So, there it is. A-Rod plays one more week and then hangs it up officially as he moves on to his mentoring/instructional role with the Yankees. SU’s take:
- I will definitely miss A-Rod. Admittedly, he’s a knucklehead and has poor judgment. He has taken the advice of some bad people over the years and made his share of mistakes. Having said that, I think he’s a basically good guy and a great baseball player. Too much ego, too much vanity and too much preening at times. He certainly knows the game and has been a model citizen the last couple of seasons.
- On a Yankee team that has been boring for the past several seasons, he was a guy you waited to see come up to bat. The current line-up features no-one, as in no-one, that you even care to see hit. As dull as can be.
- But here’s the deal for SU. Brian McCann is now getting a lot of the DH at bats as Gary Sanchez is doing a lot of the catching. I have watched McCann for almost 3 years now. Whenever he gets a hit, I am surprised. Truly surprised. He is a .230 hitter who swings for the fences. If this is A-Rod’s last week in pinstripes, just start him for every game. You lose nothing offensively by putting him in there. McCann does nothing more than he does. I understand you still think the team is in the wild card hunt (note to readers: it’s not). The reality is let us see him play his last few games. It won’t happen but it should.
SU prediction: A-Rod plays somewhere else in 2017. I think he believes he has something left in the tank and will work on his conditioning and flexibility in the off-season. And I hope he does. OK, thoughts from the SU intergalactic readership? Will you miss A-Rod?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Would have loved for them to let him at least play this year out. We are paying him anyway, and you’re right – little difference between him and McCann. Plus a half year awkward and vanity filled farewell tour would be a good watch – they probably would have increased ticket sales and tv ratings versus a boring and ineffective attempt at the wildcard.
Maybe he’ll get with another team and we will see an even weirder farewell tour. Definitely a few terrible AL teams who could use his bat (I guess at this point they aren’t getting much of a bat, but they could definitely use the ticket sales).
I watched the entire Yankee-Red Sox game last night. 15 hits, in which the entire team participated in the win minus our best all around player, Didi. Arod got up and just missed one late in the game. We now sit 4.5 games out of a wild card. If the Yanks win tonight and the Mets remain where they are both teams will be 3.5 games out of a wild card…. and the Yankees will have a better record. Interesting? Where are all those cocky Met’s fans? I can’t hear you anymore!!!
So let’s say A-rod in his last 2 games goes 4 for 8, with 1 or 2 home runs, a few rbi’s and a couple of walks… and is one of the reasons why they win either one or both games. Not only are they within real striking distance but if they continue to proclaim that they are in it to win…. what do you do with A-rod? Is it all about the fear of paying him the additional $6.0m when he hits his 700th homer. If he puts fans in the seats knowing that he is playing that night what are the Yankees really shelling out? Is it that Cashman and Girardi don’t like him? I say the answer is C…. both.
Of course he could do what he has been doing all season… get maybe 1 or 2 average looking singles and call it a day. You almost feel sorry for someone statistically having one of the best resume’s in the history of MLB the way his Yankee playing career is ending…. except with one obvious (large) blemish. If only he went the righteous path of Andy Pettite. Like him, he would have been pardoned and embraced more around the league or at the least not booed everywhere.
I still find it fascinating that Big Papi has not received more negative press with this year’s stats at his age. Ironically, because he is not going to hit 60+ homers that sacred plateau will not be touched thereby keeping all those suspicious people, including myself at bay when it comes to what Meds he (might) be taking. Unfortunately, he is untouchable or else Boston “nation” would break away from the Union and claim Brady as their first president and Big Papi as Secretary of Defense.
Andy, you and I are on the same page with A-Rod. What do you do if he shows some signs of life these last 2 games? I think they stay the course and bring up the youngsters for those at bats. I think the Yankees would prefer to not be in the hunt so they can give these youngsters a shot. Btw, I would just sit Tex. He is awful. Go retire in peace. Agree on Big Papi. Somehow he gets a pass because he hugs everyone on every team.