Why the Yankees Can’t — and Won’t — Lose A-Rod

It gets more and more obvious every day that the Yankees will not lose Alex Rodriguez unless he opts out of his contract and signals that he wants to leave town. They will find a way to sway him with an extension, because they cannot afford to lose him. He showed why — again – with a dazzling all-around performance in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory.
In the first inning, he faced Toronto’s Roy Halladay, the pitcher against whom he has the most career at-bats without a homer (43). He drove a single to right for the Yankees’ only run before the ninth.
In between, he robbed the speedy Alex Rios twice in the field. In the fifth, Rodriguez ranged to his right, dived for a hard grounder, popped up, set his feet and fired to first for an out. In the seventh, he speared a ground ball to his left, spinning 360 degrees before nailing Rios again.
Then, after leading off with a hit-by-pitch in the 10th, he said he anticipated that the pitcher, Casey Janssen, might throw a wild pitch because he has a good curveball. Janssen threw one in the dirt and Rodriguez was ready,cheap Florida Marlins Hats, hustling to second on the wild pitch and eventually scoring the winning run –- his 85th run scored this season, the most in the majors.
Rodriguez is a complex guy and a magnet for stories,cheap oakley sunglasses, many that have nothing to do with baseball. He brings some of it on himself, and maybe there is a part of him that craves all the attention.
In the end, it’s beside the point. The best thing about Rodriguez — the only thing that really matters, and the reason the Yankees will not let him go -– is the way he plays, and the number of ways he can beat a team. He showed that on Tuesday, without a single ball scaling a fence.
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Next » 1. July 18, 2007 3:13 am
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Spot on, Tyler.
I don’t understand why so many of your colleagues in the media don’t get it.
— NJ Lawyer 2. July 18, 2007 6:47 am
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Raymond Lynn Charleston,Illinois I hope he stays, Yankees need him. Everyone needs to stay off him
— Raymond Lynn 3. July 18, 2007 8:14 am
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Until he does it in October, it just doesn’t matter all that much.
— John Everyman 4. July 18, 2007 8:22 am
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Yes, the Yanks must do whatever it takes to keep A-Rod in pinstripes, both to retain his impressive play and keep him out of teams that perennially compete with the Yanks. That much is obvious.
Farnsworth,Cleveland Indians Hats, on the other hand, needs to go. There must be an NL team that needs a reliever.
— hjcho 5. July 18, 2007 8:23 am
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Alex Rodriquez seems a good fellow and a great player. Why would the Yankees want him to leave? There are myriad reasons why the Yankees won’t make the playoffs this year, but he is not one of them.
— Matt 6. July 18, 2007 8:27 am
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its obvious! A-Rod is a great shortstop.
— gene daniels 7. July 18, 2007 8:28 am
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The Moneyball guys have it right. The minute a team “has to have” a certain player, that team sets itself up for trouble. A-Rod is a good, but not great, player – as his stats reflect. But the Yankees will talk themselves into the “having to have” him, and will overpay – again.
— JJB 8. July 18, 2007 8:34 am
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They should probably throw an $120 million over 4 season extension at him – but there is a legit concern about paying a player in his late 30s that kind of money (and any extension will extend that far), especially in the post-steroid era. I wonder what kinds of numbers Barry Bonds would have put up at that age minus the juice? My guess is that they would have been much closer to historical standards.
— Matthew Carnicelli 9. July 18, 2007 8:36 am
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A-Rod will probably listen to Boras – who delivered his monster contract – and opt out. By fielding offers from all teams he’ll force the Yankees to come up with the biggest one. either that or he’ll get an ownership stake in the Angels. if A-Rod wanted to endear himself to the fans, which could enhance his endorsement revenue, he’d negotiate an extension with the Yanks.
— Yanks_Fan 10. July 18, 2007 8:39 am
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For starters, hands down the best player in all of baseball.
Now easily the best third baseman in the majors. His fielding has arrived.
The Yanks keep him. Forget what they may pay. (is there a meaningful difference between 25 million per and 35 million per to you or me? Don’t think so. And he plays hard…despite the guaranteed money)
Appears to be plenty of mileage left in his tank for the future.
He eventually breaks Bond’s all time home run record as a Yankee. Record is back in the Bronx.
Worth the money? I think so.
— T Kane 11. July 18, 2007 8:40 am
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Last night’s game was refreshing and inspiring for the air of inevitability the
Yankees played with. As a fan watching at home, you just knew that they were going to win…largely because of their aggressive late inning base running. That air of inevitability of victory is something that is born of a certain confidence and intensity that has been largely absent for much of this season. The ability of the team to recapture that mindset will go a long way to determining how this immensely talented group of individuals performs as a team.
