One of the anonymous baseball fans quoted frequently in this blog came to this writer Tuesday morning with a grin on his face. It was a classic "I was wrong" grin which I knew immediately had to do with his position on Alex Rodriguez and the current state of the Yankees. This writer's position on A-Rod has been consistent in that it is my contention the he should not be traded, allowed to leave, or faulted as not being clutch in the post season. We all want the Yankees to be heroes in October, but, they need to get there. This season, more than any other in recent history has illustrated fact more distinctly. Alex Rodriguez is having a phenomenal season, and the A-Rod haters want him to fail in the post season, should the Yankees actually make it there, so they can watch him leave.
That has been the unswerving stance of the aforementioned Yankees fan that arrived at my desk this morning, ready to be contrite. "Is something happening here?" He asked, that wry smile indicating that he was having a change of heart. "Can the Yankees actually have a chance at overtaking Boston?" What my baseball friend was alluding to was that a nine and one half game deficit in early June in the A.L. East does not seem so insurmountable with a hundred or so games left in the regular season. "A-Rod has exceeded my expectations." My friend continued. There was so much he wanted to say, that he was popping off all of his comments sporadically. "I'm ready to eat crow," He said finally, shaking his head. "If he (A-Rod) keeps this up, in September, I'll as for a big plate of crow, covered in ketchup."
After assuring him that I'd be happy to break out the BB gun from my attic to track down and kill such a crow for his consumption, he hesitated, raised a finger and added one caveat "I'll wait until October. If he bats one-fifty, then the deal is off." We both laughed, and he went off to his office, trying to both feel confident about his favorite baseball team and their post-season chances and reconciling his feelings towards a player whom he previously had no confidence in. The joke is that he'll never eat an actual crow, but he's man enough to admit he may have been too harsh in his analysis of Rodriguez in the past.
Needless to say, hoping to keep his offer of culinary contrition alive, I told him as he held the door to the office open and turned back to see me, that it didn't matter what Alex Rodriguez batted in the post-season, as long as he helped get them there. This was a point I was happy to repeat to him for maybe the one hundredth time. He smiled, and walked away. He does not know it, but crow does taste better with ketchup. I've had to eat it plenty of times in my life. Go A-Rod.
Showing posts with label Alex Rodriguez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex Rodriguez. Show all posts
June 12, 2007
June 8, 2007
Mussina Throws, A-Rod Slams
In Thursday's invective laden tirade against Mike Mussina, Mr. Grudge stated in a very un-Mr. Grudge like tone about Mussina: "He's an intense player who's quick to criticize others, has finicky habits about getting ready for his starts, and his skills are diminishing. That's not to mention that he's a bad "clubhouse guy" who keeps to himself and huddles over crossword puzzles with a haughty air or self-assurance."
It's time to apologize, if not to Mussina, who will never, ever read this column, but to my readers for absolutely blowing it. It’s one thing to make bad predictions about a game or an entire season; but, to personally attack a player simply because he hasn’t performed up to his usual level is unprofessional. Mussina did an excellent job of pitching last night and needs to be congratulated. Many people kept telling me that Mussina will come around, and this writer turned into a spoiled Yankee fan, tossing a fit because his favorite team is in the toilet. Mussina has not been the only problem the Yankees had with the few bad starts he produced. And, if the team didn’t sink to the bottom of the AL East in the standings, his performance in those games would not have mattered. With that said Mr. Grudge vows to return to his usual, objective self and not go off on emotional outbursts when one player turns in a bad performance for one game, like Josh Phelps for instance. Just kidding.
After all of my apologizing in the previous paragraphs, my support of Alex Rodriguez has been consistent from the inception of this blog. Mr. Grudge was the one making the case to keep him when everyone else wants to send him back to Texas, or some other baseball version of Siberia. There was one article I wrote criticizing him for wanting to opt out of his contract; but, by and large, my support for him has been constant throughout. This writer believed then, and still does now that A-Rod is a keeper. I've heard others tell me that in spite of the terrific season he is having, including the grand slam he had in the ninth inning against the White Sox Thursday that they'd like to see him do that in the post season. This writer's answer is that the Yankees have a very deep hole to climb out of to even think of getting to the post season, and Alex Rodriguez is one guy that can make that happen. Forget the post season; let's see them get to .500 first. Keep hitting them out of the park, Alex, and mea culpa, Mussina.
