With the Yankees making an early exit from the playoffs once again, the major source of my anger is Alex Rodriguez. The so-called MVP candidate may have batted .321 with 48 HRs and 130 RBIs during the regular season, but when it came playoff time, the $250 million man once again came up empty, batting .133 with 0 RBIs in the division series, including an 0-4 final game–grounding into a double play in the 9th inning after Derek Jeter hit a leadoff single. Before Rodriguez joined the Yankees, people would always think I was being overly sentimental when I said I’d take Jeter over A-Rod in a heartbeat. This is a perfect example of why. In the division series, Jeter batted .333 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs, including a 3-4 final game (the one out was a sac fly). Jeter brings his game to a whole new level during the playoffs and his enthusiasm and competitive spirit is unmatched.
Some may say that I’m being too hard on Rodriguez, and contend that anyone can have a bad series and that plenty of other Yankees screwed up. This is all true, and there is plenty blame to go around. But when A-Rod signed his $250 million contract with Texas a few years ago, it was based on the hype that he was the best player in baseball. So, if he were just any other player, I wouldn’t have a problem with him choking. But since he’s anointed himself one of the all-time greats, I think he deserves my wrath.
On the bright side, I think that the Yankees’ failure to win for the fifth straight year underscores that you can’t buy a championship. Critics of the Yankees contend that the championships of 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 were bought. While the high payroll no doubt helped, it’s clear that those teams had a special blend of chemistry and heart that you simply can’t put a price on. This year’s team, with its $200 million plus payroll, may have had more superstars than those teams in the late 1990s, but winning is about more than money.
If someone had the spare time to look it up, I’d love to see how many baserunners A-Rod left stranded this year. His clutch skills aren’t much.
A-rod did disappoint – do you think there is a reverse curse?
There may be a reversal. But I guess we have to wait a few decades to see if it’s for real.