Alex Rodriguez Is a Distraction for the New York Yankees, Let Me Count the Ways
August 23, 2011 · Michael Moraitis · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Ever since Alex Rodriguez has arrived in New York, he has been a constant distraction. From steroids to girlfriends, to playing poker with Spiderman and Good Will Hunting—Rodriguez may not be remembered for being the greatest player in the game, but he will certainly be remembered for being the greatest distraction.
A-Rod’s arrival to New York wasn’t like an ordinary player going to a new team. Rodriguez was on his way to being the greatest baseball player of all-time, but it seemed a black cloud was always floating over his head.
He is the highest paid player in the entire sport, making $33 million/year.
A staggering amount which made it that much more frustrating when Rodriguez opted out of his record contract. A-Rod himself had to save the day as Scott Boras made the contract negotiations impossible. Yankee fans certainly weren’t pleased with A-Rod, the highest paid, championship-less superstar looked cocky AND greedy. Not traits that working class fans like to have shoved in their face.
A-Rod’s reported feud with Derek Jeter certainly didn’t win him any fans. It was being reported that Jeter didn’t like A-Rod for comments he had made in a Sports Illustrated interview about the Yankees shortstop. It had rubbed Jeter the wrong way and apparently the two didn’t talk. That was a major headline for quite some time. It was put to rest after A-Rod’s 2009 playoffs, a performance that seemed to gain Derek Jeter’s respect back and the two were “friends” again.
Rodriguez had yet to win a championship before he came to the Big Apple and the pressure on him to win one wasn’t going to get any easier. He was thought to be the piece that would put the Bombers over the top, but was unsuccessful in his first six years with the team.
A-Rod was non-existent in the playoffs for the Yankees until 2009, when he had one of the great postseason performances of all-time. Clutch home runs and timely hits helped the Yankees get over the hump en route to their 27th World Championship. Finally the notion that A-Rod wasn’t clutch could be put to bed.
I don’t even want to get started on the girlfriends who have been a total distraction to A-Rod, but it’s fitting for the story so I’ll take a painful trip down the road of unimportance. A-Rod started his antics when he was caught with another woman at a Canadian hotel while the Bombers played a series against the Blue Jays. Rodriguez was caught with a hot blonde who was not his wife, and thus was caught cheating. It was a media frenzy, but A-Rod’s very public love life wasn’t ready to leave the spotlight just yet.
His divorce was public and included one of the biggest payouts in celebrity divorce history. Then it was rumors that A-Rod and Madonna were connected. An unlikely pair, nonetheless another distraction-creating rumor. Rodriguez then moved on to actress Kate Hudson, who I believe he should have stayed with being that she was dating A-Rod during the Yankees’ 2009 World Series victory. How many times a game did we see her smiling in the crowd?
But wait, it gets worse. Then followed his relationship with Cameron Diaz, which was witnessed across the entire planet on Super Bowl Sunday when a priceless camera shot showed Diaz feeding A-Rod popcorn. Even Rodriguez was upset by that shot. Even announcer Joe Buck commented on the camera shot, helping to bring more attention to the ridiculous sight. It is easily one of the most memorable embarrassing moments A-Rod will ever have. And in case you were wondering, he and Cameron Diaz are on the outs as well.
Who can forget Rodriguez’s admission of steroid use? I doubt any of us can and Rodriguez may be celebrated when he breaks Barry Bonds’ (really Hank Aaron’s) home run record, but will any true fan really recognize him as the Home Run King? Not likely. It will only become more of a story as A-Rod continues to approach the all-time record. And with big stories comes more pressure from the fans and media, making it a huge distraction from the ultimate goal, winning championships.
As Recently as the past few months, A-Rod began another steroid controversy when he decided to start bringing his cousin along with him on road trips. A nice family story. But it was well known that Rodriguez’s cousin would travel to the Dominican Republic to retrieve steroids when A-Rod was playing with the Texas Rangers. Yuri was banned from all private team areas by the MLB, including the clubhouse, which A-Rod obeyed thus keeping him out of trouble. The MLB cleared him of any charges after a full investigation.
Last but not least, the gambling. A-Rod had been warned in the past by Major League Baseball not to take part in any illegal poker games after word got out he was involved in underground gambling. Of course in true A-Rod fashion, he didn’t listen and his involvement in poker games with celebrities came to light. One story surfaced that cocaine was openly used during one game he was in and a fight broke out as well. Rodriguez is set to meet with the MLB on Friday to discuss his involvement but a suspension is doubtful.
We could sit here all day and talk about all of A-Rod’s distractions, but he produces year in and year out. With numbers like his, fans will put up with the circus if it means winning the World Series. No doubt his amount of production will help him now, but it may not be so easy to avoid once he’s seen his best days in this league. That time is rapidly approaching.
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