OT; Is it possible to be a bigger tool than A-Rod?

[ecompt]

It wasn't bad enough when he Girl-Scout-slapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's hand in the 2004 players; now he's yelling in infielder's ears as they prepare to catch pop-ups. Absolute jerk. Only good thing: New York Post has a story that he's "dating" a blonde in five different AL cities (he doesn't stay in the same hotel as his teammates). Hope his wife takes him to the cleaners in the settlement.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I loved your former paper's headline yesterday


Stray rod




"He's a Yankee Doodle Randy"


A lot of chuckles at the office on that one.

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

How ironic that for 15 years Rodriguez has been knocked for being a bland personality and now when he shows some life everyone is there to chew him up.

[NYWarrior]

How ironic that for 15 years Rodriguez has been knocked for being a bland personality and now when he shows some life everyone is there to chew him up.

I'm not sure that appearing to be an adulterer and then pulling another bush-league play on the field hours later qualifies as showing 'some life'.  At least in the sporting sense

[BigSky]

People get tired of the Red Sox and Yankees ESPN coverage and elsewhere and inevitably lash out.  I have zero interest in his personal life.  As long as he is not breaking laws, and is eligible to play, and does his job well, that's as far as my personal interest goes in profesional athletes.  

Is there a bigger tool than A-Rod?  Not a fan of name calling, but I am sure that list is very long in professional baseball, like it would be anywhere else in life. 

[LastWarrior]

Yes... you could be AJ Pierzynski

[CWSKeith]

How ironic that for 15 years Rodriguez has been knocked for being a bland personality and now when he shows some life everyone is there to chew him up.

I'm not sure that appearing to be an adulterer and then pulling another bush-league play on the field hours later qualifies as showing 'some life'.  At least in the sporting sense

Bush league play?  Why do I have a feeling that if someone other than A-Rod did this -- let's say a Derek Jeter, a Darin Erstad, guys who get lauded for being good ol' "ballplayers", guys who "play the game the right way" -- that we really wouldn't hear a peep about it, that Jeter/Erstad would be, in fact, commended.

A couple of years ago during the Sox/Cubs game, a Cubs player hit the ball down the RF line for extra bases.  Derrek Lee was on first and, as he was rounding second, Juan Uribe put his hands up as if to say it was a foul ball.  This caused Lee to stop for a quick moment and look behind to see if the ball was really foul.  Maybe it's just me, but I'm perfectly fine with plays like that.  It's not like it's cheating.  I really don't see a heckuva lot wrong with what A-Rod did. 

[Pakuni]

How ironic that for 15 years Rodriguez has been knocked for being a bland personality and now when he shows some life everyone is there to chew him up.

I'm not sure that appearing to be an adulterer and then pulling another bush-league play on the field hours later qualifies as showing 'some life'.  At least in the sporting sense

Bush league play?  Why do I have a feeling that if someone other than A-Rod did this -- let's say a Derek Jeter, a Darin Erstad, guys who get lauded for being good ol' "ballplayers", guys who "play the game the right way" -- that we really wouldn't hear a peep about it, that Jeter/Erstad would be, in fact, commended.

A couple of years ago during the Sox/Cubs game, a Cubs player hit the ball down the RF line for extra bases.  Derrek Lee was on first and, as he was rounding second, Juan Uribe put his hands up as if to say it was a foul ball.  This caused Lee to stop for a quick moment and look behind to see if the ball was really foul.  Maybe it's just me, but I'm perfectly fine with plays like that.  It's not like it's cheating.  I really don't see a heckuva lot wrong with what A-Rod did. 

I'm with you, Keith. Had certain other players done the same, it would have been lauded as a smart move by a scrappy, hard-nosed ballplayer. A-Rod does it, and it's bush.
When exactly did baseball become so wussified that yelling to distract a player trying to catch a pop fly suddenly is considered a mortal sin? What's next, politely stepping out of a shortstop's way so as not to interfere with the completion of a double play?
Baserunners stopping 10 feet before home plate to prevent a potentially violent collision with a catcher?

