Prospectus Today: A-Ro... (11/02)
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November 2, 2009 Prospectus Hit and RunThe Terrific Tandem
Dear Haters, Last night, in the ninth inning of Game Four of the World Series, Alex Rodriguez put to rest the seemingly endless string of complaints that have dogged him since 2004 regarding his ability to come through in the clutch. Never mind the fact that 15 of his 30 homers this year either tied the score or gave the Yankees the lead. Never mind the fact he had already bopped six homers during the Yankees' current postseason run, early-inning homers to kick off the scoring or late-inning—even extra-inning—homers to tie games. For some of his critics, that could never be enough, simply because he's the highest-paid player in the game, and a socially awkward one at that. Last night, in the ninth inning of Game Four of the World Series, Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with two outs and the opportunity to drive in a run to give his team the lead in a World Series game—the kind of situation just about anyone who's ever played baseball has daydreamed about, whether in their own backyards as a school kid or when putting pen to ink on a multi-million dollar deal. And he did. And it was good. Knowing that with a runner on third base he could expect a fastball, Rodriguez ripped a 92 mph Brad Lidge offering into the left-field corner to bring home Johnny Damon, restoring the lead that the Yankees had held from the top of the first to the bottom of the eighth, only to fritter it away. The Yanks would add two more runs on a Jorge Posada single one batter later, but it was Rodriguez who drove in the decisive run, giving the Bronx Bombers a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series. It doesn't get much more clutch than that. It took a bit of help from his teammates to have that opportunity, of course, and it was Damon who more or less manufactured that opportunity. With two outs in the top of the ninth, he battled back from the 1-2 hole Lidge had put him in, stretching the at-bat to nine pitches by fouling off slider after slider and fastball after fastball. Finally, he poked a soft liner into left field for a single. What happened next is the stuff of timeless World Series lore. With struggling Mark Teixeira at the plate and the infield playing an extreme shift, Damon decided to steal his way into scoring position. He broke on Lidge's first pitch, a slider; holding runners is not something the Phillies' closer does well. Catcher Carlos Ruiz snared the ball in the dirt but didn't have time to rise out of his crouch. He two-hopped a weak throw in front of third baseman Pedro Feliz, who picked it up about three feet in front of second base, leaning towards first base. Damon popped up out of his slide, the bag swiped cleanly, then alertly took off for third base when he saw no Phillie was covering. What made the play so brazen was that when he broke, Feliz was still less than three feet away; a faster infielder might have caught the 35-year-old Yankee, or at least made a desperate dive to attempt to do so. A better organized infield might have never allowed it; Jimmy Rollins was left to take responsibility for the mistake, not for the last time he'll be in that position if current trends continue. It was a brilliant play, for not only did it put the go-ahead run 90 feet away, it took away Lidge's best weapon, his slider. He did throw one to Teixeira on his next pitch, but after evening the count, he plunked the Yankees' first baseman to put runners on the corners and set the table for the delicious confrontation with Rodriguez.
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Fantasy Focus: First Base Rankings Review
Many people forget that Alex Rodriguez moved over from SS to 3B when he came to the Yankees even though he was (and probably still would be) a better SS than Derek Jeter. There was no thought about it from Alex Rodriguez, he just switched positions.
Then there are those who don't like that Alex Rodriguez isn't a team leader. Let's think about that for a second. When Alex Rodriguez came to the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter was captain - an honor not given to another Yankee since Don Mattingly in 1995. For Rodriguez to come in and try to be the team leader would have most certainly resulted in the New York media in a frenzy. Alex didn't do that and has let Jeter be the team leader. And for that, he is labeled as a good player who doesn't lead his team instead of a great player who knows his role on his team. A similar thing would have happened if he insisted on playing SS and pushing Jeter to a new position.
Also, let's not forget the classy act he did in the 2001 All-Star game. Did people forget that it was Alex Rodriguez who came up with the idea of having Cal Ripken Jr. play SS for an inning in that game?
I guess a lot of people made up their mind about one of the greatest players in the game without giving him a chance.
He's not completely likable and he doesn't always say the right thing. He's awkward in his attempts to live up to his own self image.
I hate it when people play arm-chair-psychiatrist, but I would guess that much of his awkwardness comes from being the child of a single mother. Lacking a male role model is something that significantly affects development and I think he's struggled to fill his undeniable role as a role model, as all star athletes are made out to be.
His work ethic an effort on the field are not questioned, and they never have been. That's all I ask of my team's players. He gives it his all and that's enough for me.