[新聞] It's World Series or bust for Alex Rodriguez
From: http://tinyurl.com/23k37u
It's World Series or bust for Alex Rodriguez
By MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, October 3rd 2007, 9:47 AM
In the four years since Alex Rodriguez joined the Yankees, he has won an
American League MVP award (with a second likely to follow next month), belted
183 home runs, driven in 513 runs and hit .303. The Bombers are 387-261, an
impressive .597 winning percentage, reaching the postseason each year.
So why has A-Rod's stay in New York been considered such a failure by many?
October. That's why.
Whether it's fair or not, A-Rod has been judged largely on his performance in
the postseason. He was red-hot during his first eight playoff games in
pinstripes, leading the Yankees past the Twins in the first round in 2004,
then helping them jump out to a 3-0 lead against the Red Sox in the ALCS.
But what has happened in his last 12 postseason games is hard to forget and
even harder to fathom.
Since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, Rodriguez is 4-for-41 (.098) with no RBI,
while the Yankees are 3-9 in those games. Although A-Rod was hardly the only
Yankee whose bat fell silent in the collapse against the Red Sox and the
first-round ousters against the Angels and Tigers, he is the only one with a
$252 million contract, which invites criticism that other players evade.
So what will this October hold for A-Rod, who has been the hottest hitter on
the planet since the first day of the 2007 season? As far as his teammates
are concerned, "It's a brand new season," said Mariano Rivera. "He's put all
that behind him and is living for what we have to do now. Whatever happened
last year or the year before is done. I think he's ready for this."
Not only is A-Rod ready, but according to him, he's looking forward to it.
"Look, New York is very simple; you play well, they're gonna be happy. You
don't play well, they're gonna be not as happy," he said, "but you know what
you get in New York. You've got to love it.
"That's why I'm here. That's why, when I had several offers to go any place
this winter, I actually told (Brian) Cashman I wanted to be a Yankee and I
didn't want to go anywhere. I have some unfinished business in New York, and
that's probably the best decision I ever made."
For Rodriguez, that unfinished business goes back even further than last
October, when Torre dropped him to the No. 8 spot in the lineup against the
Tigers. It goes beyond 2005, when he called himself a "dog" after the Anaheim
disaster.
A-Rod has won virtually every personal award, earned every accolade and
accomplished every achievement a player can attain, but after a dozen full
seasons in the majors, he is missing the thing he desperately desires: a
championship.
Which is not to say that his dreadful performance over the Yankees' past 12
playoff games hasn't remained with him. In fact, Doug Mientkiewicz, his
one-time high school teammate and the Yankees' current first baseman,
believes that A-Rod stores all of those memories someplace in his head and
uses them to his advantage.
"It motivates him," Mientkiewicz said. "He's never forgotten hitting eighth
last year. He's never forgotten all the scrutiny. He has a good memory and he
doesn't forget stuff."
Rodriguez acknowledges that he draws on those experiences from time to time,
but listening to him talk, it becomes clear that he is trying to do as little
thinking as possible.
"You have motivations in bits and pieces when you need to, but the past is
the past," he said. "I'm focused on our mission today."
That has been the case since the first day of spring training, when A-Rod
unburdened his soul to reporters, coming clean about the decline of his
relationship with Jeter, once one of his closest friends.
With a new mental approach and a more careful, quiet tact toward handling the
spotlight of New York, Rodriguez went out and abused opposing pitchers all
year. He credits a dropped pop-up on Opening Day for helping him learn how to
laugh at himself. At the time, 56,000 fans were showering him with boos, and
A-Rod could have just as easily beaten himself up instead of brushing it off
and helping the Yankees rally for a win.
"I kept knocking myself in the head for three years trying to please
everybody, and I came to realize I'm going to let my baseball do all the
talking," Rodriguez said. "I'm not gonna talk, and leave it right there -
it's baseball, baseball, baseball. If I screw up, I screw up, and if I did
well, I did well. I didn't need to explain or justify anything on the field."
Whatever he did, it worked. A .355 average, 14 homers and 34 RBI in April got
Rodriguez off to a blazing start. His numbers dropped back down to earth in
May, but he took off again in June, hitting .402 with nine homers and 34 RBI.
The second half was just as impressive, as he hit .312 with 24 homers and 70
RBI, helping the Yankees climb back from oblivion to make the playoffs.
But now comes the real test.
"Pressure's a good thing; pressure's part of baseball," Rodriguez said. "The
last three months we've had enormous pressure. Jeter's often said we've been
in playoff mode the last two months, and I agree with that. There are gonna
be people who say I've played poorly the last two postseasons. I get another
crack at it now."
Adds Rivera: "With the season that he's had, he can just carry that into the
playoffs. He's been strong mentally and physically, and I don't see why that
won't continue."
A-Rod might be better off starting the division series in Cleveland, where
he'll be booed by the Jacobs Field fans regardless of what he does. Had the
series kicked off in the Bronx, an 0-for-4 in Game 1 might have turned fans
against him despite a season of love.
Rodriguez isn't concerned with how he starts. Again, he points back to that
pop-up he muffed on Opening Day.
"I didn't get off to a good start with the pop-up and that worked out okay,"
he said. "If I hit a home run in the first at-bat, does that mean I'm gonna
be an MVP in October? Probably not. The same goes if you strike out."
When the Yankees' season ends - either with another postseason disappointment
or the ultimate champagne celebration - the questions will begin immediately.
Will A-Rod opt out of his contract? Will he abandon the fans that have
finally grown to love him?
When approached with the topic, A-Rod does his best to dance around it. He
knows that the heat will be turned up the moment the Yanks' season ends.
"I love New York. I don't think what happens in the next 30 days is gonna
make one way or another difference, and I'm not even thinking about that,"
Rodriguez said. "If anyone is thinking about what they're gonna do two months
from now, we're not in the right place."
For the first time since he's been a Yankee, Rodriguez may finally be there.
--
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