So I was going to write something witty. A phone call, perhaps, where Bronson rubs it in to Lenny that, although he pitched 5 solid innings for Oakland, he imploded in the 6th and lost the game.
Instead, I'm compelled to write about Alex Rodriguez.
"ARod" to most.
"Slappy" to me (And Bronson Arroyo.)
I have never hidden my hatred for the Yankees. On my own blog, the tag line is "Because life is too short to be a Yankees Chick". I'm pretty straight-forward that way. But the truth is that there are players on that team you have to respect. Mariano Rivera comes to mind.
Well, that was a short list.
Anyway, I've often been on the fence about old Slappy. As witnessed by my use of that nickname, I'll not soon 'get over' his slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove in game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. Nor am I happy with the elbow he threw at Dustin Pedroia last week in New York. But in between those two incidents, I had started to soften. I thought it was ridiculous of the Yankees fans to boo possibly the best player any of them had ever seen. I started to believe all the crap about how sensitive he is and how his wife has helped him deal with the pressures of making ridiculous amounts of money for playing a child's game.
I'll tell you now, there is no more softening. ARod is a jackass. And that's the nicest and worst word I'll use. No point in offending any of your sensibilities by using words not fit for print.
But let's pretend I used them, okay? Just between us, you all know that I think ARod is the nickname for Richard. And I'm not talking about Rich. I feel better now that we're all on the same page.
Yes we all know many players cheat on their wives (not all, though, and I think that's pretty important to mention). But ARod is a superstar. He's an athlete and celebrity. He's on the highest-profile team in professional sports in America. And he's stupid enough to get caught?
No way. He isn't stupid. He just has no respect. Not for his wife, not for the woman he's carting around (Nor does she have any respect for herself - I'm not blaming just ARod for that part of all this. It takes two and all.). He certainly doesn't have any respect for his team or their fans, since they are on the receiving end of a major ass-whipping all around these days.
He should have been more discreet. He should have kept it in his pants. He should have just been focusing on helping the team try to win. Right?
Well, he took that last one to heart in Toronto last night, and in the process has cemented his reputation as a great player, but a lousy person.
You've all heard about it or read about it by now.
Rodriguez said he was simply trying to win. “We’re desperate,” he said. “We haven’t won a game in a little bit now. We won the game.”
Spoken like a great American ball player, Slappy. It doesn't matter that what you did would get you a punch in the face in Little League. It helped you win the game because you're desperate. That's all that matters. It's so clear to me now.
I promise you, the next time I see someone who is letting their kid wear an ARod jersey I'll probably lose it on them. This man is a joke. He's taking an already horrible season for the Yankees and adding insult to injury.
The last time the Yankees were in Boston, Daisuke Matsuzaka hit ARod with a pitch. It was April and he was on fire. After getting hit, he cooled down considerably. It might just be time for a little repeated history. Someone needs to take Slappy down a notch, and Bronson Arroyo isn't here to do it. (Author's note: I didn't clear this with all the Sistahs, so don't be blaming all of them for MY writing that he should get hit. I'm sure there are one or two of them who never want to see a batter hit, no matter who he is. I don't happen to be one of them. As long as they don't hit his head/face, I'm quite alright with a purpose pitch now and then.)
Derek Jeter refused to comment on last night's incident. That is very telling. Maybe not. Either Jeter thinks what ARod did last night was wrong, or he just thinks the guy is a dick* and is happy to watch him swing flaccidly in the wind. Either way, if the captain of your team doesn't back your play, you should be thinking twice about what you did.
Not that ARod is. He absolutely seems to be from the "any publicity is good publicity" camp.
I only hope this time he gets his deserved 'reward' for his bush league behavior - on and off the field.
*oops.
Edited to add that clearly he says "mine" and not "ha". Go back to 3rd grade, Slappy. (This video works now, but when MLB finds out about it, will probably get pulled:)
