Either "mine" or "I got it"? Sorry, but those two do not sound alike.

I say don't worry about it until the next time they play and hit ARod in the ribs with a couple of pitches. problem solved.

He should have a couple coming at his head in Boston this weekend as well.

How com if Darin Erstad or Eric Byrnes do this, they're "gamers," but when A-Rod does it, he deserves a ball in the ribs?

It helped the team win. I'd want a player like that on my team. And, for the record, all the replays suggest he said, "Hey!" like he claims.

Ah, but it's not just in the ribs. Bandit wants them to throw at his head.

Bandit is muy macho

I think A-Rod deserve an RBI.

I think David is right that the Jays, and particularly Clark, are embarrassed.

Here's Mike Vaccarro in the Post (via Alex Belth):

"Put it this way: If Pete Rose did this, men would write poems about grittiness, paeans to aggressiveness. But with A-Rod, it rubs opponents the wrong way."

And, I have to admit, Bronx fan though I am, it rubs me the wrong way, too. A little. Visceral reaction. Not fair, but there you have it.

Was watching on YES and they showed the slow motion replay of Arod's mouth. It was either a "Ha" or a "Hey, Hey" - no doubt about it. Happens all the time at all levels, maybe not so close behind the fielder.

As a Dad to a 15 year old JV player, I've always taught him to play hard but fair but then again, he's not a professional. Kids yell stuff from the dugout all the time.

As for ARod, I can't say I'm thrilled about it nor was I thrilled at the lame attempt to knock the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove a couple of years back.

BUT, he didn't say "I got it" and Howie Clark needs to be more focused and John McDonald needs to grow up. As for Gibbons, he was just defending his own. They should have been asking ARod for the blonde's phone number.

Gee, A-Rod is catching more flak over this than A.J Pierzynski did for fooling the ump a couple of years ago and gaining a walk on what was an out.
A.J. = doing what it takes to win
A-Rod = not right.

I call it b.s.

Great play by A-Rod. how many times do fans scream and yell when a pop-up is about to be caught by the other team ? is it OK for fans to do it but not the players ?

Shortstops fake out runners all the time. Runner on first bolts to second on a hit. the shortstop plays as if he is picking up a ground ball, but it's really a fly-ball to right field; just so they can try to get him doubled off of first base. This type of play is actually banned in a Men's hardball league here in Philly.

To me, it's all part of the game. Cut Alex Rodriguez some slack.

It is BullShit that A-rod is being let off the hook so easily. He clearly said "Mine". He did not say "ha". Why would a 3B peel off of a pop-up when someone says ha? Why would A-rod say "ha", as he's passing by? He was trying to deflect the question and for some reason people are taking him at his word. The reason players call the ball is to prevent injury. A-rod interfered with that. Pat Tabler, Jays broadcaster and an infielder for 20 years, had never seen a play like that. Alan Ashby, a catcher for 20 years had never seen anything like that. It's not something that happens at any level, and there's good reason. A-rod is a scumbag and deserves the up-and-in, high 90's fastball he's going to get.

What A Rod did is not the same as when fans do it or even when players in the dugout do it. If you're going over near the dugout or along the stands you know there are going to be people yelling to distract you and you know to ignore it. But when you are on the field and someone yells from behind you, in the exact position where your teammate is standing, then it is perfectly reasonable to be distracted.

That's the beauty of it, he wasnt near the stands and it actually worked !

The bottom line is that an infielder has to catch this ball no matter what anyone else does. Excuses are lame.

What A-Rod did was borderline, but not dirty. If the Jays throw a pitch off A-Rod's thigh or butt (and they should) all is well. Baseball players police themselves.

There is a ton of "dirty" stuff in baseball such as stealing signs at second base and deking double plays on hit and runs. Players have to know how to play through that stuff and do what they can to prevent it.

My God, you are such a Yankee apologist it isn't even funny!

Bull Crap!

A-Rod is a bush player, he elbows people in the groin, slaps balls out of gloves and interferes cheaply with infielders.

He also cheats in real life.

He's a cheating loser scumbag, and you know it.

Yankees suck, by the way, for real this season.

Here's an interesting angle: If this press intrusion has soured Arod on the Big Apple once and for all, will Cashman move him by the break? Come July 1 the Yanks will have a reasonable view of playoff chances. Assuming they are as dim as today, why keep him? If he's off at season's end there's no upside. Did anyone ever think they see the Yanks as sellers into the deadline? Sellers of arguably the best player in the game? Arod, unlike Mussina, Giambi, Damon..., has a huge market vlaue. Top level, major league ready, young, position players could be had. Huge need for that organization.

I think he did it to get people talking about what he did on the field instead of what he had done off it. Either way, he is perceived as a scum bag.

It was bush league, but it didn't change the outcome of the game. Everyone knows he's a dirty player.

>> It is BullShit that A-rod is being let off the hook so easily. He clearly said "Mine". He did not say "ha". Why would a 3B peel off of a pop-up when someone says ha? Why would A-rod say "ha", as he's passing by? >>

Did you see the replay? There was a camera fixed right on his face as he went from 2nd to 3rd, and he *clearly* mouthed the word 'ha'.

Oh, and please try to leave your anti-ARod bias at home next time - even ESoxPN concedes there was nothing wrong with what ARod did, and they'd be the first to jump on his case if he did anything wrong.

rbj got it right in calling out Pierzinski. He has pulled dozens of stunts and gets credited for doing what it takes to win. Earlier this year, AJ pretended to get hit with a pitch in a tie game with bases loaded and the ump bought it. Replays clearly showed that while it was an inside pitch it never touched him.

What Rodriguez did was bush league but a pro has to be able to avoid distractions.

ESoxPN

Laffin.

Rolling on the floor laffin.

It's going to take more than a couple of months of appreciation for a good team to make up for the blatant pro-Yankees bias they've shown for the last ten years.

Pro-Yankees bias of ESPN? More like the only 3 things they show are: Yankees, Red Sox, and Barry Bonds.

The rest of baseball doesn't exist.

Players try to gain minor edges over the opponents all the time: fake pickoffs, hidden ball trick, stealing signs. Indeed, two of the most dangerous plays in baseball are considered just good hard effort -- violently taking out the secondbaseman/shortstop on a double play pivot and trying to knock the catcher into next week on a play at the plate.

If the Blue Jays can't handle a minor distraction like a "HA" or "MINE" from a passing baserunner, something ARod (who is infamously shaky on popups) claims he hears 3-4 times per week, then they should put their pacifiers back in their mouths and exchange their gloves for rattles.