http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060723/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_a_rod_s_errors_4
The fan's hate him, he is playing horribly, but who could afford him?
The fan's hate him, he is playing horribly, but who could afford him?
Will ARod be traded?
- Thread starter HCI
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 31
- Views 3K
-
WELCOME TO THE NEW SERVER!
If you are seeing this you are on our new server WELCOME HOME!
While the new server is online Scott is still working on the backend including the cachine. But the site is usable while the work is being completes!
Thank you for your patience and again WELCOME HOME!
CLICK THE X IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE BOX TO DISMISS THIS MESSAGE
A-Rod is a shortstop by trade... moving to third base by all accounts is a very difficult transition. The Yankees ruined him by getting him and forcing him to third base.
Who's going to want him? Many teams who need a quality shortstop. Who can afford him? Few, if any, will take on a contract that size.
Who's going to want him? Many teams who need a quality shortstop. Who can afford him? Few, if any, will take on a contract that size.
Boston and the Mets were salivating at getting A-Rod. If the Mets had gotten A-Rod, Jose Reyes would be playing somewhere else, having been trade bait.
A-Rod's best career time was in Seattle. The unfortunate thing was he had Scott Boras as an agent. There was no chance Seattle could have retained him with that scenario.
Boras is a cancer on the sport. While I don't begrudge players getting the maximum dollars they can, Boras inflates the values so much he's broken the payroll model.
Others would argue differently saying Boras is one of the greatest agents for what he does for his clients.
I'm not one of those folks.
A-Rod's best career time was in Seattle. The unfortunate thing was he had Scott Boras as an agent. There was no chance Seattle could have retained him with that scenario.
Boras is a cancer on the sport. While I don't begrudge players getting the maximum dollars they can, Boras inflates the values so much he's broken the payroll model.
Others would argue differently saying Boras is one of the greatest agents for what he does for his clients.
I'm not one of those folks.
Tom Hicks is the man that offered that kind of money, and he accepted,pdxsam said:
wouldn't you ?
I don't think anyone looked into the future at the time and realized what issues it would evenually cause.
I have always liked A Rod since Seattle (I don't like anyone that answers to a nickname, but there is a lot of that going around, started by the media, something is wrong if you can't answer to your real name, jmo)
Jimbo
Remember most of A-Rod's salary is still being paid by Hicks (Texas Rangers). The Yankees are only paying in the neighborhood of 12-15 million a year to him. The rest of his 21-25 million per year is paid by the Texas Rangers. So in a sense he is in the same market as other players. Sure there is very few teams that can afford 12-15 million these days but you may be surprised that there are teams out there that have the money but are holding out becasue they do not want to invest money in the team.
Luxury Tax paid by the Big Boys (Boston, Yankees, Mets,...) have made it possible for teams to get a huge cut of the luxury tax each year. What they do wit the money is another issue.
As far as A-Rod, he has had a terrible season (only if you measure his numbers with his talent) but if you look at his numbers blindly he is having an ok season. The expectation is so much greater with this guy that we kind of put him in a low category but that is not the case. The Yankees will never trade him. He has so much value at a very low price (by today's standard-- thanks to Hick again). Down the road he may be worth even more. Time will decide if he is going to be the one that breaks Hank Aaron's HR record (without steroid).
Luxury Tax paid by the Big Boys (Boston, Yankees, Mets,...) have made it possible for teams to get a huge cut of the luxury tax each year. What they do wit the money is another issue.
As far as A-Rod, he has had a terrible season (only if you measure his numbers with his talent) but if you look at his numbers blindly he is having an ok season. The expectation is so much greater with this guy that we kind of put him in a low category but that is not the case. The Yankees will never trade him. He has so much value at a very low price (by today's standard-- thanks to Hick again). Down the road he may be worth even more. Time will decide if he is going to be the one that breaks Hank Aaron's HR record (without steroid).
As a Mets fan, that's the last thing I want. I'm not trashing ARod, but the concept of homegrown talent is something I have to imagine every fan can grasp. The idea that the Mets could scout Reyes rather than pay for ARod is a source of pride for me.pdxsam said:
bidger` said:
Agreed. As a lifelong Mets fan it's fun to watch the left side of the infield being homegrown talent. Now if Anderson Hernandez comes along it'll make almost all
of the infield.
