Ive been waiting for years to write at length about MLB's golden pretty boy
Mr. Alex Rodriquez. He has the sweetest swing, the prettiest stats, and definitely has the sex appeal to make the ladies scream. Even some guys, not all gay either. Ive watched the so called "Evil Empire" crumble before my eyes as management went for the big names instead of getting quality players, and now we look at Boston as the model franchise, the way they used to look at us. For starters, I used to hate when fans of other teams would constantly complain of the Yankees trying to buy championships, since it was far from true, at that time, though it certainly is now. To begin with, the "Bronx Bombers"are the richest, most prestigious organization in all of sports. Rich in tradition, history and pride. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are in a distant second. They make the most, so they certainly could spend the most. How many people do I know that hate the Yankees with a passion, yet still own a Yankee hat? or hats? Anyway, the yanks from about 1996-2001 were steamrolling baseball. They had the right type of players, team guys who knew how to win, and excelled in their roles without having to be superstars. Players who grew up in front of our eyes into marquee players such as Mariano (the best closer EVER), Jeter, Posada, Pettitte. Players who stepped up to the opportunity out of virtual obscurity. Scott Brosius, who I would take over A-Rod any day batted .203 the year before he came to the Yankees and won the World Series MVP. Paul O'Niell ,who played in Cincinnati....enough said. David Wells,who was an above average pitcher, went on to have a Cy Young caliber season.. Then the greed set in. Roger Clemens, coming off his second straight Cy Young award in Toronto, became available, and Stienbrenner traded Wells for him, despite the Yanks winning their second straight title, winning 114 games, and Wells going 18-4 including the first perfect game since Don Larsen in the 50s. Guess it wasn't enough. They went on to win two more titles and then is when the Evil Empire really began.
Mariano throws a 3-2 fastball to Luis "57 HR one hit wonder" Gonzalez in Game 7, and he singles up the middle much to every ones surprise since for the last three years we had become accustomed to the Yanks pulling out the close wins. Mariano was as close to a sure thing, so Yankee fans thought they had it in the bag. I watched them celebrate in disbelief as Tino went into retirement. The off season bought us Jason Giambi coming in the prime of his career. The next two years they crumbled, and in 2004, they made a move that might have us sitting around like Red Sox fans waiting to win a championship for 86 years. A-Rod, who had turned down plenty of money to play for contenders such as the Mets and Mariners, chose the Texas Rangers and their $252 million, despite them being perennial doormats in the AL West. After filling up the stat sheets on last place teams, he began to whine about not playing for a contender, even though it was by his own doing. He wanted to win so bad, but no one heard him offering to take a pay cut. So leave it up to the Yankees to grant him his wish to not only play with a bunch of winners, even though it didn't show in the individual stat sheets, but to get every dime of his money in the process. And while George chased him, Boston got a premier pitcher in Josh Beckett, and we let the heart and soul of our pitching staff in Pettitte skate off to Houston. I thought to myself this pretty boy better be good, because the Yankees were a bonafide dynasty while he was racking up MVPs in Texas. It was greedy, since we had one of the best shortstops and clutch performers in Yankee and baseball history in Derek Jeter. We actually had him switch positions and play third just to get him in the lineup. What an A-hole!
No more "the curse of the Bambino". Now, "the curse of A-Rod"
Then came the infamous 2004 series against the Red Sox. I sat in a bar after about ten shots of Jack laughing as then Yankees held a huge lead in Game 5. I thought it was over. By the time I got home they had surprisingly lost. Then they went on to squander the serious and was known as the "biggest choke in the sports". Our $250 million dollar third baseman batted a whopping .258, with the bulk of his hits coming in the first three games. After that Stienbrenner went on a spending spree, passing on young talent such as Albert Pujols, this generations Manny (without the drama), and overpaying for aged superstars such as Randy Johnson. Clemens a 2nd time. Pavano. Kevin Brown, looking for a quick fix. The list goes on. Over the years Alex racked up two MVPs, but when the postseason came, he played like a rookie. Him hitting under 40 HRs with his salary is unimpressive, but Yankee fans would be willing to overlook it if he performed in the playoffs. Last year, he chose to opt out of his $252 million contract, since it wasn't enough. I had to respect Hank Stienbrenners stance of if he opted out, then negotiations would be over. Then after seeing no one was willing to pay that much, he came back begging to the Yankees. Being as greedy as they had been for so long, they took him back giving him more money. How could they pass up those stats? While we chased him, Johan Santana went to the Mets, while we stuck with Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Why would Anaheim cough up $350 million for a player who disappears in the playoffs? Boston won it all, so why would they add that much pay for someone they watched buckle under pressure. Then between him, the strippers in Toronto, his divorce, his fling with Madonna and whoever else, and now his steroid usage has tarnished his already dirty image. The Yankees have him signed for another nine years. Hes no different from Barry "Balco" Bonds, which is what made him appealing to the average fan, since he appeared to be a natural. To think the time he tested positive he was in a filthy clubhouse that had Jose Canseco, Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriquez, and of course Rafael "Pointer" Palmerio. Lets just hope he mans up and tells the truth. Giambi did, and baseball booed him for a while, but eventually it blew over. If he lies, well be talking about this for years like with McGwire, Clemens, and Bonds. Now the next name to pass Ruth that wont have an asterisk next to it might be Manny. Or Griffey. Unfortunately, both of them will have to play until they re about 47. But as i was told in the past, you cant buy championships. As the last 8 years have proven. And unfortunately we could dump hundreds of millions into the payroll, as long as Alex is on this team we will be cursed. He has a Stephon Marbury-like cancerous effect on any team. The one thing he had on his side was that he was clean, unlike Barry. Sometimes character super cedes talent and stats, and when the Yankees realize that is the formula to success, like they used to, then and only then could they return back to the prominence and excellence they held in the late 90s....and Red Sox nation holds currently.
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