[新聞] Blasting his way to history

看板A-Rod作者PerryRod (Partridge)時間18年前 (2007/03/12 14:36)推噓2(2推 0噓 0→)

留言2則, 2人參與討論串1/2 (看更多)

噗，只截取有關A-Rod的部份。 From:http://tinyurl.com/32mfth Blasting his way to history Rodriguez undeterred by constant criticism By Nick Cafardo | March 11, 2007 Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome all could join the 500-home run club this season (with Gary Sheffield having an outside shot). A-Rod needs 36 and would be the youngest player to reach 500; he turns 32 on July 27. Former A's and Red Sox great Jimmie Foxx hit No. 500 at 32 years, 337 days. Barring injury or a poor season, Rodriguez will take over that distinction. Rodriguez has plenty of time to break a lot of records, but with the scrutiny he's under and the criticism he receives at every turn for a player so gifted, you wonder whether Barry Bonds's soon-to-be home run record or Hank Aaron's RBI record are even on his radar screen anymore. "I don't know, and I don't like answering that because everything I say is twisted and I get sick and tired of people twisting my words around and turning it into something negative," he said. "I think the good Lord has a good plan for me. I'll let him and my family dictate how long I want to play. "I have four more years left on this contract [with an out after this season] and I can see myself playing two or three years. I'll never play for personal achievements. That's not what I'm about. Everyone says you're crazy moving to third base one home run short of the record for shortstops [Cal Ripken hit 345 homers at shortstop], but that's not what I play for. And that's a prime example of that." On hitting 500, he said, "It's hard to even think about that number and think about yourself. In our mind, you're always young and full of energy, and when you reach a milestone like that, it means you're getting old or that you've done good things for a while." Could he have imagined 500 homers growing up in a single-parent household in Miami? "No, no," he said, shaking his head. "Over the last four or five years, I've become this overdog that everybody loves to hate or whatever. I come from a small section of Miami with a single parent and I was always the ultimate underdog growing up. Never when I was 10, 12, 13 years old did I ever imagine that I would hit 200 home runs, let alone 500." He speaks glowingly about his slugging contemporaries: Thomas, who has 487 homers, Thome, who has 472, and Ramirez, who has 470 (Sheffield has 455). "Jimmy is one of baseball's greatest guys," Rodriguez said. "Big, strong guy. Frank has gone through several stages in his career, two-time MVP, and he redefined his career last year and is well on his way to the Hall of Fame. "I think Manny is the greatest righthanded hitter we've ever seen. That I've ever seen, no question. I can't think of anyone over the years better than Manny Ramirez. "Now, I haven't seen Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks and Willie Mays, but I can't imagine their being greater than Manny Ramirez. I have the utmost admiration for Manny, he's a very close friend." If he were a teammate, how would he handle Ramirez's quirks and antics? "Very easy," he said. "Thirty-five, 120 every year. I'll take it every day. A lot of superstars have some gimmicks. I'm a goofy guy and I have some [expletive] that comes with me, you know? I judge Manny on two things. No. 1: 7:05 [p.m.]. Every night he's ready to go. And secondly, he's probably the hardest-working player I've ever been around. He keeps it a big secret. He keeps it away from you guys." Even as we spoke, some fools in the peanut gallery were shouting nasty things at A-Rod for no apparent reason. He seemed to do well in ignoring it. Johnny Damon interjected, "He's much tougher mentally than I am. He hears it all the time. His family hears it. It's unfortunate." "I think I've done the best job this spring [of shutting things out]," A-Rod said. "I came in with a fresh new attitude. I got sick and tired of people twisting and turning and dissecting everything I said. It became so much about what I said versus how I'm playing. It's hard enough to play." He knows much of the venom directed toward him is a result of the 10-year, $250 million contract he was handed by Rangers owner Tom Hicks. In his heart, A-Rod wanted to play shortstop for Boston, and he was willing to give back some of the money to do it -- until the deal was nixed by the Players Association. "I'm very proud of the contract," he said. "I wouldn't do it any other way. That's what God put me here for. That's how avenues opened up for me. The contract allows me to help millions of people. "Somebody has to be the highest-paid at some point, and someday it's not going to be me. But while I'm here, if I can protect other players from the crap and [expletive] that I get, I'm cool with that." He's cool with 500 homers as well. Not bad for his age. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 203.69.75.117