By Mark La Monica
Scott Boras announced during Game 4 of the World Series that A-Rod would be opting out of the final three years of his contract with the Yankees.
Hate him if you wish for blowing all that smoke during the season about how he loves New York. Hate him for losing his bat in the Yankee lineup. Or love him for leaving. It's your choice. But here are three reasons Alex Rodriguez made the right decision.
1) Personal peace
A-Rod gets killed in the New York media. Newspaper, Internet, TV stations, radio stations, everything. The guy tries to enjoy Central Park with his wife and child a few hours before he has to be at the ballpark, does it without a shirt on, and because he's only hitting .280 at the time, the New York tabloids hammer him.
He's the only professional baseball player to enjoy the company of a woman that's not his wife and get it plastered on the front and back covers of every newspaper in town. You really think A-Rod is the only player on the Yankees, the Mets or in baseball that goes out on the town with other women when they're on the road?
It was only a matter of time before he let his alarm clock snooze three times and his neighbor calls the police on him.
No one needs that kind of regular abuse, regardless of how much money he or she gets paid to play a game. In every other aspect of life, there's a hotline people can call to report such acts of violence and hatred.
2) Carpe diem . . . squared
By opting out, A-Rod can negotiate another monster contract at the peak of his career. Coming off a huge year (.314, 54 HR, 156 RBI, 143 R, 24 SB), A-Rod has an overzealous owner's checkbook at his feet. Becoming a free agent at age 32 instead of 35, he's more likely to receive a longer-term deal. Teams would be slightly more hesistant to throw an eight-year deal that ends at age 43 instead of 40.
So, why not try to max out while he can? We all would do the same thing in our jobs. The only difference is $5,000 means a heck of a lot more to us than $5 million does to him. But still, go for yours. Like Johnny Depp said in the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie: "Take what you can, give nothing back."
3) Derek Jeter
A-Rod is not Derek Jeter. In any other city, that's not a problem. But New York is Jeter's city. A-Rod faced the inevitable questions, scrutiny and comments about sharing a uniform, a left side of the infield and a city with the Yankees' captain. Damn that pesky Esquire magazine interview where A-Rod took a shot at Jeter.
Whichever team he goes to, he won't have to deal with that kind of stuff on a daily basis. No one in Chicago would care that A-Rod was once traded for Alfonso Soriano. No one in Boston would care about that slap of Bronson Arroyo's glove or the Jason Varitek scrap. (Imagine a 3-4-5 of Big Papi, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.) Angels fans wouldn't get too grumpy over A-Rod's double play to end any rally hopes in the 2005 ALDS.
Once he withstands the negative reaction in New York to his decision and the inevitable PR backlash from his next megadeal, he can just go and be A-Rod. You know, that guy that gets paid like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal did. Of course, those guys won championships.
Comments (49)
Good luck Alex. Now the New York tabloids will have more venom to spew. Hope he lands in Boston. I am a lifelong Yankee fan but the media tries and in some cases succeeds in running teams. Mostly into the ground. Losing a great player like A-Rod is an indictment of how far some will go to hurt others. The Yankees must remember what made us great. This is from within. Let Alex go and start a new beginning with Girardi. He will be better than Torre if he is not run out of town by you know who!!!
Adios A-Rod. Please take that crazy wife of yours with you. Don't forget to pack her tasteful tank tops.
Great Arod the Yankee fans are still blaming you and Torre for the playoff failure. NY is not your friend. People are still going to excuse Jeter and forgive him no matter how he didn't stick up for Arod nor Torre. The stupid Yankee fans never accepted Arod and blame him for losses the years before he became a Yankee and will still blame him for losses 15 years to come. The only saving grace for the Yankees is the golden boy Jeter who can do no wrong and needs his ego stroked and his hand held when he has a bad game. If he commits an error it's never his fault. It's always Arods. Jeter was in the mix to get rid of Torre and now he remains the King in this great city of ours. As a Yankee fan I am a fan of the team and support the team unlike other Yankee hypocrite fans and media who play favoritism because they think a certain player is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Yankee fans would boo their own mother on the if she didn't have the Jeter or Steinbrenner in her name.
