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Verducci with a darn good piece about A-Rod

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

  1. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    No ... as usual, he is not.

    It's quite possible to do something horribly wrong at one time and be a positive influence at some point down the line.

    His previous use of steroids does not preclude Giambi from doing the right thing on Sept. 19, 2006.

    And when he suggested that Torre use the whip rather than the sugar cube for a little while with A-Rod, he did the right thing.

    I mean, FB, you definitely shouldn't want people to hold everything you've said on here permanently against you. ;)
     
  2. No, but what I am saying is that there are circumstances under which the What About The Children? Brigade would not ever forgive an admitted juicehead. The hysteria and moral absolutism is on that side of the argument, and not on mine, at least in part because I always suspected it was arbitrary.
    And, just to use the WATC?'s side's best argument -- you think Giambi's clean now?
     
  3. Columbo

    Columbo Active Member

    Fucking sad but true.
     
  4. bballscribe

    bballscribe Member

    I loved the piece, and while I'm not a baseball nut, I do follow it closer than the average Joe. I thought Verducci did a great job reporting and explaining both sides and giving A-Rod the opportunity to clarify himself, which he didn't do. I think it's remarkable how Jeter doesn't try and relieve some of the pressure, like he did with Giambi's scandal, but that also shows the respect the Yanks have for Giambi--a cheater--over Rodriguez, whose inability to perform in clutch situations has been engrossed into a much bigger disease.

    It's a whole different life for A-Rod. For years as a Mariner and Ranger, he'd been coddled and losing had been acceptable, as long as you were winning MVPs and getting your numbers. Adjusting to the Yankee way of life is not something that can be done overnight, because you must adjust your values of the game, as well as its priorities.

    And it doesn't matter if Rodriguez is arrogant or distances himself from teammates. Those types of players can be found all over sports. But I was surprised at how candid Torre was and the access Verducci was allowed. It really showed a deeper and more intangible side to Rodriguez.
     
  5. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    Only if HGH is the right thing!

    A piece of shit like Jason Giambi shouldn't be calling out anybody or telling Joe Torre what to do. Torre should have told him to shut the fuck up.
     
  6. indiansnetwork

    indiansnetwork Active Member

    There is no way a guy who was hitting below his middle school weight at the begining of his first season after BALCO and then went on to hit like an MVP isn't using HGH. Why wouldn't he use HGH, baseball does not test for it.
     
  7. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    Yeah, but Giambi's one of the boys . . . he fits RIGHT IN, over there . . .
     
  8. GravyTrain

    GravyTrain Guest

    Saw this on ESPN.com and had to laugh. Why don't we analyze how A-Rod does with in day games on Tuesdays with the temperature under 77 degrees?

    • Two of the criticisms of Alex Rodriguez in Tom Verducci's current article in Sports Illustrated are Rodriguez's poor clutch hitting and his struggle to hit fastballs. At the intersection of those two charges is this amazing statistic: During his three seasons with the Yankees, A-Rod has batted .105 with runners in scoring position against pitchers who averaged at least one strikeout per inning (in the season in question). That's four hits in 38 at-bats, with one home run and 16 strikeouts.
     
  9. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    Not only is that a legit stat, it's the utter essence of the problem. Let's just see how
    he stands up under the conditions outlined, during the pending postseason . . . ummmmmmmmmmm?
     
  10. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    You would surely be mostly talking about facing top closers. I doubt many players, period, hit above .200 against top closers. Meaningless stat.
     
  11. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    Not talkin' .200.

    We're talkin' ONE-FREAKIN'-FIVE.
     
  12. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    38 bats over the course of three years is a piss-poor sampling, probably not statistically significant. Tons of other top players surely have similar averages against the Billy Wagners and BJ Ryans of the world.
     
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