In my opinion A-Rod has proven he is not a big city player especially on a team that has expectations like the Yankees, put him in a small market he will put up phenomenal numbers, his overall numbers are good (minus the errors) but he hasn't come through when it counts the most!!!
He adapted and played an excellent 3rd base last year what happened this year?
They said he was seeing a shrink in the past I hope he goes back and gets his act together.
He adapted and played an excellent 3rd base last year what happened this year?
They said he was seeing a shrink in the past I hope he goes back and gets his act together.
I think he should stay a Yankee if he is actually causing harm to the club. Just wish his play would get worse. His hitting isnt that bad. But the results to payroll isnt good. You got him Georgie. Have fun. Karma.
I bet if a good team took him and gave him his old shortstop job back he would do very well....rcbridge said:
ARod will be the scapegoat when the yankees don't make the playoffs, if they do make the playoffs and not win it all, he will still be the blame....
21 HR's 71 RBI's just past the halfway point , I'll take that in a heartbeat, and you yankee fans think he's been terrible.....
As much as I like the Tigers Carlos Guillen, I think I would not mind ARod at short for the Tigers ....
Last year he had 48 HR's and 130 Rbi;s and a .321 AVG and that was not good enough.
Jimbo
Last edited:
Jimbos said:
The reason why Yankee fans don't like him is he never comes through on big plays. He hits homeruns when the Yankee's are already winning a game. He drives in runs when the Yankee's are up by 3 or 4 points. The Yankee's have lost their star playmaker for this year.
He never should have got MVP last year. Sure his numbers were great but what did he really contribute to the team when it counted. On the other hand look at Big Papi, how many games has he won for the Redsox?
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=2230322&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Alex Rodriguez has been booed at home nearly all season for failing to come through at the plate. Now, it's his shoddy defense that's frustrating fans and more importantly hurting the New York Yankees.
What's wrong with A-Rod? One major flaw is his footwork at third base. But the biggest obstacle is probably in his head.
The two-time MVP committed his fifth error in five games Friday night at Toronto and led the American League with 18 going into Saturday. That's an alarming number, especially considering there's still more than two months left in the season.
Not exactly what you'd expect from the most talented all-around player in baseball. In fact, it's been so bad that manager Joe Torre made Rodriguez the designated hitter Saturday against the Blue Jays even with New York trying to snap a three-game skid.
It didn't help his offense any. A-Rod went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, including one with the bases loaded, during New York's 5-4 victory.
"I'm working through it," Rodriguez said recently. "It's not easy, that's for sure."
It's almost strange to hear him say something like that. So many things appear to come so easily to A-Rod on a baseball field.
He can run. He hits with power to all fields. He has quick reflexes and soft hands.
But lately, he can't even make a routine throw to first base.
Or second, for that matter. Or home plate.
Torre has offered a variety of possible explanations, from positioning to the way Rodriguez has been jabbing at the ball with his glove.
"It's just like hitting. You go through little funks," Rodriguez said.
He also appears slow to pick up the ball off the bat sometimes, which can be tricky at third base especially for someone who played shortstop almost all his life.
But A-Rod made a pretty smooth transition to third when he joined the Yankees in 2004. He worked hard that spring to get comfortable and made only 13 errors all season plus some dazzling plays.
He committed 12 errors last year, and his strong defense was a big reason he beat out Boston designated hitter David Ortiz for the AL MVP Award.
Right now, the most obvious fundamental imperfection for Rodriguez lies in his footwork.
He drops down, submarine-style, to make his throws across the diamond something many major league infielders do. It's not how Little League coaches teach you to do it. And it's probably not the way Tom Emanski instructs those AAU kids (you know, the back-to-back-to-back national champions) in that video that's advertised on TV all night.
(Hey, maybe those kids could give A-Rod a few tips).
But it's a style that plenty of big league players have perfected, including Rodriguez.
Usually.
The problem now is that, without proper footwork, his submarine throws are often tailing high and to the right. Like a slice off a right-handed golf swing.
Watch closely and you can see it. A-Rod is opening up his front shoulder too far and planting his left foot wide of the target, instead of directly toward the target.
Overcompensate, and he hooks his throw too far to the left.
Physically at least, it seems that's why so many of his throws are going awry.
"It's definitely mechanics," Rodriguez said. "It really becomes staying on top of the baseball. Pitchers, catchers, everybody does it at some point. You've just got to get your target, get your footwork and stay on top of the baseball."