Hypocrite Yankee fans are proud. We never deserved you Arod. Not all of us Yankee fans are stupid and cowards like those who are the embarrassing hypocrites that ran you away.\
Good luck on your dream wherever you land
Uhh, Red Sox fans aren't going to remember The Slap?!? As a Yankee fan living in New England for the past 13 years, I assure you that they remember vividly. Heck, they just won the World Series, and what are they chanting? No, not "We are the chapions" but instead "A-Rod sucks!" or some iteration of that. These people LIVE for denigrating anything Yankee.. it seems moreso than they enjoy when their Sox win. No, they won't forget The Slap.
Oh, and the Boston media is at least on par with the New York media (cue EEI snickering over Waldman's tears)...
But, I suspect A-Rod knows all these things.. at least, I'd hope he does...
Good luck A-Rod and good move. Nobody needs this kind of abuse in NY. I hope Posada and Rivera follow suit. Ownership disrespected Torre and by you opting out - it is a good way to stick it to ownership and Cashman. The past few years have proven that you do not need to be in NY to win a championship. Other teams think smart rather than just throw money at players.
Why are so many people shocked that he opted out so soon??? I'm not. His whole life is scripted. The Yankees won without and will win without him. Good bye and good riddance A-PHONY!!!!!
Patriot:
ownership disrected A-Rod? That's Nutz!
A-Rod was extremely wellpaid and - perhaps because they forced him to play out of his natural position - he failed to lead the team to success.
All the rest is simply B-S, including the xtra media attention.
It is highly doubtful that A-Rod will bring/lead any other team to the World Series, unless that team, such as Boston, is already the best in its league.
What a Yankee mess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those Steinbrenners are the laughing stock of baseball......................................they tore apart a team that came from 14 games behind to make it to the playoffs. They played through injuries and media blitzes and did it with class. Joe Torre is getting the last laugh on this one............
Just the fact that he opted out without even speaking to the Yankees is a clear indication he wants to leave. If he doesn't want to stay, the Yanks need to let him go. Yes, we'll miss his bat, but we won't miss his drama.
The Yanks won titles without him, and none when he was here. Hopefully they can re-build with the money they'll save on him, and they won't miss him at all. That's asking a lot, but it isn't impossible.
PLEASE go to the Redsox!!!
what a sham.....nonsense.
Torre was undeserving of being MLB's highest paid manager - Francona just proved that!
His stupid pride kept him from accepting the fair deal offered to him. Frankly, if I were Yankee management I wouldn't have offered Joe any contract since he failed to bring home a winner for SEVEN years while being paid more than any other manager.
Who in their right mind turns down $5 million for an 8 month job, that offers substantial bonuses for managng a winner?
You think he could have had some class to wait the 10 days, hear the offers from the Yanks and then make a decision--Instead he doesnt even let the World Series end before announcing--Ya, hes a classy guy(and i wonder if this is Boras move more then ARods)
I'm tired of the "Blame the agent" excuses. All players realize the agent works for them and he very easily could have told HIS AGENT, "wait unitl an off day in the World Series, etc.". No excuse for the timing!
It is no surprise that with an agent that always goes for the money Arod opt-ed out to go for even more money. The question now is who can afford him. The Muts? maybe. The Sux?, not as long as they play in that AAA park called Fenway. I guess getting 2 MVP's between a year of May-ROd, K-Rod headlines and having his wife harassed atYank stadium, gave NY no gurantees. For all the posturing, I think Arod will be back. Then again if he leaves to be a gate attraction on a non-contending team that will confirm a lot about him also
Boras understands that controversy is better than no controversy.
