Don't Come Back!

Jim Caple has an excellent piece on A-Rod, one of the most rational and logical I've seen. In a sense, A-Rod is like Bonds. He's far from being a likeable guy, doesn't do a great job endearing himself to the fans, but he can flat-out hit. And that's all that matters.

And that's why I was hoping he'd leave the Bronx. I said a few weeks ago that the Yanks would have a huge hole to fill if A-Rod left. Forget the first-round disappointment. If A-Rod doesn't play for the Yanks this year, the Yanks don't sniff the playoffs. Especially if Seattle and Detroit wouldn't have folded down the stretch.

I know, the guy hasn't had his Jeter moment (though he was better than Derek this October), his Brosius moment, or any big October moment, and it's definitely a fair point. But overall, he's the best in the game right now. And that's why I'd love to see him in an Angels uniform.

But although it looks like A-Rod will be back, I take solace in the fact that his team hasn't won a World Series with him. And re-signing Posada, a guy with a .236 career postseason average, should help keep that streak alive.

A-Rod's April Seems Like Years Ago

It's very, very hard to believe that just over 5 weeks ago, A-Rod was the talk of New York. In a good way. The guy was hitting homers left and right, and he had finally won the admiration of Yankee fans.

Now, it's all fallen apart for him. His average has fallen, he cheated on his wife, and had an embarrassing "bush league" play last night. Any genuine Yankee fan has to be ashamed of those antics. O'Neill, Mattingly, and Brosius don't do that. Even Jeter doesn't.

A-Rod is back where he was last year: a $25 million embarrassment, getting ripped in the tabloids. So I would be shocked if A-Rod's in pinstripes next year. Back in April, when A-Rod said he wanted to stay in New York, I said, give it a couple of months. I guess I was wrong: it only took five weeks.

Give It a Few Months

A-Rod claims he wants to stay in New York. So much for my post about his last hurrah, right?

A-Rod's probably gonna put his foot in mouth. When he starts slumping and hears the inevitable boo birds, I think we'll hear a different take. And if A-Rod fails in October and gets slammed in the papers, there's no way he stays.

It's too early to take this seriously. A-Rod might have the year of his life. Or he might hit a few bumps in the road, and bring out the boos once again. In which case, New York will hardly seem like "the greatest place to play."

A Walk Year to Remember

A-Rod is looking like Babe Ruth right about now. More home runs than 8 teams? Unbelievable.

Maybe in years past, A-Rod's home run binge would've driven me crazy. But not this year.

First off, it's only April. For Yankee fans, baseball season might as well be one month long - October. After all, the Yankees' track record in April-September from 2001-2006 has been excellent -they're the only team to win a division title annually in that span. But the month following has been a failure. And the month following is why Yankee fans are hungry.

A-Rod will never get the love he wants from Yankee fans until he hits in October. Jeter has the Jeffrey Maier homer, the Jeremy Giambi play, and other big moments going for him. A-Rod, on the other hand, has a record of futility in the big spots. Even after this torrid stretch, I'm sure 9 of 10 Yankee fans want Jeter, not A-Rod, at the plate in a World Series with the game on the line.

The better A-Rod plays, the more money he can command next year. In a way, I'm rooting for A-Rod to have a sizzling regular season. And his usual lousy postseason. Like this, he'll want out of New York, but will command such a high price that the Yankees won't re-sign him (especially with Ca$hman cracking down on the budget). Now, some may argue that his postseason record of futility will drive down his price. I don't think so. I can see the Angels, Cubs, and other say that out of the New York spotlight, A-Rod will be able to come up huge in a big spot.

So let the Yankee fans enjoy A-Rod's run. Because it might be his last hurrah in Yankee pinstripes.

- Before the season began, I thought the Indians would be this year's version of the '06 Tigers and '05 White Sox: a team with talent coming off a mediocre year, and then putting it all together. But they looked as awful as the Phillies this past series.

- This is the first year in a while where I'm much more interested in Yankees-Mets than Yankees-Red Sox. Maybe I still have negative associations from last August's disaster. But I'm looking forward to Josh Beckett's outing (.159 BAA in three starts this year). Saturday's start will be his biggest test so far in '07. If he can regain his '03 form, then the Red Sox have to be the favorite in the AL.