Last Saturday night after the Yankees defeated the Devils Rays 6-4, several Yankee fans called into WFAN “The Fan” to talk about Alex Rodriguez. They credited Rodriguez as being a “great player” but admitted that they would rather have shortstop Derek Jeter on their team if they had to choose between the two. Radio show host Chris Carlin, an avid Yankee fan, responded to his callers: “I know who I’m taking,” he paused for a moment, “number two,” referring to the Yankee captain, Derek Jeter. "No doubt about it."
Ever since he arrived in New York in 2004, Rodriguez has been constantly compared to his fellow infielder. And ever since Rodriguez arrived in New York in 2004, statistically he has been the best offensive player on the team by far. No matter how well A-Rod played, he could not escape the shadow of Jeter.
After his MVP campaign in 2005, Rodriguez could not repeat his stellar performance, and Yankee fans lost patience and sometimes booed him after every at bat that did not result with him getting on base. There aren’t many places where a third baseman would get booed for hitting 35 home runs and knocking in 121 runs, and Rodriguez knows this. His 2006 performance was considered a “down year” by many, especially after his tremendous 2005 season, but there may be only a handful of players, if any, who would be disappointed with posting a .913 OPS, but many Yankee fans found his 2006 performance unacceptable.
In 2007, it is clear that Rodriguez is still the biggest threat in the Joe Torre’s lineup, and fans have cheered him because he is slugging a Babe Ruth-like .653 after 91 games. But Rodriguez will always know that this is Derek Jeter’s team, and certainly will never forget how the fans treated him in 2006.
So when the time comes for Rodriguez to decide whether or not to opt out of his contract after this season, he will think long and hard about moving on from his tumultuous stint with the Yankees. All through out baseball Rodriguez is recognized as an once-in-a-lifetime talent, but in New York, he will always be the third baseman on Jeter’s team. If A-Rod decides to leave he can instantly become the face of another franchise, and will certainly be embraced by fans as a hero.
He is owed an absurd amount of money over the next couple of seasons by the Yankees and the Rangers, the team he originally signed his contract with, but after his first half this season, there is no question he will be able to get around 30 million dollars per season in the free agent market, so opting out will not hurt his wallet much.
By leaving New York, Alex Rodriguez can escape the fans who he knows may not support him if he goes into a slump. He can escape the sometimes unrealistic expectations that come along with being a great player in the Big Apple. He can escape Derek Jeter.
Peter Spiewak - -