It makes for a higher profile and in A-Rod's case probably a good business desicion. As far as A-Rod being overly scutinized by the media, well it comes with the territory. Bottom line A-Rod didn't really want to be a Yankee. Yet Boras saying that he's concern
about " winning and being a champion" that's total BS. His best
chance to win would be with the Yankees ( except Bosox) so
it really makes him look like a hypocrite. A-Rod can pile up all the records he can in the regular season, but still he's done next to nothing in the post-season. Great player, super talented, rich guy,
but still no ring. And even though he appears to be be a bit of a phony and a hypocrite I still like the guy. The Yanks can't replace his bat but thay sure do have a great up and coming young pitching staff. The Yanks should be in the post season for years to come. We'll see who has the last laugh...............
To all you Yankee fans:
For those of you who are saying "good riddance" to Joe Torre and A-Rod, you people are stupid, childish, unappreciative, and down right crazy-insane.
hazmat - do you really think that getting to the playoffs for 7 straight years is easy? even though Torre didn't produce any WS titles in the past 7 years, he did make sure that the Yankees won the division and got into the playoffs. Regardless of what you numbnuts will believe, that is NOT easy to do, and the Yankee fans have been spoiled rotten by Torre himself over the past 12 years. The highest payroll in the league doesn't necessarily produce the best team - see NHL, NFL, NBA, although there could be an argument that the lowest payroll in the league produces the worst team...oh wait, what was the payroll for the 2003 Marlins?...Point is, what Torre has done for the Yankees the past 12 or so years has been astonishing and he deserves a lot more credit. It's not easy handling the "Yankees" which come equipped with 20 high flaring ego's, George Steinbrenner, and the hating fans and media. Bobby Cox is haled as a great manager for what he's done in Atlanta for all those years, yet he produced only 1 WS title, back in 1995. Every Joe-Torre bashing Yankee fan who was first screaming for his head, and then wondering how he can turn down 5 million doesn't understand that for Torre it wasn't about the money - sand in fact, he is probably going to sign for less per year. It was embarrassing and degrading to offer Joe a one year deal with a "we'll see how you do" attached to it. Even with all you idiots around, believe this: Torre wanted to stay in NY. The Joe Torre ends, unfortunately on a sour note, but if you Joe-hating fans think you're getting something better, think again.
To all the A-Rod haters:
I don't think there was a more hated player in NY in the past 20 years than Alex Rodriguez. And what has he done to the Yankees that made the fans hate him? Not produced a championship? I guess he's in the same boat as Joe Torre then... Have you people lost your mind? For the past 4 years, A-Rod has produced MVP numbers in each one, and yes he has struggled in the field at times, but let's not forget: the Yankees FORCED him to move to a new position that he didn't want anything to do with. You people cry about how he's selfish and it's always about A-Rod, yet the phrase floating around is always, "A-Rod didn't bring a championship." Isn't this a TEAM game? No one mentions Derek Jeter's or Mariano Rivera's or Jorge Posada's failures to produce a championship - and they have been here for the ENTIRE 7 year drought, not 4. A-Rod may not have brought a world series title to the Bronx, but he did bring incredible HOF numbers, that will be hard (read: impossible) to recreate. Those of you who ran him out of town with your bashful stupidity and idiotic interpretation of the way the game of baseball is played should be ashamed of yourselves today. You drove the best player in the world off your team, good job.
With this last development, I would not be surprised if Mariano and Posada follow suit - that is unless the Yankees decide to save face and throw huge money at them. Posada will be overpaid no matter what - last I heard, he's looking for a minimum 4/60 deal which a number of teams are likely to offer. Mariano is old and has folded a lot the past few years but will still demand some serious money this offseason and will get it. He too, will be an overpaid player once he inks a multi-year deal. So, good luck Yankee fans. As the sun sets on 2007, the outlook for 2008 and beyond seems bleek. Sure, they will add 100 million to the payroll, have the highest paid players and will surely be a contender for years to come. With the revenue MLB is generating today, there will never be a "rebuilding" season again for any of the big market teams. But that doesn't mean that the Yankees are a shoe-in for the playoffs anymore. The rides on the 2008 train and on will be very very bumpy.
congrats alex, and best of luck
new york doesnt deserve you
Well, I WAS an A-Rod fan, I really was, but now, all I can say to the guy is not to let the door hit you on the way out, loser! Good riddance!
