If they lose at any level, and A-Rod bats .250 with 3 RBI, he'll be trashed for not doing more. They'll talk about some second inning at bat where he grounded out with a runner on second and how that changed the tone of the game. If they win it all, he can bat .250 with 3 RBI and they'll talk about how he didn't try to do too much and blah blah blah.
Then if he OPSes 1.5, while batting .286 and hitting 4 homers they'll talk about how he walked too much and how 3 of those homeruns came with no one on base, and point to the 2 times he struck out with men in scoring position.
That's not what has been my experience this year. Those I know who used to rip ARod in past years have either been curiously quiet, or flatly admitted they were wrong about him this year. People appreciate when a guy stands up, tries to do the right thing, then makes an honest effort to work his way back. Alex did that this year, and he did it quietly, which is the best way to do it in NY. As I said, this season he seemed to have "figured it out" and it's been very helpful to his image in NY. If he shits the bed in the postseason though, he's back to being a choker to the majority of the fanbase. It's that simple. He does well, people will cheer him. And that's all regardless of what the rest of the team does.
Right. What I'm saying is that whether people view him as "doiing well" or "shitting the bed" will be influenced by the performance of the rest of the team.
And that's the problem..Jeter and Teixiera will get a pass no matter what they do and that isn't right but it is what it is.
I don't think so. I think if he doesn't hit well or makes costly errors, even if the Yankees sweep every series, he'll be referred to as a choker. If he hits 6 postseason HRs, drives in 12 runs, and plays stellar 3B and the Yankees get swept in the World Series, people will say "Well, you can't put this one on ARod."
Yeah, right..the problem is he has to be superman not to be called out. Everybody else can suck and you won't hear a word..maybe you will about Sabathia or Burnett but certainly not about anybody else. You didn't the last time they were in the playoffs and they all sucked.
Here's the problem. You haven't defined what it means to "hit well." You took the extreme scenario. I agree if A-Rod is an offensive force, he'll be let off the hook. But it will require a pretty ridiculous all-around performance. I guarantee you that if he hits .300 in the postseason, but only has 2 RBI, and the Yanks lose, people will point to the 2 RBI and call him unclutch. Or if he hits in line with his regular season stats from this year, but stranded a few runners, and the Yanks lose, he'll be called a choker.
Some are assuming that Arod is back in the majority of fans' good graces which he is not anywhere close to being. He has been unclutch for several seasons as a Yankee and this has been well documented in late game situations and playoff meltdowns for him. His steroid admission before the season began doesn't get him off the hook for his lack of production in key situations. It may have garnered him some sympathy but don't let that con you into believing that Yankee fans and the majority of baseball fans out there still don't view him as a bust from a baseball performance standpoint. He can only go one direction in terms of gaining fans' respect and that's straight up. He may get lambasted again for another playoff collapse but his stock is already near the lowest level of his career. If he fails this postseason it's just more of what baseball people have been saying about him for the last 3 Yankee postseasons ('05-'07).
Next time try using the entire sentence when quoting as it could completely change the context of what's being said. Here I'll help you. The entire sentence was, "It may have garnered him some sympathy but don't let that con you into believing that Yankee fans and the majority of baseball fans out there still don't view him as a bust from a baseball performance standpoint. Case in point. If you think that most baseball fans think Arod is close to being the best player in baseball right now then I can't help you there. And yes, having the largest contract in baseball would mean that you're viewed as being one of the best in the game. Based on this factor, the current bust label is pretty appropriate. Yet he could change this tag with one huge postseason and I believe this could be that time.
Umm, yeah. And honestly, if that's all he hits, it will be deserved. He's the cleanup hitter in the deepest lineup in baseball. If he only drives in two runs and the Yankees lose, he hasn't done his job. The part about hitting in line with his stats this year and stranding a few runners is dependent on the overall situation. If he GIDPs with 1 out, down a run, with runners on first and third, yeah, he'll get the choker label, and again, he'll deserve it. I'm an ARod supporter, but give me a damn break. If the guy fails, he's going to hear it. And in the scenarios you're laying out, he'll deserve it.
Looks like Minnesota will win today which gives the Yankees another day to screw with Boston and LA's minds.
Go Twins! Make it to Sunday, and let Verlander take you out of the playoffs! And how about those Dodgers? It's possible for them to actually lose the division on the last day of the year right now. Chances are, they won't, but that's ridiculous to back yourself into that position after the season they were having.
The key to the playoffs is pitching and will always be pitching. In the 5 game set, it'll be very important for CC to get us started with a W (considering there's a lot of uncertainty following with AJ). I'm slightly worried because of his past playoff performances, but I think he'll do better this time around because he hasn't been AS overworked as in the past. Regardless, I think Pettitte would be best suited to get game 3 because of his big-time playoff experience making him a better bet on the road. However, him pitching from the left side is a compelling argument to start him at home for game 2 considering the short porch in right. Regardless of who's in the 2/3 spots, I just hope we get a solid 6+ innings out of these guys and the transition to the bullpen is smooth considering the other key to winning playoff games is tons of bullpen depth.
What do you expect? It's a Torre team. More than likely they will be swept out in the first round...sound familiar?
At this point I think you put Joba in the pen and have Gaudin as the 4th starter should you get to the ALCS. In a 7 game series, if he's the 4th starter he's going to pitch in 1 game. As a reliever he could probably pitch in 3 or 4 and with the way he's pitched lately I'm not sure how much of a downgrade Gaudin starting would be.
If you don't have enough faith in Joba to give him the ball in game 4, how can you justify letting him pitch 3 to 4 times in a 7 game set? The Yankees bullpen is strong, in fact it just might be the strongest in baseball. Joba shouldn't get anything but long relief out there. If Gaudin takes his spot in the rotation (which, for the record, I'm totally fine with) then Chamberlain becomes essentially a non-factor.
Arod is going to be the Peyton Manning of '06 by finally getting that dreaded monkey off his back....
