Happy Trails A-Rod; Good Luck Girardi
The World Series was kind of a yawner, wasn’t it?
A-Rod and Scott Boras tried to be the news Sunday night when they announced the superstar would opt out of his contract. The MLB got mad and Boras apologized.
So where does that leave A-Rod?
Well, his new contract will probably be as big as his old one — if someone will pay that much. The Angels seem like a top contender for Rodriguez, seeing as they’re a big market, AL team with the bankroll to support him.
Plus they could use a power hitting third baseman.
Frankly, I’m not all that interested in where A-Rod ends up. I’m more interested in the dumb articles that will soon be coming about his horrible tenure in New York.
On to Girardi. I could have told you after Joe applied for the Orioles’ open spot and then declined their offer that he was waiting for the Yankees’ spot to open up.
I wish Girardi all the luck, but he’s going to get the blame when the Yanks aren’t as good without A-Rod. And all the fans that booed him will have a lot to own up to.
Just, out.
October 31st, 2007 at 8:33 am
I don’t understand why everyone’s in such an uproar about Scott Boras. Sure, his announcement was poorly timed, but the truth is that people cared significantly more about A-Rod opting out than the foregone conclusion that was the 2007 world series. The fact that the announcement was such big news is a testament to how much more important and newsworthy A-Rod leaving the Yankee dynasty is than the Red Sox slaughtering an unworthy NL opponent (again).
Also, I still am in shock that Jim Hendry didn’t hire Girardi when he had the chance. Given a couple of years to rehabilitate the team after the players’ possible mass exodus, he might well be another Joe Torre.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Is Joe Torre really anything special? I think I could have written out a lineup card this year that looked like this: Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez, Posada, Cano, Giambi, Cabrera, etc, etc, etc. His job is to get out of the way.
Also, I believe in Baseball Between the Numbers, they specify that Torre had maybe 3 of the 5 worst seasons a manager has ever had in his career prior to the Yankees. Not sure exactly what constituted that, but it goes to show that any yahoo can manage a team with great players.
As for Girardi managing the Cubs, I don’t think Cubs fans can complain too much about the job Piniella has done. He let Theriot and Fontenot play when they were hot and gave Rich Hill and Sean Marshall every chance to succeed. He properly managed Carlos Marmol as well. Sure, he made some mistakes, but they made the playoffs and had as good of a chance as any other NL team to make the World Series.