is it because he was making $250 mill and the team was paying him too much to afford other players or you just think he is a cancer and he will lose anywhere he goes? if it's the latter, then I don't really know what to tell ya, b/c the Yankees problems lie in starting and middle relief. If you want to talk about a real cancer, talk about Roger Clemens, who makes 100 billion dollars a year for 2-3 months and doesn't do jack. at least A-Rod (who is overpaid) produces.
This is going to seem convuluted, but I tend to think if there's a "chemistry" issue in baseball, it's the other players' fault, not the "bad guy." Outside of some minor areas like pitcher/catcher and ss/2B, baseball is largely an individual sport. At the pro level, I expect a hugely divergent group of personalities to perform, regardless of the "well, player A is an a-hole." The Yanks' problems have been evident for anyone to see. Pitching. A-Rod's offense was critical in them winning a lot of games, and no bit of soothe-saying would change the fact that players through the batting order are responsible for producing. The only way that A-Rod is a cancer, IMO, is if the owner won't spend the funds on other positions in order to compete because of splurging on A-Rod. Rather than just bash the guy, personally, I'd rather enjoy one of the most remarkable careers any of us will ever see.
agree with everything NLMD said. he is a villain but why? b/c he makes 20-30 million a year? come on, now. there isn't a single player in that locker room that wouldn't accept that had they been offered it, too. and also, chemistry is overrated in baseball. Agreed there, too. You don't need your teammates to like you to hit a ball 600 feet, and you don't need them to like you to dive to your right to get a sinking ground ball.
It can't be this. The Yankees do not have to deal with opportunity cost. Hell, they can afford to sign a star player and sit him on the bench just so other teams can't have him. Reasons for NYY not winning it all since 2000: Subpar pitching, tons of old guys who get injured a lot, bad luck in the playoffs, other teams have been better (imagine that!) NOT reasons: Absence of grit, chemistry and clutchness, poor attitudes, big egos, not scrappy enough or any other anecdotal reason you can throw at me. A-Rods' #1 problem is that he's socially inept and therefore an easy target for criticism.
I am more inclined to agree with the title of this thread, though Hank's got a lot to prove. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/11/14/bc.bba.yankees.rodriguez/index.html?eref=T1
We'll see what happens. The Yankees and A-Rod are 2 parties that I never would have imagined swallowing their pride, let alone at the same time.
That's an understatement. Another poll from ESPN.com: 9) Which player would you rather have? 69.6% Alex Rodriguez 30.4% David Eckstein Total Votes: 194,419 58,000 people would rather have a guy with 30 career HR that can barely throw the ball to first. I say trace the URLs of the Eckstein voters, find them, and prevent them from breeding.