It's time to apologize, if not to Mussina, who will never, ever read this column, but to my readers for absolutely blowing it. It’s one thing to make bad predictions about a game or an entire season; but, to personally attack a player simply because he hasn’t performed up to his usual level is unprofessional. Mussina did an excellent job of pitching last night and needs to be congratulated. Many people kept telling me that Mussina will come around, and this writer turned into a spoiled Yankee fan, tossing a fit because his favorite team is in the toilet. Mussina has not been the only problem the Yankees had with the few bad starts he produced. And, if the team didn’t sink to the bottom of the AL East in the standings, his performance in those games would not have mattered. With that said Mr. Grudge vows to return to his usual, objective self and not go off on emotional outbursts when one player turns in a bad performance for one game, like Josh Phelps for instance. Just kidding.
After all of my apologizing in the previous paragraphs, my support of Alex Rodriguez has been consistent from the inception of this blog. Mr. Grudge was the one making the case to keep him when everyone else wants to send him back to Texas, or some other baseball version of Siberia. There was one article I wrote criticizing him for wanting to opt out of his contract; but, by and large, my support for him has been constant throughout. This writer believed then, and still does now that A-Rod is a keeper. I've heard others tell me that in spite of the terrific season he is having, including the grand slam he had in the ninth inning against the White Sox Thursday that they'd like to see him do that in the post season. This writer's answer is that the Yankees have a very deep hole to climb out of to even think of getting to the post season, and Alex Rodriguez is one guy that can make that happen. Forget the post season; let's see them get to .500 first. Keep hitting them out of the park, Alex, and mea culpa, Mussina.
April 9, 2007
Yankees: Pavano, A-Rod & Pettitte
We thought things weren't going good for the Yankees when Carl Pavano was the opening day starter; and, he pitched okay until the defense made three errors behind him and then he tired early. Given the fact that he hasn't pitched in a year and a half we can forgive him. His heart is in the right place and he's displayed the guts necessary to make a comeback. Fans and critics can't keep goading him for not wanting to play when he is in fact going to the mound and giving it his all. Pavano's start against the Twins on Monday justifies this line of thinking. He's a pitcher again, and he's earned the right to be judged on current performances and not by the injuries of the past year and a half.
A-Rod has gotten off to a terrific start this season. Apparently exercising his demons during spring training, Alex has accumulated six home runs and fifteen RBIs in seven games. In terms of production, this surpasses even A-Rod. As quoted in Newsday (Tuesday, April 10, 2007) "No Yankee had ever hit five home runs in the team's first six games, as Rodriguez has, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."
Someone I know who is a Yankee fan cynically sneered at A-Rod's early and impressive numbers by saying "He's just taking advantage of weak pitchers." If that's the case, what's Doug Mientkiewicz’ excuse? How about the very talented fan favorite Melky Cabrera? They've both started this season in hitting slumps. Are they facing stronger pitchers than Alex Rodriguez? Even when A-Rod does something right, he's still criticized. Yankee fans, listen and listen hard: It's time to give Alex Rodriguez a break. He's going to strike out, leave men on base, and hit into double plays. If you want to trade him, think again. Who are you going to get for him? Scott Brosius is retired and anyone else who fills in at third is going to be lacking the skills that A-Rod possesses. If you want to make an argument that he's been less than productive for the Yankees in the post season, my answer is simple. This is no longer 2006, and he's still a member of the Yankees. If he goes one for eleven n in October, then you can gripe all you want; unless, of course, the Yankees actually win the World Series.
Andy Pettitte was back to being the Andy of yesteryear last night at the Metrodome. We can erase his last start and look forward to him being a leader on this pitching staff, even helping Carl Pavano who is often seen talking with Andy as they are now locker-mates. If you're a Yankee fan, you like the fact that Pavano is looking to Andy Pettitte for guidance. That’s the mature, responsible and smart thing to do.
