I'm really, really sorry. I screwed up and posted this on FanFicRants and the wrong thing here (don't ask... staring at a screen for hours on end will do that to you). Unfortunately, now everyone in both places thinks I am an absolute lunatic. There are worse things, I guess, but it does sort of suck.

Regardless, here is my latest post. It's a bit rant-y and just my general thoughts on the matter, but take it for what it is. And this is the right thing this time.

 EDIT: Oh, and I hate Barry Bonds. I'm sad following yesterday. But I don't feel the need to waste both of our time and take 15 paragraphs to say so, so there it is: my feelings on Bonds.

You know what the problem with ARod is? He's not a team player. He's a choker, a headcase, and he only thinks of himself. He doesn't have what it takes to be in the spotlight. And until he owns the postseason, he'll never be a True Yankee, light years away from the behemoth of Jeter.

Never mind that he outhit Jeter in the 2004 LDS. Or that in his postseason career, ARod is .280/.375/.485. Or that the average ERA for a Yankees pitcher of any caliber in the postseason over the last 4 years is 5.07-- and that includes the 0.00 ERAs of middle relievers who only got 2 outs. Or that, sans ARod, the median average over that period of time was .237.

None of that matters. ARod is the problem, and must be due-ly ridiculed and subsequently exterminated.


... I live in the New York area, so I hear even more wallowing about the Yankees' various woes than people who live elsewhere probably thought possible; not only am I subjected to the standard ESPN barrage, my local media reports it, too. And although things have quieted down tremendously because he is having a ridiculous year, people still insist on writing about how he's just dragging the Yankees down (the fact that without him they'd have been 10 extra games back aside). And with the-- gasp!-- 21 extra at-bats it took for him to go from 499 to 500, things have gotten rather bad again.

So here are thoughts on ARod from someone who doesn't really care about the Yankees. To put them in paragraph format, I imagine, would be rather jumbled, so I'll number them and see where it leads me.

1. First of all...

I'm a Mets fan. I should not have to defend Yankees player(s) against their own fans, especially when said player(s) are probably one of the greatest player(s) ever. I mean, I hate ARod just as much as I should. But, oddly, Yankee fans hate him more. I do not understand this. Maybe it's the fact that I root for teams that historically lose, but I don't really understand venting frustration on players who aren't the problem. Which could be why I never booed Marek Malik, but I digress.

2. He wins. In general.

Not to be redundant, but ARod is generally an amazing player. Without getting too nerdy, his career OPS is .987. For a point of comparison, Bonds' is 1.051... and this is taking into account those insane years where Bonds' OBP was above .500. ARod, is very, very good. 

Nerdier, his career WARP3 is 142.0. This means he averages a 10.1 WARP3 a year during his career. Hank Aaron averaged an 8.8 WARP3. ARod is very, very good. 

Hell, he even won an MVP with the Yankees. So it's not like his numbers have drastically dropped off over the past three or four years or anything. He had one year where he came down to Earth a little-- notice how .290/.392/.523 with 35 HR is "down to Earth"-- and he was mauled. And he's still being mauled. Defend that. ARod is very, very good.

3. Fielding

As a third baseman, ARod averages 14.25 errors a year. As a shortstop, he averaged 10.9 errors a year. Jeter, through his career as a shortstop, has averaged 14.46 errors a year.

Just thought, you know, I'd point that out.

Not to take anything away from Jeter, of course. As a Mets fan, I hate him, but that's only because he's a great player. But he's not a great fielder.

4. Constantly. Every. Day. Ever.

The worst thing about the whole ARod shebang, in my opinion, is that you can't get an article about anything else from a New York sportswriter. That's hyperbole, of course, but when religiously week after week at least one paper has at least one article about True Yankeeism and how ARod doesn't qualify it does grate a little. I'm sure there's other things to talk about, even pertaining to the Yankees.

A friend once suggested an "ARod-Out day," in which any journalist who discussed ARod would be immediately reprimanded. He then pondered this and changed it to an ARod-Out week. How about an ARod-Out year? If anyone writes or says anything bad about ARod and does not immediately thereafter justify it legitimately, they are fined $1,300 (big number, yes, but this is hypothetical and $13 just didn't seem like enough).

5. Actual Concern? No.

I don't know if anyone knows The Brushback, but they once ran a fake article whose headline read, "ARod seen with popcorn in teeth; team commitment questioned." I think that pretty much sums it up. As long as he's still performing, which he has been consistently, does it matter if he wants to go to the park with his family? Isn't that a good thing? And really, is that actual news that you should actually be reporting? If you're that desperate, why not make the front page, "Litte girl adopts dog no one loves," or something? Really, the more the articles come out, the more I have to ask... who cares?

6. Laughter is the best medicine

That's all my brain is manufacturing right now. Maybe I'll have more thoughts if all of this persists. All I know is, if/when ARod leaves New York like predicted because everyone is being absolutely ridiculous, it will not be a good thing for the Yankees. And this will amuse me.

The Brushback also ran the headline, "LeBron gives clutch performance, becomes True Yankee," which pretty much sums up all of my thoughts on that matter.