Big congratulations should go out to Alex Rodriguez, who finally hit his 500th home run after a week of frustration. This is a guy who constantly seems to be on the wrong side of fan and media ridicule. It’s just bizarre to me how someone plays the game so well, never complains, has never been arrested or been credibly accused of steroid use, yet it while Derek Jeter can do no wrong, A-Rod is under constant scrutiny.
Baseball, more than any other sport, needs a group of players to perform well and have chemistry in order to win championships. The Yankees primary problem the last few seasons has been their inability to have stable pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Admittedly, A-Rod didn't have very good postseasons in 2005 and 2006, but one man’s slump shouldn’t bring down an entire team – especially a team with that kind of payroll.
The next question that needs to be asked is “How many superstars would willingly give up their position to play another one?” Alex Rodriguez willingly moved to third base, even though he won Gold Gloves in 2002 and 2003 at shortstop, Jeter's position. Jeter didn't win his first Gold Glove until Rodriguez was a teammate.
To be fair, A-Rod has made a couple of glaring mistakes. There was his bush-league slap of Bronson Arroyo in the 2004 ALCS, and talking about how hard he works during one spring training – bringing howls of laughter from members of the Red Sox. He also made some tabloid headlines this season, appearing in a picture with a woman (not his wife) exiting a strip club in Toronto.
There is no way to justify his first mistake. The second was a stupid quote, which may have been taken in the wrong context. In the third case, the New York tabloids are notorious for rumor-mongering and not always being the most reliable of sources. Overall, none of these mistakes should be career-killers, or permanently scar his PR image.
A-Rod still has a good five to seven years of high-level baseball left in him. He could be the first man to hit 800 runs, and also has a chance to get to 3,000 hits. Why would the media and fans be so quick to dump on a guy like this?
The Yankees appear to be smart enough to know what their future is – they broke a long tradition by negotiating with a player in the middle of the season. Unfortunately, in the process the franchise may have burned two guys who’ve won championships with the Yankees: Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. These two were never afforded the same opportunity.
Losing two championship level players, even if they are on the older side, could cripple this team's psyche. Yet if the Yankees don’t sign A-Rod, they may not have a future.
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