Thursday, July 12, 2007

Should A-Rod stick around while the Bronx burns down?

Question is no longer whether Alex Rodriguez is good enough for the New York Yankees...

The Yankees, with one of their worst seasons in recent history, have played themselves into a corner. With a record of 42-43 at the All Star Break, their performance begs the question - Will the Yankees make it to the playoffs this year? If they do, how far will they go? With such speculation rife in Baseball circles, A-Rod, the lightning rod for the Bombers this year, must be rethinking his place in the Yankees lineup. It is no secret that after having received almost every accolade possible for a baseball player except a World Series ring, Alex is a man on a mission to augment his case with this last elusive trophy. Turns out, he might have to wait another year (and maybe find a new team) to accomplish his mission. To quote the article:
The Yankees, you see, no longer offer him the best chance. Seriously: Does anyone believe the Yankees are any closer to a title than, say, the Cleveland Indians? Or the Detroit Tigers? Or the Los Angeles Dodgers? Or the Milwaukee Brewers, for heaven's sake?

Over the next three or four years, those teams should contend better than the Yankees, mainly because they're not on the verge of crumbling anytime soon. They don't need an immediate and expensive makeover, unlike the Yankees, who must address serious issues in their starting pitching, bullpen and outfield, all of which are failing and getting old on them.
I don't for a second doubt Alex's smarts, and his savvy. To be making 26 million a year, you need more than baseball skills to land that contract. It remains to be seen what the rest of the season has in store for the Yankees; Yankees fans, its detractors, and now A-Rod are all going to microscopically examine how the season unfolds. It might just be that A-Rod quits mid-season if the team continues to let him down, and that will definitely end all hopes for a Yankees post-season. Stay tuned...

No comments:

Post a Comment