I'm sick of Alex Rodriguez.

[Goody]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I have to say, the man can write a nice apology. Read here:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...z-apology.html

I could write a lot of nice things, with millions of dollars worth of "consultants" and "friends" helping me.

[swoboda]

Prediction.......if he can still hit, the NY fans will be cheering by the middle of April. If he can't he's off to spend his millions by October.

[Jason]

My prediction is his ego will write checks his bat can't cash.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I have to say, the man can write a nice apology. Read here:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...z-apology.html

There was a follow-up column on this in today's Newsday. The thing that resonated most was contained in this subtitle to the column - may it be so:

[Goody]

Originally Posted by Jason

My prediction is his ego will write checks his bat can't cash.

Do you think he wrote it himself? As in, that he didn't just hand write something that was provided to him?

[Déjà Bru]

Today's headline in Newsday:

Alex Rodriguez will have to prove himself to get playing time, says Yankees manager Joe Girardi

I would love to see in tomorrow's Newsday, this headline:

Alex to Joe: "Fair enough."

[Westheim]

Watching the Phillies-Yankees bout right now, because there's nothing else on, and Rodriguez gets about a 50/50 split between cheers and jeers - from the "home" crowd.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Watching the Phillies-Yankees bout right now, because there's nothing else on, and Rodriguez gets about a 50/50 split between cheers and jeers - from the "home" crowd.

If he does well at the plate this year, the home crowds will love him. Look, it's just human nature - call it forgiveness, call it blindness, call it selfishness, call it what you will. On the other hand, if he tanks, God help him. The flip-side of human nature is going to come down on him like a ton of bricks.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

If he does well at the plate this year, the home crowds will love him. Look, it's just human nature - call it forgiveness, call it blindness, call it selfishness, call it what you will. On the other hand, if he tanks, God help him. The flip-side of human nature is going to come down on him like a ton of bricks.

I doubt he will be very good. .270 15 50 rbi at best.

[ihatenames]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

If he does well at the plate this year, the home crowds will love him. Look, it's just human nature - call it forgiveness, call it blindness, call it selfishness, call it what you will. On the other hand, if he tanks, God help him. The flip-side of human nature is going to come down on him like a ton of bricks.

^This! And I think that is completely fair.

[RubeBaker]

A-Rod and Jeter were like the Goofus and Gallant of baseball.

[Déjà Bru]

I started this thread . . . see the thread title . . . but I'm feeling a bit different about him now, seeing how he has handled himself so far in ST.

For one thing, he's . . . humble. Humble! For another thing, he's working WITH Girardi and Headley and Teixeira to fit in with them and back them up, not butt heads with them. Like a team player.

Also, at long last, I think I can see the ballplayer in Alex Rodriguez, if you know what I mean. The guy who loves baseball and who wants one more go-around with the game he loves before his time is up. I never saw this man before - all I saw was the smug, aloof, multi-millionaire superstar.

Gosh help me, but I'm finding empathy with this man and . . . dare I say . . . I'm rooting for him now?

[RubeBaker]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I started this thread . . . see the thread title . . . but I'm feeling a bit different about him now, seeing how he has handled himself so far in ST.

For one thing, he's . . . humble. Humble! For another thing, he's working WITH Girardi and Headley and Teixeira to fit in with them and back them up, not butt heads with them. Like a team player.

Also, at long last, I think I can see the ballplayer in Alex Rodriguez, if you know what I mean. The guy who loves baseball and who wants one more go-around with the game he loves before his time is up. I never saw this man before - all I saw was the smug, aloof, multi-millionaire superstar.

Gosh help me, but I'm finding empathy with this man and . . . dare I say . . . I'm rooting for him now?

I hope you're right, but I just don't see humility ever being a trait of Alex Rodriguez. He's sorry that he got caught, not that he did something wrong. Twice.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I started this thread . . . see the thread title . . . but I'm feeling a bit different about him now, seeing how he has handled himself so far in ST.

