ALEX RODRIGUEZ!!!!

[horn17]

Totally understood..... I only get two channels on my tv (my tv because my girlfriend controls the rest of them) 1. ESPN 2. Any other sporting event on tv besides bowling....

[JW]

Considering the fact that I am a Rangers fan the first couple of questions are easy to answer.

While A-Rod is a great player, he is not a team player, he is not one that can lead a team, he is not one that does well with young players and rebuilding.

There is only one place where AROD would feel at home and that would be in Florida. In his time with the Rangers he spent very little off-season time in The Metroplex or did very little to become part of the community here. He did a lot for Miami, but nothing for the metroplex but steal money. Yeah he won an MVP, but he never brought the Rangers to a Higher Level.

There are a few things you can expect when you sign Arod -
Pay a lot of money
Get a lot of HR and RBI's
Hit for a low AVG with runners in scoring Postition
Alienate his teammates and ownership
And he will leave the team in the same shape it was in when he Got there (Save for Seattle, but after he left they went deeper into the playoffs than they did when AROD was there).

Rangers - Before AROD = Bad team - With Arod = Bad team -
After AROD = Bad team
Yankees - Good but not great before him, with him and will be without him.


AROD is a buyer beware kind of player.

[CATLAX MAN]

Wait a minute, if you get a lot of RBIs with A-Rod, then how is it possible that he hits for a low AVG with runners in scoring position? Seems like a contradiction.

[CATLAX MAN]

I-Rod was an awesome hitter which elevated his defensive skills in the mind of baseball writers, who overlooked the fact that the best purely defensive players over the past decade were guys like Benjie Molina or Brad Ausmus, who are better at preventing passed balls but might not have the show-off arm that I-Rod does.

I believe that Bengie Molina lead the league in passed balls this year.......at least it seemed that way. Definitely not a Gold Glover.

[scooter]

i personally hate all the scrutinty on A-Rod, simply because no one complains about the money NBA players make.... Rashard Lewis gets $110 million for 5 years and no one bats an eye, but the greatest baseball player ever gets dragged through the mud when he asks for a contract most believe he deserves.

[Ben Clark]

Pretty interesting piece of writing here:

Choose Your Own Rodventure

[Chowdah Head]

i personally hate all the scrutinty on A-Rod, simply because no one complains about the money NBA players make.... Rashard Lewis gets $110 million for 5 years and no one bats an eye, but the greatest baseball player ever gets dragged through the mud when he asks for a contract most believe he deserves.

I don't care how good you are, nobody deserves $300 million for playing a game. Especially when so many of our veteran soldiers are living in poverty.

[Jana]

we're so critical of ball players, but why not the same criticism of other entertainers - like actors, when they screw up? You don't hear a lot of bronx cheers for Kiefer Sutherland after multiple stints in drug rehab, DWI charges, various marriages, trips to strip clubs, acting like a goon towards the paparazzi, getting into fights, etc. He doesn't always make blockbuster movies and not every season of "24" wins the Emmy for best drama. And yet, he's making just as much money as A-Rod over the period of time, by acting on "24" and shooting motion pictures during the off season.

A-Rod's never been to rehab, he's never had a DWI, he doesn't get into fights, apparently he's not the best husband in the world, he's polite to fans and the media, and he's hitting better numbers than most major leaguers.

Why is he such a villain? Has he raped puppies? Assaulted women? Stomped on his opponent's face? Arranged a murder for hire? Failed to make his mortgage payments? Didn't grow a prize winning pumpkin for the state fair?

There are plenty of jerks in this world, but I don't think A-Rod is one of them. Steinbrenner chose to pay him that money, jeer him for foolishly offering that kind of money instead of going in a different direction.

[Dan Wishengrad]

While A-Rod is a great player, he is not a team player...
Alienate his teammates and ownership

Just out of curiousity, what evidence do you have to back this up? Have any former teammates of A-Rod's "ripped him" for being a bad teammate?

The guy works hard, gives everything he has and roots for his teammates all the time. Are you saying that other players are envious of his contract, so this "alienates" them? What owners were alienated by A-Rod? The brass here in Seattle really wanted him to stay, and were sickened that your Rangers offered him such an obscene contract, which I'm guessing just about anybody would take in his position (wouldn't YOU?).

The Yankees sure don't seem alienated, they are saying they still want him back -- they know he carried them for most of the season and got them back into the playoff hunt almost single-handedly this year.

[JW]

While A-Rod is a great player, he is not a team player...
Alienate his teammates and ownership

Just out of curiousity, what evidence do you have to back this up? Have any former teammates of A-Rod's "ripped him" for being a bad teammate?

