this morning. The Yankees just signed ARod last offseason to a 10-year, $300M extension. So there's 9 years and $270M left on it. And he had that kind of value to them because he was going to be the guy who broke all the career home run records. He was going to be the guy who, eventually, everyone loved because he has that great smile and was doing things clean. He was going to erase Barry Bonds from the record books and he was going to do it in a Yankee uniform and in the new Yankee Stadium. And maybe win a few titles along the way.

Now, no matter what happens, A-Rod does not hold that value to the Yankees. Sure, he's still a great player -- let's not even debate that -- but he's no longer going to be able to be the poster boy for "doing it the right way." Ever.

If the Yankees win, say, three more World Series titles in his remaining nine years in New York, then they're probably getting worthwhile value from A-Rod. Otherwise, he's just an expensive reminder of the most embarrassing time in Major League Baseball.

Another ARod-ian Post

Ah, those were the days. The New York Post in 2004 when the Yankees completed their trade of Alfonso Soriano and a bucket of used baseballs to the Texas Rangers for the best player we'll probably ever see and $21 million. That was totally fair, too.

Well, now, after all the baloney about him never being a Yankee again, it looks like our constant drama queen/distraction will be a Yankee for another decade. Or until he completely cracks under the pressure and mows down three bums in Central Park.

I'm sharing this post with you from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport because that's where I am stranded right now, waiting for a flight that will get me back to New York at about 5 AM. It was supposed to get in at 11:55 PM. Well-done, Continental, well-done indeed.

But I'm digressing.

To keep you entertained -- because that's my eternal goal -- and to keep on the subject of ARod, check out this post from Fire Joe Morgan, perhaps my favorite blogsite out there. It talks about how overrated David Eckstein is and also points out a recent ESPN.com poll that asked fans whether they'd rather have ARod or Eckstein. Amazingly, it wasn't 100% - 0% in favor of ARod, proving that not only Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan are idiots when it comes to understanding anything about baseball and what makes a good player.

I demand ONE MIIIILLLLLLION dollars!

I think it's hilarious that Alex Rodriguez is once again talking to the Yankees. It turns out that it wasn't about wanting out of the pressure pot known as New York... it was only about more money. That's why people hate a lot of professional athletes. They claim it's for personal or family reasons, but it's ALWAYS about the money.

Scott Boras: We demand $350 million per week in order to negotiate.

A-Rod: Nevermind Yankees, I don't like New York so I'm opting out.

Steinbrenner: Okay, we don't want anyone that doesn't want to be a Yankee.

Rest of MLB: *crickets*

Scott Boras: Oops.

A-Rod: I changed my mind. I love New York!

Steinbrenner: A-Rod has shown he DOES want to be a Yankee. Yay!



It's so freaking stupid. All he cares about is the money. He doesn't want to be a Yankee any more than he wants to be a Marlin. He just wants $30 million per year. He doesn't care where it comes from. It's all about the money. He'll kiss the new Steinbrenner's booty in order to get it too. It's just a shame that the new management of the Yankees didn't choose to stick it to him this time and not let him back to the table. That would have been really great. To see A-Rod leave $81 million for 3 years + $150 million for 5 years on the table in order to take a 4 year offer of $80 million. Oh the happiness that would've brought me.

Suck it Scott Boras!

Oh, and PS. Suck it Yankees!

ARod Joins Torre In Telling The Yankees To Go Scratch

Let me start off by saying what many of you already know -- I'm a Yankees fan. But, as most of my friends know, I'm a pretty realistic Yankees fan. I don't "expect" a World Series every year, I realize how amazing it is to go to the playoffs twelve straight years, I think Steinbrenner's been more of a detriment to the team than anything else, and, of course, I think ARod is far better than the idiot fans and media that have officially run him out of town.

A few thoughts here... and, as per my usual, I'll just meander through them.

For one thing, Scott Boras -- ARod's agent -- is a prick. However, he's sports agent and his sole job is to get his players the most money possible. If you look at it through that lens, it's understandable as to why he's the way he is. I still hate him, but I do get why he's who he is. It's his job, he's very good at it, and he wants to be successful and rich. Can't blame him for that. However, some of his comments in the wake of ARod opting out are just irresponsibly stupid. From the story I linked to above:

Boras said during a telephone interview that Rodriguez made his choice because he was uncertain whether Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte would return to the Yankees. Boras said it became clear that the others wouldn't make a decision by Rodriguez's deadline to opt out -- 10 days after the World Series.

"Alex's decision was one based on not knowing what his closer, his catcher and one of his statured pitchers was going to do," Boras said. "He really didn't want to make any decisions until he knew what they were doing."

