1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Verducci with a darn good piece about A-Rod

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Double Down, Sep 19, 2006.

  1. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    Release the Hounds! (And the A-Rod apologists!)

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/09/19/arod0925/index.html

    Impressive how candid Giambi is with his criticism of Rodriguez in this article. As a journalist, I totally appreciate it, but somehow I doubt A-Rod was out there punking Giambi when he was hitting .198 and nearly got sent to the minors.
     
  2. Flying Headbutt

    Flying Headbutt Moderator Staff Member

    Probably the most honest story about A-Rod I've seen in a while. Good read though. Excellent job by Verducci.
     
  3. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Giambi: 36 HR, 109 RBI, .251 BA. Fatass first baseman with zero (0) defensive value
    Rodriguez: 34 HR, 116 RBI, .288 BA. Probably the best defensive player on the team.

    Hmmmm, tough pick.
     
  4. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Even in a *bad* year, A-Rod goes 34-116-.288. Unbelievable.

    I'd love to have that on the Dodgers every year.
     
  5. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    That was outstanding. Another fucking grand slam by Verducci. Hope it ends up in BASW2007.

    As DD pointed out, though, Giambi's got a lot of nerve dogging ARod and going into the manager's office and telling Torre he has to straighten ARod out. Never mind, as noted earlier, the fact ARod didn't publicly criticize Giambi when he was sick/ineffective/giving the team reams of bad publicity thanks to BALCO. How about the fact Giambi has produced far less than the guy who needs to be straightened out since the All-Star Break?

    GIAMBI: .237-9 HR-37 RBI-.406 OBP-.467 SLG
    AFRAUD: .296-15 HR-51 RBI-.382 OBP-.544 SLG

    why don't you shut the fuck up Jason and go read some more of David Wells' smut mags to relax. (Goodness, me defending AFraud)

    Also loved the line about how all of A-Rod's moves are choreographed and the reference, once again, to how the championship-era Yankees don't care about anything other than winning. That's why Jeter swung on 3-0 against Craig Hansen Sunday night with his 25-game hitting streak on the line. Imagine the shitstorm if ARod did that.
     
  6. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Um, batters swing on 3-0 sometimes. So what?
     
  7. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Against a badly struggling rookie reliever pitching in front of a full house at Yankee Stadium?

    Yes, I know: People swing at 3-0 and sometimes produce dramatic hits (Trot Nixon's WS-clinching three-run double comes to mind). But to swing at that pitch, in that situation, against that pitcher, reeked of me me me.
     
  8. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Sorry, but in baseball, there's no victory formation. You play it out, and rookies gotta learn how to get a pitch past a hitter swinging on 3-0 at some point.
     
  9. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Wouldn't you expect a team-first guy to take on 3-0 against a wild rookie? Especially in what I believe was a tie game?
     
  10. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    The good hitters have the green light to go on any count. I really think you're making much ado, yadda yadda.
     
  11. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    To be honest, I'm still not past the shock of seeing you defend A-Rod -- wow. If I see you do the same for Manning ...
     
  12. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    That was fascinating.

    I'm biased, sure, but it just seems like A-Fraud doesn't get it. He has NO concept whatsoever why people boo him, how he comes across on the field or off, or why his actual numbers don't matter when it comes to acceptance as a Yankee or otherwise.

    Everyone can see that he just wants to be liked -- and honestly, he gives no one a negative reason to not like him -- but he has NO clue what it is people (fans, players, anyone) want to see from him: a little honesty. A little humanity.

    Tiger Woods, who is just as mechanical and seemingly scripted as A-Rod in many ways, is the anti-Alex when it comes to honesty and humanity. That's why Tiger is beloved by so many and the Fraud is booed.

    Verducci hit this nail on the head.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page