— jonathan 12. July 18, 2007 8:44 am
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I long for beautiful baseball, but with this Yankee team, if it is going to win (and I think it still can), it is going to involve a lot of winning ugly. They are 8 of the last 10, but there hasn’t been a pretty game in the bunch as far as I remember.ARod is the kind of player who let’s you win ugly. Your bullpen will blow a three-run lead, he will hit a three-run home run. You don’t feel sorry for a guy of his abilities. He has to produce, but if he has a fairly consistent team around him, he will win championships. With a very raggedy up-down team–with spotting pitching both to start and from the bullpen–and spotty hitting from the left-handers, winning ugly is the most one can hope for.
— Don Byrd 13. July 18, 2007 8:47 am
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I am in agreement with the writer. I just feel that he may bolt NYC simply because of the media and not only those who cover the team. The celebrity driven news media is completely out of control and the nation as a whole is overcome by such nonsense.
— William Mavrelis 14. July 18, 2007 8:51 am
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AS I KID I SAW GEHRIG (OR SO MY FATHER SAID). I SAW DIMAGGIO. I SAW MANTLE. I SAW REGGIE. NOW I’M SEEING ALEX RODGRIGUEZ. NEED I SAY MORE.
— JULIAN BARRY 15. July 18, 2007 8:58 am
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In two years the Yanks will be closing the House that Ruth Built and moving into the new stadium. At that point in time A-rod will be entering that stage of his career when he will be setting all sorts of records. He could establish himself in baseball history as “the man” of the new Yankee house. In terms of money, endorsements and fame there is nothing that comes close to that opportunity for A-rod in baseball. It is an opportunity that A-rod will not pass up.
The Yanks will want him in the new house. The Yanks know that if A-rod is with them when the new stadium opens it will be the center of the baseball universe. It’s smart business for the Yanks to offer a generous contract extension to keep him.
— Steve 16. July 18, 2007 9:21 am
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This is a lot of hype as usual..typical player having his best year before the option year…do we forget how many titles have been won during the a-rod years? If the yankees had any guts, i would let him walk…and he could put up great numbers with another mediocre team…invest the money in pitching, pitching and more pitching…
— paul gellman 17. July 18, 2007 9:22 am
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How about three young and fast players with good situational hitting instead of one A-Rod?
He’s a great player,Puma II Shoes, but no player is worth that kind of money,Oakland Athletics Hats, except arguably, the top two or three under-30 pitchers in MLB.
— fd 18. July 18,raybans, 2007 9:23 am
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A-Rod is the best player in baseball by any objective measure. The Yankees should do whatever it takes to keep him in the Bronx.
— Don 19. July 18, 2007 9:25 am
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Tyler,
I think you caught the reasons based on performance that the Yankees need to keep Rodriguez. You also hinted at an intangible — and I think it is this: something akin to pleasure in the game has been unleashed in him this season. I recall that pained,San Diego Padres Hats sale, anguished look he seemed to have on his face while at the plate in the past two seasons. It’s gone now, replaced with a look of anticipation. The “Ha!” or “Mine!” episode in Toronto really seemed to spark the team at a time when the doldrums had settled on players’ psyches. It just seems like something changed after that dismal playoff series last fall,oakley sunglasses sale, and Rodriguez is infecting the team with a more relaxed attitude toward the game.
Balanced with the typical Yankee focus on winning the World Championship as the team’s single goal,New York Yankees Hats Sale, I think this is a great combination and a less obvious reason why the team cannot afford to lose A-Rod.
— Matt 20. July 18, 2007 9:28 am
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Steve Phillips was right: 24 and 1.
this guy should go somewhere where he can play shortstop and go down in history as the best hitting shortstop of all time. Big deal putting the Yankees over the top! Let him go to the Cubs and be their great hero.
— MC 21. July 18, 2007 9:32 am
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Last year, A-Rod was blasted in every single article whether the team lost or won. Now it’s the complete opposite: winning praises and likeability. More than A-Rod’s talent, the media has a talent in reversing its scathing condemnation of A-rod to infatuated love.
— David K 22. July 18, 2007 9:33 am
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I agree, totally!
— jerry katz 23. July 18, 2007 9:35 am
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So true. He has a win at all costs attitude. Some people call that dirty but I don’t. Besides, how can a baseball player be a dirty player? It’s not like football…I really hope he stays as a yankee and hits either 60 or 61 HR’s this year.
— John L 24. July 18, 2007 9:35 am
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Maybe it would be better if he left. Then the rest of the team might wake up. Rodriguez is great but the Yankees are 10 games out of first place. Nobody else on the team is capable of doing anything, just sit around and wait for A-Rod’s miracle. 10 games out. If he was gone (to Boston,Chicago Cubs Hats, say) then maybe the Yankees would actually win ballgames. One player does not a team make.
— Sox Fan 25. July 18, 2007 9:36 am
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When the Yankees, now only seven back in the loss column, win the World Series this fall, A-Rod will sign a contract extension. He’s a bargain at $40 million a year.
— Steve Marmon 1
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