Yes, I'm sure that's it. He's uncertain as to whether those three guys are coming back so that's why he opted out. It's insulting to everyone with at least fifteen working brain cells (this rules out Sox fans) to say this. Reports are that the Yankees are about to offer Rivera and Posada three-year extensions and there's an option that can be picked up by the Yankees on Pettitte who had a very good year. So Boras is full of sheet here. Just admit you want to test the free agent market -- at least we could respect your honesty.

Another point is that this contributed to ARod's MVP year this year, I think. I think he decided in Spring Training that he was opting out and so he knew this was his last year in New York, thus he really didn't care what anyone thought anymore. He worked hard on his game and had a monster season, all the while knowing he was out of here. Every time somebody asked me what I thought he would do, I said I thought he was going to leave. I didn't want it to be true and I think the Yankees are much worse off without him, despite what the "chemistry" people think. I wish him good luck, although it's hard to root for a guy who is so rich he's able to void the remainder of a contract that would have paid him $72 million. I mean, think about that. $72 million just to play out the rest of his contract. A contract that has, up to now, paid him $180 million. Simply amazing to think about.

I do understand the idea behind a free market economy and capitalism and I realize that, theoretically, he is worth that and more. If he stayed with the Yankees and broke the records he'll probably break and the Yankees continue to be successful with him... in a new park... in New York... well, the millions, if not billions, that the franchise will rake in will mean that paying him a couple hundred mill isn't all that silly. He's a solid investment.

Of course the Steinbrenners are posturing and saying ARod's unequivocally done in the Bronx.

"It's clear he didn't want to be a Yankee," Steinbrenner told the New York Daily News. "He doesn't understand the privilege of being a Yankee on a team where the owners are willing to pay $200 million to put a winning product on the field.

"I don't want anybody on my team that doesn't want to be a Yankee."

Now, as much as I tend to hate the Steinbrenner bluster, I can't argue with this. The whole notion that ARod wants to win and isn't sure what "direction" the Yankees are going in -- something Boras was quoted as using as a reason for this last week -- is completely ludicrous. The Yankees' direction? Upward. They want to win and win at all costs and at all times. When did anyone give an indication that this changed? As I said, I have to agree with the sentiment that if ARod wasn't even willing to meet to listen to a contract extension offer from the Yankees (which apparently, he wasn't) then he clearly doesn't want to be there. And that sucks but oh well.

There was talk by Joe Buck during the World Series last night that maybe the Yankees would offer a free agent deal to Mike Lowell of the Red Sox to come to New York (the club where he started) to play third base. While I think that's not a bad idea, it's still a huge step down in overall ability. But I would have no problem rooting for Mike Lowell. He's on my list of Red Sox players that I do not hate.

Whatever happens, ARod will continue to be the highest-paid player in baseball. If he leaves the Yankees as it appears now forgone that he will, it'll be interesting to see what guys like Jeter and Posada say about him once he's gone. And for the Yankees, who made the playoffs largely due to Rodriguez' monster season, the road's about to get harder, not easier.

ARod = Clutch

I find this quite amusing -- Alex Rodriguez has been declared the 2007 Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Year, at least according to Pepsi.

There are many people out there that claim -- probably accurately -- that there's no such thing as "clutch" hitting, and that if you take a look at a player's overall numbers versus his numbers in a given situation, they're usually not all that much different. Small sample size -- such as a four or five game series -- often comes into play here.

But what's amusing to me about all this is that ARod has a reputation as a playoff "choker" and that he can't ever get a big hit when the Yankees need him to. Which is completely ridiculous. However, those that believe that are absolutely impossible to sway. There are metrics out there that suggest -- correctly -- that the Yankees wouldn't have even been close to the postseason without Alex Rodriguez this season. But never mind that! He didn't hit .600 in the playoffs! Ship the bum out of town!

And now here comes this ridiculous award. I watched about five minutes of it last night on ESPN, in the hour leading to the World Series. It was Karl Ravech, host of Baseball Tonight, looking rather embarrassed at the whole spectacle, and on the panel with him was Jimmy Rollins, Curtis Granderson and Jose Mota. Dynamic group. They also had several gigantic Pepsi cups on the set with them. At first I thought it looked rather sloppy to have their giant, 64-ounce beverage cups within the camera's sight, but then I realize this whole debacle was sponsored by Pepsi so they had to.

It's interesting to me that in the midst of all this, while Scott Boras is trying to make a case for ARod being worth $30-$35 million a year for the next decade, that ARod ends up winning an award for being "clutch." Which was the one major knock against this guy -- that he couldn't hit when it mattered. It would surprise me not one bit if Boras strong-armed someone at Pepsi about this.

In the end, what am I saying? I'm saying that I believe ARod is the best hitter any of us will see in our lifetimes and that the Yankees will indeed be worse without him. There's no such thing as being a clutch hitter. Scott Boras is an a-hole. And Pepsi should stay out of my baseball programming.

In no particular order.

