A-Rod Meets the Press
The Times reports on a forthcoming
Sports Illustrated profile of Alex Rodgriguez, the Yankees' immensely talented but troubled third baseman.
A-Rod is having by most standards a terrific year: He's hitting .286, with 34 homers and 116 rbi's. But his season has been plagued by mental problems on the field and at the plate; he's made more errors than ever before in his career, and he's failed at the plate repeatedly—consistently, you might say— in crucial situations. As a result, the New York media have gotten on his case pretty severely.
And now, so are his teammates. Jason Giambi is quoted in the SI article as saying, “Alex doesn’t know who he is. We’re going to find out who he is in the next couple of months.”
Ouch.
In return, Rodriguez expresses his frustration that other well-paid players don't get criticized as he does. “[Pitcher Mike] Mussina doesn’t get hammered at all,” Rodriguez is quoted as saying. “He’s making a boatload of money. [First baseman Jason] Giambi’s making ($20.4 million), which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass. When people write (bad things) about me, I don’t know if it’s (because) I’m good-looking, I’m biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team.”
Ouch on so many levels.
Rodriguez isn't entirely wrong; Mussina is a chronically underachieving pitcher, probably the most talented pitcher in baseball never to win 2o games. I love Giambi, but he's hitting .250, which is about .40 points lower than A-Rod, with similar home run and RBI totals.
On the other hand, Rodriguez's analysis of why he gets criticized is just inane. Because he's good-looking? Bi-racial? I suspect most Yankee fans never give much thought to either one. Nor do they care much about what he gets paid: So many Yankees get paid so much, one becomes inured to multi-million dollars salaries.
The reason A-Rod gets so much attention is the disparity between his great talents and his ability to perform in clutch situations...particularly because his teammate, Derek Jeter, says so little but always seems to come through in tight spots.
Now that the Yankees have pretty much clinched the division, A-Rod has been hitting .345 in September. Giambi's right. The next month is going to be hugely important for him...
