Wait until 2086
The Yankees are out of the post-season. Gone. Gone with a whimper and not a bang. Who said that? TS Eliot? George Eliot? George Steinbrenner? Elliot Spitzer? ET? I think it was ET. Anyway, John got his wish. A-Rod sucked. With one hit for the four-game ALDS; a microscopic batting average of .071; no RBIs; and an error in Game 4 which led to the Tigers’ fourth run, the eventual winning run.
Forget about all that talk of murderers’ row, and comparisons to the ’27 Yankees. As I recall, those Yankees won the series. Or how about the ’61 Yankees, with Maris and Mantle and Berra? Those guys dispatched the Reds in 5. So this year’s bunch looked great for September, especially after the addition of Bobby Abreu. And I’ll give Derek Jeter his due; he’s perhaps the most complete player in baseball. But in the end, these guys will be remembered as the most overpaid losers in history.
Friday’s New York Post carried A-Rod’s photo on the front page – not the back front page, usually devoted to sports news, but the front front page, reserved for the biggest story of the day. And the headline: “K-Rod”. Now that’s sort of a copyright violation, or maybe a trademark violation, because there already is a K-Rod, who is supposed to generate strike-outs, and he's not a Yankee, and his name is not a sign of disrespect either. Earlier in the year, the Post called A-Rod “E-Rod”, when he was committing all those throwing errors. But my preference is A-Fraud. Sox fans have known him as that for years -- a fraud. Sure he’s talented, and yes he typically puts up big numbers. But last year, he stole the MVP from Papi, and everyone outside New York knew it. I mean, if you needed one guy for a late inning at-bat, or for a game seven, or for a post-season series for that matter, would you ever think about taking A-Rod over Papi? Ever? Now, finally, the Yankee fans have recognized the truth, and have turned on him. Late innings, big games, he comes up empty; and the fans aren't bashful about sharing their feelings. And has A-Rod ever played for a championship team? Send him back to Miami, where he can hang out on South Beach, and no one will really care if there’s a post-season or not. Sorry Mike.
Now I’ve got to get reconciled about my friend Jon. What did this really mean? How can I make sense of the Yankees folding, with all the times I’ve said Kaddish for Jon. Maybe it means that Jon and I have to wait 86 years for the Yankees to win again. 2086. I think I like that theory. I’m doing the right thing for Jon, and eventually there will be a reward. . But not for a long time. A very long time. In the meantime, everyone will just need to have faith.
A post-script: If anyone wants to know why things went south for this year’s Yankees, I mean really wants to know the story behind the headlines, check out the internet documentary: Chokeback Yankees. That will explain everything. And because it’s on the internet, it has to be true.
Forget about all that talk of murderers’ row, and comparisons to the ’27 Yankees. As I recall, those Yankees won the series. Or how about the ’61 Yankees, with Maris and Mantle and Berra? Those guys dispatched the Reds in 5. So this year’s bunch looked great for September, especially after the addition of Bobby Abreu. And I’ll give Derek Jeter his due; he’s perhaps the most complete player in baseball. But in the end, these guys will be remembered as the most overpaid losers in history.
Friday’s New York Post carried A-Rod’s photo on the front page – not the back front page, usually devoted to sports news, but the front front page, reserved for the biggest story of the day. And the headline: “K-Rod”. Now that’s sort of a copyright violation, or maybe a trademark violation, because there already is a K-Rod, who is supposed to generate strike-outs, and he's not a Yankee, and his name is not a sign of disrespect either. Earlier in the year, the Post called A-Rod “E-Rod”, when he was committing all those throwing errors. But my preference is A-Fraud. Sox fans have known him as that for years -- a fraud. Sure he’s talented, and yes he typically puts up big numbers. But last year, he stole the MVP from Papi, and everyone outside New York knew it. I mean, if you needed one guy for a late inning at-bat, or for a game seven, or for a post-season series for that matter, would you ever think about taking A-Rod over Papi? Ever? Now, finally, the Yankee fans have recognized the truth, and have turned on him. Late innings, big games, he comes up empty; and the fans aren't bashful about sharing their feelings. And has A-Rod ever played for a championship team? Send him back to Miami, where he can hang out on South Beach, and no one will really care if there’s a post-season or not. Sorry Mike.
Now I’ve got to get reconciled about my friend Jon. What did this really mean? How can I make sense of the Yankees folding, with all the times I’ve said Kaddish for Jon. Maybe it means that Jon and I have to wait 86 years for the Yankees to win again. 2086. I think I like that theory. I’m doing the right thing for Jon, and eventually there will be a reward. . But not for a long time. A very long time. In the meantime, everyone will just need to have faith.
A post-script: If anyone wants to know why things went south for this year’s Yankees, I mean really wants to know the story behind the headlines, check out the internet documentary: Chokeback Yankees. That will explain everything. And because it’s on the internet, it has to be true.
posted by pops | 3:17 PM
1 Comments:
Twenty Zero!
Something we in the Nation can chant for the next eighty years or so. Fire Torre, a guy who brought you to the playoffs 11 years in a row? Why not get rid of The Boss? It wouldn't be so easy to hate the Yankees if that had even a hint of personality.
The mock turtleneck and blazer have no place in baseball!
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