Seriously, a major-league infielder who drops an easy pop fly because he heard a voice perhaps doesn't belong in a major-league infield.

Though I will say that I am shocked - SHOCKED! - by the prospect of a professional athlete straying from his marital vows. Who could have imagined such a thing.

[ecompt]

One problem: Derek Jeter or Darin Erstad wouldn't do it. John Gibbons was right: the Yankees have never resorted to this stuff and have always played the game right. A-Rod is a $25 million wimp, and everyone in the league knows it. I'll be shocked if the Blue Jays don't drill him repeatedly when the teams meet again.

[ChicosBailBonds]

How ironic that for 15 years Rodriguez has been knocked for being a bland personality and now when he shows some life everyone is there to chew him up.

I'm not sure that appearing to be an adulterer and then pulling another bush-league play on the field hours later qualifies as showing 'some life'.  At least in the sporting sense

I didn't think it was bush league...you're being a Sox homer!!  


Deception is part of baseball all the time.  Fake throw to first, infielders pretending to take a cutoff to slow down a runner, etc, etc.  I don't see a problem with it.

Now, I do have a problem with the infidelity.  Just not my thing...don't vows mean anything anymore?  But if you're going to cheat on your wife, shouldn't you do it with someone that doesn't have arms that large...she looks like she could kick his ass.

[ecompt]

What's next for A-Rod? Chanting from the bench "I see London, I see France, I see Schilling's underpants"?

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

How ironic that for 15 years Rodriguez has been knocked for being a bland personality and now when he shows some life everyone is there to chew him up.

I'm not sure that appearing to be an adulterer and then pulling another bush-league play on the field hours later qualifies as showing 'some life'.  At least in the sporting sense

Yes, cause, life is all roses and teddy bears. Life is a long ride. Sometimes bad, sometimes good. All I wrote was that Rodriguez has shown some life. Didn't say it was a good or bad thing. Just that he's showing now that he's not a robot.

[NateDoggMarq]

This happens all the time from T-Ball on up to MLB.  The fact is if you cant catch the ball when a player yells "HA" in your ear you probably shouldnt be a major league Shortstop.  And you know what if he caught the ball this would have been a non-story just like it is the 99.9999 percent of the time that players do this.

The Arroyo thing is one thing but this is a nothing.

How come nobody talks about Baskeball players talking trash on the free throw line when somebody is taking a shot, or when a player goes up for the winning jumper and somebody yells "SHOOTTTT"  Trust me the Blue Jays Second Baseman is a little bitch he should shut up and catch the freaking ball, I could make that play!!!

[ecompt]

Nate, I guarantee if you were playing your first game in the big leagues this year and you hear a voice that you think is the veteran shortstop calling you off, you would have backed off too. What A-Rod did wasn't illegal, but it was bush and cheap, and when he gets smashed in the face by a Roy Halladay fastball in July, he'll know why. This is why A-Rod has no friends in the game (his ex-teammates in Texas and Seattle threw parties when he left). He plays the game like a six-year-old girl.

[herboturbo]

First off  Arod didn't say "HA", he "Mine", which is a very big bush league play.  Deception is fine in baseball, if you can doop someone theres nothing wrong with that - my personal fav is the hidden ball trick.  But yelling mine to someone setting up for a popup is completely different and is very bush league. 

Ecompt is right, you would never see Jeter or Erstad or guys that play the game right doing things like that.  And we all know Arod has no baseball morals (trying to punch the ball out of a glove, being an overall ninny) so this really doesn't come as a surprise to me.  If he wanted to yell anything else besides a signal that another teammate was there to catch the ball, "mine", "got It" - that would be okay. 

[NYWarrior]

This is why A-Rod has no friends in the game (his ex-teammates in Texas and Seattle threw parties when he left). He plays the game like a six-year-old girl.

They also threw parties when he left because in the season following his departure, each of ARod's former teams saw their win totals spike - - while the team he went to failed to reach the previous season's win total.   

Gotta love A-Rod

[ChicosBailBonds]

First off  Arod didn't say "HA", he "Mine", which is a very big bush league play.  Deception is fine in baseball, if you can doop someone theres nothing wrong with that - my personal fav is the hidden ball trick.  But yelling mine to someone setting up for a popup is completely different and is very bush league. 