Yanks-Tribe Postmortem

First of all, congratulations to the Cleveland Indians and their fans. Unlike a lot of Yankee fans (and certain co-authors here) I don't enjoy gloating or rubbing my friend's facing in things when their teams don't do well or minimizing them when they do do (hee hee "doodoo!") well. I mean, unless they're playing Boston.

The Indians deserved to win this series from the start and no matter what you may hear when watching SportsCenter, the Yankees didn't lose this series -- the Indians won it.

The Yankees, always overanalyzed, put up twelve hits in the final game, so they weren't asleep. They were just beat. Cleveland came out prepared in each game and jumped right on the Yanks, the only exception being Andy Pettitte's incredible performance in Game 2 that truly should have been more than enough for a win if the Yankees could have done more than a Melky Cabrera home run off of Fausto "Don't Call Me A Closer" Carmona.

I said it all year -- the Yankees were a great offensive team but great offensive teams rarely win it all. You need to have shutdown pitching to win in the playoffs and the Yankees haven't had that for a long, long time. Why is this such a shock? They score a ton of runs because they play the Devil Rays and Orioles 38 times a year. It's got nothing to do with choking in the playoffs or the pressure of New York or any of that crap. It's got to do with how they're put together. It's also got nothing to do with "heart" or any other made-up sheet like that. The Tribe has heart and hustled and played outstanding. But did you see the Yankees dogging it? Did it look like they didn't care? I don't think so. They cared and they played hard and they got beat. End of drama.

The Torre Situation

This is so sad to me. The fact that Joe Torre care so much about his guys and puts together twelve straight playoff runs, averaging somewhere around 95 wins a year over that time, yet has to sit there and answer questions about being "fired." Well, first of all, his contract is up and he's 67 years old. Who's to say he definitely wanted to come back to the Yanks? I think it's possible that this was Steinbrenner wanting to act like he had the final say and was "firing" Torre, because if Torre walked away after this year, Steinbrenner and the Yankees would possibly appear to not have complete control of everything. You and I know they indeed don't have control of everything but we live in reality world -- Steinbrenner and his jackass sons live in YankeeLand.

To put that quote out there about Torre having to win this series or else he wasn't being brought back was just bush league. Bush. League. All you haters who were all over Alex Rodriguez for shouting at the Blue Jays rookie months ago -- pay attention to this behavior by the frickin' owner of the franchise. This is bush league.

Your team is already down 0-2 in a series and they know the expectations in New York and with their much-maligned payroll. So they come home and now hear they have to win or else the manager they all love is going to be gone. Well, yeah, that's a really good way to loosen them up, jackass. Well-played. And I'll tell you this: there's no way Joe wanted them playing for him -- he wants his guys playing for the team. And they almost always do.

Torre is an average field manager but he's a brilliant manager of men and that's what's probably most important in baseball. In football, being a great game-planner is critical. In baseball, it's more about keeping things rolling along smoothly, keeping the highs under control and the lows from being too low. Torre was masterful and, as someone who watches probably 110-130 of their games each season, to see Torre have his postgame press gaggle every single night and practically never seem moody or impatient is just awe-inspiring. I hope I can be a fraction of that patient one day.

I understand that leadership changes have to happen sometimes. And I understand it might be good for the Yanks to have Joe leave and remain the hero that he is to Yankees fans. But I wish he was allowed to do it with all of his dignity and not be painted as having been yet another casualty of the George Steinbrenner iron fist. I've said many times that Yankee fans have no clue how good they've had it and that people who write headlines like this one on ESPN.com just don't get it. Their "Era of Greatness" didn't just come to a halt last night. If championships are what define greatness, I guess it ended in six years ago. If 90+ wins a year and making the playoffs every year count, then it's far from over.

A final thought on Joe Torre -- I've never understood how people can hate the Yankees when a guy like Torre is running the show. And when you confront Yankee-haters about it, many of them agree he's a great guy. And many have even said (to me, at least) that they like him enough that they would have had no problem with him managing their team. He's universally liked and respected and he should be. And this treatment he has endured from Steinbrenner has always irritated me. Yes, yes, Joe is highly paid. Fine. But think of your own job and make your salary your dream salary and then think about being de-pantsed publicly by your irrational boss a few times a year. While you might put up with it, you wouldn't think it was warranted.

As for replacements, I sincerely hope they do not go with Don Mattingly. I think we'd be in for a dark time for the Yankees if they go that route. I think the best possible hire would be Joe Girardi. The only questions will be whether he'll want to put up with the crap that comes from being the Yankee manager and whether he'll be okay with following Torre.

The A-Rod Saga Continues

Well, nobody was booing A-Rod last night and that's a good thing. But he didn't give the haters or the supporters anything solid to stand on. He hit .267 for the series, with a homer and one RBI. Certainly not what should be expected from a guy with a .314/54/156 season, but also not .071 like last year. Let's put it this way: ARod wasn't the problem.

