Verducci with a darn good piece about A-Rod

Well, I'm curious. What's the error?

 

I agree with you Jones. That detail and then later when he mentioned A-Rod batting second after discussing the Esquire piece - those are the details that readers love.

I thought it was an excellent read.

 

This piece obviously had the approval of the Yankee machine, with a couple of the players and Reggie on the record and Torre seemingly giving background. Why do this? A-Rod has righted himself in recent weeks, so why would they stir stuff up?

 

A-Rod has played in 84 fewer playoff games than Jeter.
Make that equal, and we'd see more "moments" from Alex.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in 2004, weren't the Yankees one strike away from sweeping the Red Sox in the ALCS? I remember it was at least one out. Anyway, if Mariano Rivera gets that last out, the Yankees advance to the World Series, where they probably would have swept the Cardinals and put themselves back on top.

In other words, A-Rod would have been seen as an immediate winner who helped the Yankees get back to winning trophies. But Rivera failed to get that out, and so the A-Rod image burned in most people minds from that series is him slapping the ball out of someone's glove at first base.

One more out, A-Rod would have been seen as a hero for years to come. I'm not saying you should, but you could blame Rivera for A-Rod's negative perception nationally.

 

Try explain your reasoning to Bill Buckner

 

Really? I feel like Jeter's just as phony just in a different way. I believe he busts his ass on the field and is a winner, but I feel like he always seems to know where those cameras are next to the dugout and makes sure he gets right out in front of them after a big hit.
The difference between the two is that everyone can see through A-Rod, and he would be better off just playing himself as a cocky guy along the lines of Chad Johnson or something because it's clear he has a huge ego, and rightfully so. With Jeter some people (like you apparently) buy his shtick. Again Jeter cares about winning and all that more than anything but he is definitely carefully cultivating an image a la MJ, Tiger, etc

 

Granted their defense is nothing special, but I think you'd have a tough time making that case this year.

 

Bases loaded, two outs, down by a run, bottom of the ninth, game 7 -- who do you want up? You can give me his numbers, or "stats", all you want but A-Rod wouldn't be very high up on my list.

 

Yes, I want him up.

His career performance backs that up.

 

It does? Even if he has good postseason numbers, I can't remember a game winning hit or even a big hit in a clutch spot. I'll admit I'm biased, because I'm a Sox fan and hate A-Rod, but I can rattle off a half dozen big postseason hits by Jeter, and I certainly am not a big Jeter fan. Not everything is about numbers.
Earlier in the thread there was debate on all runs being equal. Certainly runs in the first inning are WORTH the same as those in the ninth, but hitting a 3-run homer down two in the eighth is more IMPORTANT than hitting a 3 run hr up six in the eighth. The guy puts up huge numbers, and will be a first ballot HOFer, but he still has yet to win shit, and rightly or wrongly once he signed that contract ridiculously high expectations were put on him.

 

"Champion" baseball players are determined by one factor.

Not talent.

Not sublimation of ego.

Not likability.

It is purely luck.