That's the easy part, though. The hard part for Rodriguez is not letting all the miscues affect him mentally.
It seems they already have.
A-Rod obviously doesn't want to let his teammates down or the New York fans who have been so hard on him since he arrived from Texas, where he won two Gold Gloves at shortstop.
Since he really started to struggle, you can almost see Rodriguez thinking about the throw he needs to make as he fields a grounder. He doesn't look natural.
And once an infielder begins thinking, `I can't throw this ball away,' that's exactly what he'll often do.
Remember Chuck Knoblauch? The Yankees certainly do.
Playing in the Big Apple with a record $252 million contract, Rodriguez is constantly under the microscope. Every failure is magnified, fodder for the back pages of the city tabloids.
And they've been having a field day lately.
A-Rod is now working with Yankees coach Larry Bowa, an All-Star shortstop during his playing days, in an attempt to straighten out his defense.
Always a hard worker, the slugger met with Torre on Friday night and was at the ballpark in Toronto at 11 a.m. Saturday, an hour before the team bus even left the hotel.
Rodriguez, who will turn 31 next Thursday, became the youngest player to reach 450 homers Friday night. And the home run was his 2,000th career hit.
But his fielding has been the hot topic on talk radio in New York. Some have even suggested A-Rod will want out of the city soon.
"That couldn't be further from the truth. That's a ridiculous thought," he said.
The Yankees, who trail first-place Boston in the AL East, have a more pressing concern. Missing three injured All-Stars, they need Rodriguez to rediscover his fielding form quickly so they can stay close in a tight pennant race.
"I don't know what's going on," pitcher Mike Mussina said. "I know he's disappointed in the way he's playing. It's just not him right now. We need him back the way he's supposed to be."
Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
Alex Rodriguez has been booed at home nearly all season for failing to come through at the plate. Now, it's his shoddy defense that's frustrating fans and more importantly hurting the New York Yankees.
What's wrong with A-Rod? One major flaw is his footwork at third base. But the biggest obstacle is probably in his head.
The two-time MVP committed his fifth error in five games Friday night at Toronto and led the American League with 18 going into Saturday. That's an alarming number, especially considering there's still more than two months left in the season.
Not exactly what you'd expect from the most talented all-around player in baseball. In fact, it's been so bad that manager Joe Torre made Rodriguez the designated hitter Saturday against the Blue Jays even with New York trying to snap a three-game skid.
It didn't help his offense any. A-Rod went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, including one with the bases loaded, during New York's 5-4 victory.
"I'm working through it," Rodriguez said recently. "It's not easy, that's for sure."
It's almost strange to hear him say something like that. So many things appear to come so easily to A-Rod on a baseball field.
He can run. He hits with power to all fields. He has quick reflexes and soft hands.
But lately, he can't even make a routine throw to first base.
Or second, for that matter. Or home plate.
Torre has offered a variety of possible explanations, from positioning to the way Rodriguez has been jabbing at the ball with his glove.
"It's just like hitting. You go through little funks," Rodriguez said.
He also appears slow to pick up the ball off the bat sometimes, which can be tricky at third base especially for someone who played shortstop almost all his life.
But A-Rod made a pretty smooth transition to third when he joined the Yankees in 2004. He worked hard that spring to get comfortable and made only 13 errors all season plus some dazzling plays.
He committed 12 errors last year, and his strong defense was a big reason he beat out Boston designated hitter David Ortiz for the AL MVP Award.
Right now, the most obvious fundamental imperfection for Rodriguez lies in his footwork.
He drops down, submarine-style, to make his throws across the diamond something many major league infielders do. It's not how Little League coaches teach you to do it. And it's probably not the way Tom Emanski instructs those AAU kids (you know, the back-to-back-to-back national champions) in that video that's advertised on TV all night.
(Hey, maybe those kids could give A-Rod a few tips).
But it's a style that plenty of big league players have perfected, including Rodriguez.
Usually.
The problem now is that, without proper footwork, his submarine throws are often tailing high and to the right. Like a slice off a right-handed golf swing.
Watch closely and you can see it. A-Rod is opening up his front shoulder too far and planting his left foot wide of the target, instead of directly toward the target.
Overcompensate, and he hooks his throw too far to the left.
Physically at least, it seems that's why so many of his throws are going awry.