And let's also keep in mind Derek Jeter, "Captain Clutch," grounded into three double plays in the series and seemed to come up small many times. He went 3-for-17 (.176) with one RBI. Where's the outcry? I know, I know, he's come through before so he's immune. And maybe he should be. But let's not just pile on ARod. They all lost, and they all could have come up bigger.

Will ARod stay or go? I've felt most of this season that he will indeed opt out of his contract in a few weeks, regardless of how the Yankees did. I still think that's likely and the only reason I think he might stay in New York is because his Scott Boras-inflated price tag of $30M per season is just ludicrous and there aren't many teams that can even consider paying that.

That said, I think the smart money is on only two suitors for ARod -- the Angels or the Cubbies. I think Chicago is a city that could eat him up, too, but he might hit 70 homers playing in Wrigley and he loves Lou Pinella. The Angels -- well, they showed they need some more offense and Arte Moreno, their owner, isn't afraid to spend money. Plus it's LA, and doesn't ARod just look like a perfect fit for Los Angeles?

I definitely hope he stays because he's the best player any of us will see, regardless of what he did in two postseason series in 2005 and 2006. He's a career .279 hitter in the postseason, even with those two terrible series, with 9 doubles, 7 homers and 17 RBIs in 39 games. Nothing spectacular but also not a complete flop. And without his monster season this year, do people not realize the Yankees would probably have been close to a .500 team? No, the answer is they do not realize it.

So if he leaves, prepare to laugh hard at New York, Yankee-haters. You'll be well within your rights.

Back to Cleveland

As I said earlier, congrats to Cleveland. They deserved this victory and they are a far better team than many of us (including me) realized. They do a lot of things well and they seem to manage around their weaknesses. For example, their closer is a bit of a joke, so they give him multi-run leads to protect. Well-played. I don't know if this will work all the way to the Series, though, so let's keep an eye on that.

The Indians are going to be good for a while now. They've got excellent young talent and have shown some smarts in signing good veterans to help bring it all together, such as Willie Mays Hayes -- err, I mean, Kenny Lofton.

Seriously, though, have fun with Boston, Tribe fans. More analysis on that series coming later this week.

Can't Keep the Evil Empire Down For Long

Hey, remember back in May when the Yankees were scuffling and I said the Sux couldn't play .700 ball all season and that it was only two months in? And how boilerdowd reveled in the Yankees sucking and called me out, I guess, for not conceding the season? Well, only losers concede things that early.

Last night, the Yanks completed their turnaround and clinched a spot in the playoffs. The numbers really are amazing, whether you like the Yankees or not. They were 21-29 after 50 games and since then have gone 70-38. That's ridonkulous.

Have they perhaps blown their wad just to get into the playoffs? Possibly, but I am the first to admit (unlike most Yankee fans) that this team isn't built to win the World Series, it's built to win the division (or, in this case, the Wild Card).

See, you can slug your way through the regular season, pounding on teams like the Orioles, Jays and Devil Rays, but you don't get to play teams like that in October. When the Yankees were winning all those titles, they really were the best, most complete team in the majors. Pitching, hitting, baserunning, defense. They were just solid in all areas. Now they're average (at best) defensively, a little above average in starting pitching, perhaps climbing to above average in the bullpen and excellent in the hitting department. Well, what wins championships, kids? That's right, pitching. I have confidence in Wang and Pettitte, but then....? Old Man Clemens? Kid Phil Hughes? Erratic Mike Mussina? It'll be an adventure, as always.

But that's to worry about next week when the playoffs begin. For now, let's have some fun with photos in this post. Enjoy.


Mo Rivera and Roger Clemens douse Hideki Matsui ("of Japan," the ESPN caption actually says) with champagne, while Matsui mumbles, "Yeah, but we still got your asses at Pearl Harbor."


Derek Jeter scopes the groupies for the three he will bang that night.


Joe Torre reminds Doug Mientkiewicz of their deal from back in May, when Mientkiewicz said, "If we turn this thing around, I'll put on a pair of goggles and make out with Joe Torre."


Upon realizing that making the playoffs means he'll make more money as part of his playoff bonus, Roger Clemens is overcome with emotion.


Joba Chamberlain explains: "Hey, I'm just a rookie... Alex told me to hold this bottle right here while he grabs it... I don't know, I just do what I'm told."

You Know How I Know You're Gay?

Because you say things like this:
"I'd rather be here dressing up than anywhere else," while stepping into the sparkling ruby red slippers as Dorothy. "It makes you feel like one of the guys." (referencing his Yankees team mates)

-Ian Kennedy
NY Yankees Rookie

For some reason, the press doesn't photograph cross-dressing NY Yankees like they do Tele-Tubbie-dressing Boston Red Sox players.

Here's what it might look like if they did: