Take this for what it's worth:
Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez is eying apartments in a swanky upper East Side building featuring a $16 million penthouse big enough for his wife, child - and friends, real estate sources told the Daily News.This article keeps referring to the Stray-Rod thing, but that's irrelevant. What's important here is that I don't think Rodriguez would be shopping for $16 million penthouses if he wasn't inclined on staying in New York after this season.Baseball's richest player has been touring the super-luxurious building under construction at 170 East End Ave., directly across the street from Gracie Mansion, the sources said (source).
Wallace Matthews' moronic opinion notwithstanding, Rodriguez is a very important part of this team and he needs to be back next year.
He is absolutely killing the ball this year. He is already at 26 home runs and 70 RBIs. He didn't have 70 RBIs until the middle of July last year (and he finished with 121 RBIs). He is 10 home runs away from 500. Think of all the records he can break as a Yankee.
I understand that Yankee fans inherently don't like him. I understand that there are Pro-Jeter and Anti-A-Rod factions. I don't know the rationale, but I know how stupid some Yankee fans can be.
My feelings are that he's the greatest player we will ever, EVER see, and we as Yankee fans should embrace him. I love Derek Jeter as much as the next guy, but I root for Rodriguez because he's a Yankee. I realize that Jeter and Rodriguez are two different players, and it is unfair to compare the two. I absolutely hate A-Rod vs. Jeter arguments (I have a feeling that this was what Mantle vs. Maris was like, but I'm obviously way too young). Both are integral parts of what could be a devastating lineup.
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7 comments:
Before I read the Mantle/Maris portion of your post, that's exactly what I was about to say. A-Rod is Maris-esque in so many ways. The media hated Maris, and not really for anything Maris did to them or to New York, but just because they felt he wasn't a Yankee as much as Mantle, who was brought up through the system and was basically born a Yankee. The media tried to make it seem like Maris and Mantle had some rivalry between themselves, which just was not the case.
I've asked some of the anti-ARod folk out there who they'd get at 3rd base that would be better than him. I get some Mike Lowell, some Erik Chavez. But the truth is, there's no one better at 3rd base. A "bad" year for A-Rod is a great year for the next guy. I hope he sticks around. I really hope he doesn't opt out. Unlike Maris, though, he finds a way to deal with the pressure in NY. Some may say he hasn't, but he's still here and he does interviews with a smile on his face.
I'm totally monopolizing your blog comments lately--my apologies, but you kind of steal my opinions a lot so I feel the need to basically say, "Amen." Or something less lame.
I think him opting out is inevitable, unfortunately. His agent is Soctt Boras after all.
I think, however, he is starting to embrace NY ever since he finally came out and said he wasn't best friends with Jeter.
Don't be sorry for leaving so many comments! I think they're great and they add to the posts.
At least someone is reading!
I don't think not opting out was what I meant. I realize he'll opt out, but I hope he resigns with the Yankees. That is the more reasonable hope. Freaking Scott Boras.
I kind of wish baseball were still like it was when I was little. I didn't know who the Scott Borases were, and I didn't worry about where someone would be next year. The fact that there are rumors that Jorge Posada will test the free agent marking quite frankly makes me want to cry. I think when I was little, I wouldn't know these things and therefore wouldn't want to cry. I just watched baseball. Going to games was also free when I was little. That was nice...
Andrea, there's a huge difference between Maris and A-Rod (and I was only born in 1961, so save it Jr.). A-Rod has made much of his own problems because of the way he wants to be perceived and some of his statements/actions (I'm not going to go into them all now).
The press hated Maris, because he was a very quiet guy who gave one word answers, and because he was chasing Babe's record. Mantle was actually booed until Maris came along.
Mantle and Maris were very good friends right up until Maris' death.
I'm aware that Maris and A-Rod are quite different. They are, however, treated similarly by the media. Maris was a quiet guy, but that didn't seem to stop the reporters from putting words into his mouth and making him seem like a jerk. (I was only born in 1983 but my dad gives me "history" lessons every so often.)
I didn't mean to make a comparison to say that the situations are exactly the same; I was pointing out similarities. And it always seemed silly to me that they'd boo someone "chasing" Babe Ruth's record. I get that you don't want the record to be overshadowed, but wouldn't you want someone playing as well as he possibly could for your team? Then again, I am a big fan of the underdog--which is probably why I would have been one of those few pro-Maris folk if I were around back then.
Fans want A-Rod to do well here, but it's ridiculous that supporting A-Rod means you have to hate Jeter, or vice versa. That's where I found a parallel between this situation and Mantle/Maris (not Mantlemurcer ;)).
Today, no one is going to boo A-Rod for hitting home runs. Fans were trying too hard to like him, and when he failed, he got booed. Some times it was justified, other times it wasn't. Games in April shouldn't be caused for irrational booing, but that's just me.
The first inning of opening day the fans booed A-Rod. He didn't catch a foul pop up. All I could think was "great, here we go again." But then he shut them up with a home run in the 8th inning. Then they really shut up for a while on 4/7 with the walk-off grand slam.
But, when they can't boo him for missing pop ups or striking out, which they can't seem to as much anymore, not this month, they find other things to boo him. I honestly wonder what he's going to have to do for NY to like him.
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