ARod will be missed but not that much. His numbers this year lofty as they were tailed off greatly at the end of the season. He was a bust for all 4 playoff seasons in NY. His ego is fragile and the chemistry just wasn't right. Let him go to California or wherever he wants. Unless he signs with the Mets, he will always have the stigma associated with his name like an asterisk that he "couldn't make it in New York."
WOW The Great AROD! And the BORAS Team.
Are all of you people blind.
Arod maybe a great player and stats aside He is not a Champion.
Please come back in 10 more years if he lasts that long and lets see how many rings are on his fingers, it is ONLY about the MONEY!
I hope that no one offers him more than $20 for 5-6 years now that would be the best, maybe Mr. Arod will have to settle and Boras too will get a little humility. That would be the correct Market!
Let the Wilson Betemit era begin!!! Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 New York Yankees!! The "sons" have probably already offered Betemit, Cabrera, Kennedy, and $100 million for that other Cabrera in Florida. And I still think Florida would be getting a raw deal.
You are wrong about Bobby Cox not getting any heat. For the past few years, the AJC is full of letters hoping the Braves will get rid of him. That might not happen but Cox does not get the glass slipper treatment in the local press or from local fans that you think he does.
As to A-Rod, as I told my nephews who are avid yankee fans and were always belittling A-Rod, even after this year as they said "yeah but what will he do in the playoffs". When I pointed out that the Yankees would not have been in the playoffs if not for A-Rod or who do they want to trade for, if they want to get rid of A-Rod, they become quiet and can't think of anyone truly available for whom they would trade. As they say, "you don't know what you got till it's gone".
Hit the road, A-Rod, and dont'cha come back no more no more. No team you were on has EVER won a championship, and every team you leave is better afterward.
The Yankees are better off without you, Hank Steinbrenner is right....if you don't want to be a Yankee we don't want you.
Good Riddance
Alex don't let the door hit you in the azz. Your self-centered and never understood that there is no "I" in team which is why you stuggle in the post season.
Pitching Wins championships not hitting. Bolster and continue to develop young pitching Hank. We don't need him.
To the people blaming Jeter for this, DJ has far more respect for the game than to announce his free agency 5 outs from the end of the World Series. If that's not ego-driven, then the word needs to be erased.
Jeter's job isn't to coddle A-Rod or anybody else. For 25 mil a year, A-Rod can go out and hire somebody to scratch his own back.
The Yanks teams that recently won were void of any imposing egos, and it wasn't until the Randy Johnson's and A-Rod's started showing up that team chemistry took a major hit.
Bottom Line: Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte helped give the Yankees championships by putting the team in front of their own interests. Anybody who tries a PR move like A-Rod did last night considers himself above not only the team, but the game itself.
After 4 Rings in 5 Years, Yanks fan's expectations became a bit jaded, but there's no denying that shedding a 1 RBI performance in the past 3 postseasons at $25 mil a year is a start in the right direction.
to all you a-rod supporters, i liked the guy as a yankee fan i did but now not too sad to see him go. Yes he produced big #s, and yes he is MVP prone almost every year but i honestly think he didnt fit in as a yank, he cant run with the pressure of nyc and not alot of athletes can. hopefully id like to see him go to sf since bonds is gone there and that means he'll never have to come to yankee stadium as i think he'd like the more lax west coast better.
With all that open money overpay posada, keep petite and mo(even tho i am VERY skeptical of him). Go get another good starting vet pitcher(hopefully cashman wont F up again with another pavano) and a nice glove for the 3rd base. The yankees need to help these rookies and younger players by keeping the players that represent that yankee uniform well. We got the hitting even without A-rod, shoot yankees won world series without a HR bat and were dominant they will do it again......hopefully
ny yankees diehard fan and diehard boston hater
Good luck, Alex. Ever think of playing in Flushing?