The guy works hard, gives everything he has and roots for his teammates all the time. Are you saying that other players are envious of his contract, so this "alienates" them? What owners were alienated by A-Rod? The brass here in Seattle really wanted him to stay, and were sickened that your Rangers offered him such an obscene contract, which I'm guessing just about anybody would take in his position (wouldn't YOU?).

The Yankees sure don't seem alienated, they are saying they still want him back -- they know he carried them for most of the season and got them back into the playoff hunt almost single-handedly this year.

It is hard for anyone else to understand what happened here in Arlington because we heard this guy talk on a weekly basis about the team. Comments like I didn't sign up to play with 24 kids (inferring he did not like the idea of rebuilding). I can't remember everything that he said while he was here, but he just was not a good guy.

Do i blame him for the contract that he signed, absolutely not, i blame Tom Hicks for outbidding the next highest bid by $100 million dollars, but I do blame him for not becoming part of the community, i do blame him for not being a leader in the club house.

I guess because of my beliefs i expect someone with that kind of money to put it back into the community that gave it to him.

It is easy for a guy with 120 RBIs to still be a poor hitter with runners in scoring position. I am at work so i can't look it up but he hit something like 250 with RISP, as compared to Michael Young the season after AROD left hit over .300 with RISP.

All I know is that the money that the Rangers spent on him did not pay off.

And like i said before I would not want him on my baseball team.

Ask yourselves the question, IS ALEX RODRIGUEZ WORTH $30 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR?

Because that is what and the baseball Anti-Christ, Scott Boras, are going to demand. My answer is a resounding No.

I would rather have that $30 million available to be able to give to Tori Hunter, a bullpen pitcher, a utility guy, and have money left over to retain the kids in the organization.

[Dan Wishengrad]

Fair enough, JW, and I won't argue with what you've said in this latest post. You clearly don't like A-Rod, and you are surely not alone in having this distaste for the guy. Many folks are A-Rod haters.

But you don't provide any ammo for your earlier claim that he is a "bad teammate" or that he "alienates ownership", two statements which I believe are simply NOT true based on everything I have heard and read from those who have played with Alex or employed him. All the Seattle, Texas and Yankee players who played with A-Rod teammates have consistently good things to say about him as a former teammate, and all three organzations would clearly love to have him back, albeit not at Boras' asking price.

[beckner11]

I-Rod was an awesome hitter which elevated his defensive skills in the mind of baseball writers, who overlooked the fact that the best purely defensive players over the past decade were guys like Benjie Molina or Brad Ausmus, who are better at preventing passed balls but might not have the show-off arm that I-Rod does.

I believe that Bengie Molina lead the league in passed balls this year.......at least it seemed that way. Definitely not a Gold Glover.

Maybe he meant Yadier Molina for the Cardinals...who was VERY solid defensively behind the plate. Too many Molinas to keep them all straight

[Dan Wishengrad]

Nah I meant Benjie, but was talking about a decade of defensive brilliance before his skills started to erode with age and with wear and tear. I agree he is no longer worthy of a Gold Glove, but then again neither is I-Rod. But all the Molinas are (or were) fine defensive back-stops.

Interestingly, Posada is one of the most underrated catchers of this generation, maybe because he plays in NY with so many superstars who grab all the headlines. But Jorge has been a solid defensive catcher and an absolute stud with the bat, too. Whoever signs him as a free agent this winter will be getting a great ballplayer and a great teammate. Just how many switch-hitting catchers are there who will hit over .300, belt 20+ HRs, deliver key RBIs to win games consistently in the clutch and also handle a pitching staff as well as Posada will? The guy is also an "iron man" who you can count on to squat behind the plate for you all season long without getting hurt or going on the DL. I wonder what kind of contract he will get, and whether it will be offered by the Yankees?

[horn17]

plus he doesnt wear batting gloves....100% B.A. ......

Posada is by far my favorite Yankee ever....

[JW]

OK, OK, OK...

I am going to have to give AROD some credit today, and might have to recant all my previous opinions of the guy.

The word is that he has met with Yankee ownership (without Scott Boras) and talks are in the works for a multi year contract in the amount of $290 million dollars (Taken from MLB.com). This contract is cheaper also because of the $21 million dollars that the Yankees lost from the Texas Rangers to subsidize the contract, when Arod opted out. Whether or not the price is right or not, that is not my focus here.

I am writing to give Arod some props here. While i have been critical of Arod in the past, maybe that was unfair, maybe the real problem was his agent, and Arod finally realized that he was getting bad advice. I like the fact that Arod is settling in a place that he enjoys playing, and that he took the initiative in the talks with the steinbrenners.

So at this point AROD has recieved a couple points in my book.