"It's definitely mechanics," Rodriguez said. "It really becomes staying on top of the baseball. Pitchers, catchers, everybody does it at some point. You've just got to get your target, get your footwork and stay on top of the baseball."
That's the easy part, though. The hard part for Rodriguez is not letting all the miscues affect him mentally.
It seems they already have.
A-Rod obviously doesn't want to let his teammates down or the New York fans who have been so hard on him since he arrived from Texas, where he won two Gold Gloves at shortstop.
Since he really started to struggle, you can almost see Rodriguez thinking about the throw he needs to make as he fields a grounder. He doesn't look natural.
And once an infielder begins thinking, `I can't throw this ball away,' that's exactly what he'll often do.
Remember Chuck Knoblauch? The Yankees certainly do.
Playing in the Big Apple with a record $252 million contract, Rodriguez is constantly under the microscope. Every failure is magnified, fodder for the back pages of the city tabloids.
And they've been having a field day lately.
A-Rod is now working with Yankees coach Larry Bowa, an All-Star shortstop during his playing days, in an attempt to straighten out his defense.
Always a hard worker, the slugger met with Torre on Friday night and was at the ballpark in Toronto at 11 a.m. Saturday, an hour before the team bus even left the hotel.
Rodriguez, who will turn 31 next Thursday, became the youngest player to reach 450 homers Friday night. And the home run was his 2,000th career hit.
But his fielding has been the hot topic on talk radio in New York. Some have even suggested A-Rod will want out of the city soon.
"That couldn't be further from the truth. That's a ridiculous thought," he said.
The Yankees, who trail first-place Boston in the AL East, have a more pressing concern. Missing three injured All-Stars, they need Rodriguez to rediscover his fielding form quickly so they can stay close in a tight pennant race.
"I don't know what's going on," pitcher Mike Mussina said. "I know he's disappointed in the way he's playing. It's just not him right now. We need him back the way he's supposed to be."
Associated Press Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
Maybe he needs to get out of the spot light.The Tate said:
What happens when Jeter goes 3-20 during a week, he gets the , he'll work out of it. I think it was last year or maybe the year before when he was like OH for April ... he battled thru it.
I personally think Alex lets the fans get to him to easily, but thats something he needs to work thru.
Put him back at shortstop and see if that makes any differece, Jeter needs a day off ever now and then, does ARod play short then ? I don't know....
I watched him regularly when he was just coming up, in Seattle...
I hate to see him struggle so badly(till they play the Tigers, then the whole team can struggle if I have anything to say about it
)Jimbo
You guys are on drugs....I hate the Yanks and I really don't like A-Rod...but he IS one of THE top 3 or top 4 players in the game... PERIOD. What can the Yankees get in return for A-Rod?? What marquis player you can POSSIBLY match him with....This guy has a subpar year...21 hrs 70-something RBIs almost hitting .290. 90% of the players in the Majors would take that for a FULL SEASON....he has done it in a little more than half a season!! When he came to the Yanks, he was a BETTER SHORTSTOP the Jeter!
In fact, he was THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE....BAR NONE!! So now you are asking A-Rod to carry BOTH Matsui's AND Sheffield's bat in the line-up???!!!
Why not get on the GM for that sh!tty pitching staff the Yanks have....UNIT...bust...Pavano....bust...Jared Wright...bust....the list goes on and on.
So you have a team with has-beens and use-to-bes giving up around 5 to 6 runs a game, you have 2 MAJOR bats missing in the lineup ALL year...and ya wanna bitch cause A-Rod is have a sub par year just because he is not a "true Yankee"?
Gimme a break guys...ANY TEAM would take him RIGHT NOW!!!
In fact, he was THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE....BAR NONE!! So now you are asking A-Rod to carry BOTH Matsui's AND Sheffield's bat in the line-up???!!!
Why not get on the GM for that sh!tty pitching staff the Yanks have....UNIT...bust...Pavano....bust...Jared Wright...bust....the list goes on and on.
So you have a team with has-beens and use-to-bes giving up around 5 to 6 runs a game, you have 2 MAJOR bats missing in the lineup ALL year...and ya wanna bitch cause A-Rod is have a sub par year just because he is not a "true Yankee"?
Gimme a break guys...ANY TEAM would take him RIGHT NOW!!!
salsa,
Again not to take anything away from ARod he is a great player, but he cannot deliver when the game is on the line.
Again not to take anything away from ARod he is a great player, but he cannot deliver when the game is on the line.