Maybe A-Rod could go to the ROCKIES...THEY CAN'T HIT IN THE POST-SEASON EITHER!
Congrats to the Hated BOSOX on their series win...TWICE IN 90 YEARS-not bad !!!Please take A-ROD!!!Between him and Manny being Manny you'll have enough ego drama to get you through the next 90 year dryspell!
A-Rod will take his show to San Francisco. Giants need to sell seats with Bonds gone and Boras already struck a big deal for Zito last year. Media scrutiny is nothing compared to NYC and the east coast.
I'm not Jankee fan - matter of fact I hate the Jankees. However, I think ownership is doing the right thing. The Jankees had no problem paying Arod - but they just didn't want him to opt out of the contract. Ownership still would of had the $21 million from Texas to play with had Arod not opted out of the contract. Ownership would of had to add more of it's own money to the deal - but really, I can't see them having any problem doing that. So by opting out his contract, $21 million was taken off the table from ownership point of view.
It's a good day for the Texas Rangers!!
What it really came down to is Arod wanted out of New York. I don't blame him at all - I kind of thought he was going to opt out all year. If my prediction holds true, he's going to play shortstop for the Chicago Cubs - with Sweet Lou.
Would be kind of ironic to see Soriano and Arod on the same team - interesting.
Hey A Rod, come on over to the Giants! Did you hear? We let Barry go! We all want you here! National League needs your help after THIS world series anyway.
Jeanne from CA
The author is mistaken if he thinks Boston has forgotten the slap. It's not the only reason we hate A-Rod, but it's certainly still on the list. We in Boston hate the Yankees as a team, because it's our rival -- we don't tend to hate the individuals (wouldn't we love to get Jeter!). However, the big exception to this is A-Rod. We really do hate him, and I can't imagine any self-respecting Red Sox fan ever cheering for him.
A-Rod come on over to L.A. we need you in the Dodgers line up.
A-Rod is a great player, but the yankees are a great team. That's what counts. Good luck next year, I hope you go to the Angels cause they need some help and it would be great to spank you all next season!!!
NY should have treated you better, but when your a Yankee fan, it's not the players but the team as a whole you love!!!
He should have made the trip to Tampa and heard the sales pitch from the Steinbrenners. Boras is giving him bad advice. He (Boras) has, in effect, taken out the only team that has the $$ to drive the contract to what the Yankees were willing to pay him anyways. The timing is pure Boras...during the final game of the World Series. The Sox are out of the ARod race now after the management has heard from their fans a) desire to re-sign Lowell. b) "don't" sign Arod chants
He won't get the same money from anyone else but the Yanks...Boras will do with Arod as he does with his draft picks - have him sit out a year because no one will cough up the money he's convinced Arod that he deserves.
David Ortiz said it best - "What sort of idiot turns down $150 million"
those highlights in your hair must be pretty expensive
The yankees couldn't buy A-Rod at any price.Too bad.Jeter and dozens of others got those 4 rings - big deal. For the past seven Jeter has failed to get anything despite billions of dollars spent for a supporting cast. How sad.
alex is a mets fan, in seattle he was called shea rod, so dont post up comments when your team has no chance to get him,, alex is coming to the mets he aeint leaving new york.......
I really don't know why I'm on here, but I hope he comes to the Cubs. Lou, his father, is here. I think A-Rod + Wrigley Field = lots of HR. He's never played on an NL team, and this could be his chance to change the perception about him throughout the baseball world. After thinking about it, If the media thinks its a classless move to opt out during a World Series, then don't cover it. Plain and simple, then A-Rod gets zero attention.
12 homeruns 70 rbi's - feasted on tampa bay and other bottom of barrel teams - that is the captain Jeter - how did they allow Alex Rodriguez to leave - be4tter spend a lot of money on pitching 'cause Jeter cant bring you anywhere !!!!!
