A-Rod knows it's over
You could tell as soon as he said it that he would regret it. But Alex Rodriguez, when asked about the Yankees being passed by the Blue Jays in the standings, said the following:
"Toronto's playing really well," he said. "I'll tell you what, a lot of people should be happy they're not in the playoff race, because they'd be the scariest team, with the 1-2 punch they've got over there with Halladay and Burnett."
But, Alex, if the Blue Jays are ahead of your team, and they're not in the playoff mix, what does that mean about your chances to make the playoffs?
Said A-Rod: "I'm too tired to answer that; you confused me."
When the question was repeated, pointing out that the .Yankees can't be in the playoff race if the Blue Jays -- ahead of them in the standings -- are not, A-Rod tried to backtrack. "What I'm saying is if Toronto was to get in the playoffs, they would be the scariest team to face, by far, with those two," he said. "I'm not saying anything else."
Rodriguez already said what every Yankee must be thinking deep down, that they are not going to be in the playoffs this year. They fell 81/2 games behind the Red Sox in the wild-card chase, and the Yankees' next three series are against division leaders -- the Angels, Rays and White Sox.
Even manager Joe Girardi admitted how bleak things look, saying: "There's 19 games left, and we're going to have to win most of them, if not all of them."
But there is this one little glimmer of a positive: Phil Hughes threw eight shutout innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to beat Pawtucket in a playoff series.
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Comments (23)
Hmmmmmmmmm...sounds pretty fishy to me that Arod, but hey he got his money for a great year! What does he really care...along with the rest of the "Living High Off the Hog Bunch"
The most embarrassing year year I can remember in a long, long time. and Whoop-dee-doo on Hughes. That's all he'll ever be is a AAA pitcher
This year was a disgrace to the Yankee uniform. I hope Cashman jumps ship after ruining this team slowly over the last 8 years once the michael/watson team inevitably retired, and Girardi, who was overmatched all year, follows him out the door.
Person pretending to be Chip at 00:16...
Not sure what your post even meant
Are you saying the other leagues are better because they have a salary structure ergo unable to buy a pennant ?(because that system worked so well for the Yankees this year)
Or are you saying that the Yankees should be humiliated because they couldn't even take advantage of no salary cap?
Either way, this season is good enough reason for the Salary Cap morons to shut up for a while
Ralph,
who do you replace Cashman and Girardi with?
Gabe Paul and Billy Martin are dead
Money can't buy everything. This is a fact. Those of us who are aware of this fact, understand the consequences of spending money and not spending money. The Rays were crapola for 12 years until there draft choices in combination of a few trades brought together, a winning team. The Yankees were on top of the baseball world in the respect of post season play, the last 13 years. All theories come to a halt on how to succeed. To some teams succeeding is making the playoffs every 5 years and being competitive. Some its a mandate every year.
I believe the Yankees will change in some respects, how they spend their money.But this year proved. They need to get younger and it should be done quickly. Unfortunately some name brands may have to go and some young pitchers will have to mature real quick. Yes, there are problems with this team that only seasons of play will change but some can happen so the change is not so drastic.
If your a real fan than take the good with the bad.
Well said Larry M. ! Also, did anybody hear John Heyman of SI say he saw Cano in Toronto hanging out with some shady characters in the hotel? He said this on Mike Francesa last week. Something has to explain his bad year. What has Cano gotten into? A change of scenery next year might help him AND the team.
I totally agree with Chip, How is a sport fair when a few cann outspend the others 10-1...Its like me getting 100.00 for items to make a meal, while you get 10.00...My meal will consist of Filet Mignon, while yours will have Hamburger helper. Develop your own, and stop "Hawking" at the talent others have developed on their own.
Can we all agree that AFraud is a loser, has a loser's mentality, and was never really trying to help the Yankees get to a playoff spot? This guy only cares about his numbers, and if that happens to coincide with the Yankees winning - great, but if not, no big deal. We should have let him walk, but now we are stuck with this "never-believed" loser for 9 MORE YEARS!
Unbelievable. And the Bosox are gonna catch the Devil Rays. How much more can Yankee fans take?
Can we all agree that AFraud is a loser, has a loser's mentality, and was never really trying to help the Yankees get to a playoff spot? This guy only cares about his numbers, and if that happens to coincide with the Yankees winning - great, but if not, no big deal. We should have let him walk, but now we are stuck with this "never-believed" loser for 9 MORE YEARS!