For one thing, he's . . . humble. Humble! For another thing, he's working WITH Girardi and Headley and Teixeira to fit in with them and back them up, not butt heads with them. Like a team player.

Also, at long last, I think I can see the ballplayer in Alex Rodriguez, if you know what I mean. The guy who loves baseball and who wants one more go-around with the game he loves before his time is up. I never saw this man before - all I saw was the smug, aloof, multi-millionaire superstar.

Gosh help me, but I'm finding empathy with this man and . . . dare I say . . . I'm rooting for him now?

If he hits .280 with 10 HR by mid May Yankees fans will love him.
.210 with 2 HR by mid May and they will hate him.

That is true of every fan base. If the player performs for you, you can forgive almost anything short of murder.

[Dargone]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

If he hits .280 with 10 HR by mid May Yankees fans will love him.
.210 with 2 HR by mid May and they will hate him.

That is true of every fan base. If the player performs for you, you can forgive almost anything short of murder.

/thread

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by The Game

I doubt he will be very good. .270 15 50 rbi at best.

If A-rod can reach those numbers he had a decent season. I don't root for him as an individual, but I root for him as part of the team. That goes for the same as all my sports team. I don't personally know any of these guys, and for all I know some of these players could be worse than arod.

I don't really understand alot of fans. Rooting for PLAYERS they don't know at all. I want the success of my team regardless of who is on it, and if for some reason a player breaks a rule of the game or rule of society, then I pray for justice to be done to them.

[fhomess]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Also, at long last, I think I can see the ballplayer in Alex Rodriguez, if you know what I mean. The guy who loves baseball ...

I don't know about the humility side of things, but I think this has always been true of ARod. He's always been a guy who loved baseball, wanted to be the best at it, and wanted to win. Yeah, there's a lot of self love and a general lack of mainstream social skills, but the guy has been committed to the sport. He's never been a Jeff Kent, who didn't much care for the sport he was so good at.

He's wanted to be great and he's wanted to win. He cares a lot about his place in baseball history, which sadly is now tainted by the methods he used to cement it.

[rudel.dietrich]

I doubt the wisdom is denying a player who is having his best season since 2008 $6 million for a HR bonus when $6 million is not that much money for your organization.

The Yankees are having a good season when many thought they would not, I have to think the opportunity cost of a division title or WC spot is worth more than $6 million held out of what appears to be spite.

[darkhorse]

NY will have to pay a penalty since they are over and that would bring the total to $9 million for that one hit. But, since they are contractually obligated to do so, I've no sympathy for management's latest shenanigans. At least the Yankees don't have anyone as addicted to wild flights of fancy in charge of decision making like the Angels with Arte Moreno. Arte is Texas own special Santa Claus. Ho, ho, ho! Hope Arte has developed a yen for Elvis Andrus and is ready to act at all costs.

Myself, I've always like ARod since he's the best player to ever wear a Rangers uniform.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

I doubt the wisdom is denying a player who is having his best season since 2008 $6 million for a HR bonus when $6 million is not that much money for your organization.

The Yankees are having a good season when many thought they would not, I have to think the opportunity cost of a division title or WC spot is worth more than $6 million held out of what appears to be spite.

For the first time, though, I understand where the Yankees are coming from (or where they say they are coming from). This:

Cashman said the terms of a 2007 agreement between the Yankees and Rodriguez, which include a series of $6 million marketing bonuses tied to Rodriguez’s standing on the career home run list, were not like those in standard deals involving incentives and had consequently been misunderstood.

Whereas a pitcher might be entitled to a bonus for hitting a certain benchmark for innings pitched, Rodriguez’s agreement gives the Yankees the opportunity to pay him in exchange for the rights to market the event.

“If we choose to pursue something, we’ll choose to pursue it,” Cashman said. “If we choose not to, it’s our right not to. In both cases, we’re honoring the contract.”

. . . The Yankees have argued that Rodriguez’s suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs undermined their ability to market around the milestone home runs.

To A-Rod's credit, he is playing it cool this time. The media must be bitterly disappointed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/sp...tml?ref=sports