I'm 54 years old and I've been a Yankees fan all my life. First, the Yankees made a bad mistake by insulting Joe Torre by cutting his salary. That was their way of getting rid of him. Now they've made another error in not willing to negotiate a deal with A-Rod.Obviously, Alex wanted to be a Yankee for some time. Why else was he willing to play another position when he arrived 4 years ago? Keep in mind that A-Rod was an All-Star at shortstop and then with the Yankees he was an All-Star third baseman. Was Derek Jeter that much better at shortstop? Derek has always been my favorite player but, I've grown to like A-Rod just as much.Both guys are very talented and I always wanted them to be teamates.Ok, Alex took a shot at Derek years ago, probably out of frustration in not being on a championship team while Derek was busy winning four. At the time they supposedly were like best friends. I read where Alex drove to Derek's home and apologized personally. How many times does he have to do this? When the Yankees acquired Johnny Damon, A-Rod said, "Johnny is perhaps the best leadoff man in the league, and we've also got the best # 2 guy (# 2 batter in the lineup) in the league, referring to Derek Jeter. It seems that Derek is still holding a grudge. Jeter is great, but A-Rod is the best complete player in the game today. However, both were horrible in the ALDS. Fellow Yankee fans, if Alex goes to the Red Sox we're looking at a dynasty.
Oh cut the crap. A-Rot was not hated in New York -- but he is now that's for sure. A-Rot is a money hungry egotist with no integrity. We should be calling him Me-Rod. Good riddance is right.
If A-Rot goes to the Red Sox or any other team, he'll jinx them. Besides, he would constitute 1/4 of the RS payroll -- and they are the team with the 2nd highest payroll. I hope no one offers A-Rot the kind of money he is demanding. His greed should be his downfall.
All of the folks that are defending A-Rod or asking for him will not be able to stand him within 2 years, just like the true Yankee fans and baseball fans who see through his phony drama and know he will truly never perform when it matters. See how much respect he still gets in Seattle and Texas as well, not much I assure you. His teammates can't stand him as well. Of course as Scott Boras blows him and continues to blow him to a larger and larger ego they'll blame the lack of respect on salary. But nobody really cares what people make when they are winners, it's the losers who get singled out and A-Rod fits squarely into that category. Who would you rather have now, A-Rod or Mike Lowell ? and not just the world series but his whole season which ended appropriately for a winner like himself. Boras' legacy on A-Rod, numbers (in season only I might add) and money but no respect. He is going on his 4th team now and is not welcome back by any of the previous 2 and will not be by the 3rd now as well. Scott Brosius (a world series MVP once himself !) sure looked good at Old timers day this year at the stadium, a winner if there ever was one. One who may never be mistaken for A-Rod if one only looks at numbers but for real Yankee fans like myself know the difference between the winners and losers that wear the uniform. So go ahead ask for him and take him. I thought the Yankees were getting a good thing too, I won't deny that. I didn't pay close attention to his time in Texas and Seattle and only saw the numbers. Now I know what they learned in Texas and what they know in Seattle, A-Rod is all about himself and there is a reason he will be on team 4 and nobody on the previous 3 can stand him.
Yo Terrone, you have NO IDEA what you're talking about. The Yankees wanted nothing more than a chance to negotiate with A-Rod--negotiate an extension to his current contract. But Boras and A-Rod didn't even bother to hear what the Yankees had to offer. They could have heard the offer BEFORE deciding to opt out. They didn't. He opted out without knowing what they could have gotten from the Bombers.
So, good riddance. Goodbye. Get out.
Yankee fan trenched in New England for nearly 20 years. I've got news for you. Sox fans absolutely HATE us. Now that the shoe is on the other foot and they know what it's like to have more than fleeting success they will try to find a way to dominate. So does that mean A-Rod is in their sites? Damn right it does. They don't want to stop a two, they want to dominate and in doing so humiliate the Yankees.
