Baseball Musings: Rodriguez Turnaround

November 15, 2007

Rodriguez Turnaround

The big three New York newspapers present three views of the change in direction by Alex Rodriguez. John Harper in the NY Daily News traces A-Rod's thinking, and transforms Hank Steinbrenner from stumbling son to the man in charge:

More than anything, it apparently was the very public and seemingly ironclad dismissal by Hank Steinbrenner after the opt-out that made A-Rod begin to re-think his willingness to let Boras once again dictate the direction his career would take.
"That's why he called me, to ask if Hank was serious about closing the door on him," a second person said yesterday. "From what I gathered, Boras had been telling him not to worry about what Brian Cashman was saying about the opt-out, partly because they knew they had George on their side.

"But then Alex saw the shift in power, with the Steinbrenner sons taking over, and here was Hank saying 'Goodbye, we don't want you if you don't want to be a Yankee.' Those words really messed with his mind because he really did want to be a Yankee."

Hank also appealed to Alex's sense of history:

Steinbrenner said he spoke with Rodriguez by telephone shortly after Rodriguez opted out. In that conversation, which Rodriguez initiated, Steinbrenner said he told him about sitting next to Joe DiMaggio at the 1978 World Series.
"I asked Mr. DiMaggio, 'Is there really a difference in winning a World Series ring as a Yankee and winning it with any other team?'" Steinbrenner said. "He said, 'Of course there is.' He said he could have won the same number of rings for another team, and it wouldn't have meant a quarter of what it meant to win them as a Yankee.

"That's all Alex had to wake up to. Does he want to win a Yankee ring or get another team's World Series ring? There's a big difference. I just wanted to make sure Alex understood that, because it appeared that he was going in the wrong direction."

That's a great quote. It shows Hank owns the same swagger as George, the confidence that this is the best franchise in the game, and he doesn't care who he offends saying it.

Finally, Mike Vaccaro wants the fans to take a bow for their part in the saga:

YOU the fans stood up here. Understand that. Believe that. You were heard here. Understand that. Believe that. You weren't alone. There were other serendipitous circumstances. But that's OK. That's fine. All you hear, relentlessly, is that the fan's voice doesn't matter, that it's ignored, that it's irrelevant in our sporting world.
Mostly, that's true.

Just not this time. Alex Rodriguez heard you. He felt your wrath. He absorbed your scorn. If negotiations with the Yankees head where it appears they're heading - with Rodriguez returning, with the Yankees scoring a major coup against Scott Boras, bringing A-Rod back on their terms - then you are allowed a moment to stand up and take a bow.

Because you helped make it happen. Understand that. Believe that.

Posted by David Pinto at 07:44 AM | Free Agents | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Shall we slaughter the fatted calf? Has the prodigal son returned?

And what will be the reaction of the elder son (Jeter)?

Perhaps Hank will tell Derek:

"Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."

Posted by: Yankee Fan in Chicago at November 15, 2007 08:23 AM

For a very different spin than what everyone else has been saying, check out Squaking Baseball's take. A little food for thought. Maybe Boras is not as removed from this whole thing as everyone thinks?

Posted by: BB at November 15, 2007 09:37 AM

Yankee fans had a role in this saga but not the one Mike Vacarro expresses. I know some Yankee fans quite well, and I suspect one reason A-Rod considered leaving is that no matter how well he did, he was held in contempt by the Bombers' boosters. "He never hit under pressure." "His RBI's were meaningless."

It didn't make much of a difference that he gave up his position to accomodate Jeter or that the team wouldn't have made the playoffs without him this year.

To Yankees fans he is selfish and self-involved not deserving of their love. And I suspect that's one aspect that made him consider leaving.

Posted by: soccer dad at November 15, 2007 11:15 AM

Good god, how obnoxious. These newspapers gushing yankee love are a bit too hard to take.

Posted by: JC at November 15, 2007 11:22 AM

That kind of attitude is overblown and over-generalized.

Did he get boooed? Yes, with a contract like that, more is certainly expected of him.

Posted by: ChrisS at November 15, 2007 11:24 AM

But yankee-haters gotta hate, birds gotta fly.

Posted by: ChrisS at November 15, 2007 11:26 AM

What complete and utter BS - the reason he called NYY is no one else is going to give in to his demands for 10yr at $32m -

Posted by: Bandit at November 15, 2007 12:38 PM

Now, now. I'm sure at least half his $32 mil will be paid in Pride and Respect and Pinstripes.

Posted by: Brick at November 15, 2007 01:11 PM

Don't be naive enough to think for even one minute that any of this had to do with winning the WS as a Yankee. This is about money and greed and always has been about money and greed. The offers were not coming in or else he would be somewhere else trying to get a ring that would mean just as much as every other ring every other player has received from winning the world series. What a crock...

Posted by: emains at November 15, 2007 01:12 PM

My sources tell me he was about to ink a deal with Bahston when Hank called his cell, played Sweet Caroline, and asked him if he wanted to hear it sung by drunk white frat boys in pink Sawx hats 81 times a year . . .

Posted by: Yankee Fan in Chicago at November 15, 2007 01:53 PM

How would Joe DiMaggio know what it means to win the World Series as a non-Yankee? And why should ARod care what Joe DiMaggio says? If that's a valid qualifier, then go ask Reggie Jackson, who would actually know.

Bottom line is that no one offered him a deal anywhere near what the Yankees could pay. Though I'm still a little surprised that the Angels didn't get more involved.

Posted by: mbr at November 15, 2007 02:49 PM

What I am sick to death of are all these morons talking about Arod's supposed "greed".

This is business, children. Its like buying a car. The team tries to get the player for as little as possible. The player tries to get as much as possible. They negotiate and find an acceptable compromise. Thats how the grown-up world works.

Not one of these morons would do any different if they were in A-Rod's position. One really suspects that what is driving the Arod bashing is the fact that all the morons are just terminally jealous of the guy and deeply frustrated with their own lives.

A-Rod is a great player, he is clean and very hard working. If he wants my love, he got it.

Posted by: Jank at November 15, 2007 11:11 PM

Good name calling - it really makes your point

Nobody else wanted to get involved with him for 10 yrs with a contract they can't move - the NYY outbid themselves for about 5 yrs of the contract

Posted by: Bandit at November 16, 2007 10:00 AM

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