Unbelievable. And the Bosox are gonna catch the Devil Rays. How much more can Yankee fans take?
Randy, Thanks for the info. I said in a post over 2 months ago it appears Cano has discovered the "night life" and I can confirm he hangs out in NJ at some of the local after hour watering holes in Hudson County. This guy is on his way down the mountain. Yanks have to get rid of Cano before he makes the Headlines.
Another loser with bad habits!
Why is this a controversy? It's moronic.
So A-Rod makes a remark complimenting another team and the media has decided to paint him as someone who has given up on the season?
If Johnny Damon had said the same thing would these moguls drum up some kind of controversy out of it?
No wonder the public is growing more skeptical of the media every day.
Hell, even if A-Rod did say their playoff chances were dead - which they are - he'd be telling the truth.
Just another example of people trying to tar and feather this guy for no apparent reason.
If A-Rod had said "We're still in it" people would have bashed him
If A-Rod had said "I'm not even looking at the standings" people would have bashed him
If A-Rod said "I just cured cancer, made the Palestinians and Israelis find common ground, invented a cheap renewable energy source, found a way to make education and health care affordable and I am donating $10 million a year to help rebuild New Orleans and another $10 million a year to bring children of Sudan into a new environment where they will have food, shelter, education and a chance..." people would say "Yeah, but he never won a ring!"
Sully,
That was a funny rant. :-) By the way, good luck with the Sox in the post season and with chasing down TB for the division.
Viper, you stole the tar and feather thing for A-Rod. I'll just have to go with 1,000 cuts and slow torture.
I'm just saying you gotta keep that comment to yourself. Of course it does not look good, but by saying it just confirms that all that nonsense about "We are just trying to win every game" and "We are still in it" coming out of his mouth over the past 2 weeks was just lip-service. If you really don't believe it, shut the pie-hole and keep it to yourself even though by the way ARod has played since the AllStar break, I figure he wrote the season off a long time ago, just like "Just Say" Cano.
When did you guys become ARod protectors.
The New York Yankees have been to the playoffs for the last 13years what other teams has pulled that off- and 26 rings beat that record and then lets talk
the only way other teams get a chance to shine is when they Yankees are slumping otherwise nobody would stand a chance
NoBODY
Yeah you go girl !
Now Darlene is a great glass half full fan
I've been on A-Rod's side for awhile now because I think too many people go way overboard and take too many cheap shots at his dispense.
Full disclosure, I wasn't the biggest A-Rod fan back in 2004 for many of the same reasons Yankee fans never really embraced him.
But what turned me around completely was the treatment he received from the “fans” in 2006. They tried to tear this guy apart and booed him relentlessly in his own ballpark.
I was so embarrassed as a Yankee fan to see other "fans" treat him so abhorrently that I became one of his biggest defenders. And I'll remain in that camp for the rest of his career.
The only thing A-Rod did during this latest "controversy" was try to compliment another team and the media decided to read much more into his comments and make him out like some kind of punk who gave up on the season.
It's pathetic to tell you the truth. And there are a lot of moronic Yankee fans who eat that stuff up and seem determined to destroy the guy.
I don't see the point in that garbage. If the Yanks are going to win another ring anytime soon - they are going to need A-Rod.
What’s the point in that when he’s going to be a Yankee for the next 10 years? It’s retarded, to be honest.
And these same two-faced morons will be cheering louder than anyone else when he has another monster season in 2009 and win his fourth MVP.
Well said Viper. The comment is as harmless as it gets except when you have reporters who stand there hoping to trap him into saying something that can be twisted around- no wonder he's so paranoid.
Comment is harmless - Is Alex supposed to look at the standings and say "oh we're right in this thing"? The problem isn't what was said, it's who said it. Because it came from Alex, it's news. If it came from Cap'n Jetes we would be saying "well, he's got the right to be frustrated."
In other news...Billy Wagner is out for the entire 2009 season. I look for the Mets to be HUGE players for K-Rod despite his demands of 5 years 15 mil per.
As for the Yankees: I truly don't know what to do about Cashman. On the one hand, I believe in his plan. On the other hand I don't like the way he's handling the young pitchers, and I'm very afraid of him being ultra conservative this winter with free agents and trades. He has been here 11 years - perhaps it is time for a change. Though I would hate for another GM to come in with a mandate to win now and start selling off the farm.
Girardi's going no where, nor should he.
Abreu, Andy, Moose, Giambi should be gone.