After going 2-5 in the first week of the season, every Yankee fan was ready to panic here in Panic-ville. With that said, reasonable baseball fans with a sense of history and how baseball seasons often play out realize that the actual time to sweat is somewhere around June if the Yankees aren't performing well. The games in April are mere baby steps. This team will right itself not only because the pitching staff has ability, but because they have to. Here's to Carl Pavano as he grabs the ball tonight and helps make this team competitive. Remember one other thing; Chin Ming Wang will be back soon. And, if that isn’t enough to make you sleep better at night, Roger Clemens is likely to charge back into the Bronx in his Hummer sometime in June.
A-Rod has gotten off to a terrific start this season. Apparently exercising his demons during spring training, Alex has accumulated six home runs and fifteen RBIs in seven games. In terms of production, this surpasses even A-Rod. As quoted in Newsday (Tuesday, April 10, 2007) "No Yankee had ever hit five home runs in the team's first six games, as Rodriguez has, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."
Someone I know who is a Yankee fan cynically sneered at A-Rod's early and impressive numbers by saying "He's just taking advantage of weak pitchers." If that's the case, what's Doug Mientkiewicz’ excuse? How about the very talented fan favorite Melky Cabrera? They've both started this season in hitting slumps. Are they facing stronger pitchers than Alex Rodriguez? Even when A-Rod does something right, he's still criticized. Yankee fans, listen and listen hard: It's time to give Alex Rodriguez a break. He's going to strike out, leave men on base, and hit into double plays. If you want to trade him, think again. Who are you going to get for him? Scott Brosius is retired and anyone else who fills in at third is going to be lacking the skills that A-Rod possesses. If you want to make an argument that he's been less than productive for the Yankees in the post season, my answer is simple. This is no longer 2006, and he's still a member of the Yankees. If he goes one for eleven n in October, then you can gripe all you want; unless, of course, the Yankees actually win the World Series.
Andy Pettitte was back to being the Andy of yesteryear last night at the Metrodome. We can erase his last start and look forward to him being a leader on this pitching staff, even helping Carl Pavano who is often seen talking with Andy as they are now locker-mates. If you're a Yankee fan, you like the fact that Pavano is looking to Andy Pettitte for guidance. That’s the mature, responsible and smart thing to do.
After going 2-5 in the first week of the season, every Yankee fan was ready to panic here in Panic-ville. With that said, reasonable baseball fans with a sense of history and how baseball seasons often play out realize that the actual time to sweat is somewhere around June if the Yankees aren't performing well. The games in April are mere baby steps. This team will right itself not only because the pitching staff has ability, but because they have to. Here's to Carl Pavano as he grabs the ball tonight and helps make this team competitive. Remember one other thing; Chin Ming Wang will be back soon. And, if that isn’t enough to make you sleep better at night, Roger Clemens is likely to charge back into the Bronx in his Hummer sometime in June.
March 22, 2007
Cashman Won't blink
Well, Brian Cashman was allowed to start acting like a real general manager two years ago; and, he's taken on the enormous task of shrinking the Yankee's payroll which is the size of a medium sized city's budget. Still, Cashman sees the whole Alex Rodriguez affair, his failures in the clutch and his distractions with Jeter, his personal life being under constant scrutiny, as well as every word which comes from his lips, as a major pain in the franchise. Fans have been yelling "he's got to go" in between boos all last season. Now that everyone (in the Yankees organization) apparently has finally had it with him, in spite of public comments to the contrary, Cashman announces that the Yankees won't entice A-Rod to stay with more money should he decide to opt out of his contract.
Maybe that's what Alex wanted when it was announced a few weeks ago that his opt-out clause existed. Perhaps he needed the Yankees to dangle a big, fat carrot in front of his face in the form of a giant sack of hard cash to make him feel wanted. But, it seems that that plan back-fired. My belief was that Alex really wanted to ditch the team and play shortstop somewhere else, again, for a super-huge barrel of money.
If Alex was testing the waters for his next contract, or if he was trying to assess how much he is really wanted in New York, or both, he went about it the wrong way. If you're going to play poker Alex, don't blink. Alex not only blinks, a lot, he also hugs himself and rocks back and forth in public.
