By Mark La Monica
Alex, don't read the Sunday newspapers in New York or Toronto.
Don't log on to the Internet in your hotel room to see what anyone is writing or saying. Don't answer your cell phone. Don't text anyone. Don't turn the radio on. Don't watch television.
Just take the day off and get out of your own way.
You struck out four times on Saturday, the first such occurence for you in more than 11 years.
Just take the day off. It's OK. The fans won't mind. Sadly, they'd probably cheer.
You play in a city with eight million coaches, and that doesn't even include the fans in Long Island, Westchester, Jersey and Connecticut. They all want to tell you what you're doing wrong and most of them want to begin those conversations with loud and long boos.
Forget them. You're stuck in your own head and have that lost look at the plate. It's nothing to fear or worry about. It happens to all of us. The only difference is we don't have cameras and people with notebooks following us and documenting everything we do or don't do.
Regular people call it "a personal day" and most regular people get four or five of them per year from their employer. That's all you need. Take a day off. Forget about everything. No extra batting practice. No grounders hours before the game. Heck, don't even put your jersey on. Just hang out for the day, chew sunflower seeds, play dumb kid games in the dugout and clear your brain.
If that doesn't work, then erupt when a reporter asks you a question. Give everyone something to write about and something to watch on SportsCenter. Surely, one of the reporters or columnists there will understand what's going on and write a favorable account of the incident.
Just don't do it this Sunday, because you should take that day off.
Comments (8)
For the record, I don't hate A-Rod, and all this garbage isn't helping him or the Yankees.
I just wonder if the fans that constantly BOO A-Rod are happy that they got "inside" his head and now it is hurting the whole team?......
a-rod stop being a little bitchhhh and hit the friggin ball like you use to in texas
I'm a huge Yankee fan and an A-Rod fan. I believe in Alex and I know he can play. Everyone does. Everyone needs to get off his back and relax. He won the MVP last year. What is their to get mad about? People always compare him to Ortiz and honestly you can't mention David Ortiz in the same sentence with A-Rod. A-Rod will be the greatest 3rd basemen ever to play for the Yankees and one of the greatest Yankees ever to wear the pinstripes. So Yankee fans, be fans and get off his back and let him show you his game and his love of the game. If you are a person who has ever booed A-rod... then your not a Yankee fan... maybe your a Red Sox fanatic.
Alex, darling, bubala listen to me...You were never meant to play for the greatest sports franchise in the world. Accept that. move on. Go to a team that can use your talent. In your case, the grass was NOT greener on the other side of the fence!
arod, baby,forget all the ignorrant, boo'ing,talking shit ass people.i am one of your biggest fans. i just want you to know' that i'm behind you all the way.i know what your capable of doing at bat.,all you gotta do is believe in yourself.i know the fans dont hate you,they just expect alot more from you.i believe you could do it.now show them you could!!!
alex'i just want you to know,that i think your the most handsome man i've ever seen.all do respect to the miss,but it's true.she should know what to expect being married to such a beautiful man like yourself.anyways, i just felt the need to let you know.oh, before i forget.send my love and blessing's to natasha for me please.she's beautiful just like her daddy.
A-Rod is a douche and should be traded for scott rolen or troy glaus or even brandon inge. He chokes under pressure and should be traded back to Texas because he can hit there and will break the hjomerun record because it wont happen in New York because hes soft, and allows comments to affect him severely...Hes retarded an and not that good so trade him