Ecompt is right, you would never see Jeter or Erstad or guys that play the game right doing things like that.  And we all know Arod has no baseball morals (trying to punch the ball out of a glove, being an overall ninny) so this really doesn't come as a surprise to me.  If he wanted to yell anything else besides a signal that another teammate was there to catch the ball, "mine", "got It" - that would be okay. 

Where does it say he said "mine"?  On ESPNs Collin Cowherd show this morning they said about 10 times he said "Hah".

Just asking

[Pakuni]

One problem: Derek Jeter or Darin Erstad wouldn't do it. John Gibbons was right: the Yankees have never resorted to this stuff and have always played the game right. A-Rod is a $25 million wimp, and everyone in the league knows it. I'll be shocked if the Blue Jays don't drill him repeatedly when the teams meet again.

Hmmm ... guess it depends what one calls "playing the game right," but need I remind you that the Yankees organization has employed the likes of Billy Martin, Mickey Mantle, Daryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden and Steve Howe? These guys did far more on the field or off the field or sometimes both to tarnish the game than yelling something while running past an infielder.
This notion that the Yankees have always done things right is utter crap. They're just as guilty of doing whatever it takes to win as anyone else, perhaps more guilty. And that's the way it should be.

[Pakuni]

They also threw parties when he left because in the season following his departure, each of ARod's former teams saw their win totals spike - - while the team he went to failed to reach the previous season's win total.   

Gotta love A-Rod

Actually, not true.
The 2001 Rangers had a better record than the 2000 Rangers.
The 2004 Yankees had the same record (101 wins) as the 2003 Yankees.

[ecompt]

Point taken about the Yankee history, Pakuni. They have had their share of jerks over the years, though I respected Mantle tremendously as a player. What I should have said was that I can't imagine Derek Jeter or Jorge Posada or Bernie Williams doing what A-Rod did. Maybe I'm naive.

[muwarrior87]

no ecompt, i dont think you're naive for thinking that. I could not see any of those players, add johnny damon to that too, doing anything like that. I respect all those guys for their playing and sportsmanship...an amusing sidenote...i thought it was funny when Posada called time the other day when the Yankees rookie pitcher shook him off twice and then Jorge was like, damn kid, listen to me...

[Niv Berkowitz]

I hate the Yankees...BUT...this whole "A-rod is a bush leaguer" is just an ESPN-created controversy. On the scale of "big deals", this one ranks about a 1.9 out of 10.


F-that network. Seriously, who f-ing cares about A-Rod and the Yankees? There are 29 other MLB teams to care about. Especially when a club is 200 games under .500.

[MUshrooms]

Amen Niv.  It's nothing but the usual ESPN creating drama over pretty much nothing.  But ARod still sucks

[CWSKeith]

He plays the game like a six-year-old girl.

If by "six-year-old girl" you mean one of the best to ever play the game of baseball, you're certainly correct.

[herboturbo]

He plays the game like a six-year-old girl.

If by "six-year-old girl" you mean one of the best to ever play the game of baseball, you're certainly correct.

That's why it gets me when he does moves that a 6year old would do on the ballfield. 


As for the "ha/mine" thing Arod was the one saying he said "ha" while after the game the bluejays players were saying he said "mine", I guess the national media decided against playing the bluejays soundbites.

[patso]

It was an asinine play. Players call each other off  for reasons of safety and careers have been destroyed by crashes in the field. MLB should implement a rule against this. Jeter and 95% of the league would net have pulled this little league stunt.

[ecompt]

Keith: A-Rod and every six-year-old girl in this country were tied last autumn in the category of clutch postseason hits.

[tonyreeder]

here's something that adds absolute nothing to this thread.
The blond stripper ARod was with in Toronto went to my high school. (although 10 years later than me).   I'm a proud man today.   

