A-Rod's April won't mean anything in the end
If the season ended today, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees would win the American League Triple Crown and would likely earn his third AL MVP award.
Rodriguez mashed another home run last night as the Yankees routed Cleveland, 10-3. He leads the majors in home runs with 8 and RBI with 21, and leads the AL with a .383 batting average through 12 games.
It's an amazing, awe-inspiring start for A-Rod. And you know what, it doesn't mean a damn thing!
In the end, nothing Rodriguez ever does for the Yankees during the regular season -- no matter how incredible -- will ever be enough unless he carries the Yankees to a ring in October.
Rodriguez' Yankee career will be judged a success or failure based purely on its Octobers, not its Aprils. And so far, those Octobers have been a well-documented failure.
Two seasons ago A-Rod hit 48 homers, drove in 130 runs and won an MVP award. He then hit .133 in the playoffs and nobody cared about his regular season.
Last season, more of the same. An .071 postseason average, the indignity of being dropped to 8th in the lineup, and his 35 homers and 121 RBI meant nothing.
A-Rod has been getting cheered wildly at Yankee Stadium during his quick start. Fans are seemingly trying to embrace this most sensitive of superstars, possibly hoping showing him some love will keep him from opting out of his contract at the end of this season.
But, Yankee fans can turn surly in a hurry when it comes to Rodriguez. Should he fail in a couple of clutch situations this weekend at Fenway Park against the Red Sox, the lovefest currently ongoing in the Bronx will screech to a halt.
A-Rod is one of the most talented players the game has ever seen, and this year's version of the Yankees will need all of his talents to continue their streak of post-season appearances. New York's shaky starting pitching means offense will often have to carry this team, and A-Rod will have to provide much of it.
The regular season is a no-win situation for A-Rod, though. Should this Yankee team fail to make the postseason while A-Rod posts monstrous numbers, critics will just say that, typically, he put up great stats for a team that wasn't good enough. Even if he leads the Yankees to the post-season, it won't be enough unless he leads them 'through' it as well.
So, enjoy the show Yankee fans -- it looks like it will be a good one. When it comes to A-Rod, though, the real fireworks don't start for a few months yet.
technorati tags: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees, Baseball
5 comments:
thanks for the reminder that everybody already knows. A-Rod can't win because of Yanks "fans" like you... if he had sucked this past month you would have torn into him just as much. Would you seriously rather not have him?
--Tom
(oh by the way, Yankees haters absolutely love posts like this one)
Stupid Yankee fan. Exactly like every other sports journalist who uses the same template "A-rod is not a true yankee yet".
Yep, follow the "not a true yankee" template. Great post. Think of something more original next time.
And while you're at it, I'd advise you go research A-Rod in the playoffs before the last 2 years. Idiots like you are always surprised at what they find.
A-Rod and the Yankees and their fans all deserve each other. It's nice to have all the idiots in one place.
I'm a Yankee fan and I've supported A-Rod from the very beginning of his career in the Bronx. I think most Yankee fans are positively spoiled, hence, posts like this one. Yankee fans' treatment of A-Rod last year absolutely pissed me off! I know, should A-Rod falter again this season, let's boo him! Something good has to come out of all that negative energy. Right? NOT!
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