Both the lineup and the pitching staff need to be revamped. Especially if Joba is staying in the pen. I know I know, pitching wins, but the Yankees have scored 3 or fewer runs over 60 times this season - pitching's great, hitting's great - to win you need both and right now we have neither. And with Matsui and Posada and Damon and Jeter all declining offensively, that's not going to improve without some radical changes.
I've listed the FA's and trades I would make about a billion times now so I'm not going to rehash it. Sufficed to say, Cashman got to do it his way this year, now it's time to get back to doing it the right way. Be bold, embrace the fact that money is one area that no other team can compete with the Yankees.
ARod should become the Eddie Murray of the Yanks. Don't talk to the media. F off media, nice talkin to ya. Go bother somebody else.
Hello...Delta, Romeo, Uniform...copy?
Looks like the site is finally back in action. Not sure what was going on a couple weeks ago with the site, but Im glad it back in business.
So the Yanks wont make the playoffs this year...BOOO HOOO. Get over it, did everyone expect the Yanks to NEVER miss the playoffs again? Im not sure what the big deal is. Is this really worse than a 1st round KO? I think missing the playoffs is better than getting steam rolled in the 1st round. Are people really sitting and waiting to make the playoffs, then once we're in they say "oh thank god, we made it, the rest is gravy". Eff that ish, I see no problem in taking a step back this year much like the Sox did in 06 when they went 86-76, then improved by 10 games the following year and won it all.
Time to beat the dead horse...POW...cant wait to get rid of all this dead weight and focus on getting younger and stronger next year, Giambi is KILLING ME!!!!!!
Couple things.
- I really think the Yanks need Tex more than CC. If the Yanks get both, Im thrilled. I wouldnt mind getting Tex and Sheets or Burnett.
- If the Yanks do get CC, but not Tex. What do we do? I vote for bring up Miranda or going after a young 1B that is having a down year like Garko. Worst case is maybe we can bring in an injury risk 1B to share time with Juan like Blalock or Crede, Im sure they wouldnt mind switching to stay healthy. ( Hank already has this year )
- Phil is pitching well in Scranton, he should be ready to go to work next spring. All I want to see out of him next year is a full HEALTHY year.
- Ian, the jury is still out, there is plenty of time for him to turn into a solid back end starter.
- Next year our pen is going to be dominate with Mo, Veras, Edwar, Robertson, Coke, Bruney, Melancon
- Love what Im reading about Austin Jackson and Montero, they may be a couple years away, but both look to be pretty big pieces of the future. The same can be said about Brackman, Romine, Sanchez and Betances...young foundation pieces are being cultivated for the future.
- With the way he's reinvented himself, I would bring Moose back for 2-3 years. He's figured something out and can do what a Moyer or Maddux has done over the past couple years. He's a good guy and a great mentor for the young SP's, bring him in for an incentive laden contract and see if he can get to 300 wins in the BX. If we do bring him back, and sign a CC/Sheets/Burnett, then we have...
Wang ( still our #1 )
CC/Sheets/AJ
Moose
Joba/Andy
Phil
Thats a pretty solid rotation that has a chance to be a great rotation, Ill take my chances with them.
- Due to him not reaching his innings, Joba needs to start off in the pen again. Lets hope he can make it through next season fully healthy. This leaves Andy to come back and start the season. Having Moose and Andy back next years gives guys like Ian and the rest of the young guns more time to develop.
- Melk has been hitting well in Scranton, but with no power. I would rather see Gardner playing CF and hitting 9th for us next year. Damon in LF and Nady in RF with Matsui the DH.
damon
jeter
tex
arod
matsui
posada
nady
cano
gardner
Thats a pretty solid lineup from top to bottom, it all hinges on getting Tex though.
- As far as the Arod comment...BOOOORRRINGGGG. Is this all the NY media has to write about? What a joke.
- Lastly on Cano, the guy has tremendous talent, but needs to get his ish in check. What drives me nuts about him is when he just swings at anything. Especially when the Yanks are up big, he gives away so many AB's. And when he's off, HE"S WAY OFF. Lets hope this year was a wakeup for him and something clicks in the offseason. I would hate to trade him away and then he gets motivated. Its on the Yankee organization to coach this kid and motivate him.
Well, I think thats all for today...good to be back in action.
GO YANKS!!!
A-Rod is the easy punching bag for this terrible season. I have news for all you haters out there - A-Rod is not 100% to blame for this year. Poor pitching, injuries, lousy hitting with RISP. A-Rod was a part of the problem, but it goes way beyond him.