[Warrior Farls]

There are at least three bigger tools than A-Rod:

1. Barry Bonds
2. Sammy Sosa
3. Michael Barrett

[Pakuni]

There are at least three bigger tools than A-Rod:

1. Barry Bonds
2. Sammy Sosa
3. Michael Barrett

4. Elijah Dukes
5. Mark McGwire
6. Rafael Palmeiro
7. Brett Myers
8. Julio Lugo
9. Julio Mateo
10. Alberto Callaspo
11. Sidney Ponson

I'm sure we can come up with many others if we try.
 

[tonyreeder]

Don't forget about Bobby Cox.  People seem to forget he also likes to beat women.

[patso]

Three more
Roger clemens
Kobe bryant
Jeff kent

[mu03eng]

Don't forget Micheal Irving and Rod Caruth

[HansMoleman]

Don't forget Micheal Irving and Rod Caruth

Michael Irvin and Rae Carruth?

[mu03eng]

Don't forget Micheal Irving and Rod Caruth

Michael Irvin and Rae Carruth?

Thanks Mr Moleman.  When is recess? 

[HansMoleman]

There are at least three bigger tools than A-Rod:

1. Barry Bonds
2. Sammy Sosa
3. Michael Barrett

Speaking of Barrett, he and Zambrano got into a fistfight in the dugout today.  Ugh, this season's going down the crapper. 

[DegenerateDish]

Yeah, Barrett seems like a real class act. He pointed to the scoreboard when he was yelling at Zambrano, basically saying "this is your mess".

[CWSKeith]

Keith: A-Rod and every six-year-old girl in this country were tied last autumn in the category of clutch postseason hits.

A-Rod is a career .280/.362/.485 hitter in the post-season.  I know it's easy to take ESPN's "OMG HE'S teh sux0rz in teh clutch" word for gospel, but don't let facts get in the way. 

I'm not saying he's been spectacular in those situations -- he has his moments where it looks like he's pressing -- but the whole 'not clutch' card is blown way out of proportion.

[ecompt]

Based on his performance in the last four games of the Red Sox fiasco in 2004 and his 2-for-23 "dropped to eighth" fiasco last year, I think he is perhaps the least dangerous clutch hitter in that lineup. That's not to say he wouldn't be dangerous on another club like the Rangers or Mariners. I know he had some decent postseasons early in his career.

[ChicosBailBonds]

There are at least three bigger tools than A-Rod:

1. Barry Bonds
2. Sammy Sosa
3. Michael Barrett

4. Elijah Dukes
5. Mark McGwire
6. Rafael Palmeiro
7. Brett Myers
8. Julio Lugo
9. Julio Mateo
10. Alberto Callaspo
11. Sidney Ponson

I'm sure we can come up with many others if we try.
 

How did AJ not make your list?   

[Pakuni]

There are at least three bigger tools than A-Rod:

1. Barry Bonds
2. Sammy Sosa
3. Michael Barrett

4. Elijah Dukes
5. Mark McGwire
6. Rafael Palmeiro
7. Brett Myers
8. Julio Lugo
9. Julio Mateo
10. Alberto Callaspo
11. Sidney Ponson

I'm sure we can come up with many others if we try.
 

How did AJ not make your list?   

A. Never been caught using performance enhancing drugs
B. Never been accused of beating his wife/girlfriend
C. Never been arrested for beating a police officer or judge

[Pakuni]

Yeah, Barrett seems like a real class act. He pointed to the scoreboard when he was yelling at Zambrano, basically saying "this is your mess".

Roy Oswalt, AJ Pierzynski and now Carlos Zambrano ... weird how people just keep picking on poor Michael Barrett.

[ecompt]

A.J. seems to be a target of everyone, and it was hard to tell yesterday who started that brawl. Zambrano looked pretty ticked off, as he should be after allowing 13 hits in five innings.

[ecompt]

don't mean to beat a dead horse, but it was childish and he will get drilled by the Jays. Meanwhile, Johnny Damon, a total mercenary, joined the list of jerks yesterday when he ridiculed the Boston fans for making fun of A-Rod by wearing masks of a blonde woman. Pretty funny stuff, but Johnny, who gave up his hero status and his individuality for a few extra bucks in New York, took exception.