Cashman has ice water running through his veins. Not only does he have the luxury of having an All-Star, or potential All-Star at every position on the team, he would also like to lop $15-20 million off of his payroll. Waving bye-bye to Alex would do just that. What Brian would probably do if Rodriguez opted-out early would be to hire a third baseman for a fraction of the cost and use some of the dough he saved (minus the money spent on cake and ice cream for A-Rod's Bon Voyage party) and spend it on pitching. Trust me, A-Rod does want to leave; but only if he thinks it's on his terms, and not if everyone on the Yankees and the entire fan base was shoving him out through the stadium entrance. Quote from A-Rod: "Gulp".
In practice, therapists (I am told) often tell their patients to make their needs known. In Rodriguez's case, he should have kept his big, fat trap shut about his opt-out clause. Now he's telling everyone (for the umpteenth time) that he really, really, wants to stay in New York. Are you sure? Not even for a boat load of money to play shortstop somewhere like, Texas?
Suck it up, Alex. You might be miserable in New York, and money can't buy happiness. But, in your case, it makes one hell of a down payment.
Maybe that's what Alex wanted when it was announced a few weeks ago that his opt-out clause existed. Perhaps he needed the Yankees to dangle a big, fat carrot in front of his face in the form of a giant sack of hard cash to make him feel wanted. But, it seems that that plan back-fired. My belief was that Alex really wanted to ditch the team and play shortstop somewhere else, again, for a super-huge barrel of money.
If Alex was testing the waters for his next contract, or if he was trying to assess how much he is really wanted in New York, or both, he went about it the wrong way. If you're going to play poker Alex, don't blink. Alex not only blinks, a lot, he also hugs himself and rocks back and forth in public.
Cashman has ice water running through his veins. Not only does he have the luxury of having an All-Star, or potential All-Star at every position on the team, he would also like to lop $15-20 million off of his payroll. Waving bye-bye to Alex would do just that. What Brian would probably do if Rodriguez opted-out early would be to hire a third baseman for a fraction of the cost and use some of the dough he saved (minus the money spent on cake and ice cream for A-Rod's Bon Voyage party) and spend it on pitching. Trust me, A-Rod does want to leave; but only if he thinks it's on his terms, and not if everyone on the Yankees and the entire fan base was shoving him out through the stadium entrance. Quote from A-Rod: "Gulp".
In practice, therapists (I am told) often tell their patients to make their needs known. In Rodriguez's case, he should have kept his big, fat trap shut about his opt-out clause. Now he's telling everyone (for the umpteenth time) that he really, really, wants to stay in New York. Are you sure? Not even for a boat load of money to play shortstop somewhere like, Texas?
Suck it up, Alex. You might be miserable in New York, and money can't buy happiness. But, in your case, it makes one hell of a down payment.
March 5, 2007
Wrong Move, Dave
Sports Illustrated online reports in its "Truth & Rumors" section that David Wright has graciously offered to move to the outfield in case Alex Rodriguez opts out of his contract with the Yankees and somehow winds up playing for the Mets. The move by Wright would free up third base for A-Rod, should he decide that the Yankees cross-town rivals are the team for him. This writer would say that Wright's offer to play the outfield is a "rookie maneuver"; but Wright is no longer a rookie. What he is, probably, is a bit naive.
Just about every Yankees fan knows that A-Rod is licking his lips over the prospect of ejecting himself from the Yankees as his tenure in the Bronx has been nothing but a soap opera and a post-season failure. What Wright should realize is that Alex doesn't want to play third (he's a short stop at heart) and he definitely can't make it in New York. If the Mets manage to kidnap Lou Piniella from the cubs and make him their manager, fire Willie Randolph, and promise Alex that he can play shortstop, then, and only then, would Wright's offer look promising. Anything less than that, Wright shouldn't bother. By the way Dave, that was a classy and charitable suggestion.
Just about every Yankees fan knows that A-Rod is licking his lips over the prospect of ejecting himself from the Yankees as his tenure in the Bronx has been nothing but a soap opera and a post-season failure. What Wright should realize is that Alex doesn't want to play third (he's a short stop at heart) and he definitely can't make it in New York. If the Mets manage to kidnap Lou Piniella from the cubs and make him their manager, fire Willie Randolph, and promise Alex that he can play shortstop, then, and only then, would Wright's offer look promising. Anything less than that, Wright shouldn't bother. By the way Dave, that was a classy and charitable suggestion.
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