[轉錄] Trade the MVP? It's the only way
What the hell...
這是一篇會被鄉民們圍勦的文章。
Trade the MVP? It's the only way
Peter Schrager / FOXSports.com
Posted: 3 days ago
Alex Rodriguez can never play for the Yankees again.
Whoa there. Don't click that "X" button in the top right corner of the page
just yet. Before you call me out as just another irrational Yankee fan
mourning yet another heart-breaking postseason exit, hear me out.
Ever have a girlfriend cheat on you? There's no pain greater. You put your
trust in a woman, show off your love publicly, and then bang — she makes you
look like a fool in front of all your friends, family, and colleagues. In the
process, she breaks your heart. Now, imagine after proving herself over an
extended period of time, taking that girlfriend back, only to have her cheat
on you AGAIN. That's what this roller coaster ride of a year has felt like
for Yankee fans trying to come to terms with A-Rod. He let us down last
October, earned our trust and faith back over the course of this season, and
then bang — broke our hearts again when it mattered most.
What's the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you ... Fool me twice, shame on
me? Well, us New York Yankees fans don't like being "shamed" ever. Alex
Rodriguez is a tremendous baseball player, an even better person, and a
future Hall of Famer. For all intents and purposes, he is the best player in
baseball. No question there.
All that being said, he can never be a Yankee again. Not after 0 RBIs in this
year's ALDS. Not after that heart-shattering double play. Not after that
error in Game 2. Quite simply, A-Rod's gotta go.
For the past two years, the Yankee fan/A-Rod relationship has become similar
to Nick and Jessica's. On and off, on and off, really on ... and now, really
off. This love affair never started off right, anyway. A-Rod, and his
embarrassing price tag, came to the Bronx as a symbol of the "New Yankees."
Long gone were the Paul O'Neill's, Scott Brosius', and Orlando Hernandez's of
the world. In came the new breed — the Rodriguez's, the Kevin Brown's, and
the Javier Vazquez's. It was like when Jack Horner moved from Dirk Diggler
and went with Johnny Doe and the VHS tapes in Boogie Nights. It never felt
right. It never felt true. Nevertheless, these were the new Yankees.
Rodriguez wasn't the only one, but he stood as the symbol of both the greed
and futility that the new blood meant. He didn't ask to be a Yankee, but here
he was — the Bombers' newest centerpiece — the face of the team.
Dating back to Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, Alex Rodriguez is 6-for-43 in the
postseason. In the 2005 ALDS, he went 2-for-15 with zero home runs or RBIs.
He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including numerous strikeouts and the most
infamous double play in Yankee history. Down 5-3 with Derek Jeter on first
and no outs, A-Rod took a wrench, inserted, and twisted the hearts of
millions of Yankee fans — bouncing a weakly hit groundball to Chone Figgins.
The Boston Herald's Mike Barnacle, the celebrated "Voice of Red Sox Nation,"
put it best while appearing on ESPN 2's Quite Frankly program Tuesday night,
"A-Rod should go to the New York City DMV and ask for the license plate
5-4-3." Twist that wrench a little more. The grounder to Cabrera will become
just as much a part of A-Rod's legacy as his MVP awards.
Yankee fans wanted to root for A-Rod. We really did. When Trot Nixon called
him out, claiming he wasn't a "Real Yankee" during spring training, we jumped
to his side. He hit 3 homeruns and had 10 RBIs vs. the Angels in April. He
hit a game-winning home run in Boston back in July. He had a huge 9th inning
game-tying homer in Cleveland in the heat of a log-jam atop the American
League back in August. He saved over 15 runs with his glove at third. Every
time we needed him this regular season, he came through. A-Rod let Yankee
fans down last October, but man, he sure redeemed himself in 2005. He was —
you listening Ortiz, fans? — the best player in all of baseball from
April-September.
Unfortunately, the baseball season's calendar includes the month of October.
Rodriguez's futility shined so much brighter because of whom he followed in
the Yankee lineup. Derek Jeter, the girl next door, this generation's "Mr.
Yankee," seemed to make one clutch play after another. Immediately after him,
Rodriguez consistently failed to come through in the clutch. It was like
going through the ultimate high, then the ultimate low — time and time
again. Like a CD on repeat or an episode of The Real World: Austin, it was
the same thing every single time.
And what a juxtaposition it was. Jeter homers to start the seventh ... A-Rod
grounds out. Jeter laces a single to start the ninth ... A-Rod hits into a
double play. After every Rodriguez at bat, I wanted to pull a Dwight from The
Office — cue up the R.E.M. Everybody Hurts track, and sit alone in my car.
Yankee fans from Brooklyn to Tokyo likely felt the same way.
Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Alex Rodriguez. He's a good enough guy,
and a splendid player; a great glove with an even better bat. But, after this
past week — he can never play for the Bombers again. How are Yankee fans
supposed to treat the guy, after chanting "MVP" before every at bat, only to
see him strike out time and time again in the postseason? It would be like
taking back that ex-girlfriend — no matter how beautiful, reformed, and
personable she was — for one more spin. It would never feel right.
So, what do the Yankees do with him?
First, they'll have to eat most of his $25 million a year contract. After
doing that, I suggest they put Rodriguez — and his 429 career home runs —
on the market. Why not see if they can get something back from the National
League in return? How about a young pitcher? Would the Padres do A-Rod for
Jake Peavy? Could we swap Rodriguez for Kerry Wood and Jerome Williams? How
about Zach Duke or Oliver Perez? Even better, why not go after another
beleaguered MVP candidate? The Braves haven't been to the World Series since
1999, the Yankees need a new centerfielder, and both teams can use a shakeup.
Offer Atlanta A-Rod for Andruw Jones and rookie pitcher Joey Devine. Could
John Schuerholz really turn that down?
The hangover from Monday night's loss has had some numbing effects on Yankee
fans. Blindly suggesting potential trade offers to anyone willing to listen,
going nuts on blogs, and listening to WFAN's "Mike and the Mad Dog" for
solace are the immediate remedies to the pain of yet another postseason loss.
I'm told that it'll wear off ... eventually.
How soon? Well, it's too early to tell.
Walk around New York City this week and you'll see long faces, foggy weather,
and an overall look of disappointment. It's cold and lifeless in the Big
Apple.
Yankees fans collectively share that pit-in-the-stomach feeling. For the
fifth straight year, the season ends with it. Not sure how it feels?
Just imagine a girlfriend cheating on you ... twice.
You can e-mail FOXSports.com contributor Peter Schrager at
PeterSchrager@gmail.com.
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