[新聞] Brooks Robinson: Fans, media too hard on A-Rod
From: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2528809
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- The gold standard of defensive third basemen has a
little advice for Alex Rodriguez, Yankees fans and those who think New York
would be better off trading A-Rod: Everybody calm down.
Brooks Robinson was in his home state of Arkansas on Monday hosting a
celebrity golf tournament, and when the topic of Rodriguez came up, the Hall
of Famer was quick to defend the Yankees' star.
"I was watching TV last night and I really had to laugh at the guy who said
he might be traded," Robinson said. "There's no way in the world that A-Rod
is going to go anywhere. If they don't have A-Rod, they don't win."
Rodriguez's defensive woes and batting slump are the talk of New York right
now. The two-time MVP has been getting booed at Yankee Stadium -- and that
was before last week's stretch of five errors in five games. Yankees manager
Joe Torre eventually pulled Rodriguez from his spot at third base, making him
the designated hitter Saturday in Toronto.
"A-Rod is just going through a little crisis right now, which might be a week
long. Most of his errors are throwing errors and that can be corrected very
easily," Robinson said. "But everyone has those streaks. You have streaks as
a third baseman or a shortstop where every ball you get is not a big hop,
it's an in-between hop, it's a tough play ..."
Rodriguez was also in a 4-for-27 slump heading into Monday night's game in
Texas.
Robinson won 16 Gold Gloves for the Baltimore Orioles, a record he shares
with pitcher Jim Kaat. Robinson said Rodriguez might be rushing his throws
and releasing the ball while off-balance.
Robinson said he considered sending Rodriguez a message of encouragement but
figured A-Rod's been getting enough unsolicited advice lately.
"I started to drop him a note, to tell you the truth," Robinson said. "I just
wanted to say, 'Hey, A-Rod, you're the best. We'll see you in the Hall of
Fame. You'll be there.'"
Robinson made it to the Hall of Fame after a 23-year career with the Orioles.
Three decades after retiring, he still lives in the Baltimore area, but he
hasn't forgotten his Arkansas roots. Robinson went to high school at Little
Rock Central, where he celebrated his 50th reunion last year. He said he
still comes home a few times a year for events like his golf tournament,
which benefits the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Garvan Woodland Gardens
-- a botanical garden in the Hot Springs area.
Robinson said he enjoys watching some of the baseball's young third basemen,
such as the New York Mets' David Wright and the Washington Nationals' Ryan
Zimmerman.
But no third baseman is getting as much attention as A-Rod these days, and
Robinson has some theories why. He says Rodriguez's contract -- for a record
$252 million -- has brought more pressure on him in recent years. Also,
Rodriguez is playing alongside shortstop Derek Jeter, who has achieved iconic
status after leading the Yankees to four World Series titles.
"Jeter is their guy, like I was Baltimore's guy," Robinson said. "Jeter is a
terrific player too, but that's just the way fans are. No matter how bad
Jeter would go, I don't think they'd ever say a negative word about him."
Robinson figures it's only a matter of time before all these struggles
subside for Rodriguez.
"I just hate to see them get on him the way they get on him, no matter what
he does. The guy wins ballgames for you, and he's just having a tough streak,
and there's no doubt in my mind he's taking it to the plate right now,"
Robinson said. "When you make that kind of money, people expect you to go out
there 162 games and be the best player in the league 162 days. Well, that's
just not the way it works."
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 59.115.102.39
推
07/25 17:56, , 1F
07/25 17:56, 1F
A-Rod 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