So, A-Rod, many say is that NY didn't deserve you. Folks, this is NY. If you don't have the backbone you fold. Dare I bring up another icon in pinstripes of an age gone by who never brought us to the promised land? Dave Winfield. He was a giant of the game, a great player and heck of a guy, but couldn't take us to the promised land. (By the way, I would take Winfield over A-Rod in a heartbeat). Winfield had to leave NY to get his rings. We left the winning to the lowly and the humble. Paully O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Joe Girardi and a cute little shortstop named Derek Jeter. Count 'em folks, four rings. So what is the point? We'll rebuild and retool and restore our place as champions with youth. Let the bum go. Yes, he's great, but so was Barry Bonds. I rest my case.
As for Torre, I will always love you man. You are a legend. Let's face it tho'. For goodness sakes, you survived King George for 12 years!!! That's quite an accomplishment and I think it is no shame to turn the page. As loyal we were to you, there have been numerous occasions in recent years when you let us down (i.e. 2004 playoffs). We still stuck with you, but it was time to move on. Look at the glass as half full. You did well and exceeded all expectations. Don't fault us for moving on. Even I agreed it was time to go.
I have no regrets on Joe or A-Rod. Heck, we might even lose Mo and Andy. My only despair is Mattingly being spurned. Donnie baseball, you just don't have enough experince yet, which is a shame, because you are a Yankee through and through. Let's wish Girardi great success.This team needs some youth, a fresh voice some fire. I think he will bring that and more.
People in Boston, remember quite vividly about the "Slap" during Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, and they are not going to forget it, as much they are not going to forget Ortiz's walk off homer in the Game 4. People in Boston and Red Sox fans still remember Pesky holding the ball in Game 7 of the 1946 World Series. Red Sox fans respect players like Jeter, Matsui, Posada and the great Mariano, they may despise the Yankees, but they appreciate good baseball.
Red Sox fans are quite well aware that A-Rod is one of the best and most talented players in baseball. However, they are also very well aware that for years the Red Sox was a team of 25 players, 25 separate cabs, they want good clubhouse chemistry, and accepted the Garciaparra trade, when they realize that it helped the team, and Garciaparra was a clubhouse cancer. If A-Rod can't fit into New York, why would he think that Boston, who's sports media isn't psychotic but bi-polar, make a better fit for A-Rod. If they can't sign Lowell, the Red Sox will move Youklis to third and try to get a first baseman.
If A-Rod wants a low key media market, play for the Royals, The Pirates, the A's or Tampa Bay. See if they will pay him his $300 million/10 year deal he is demands.
Arod, I'm a truly ashamed that we have the same last name. It was pretty low of you and Boras to make the announcement during the World Series. It just shows that you only care about yourself and money. Boras, he's a money hungry male whore whose only talent is getting money from baseball owners. The more he gets , the more he makes for himself. A whore in my book. You couldn't have waited a few days and get a proposal from the Yankees? You're excuse was lame. Listen to the proposal and if you're not happy or sure , then opt out. You had 10 days after the World series ended to do that. (Not 10 minutes before the last out of the WS or are you an idiot? You disappointed a lot of fans, especially kids. Thankfully, my son is old enough to see what you truly are, a selfish, money hungry , attention getting , overpaid athlete. The bottom line, no matter how many homeruns you hit in the regular season or how much money you make, you're a loser in playoff games. You should've returned the final paychecks that you earned during the playoff games. You didn't earn 1 cent of it! You are no Mr. October . You're invisible during the playoffs. A ghost. I am confident that this trend will continue wherever you land. Now Steinbrenner, go out and sign Lowell. Hey , we know that he can hit during the playoffs!
Why would he announce leaving the Yankees in the middle of the World Series? very poor taste . . .
The best team wins - the team with the best players doesn't always win. That was proven this year. Love him or hate him he is the "King of Me" and some team will grab him. If it is the Red Sox maybe he can learn how to play as a team but he'll never play in Boston! Fans won't have it!