Posted by Iroquois Pliksen
So, it appears that Brad Lidge's Albert Pujols-redux performance last night will be the final nail in the coffin containing a back-to-back World Series championship for Philly. For most baseball fans, this World Series between two eminently unlikable teams (this is the Mets' fans personal hell, after all) and two even more eminently unlikable fanbases is just a necessary evil to get to the offseason (really, do we want Philly lording two WS titles in two years?). Plus, this totally ruins my favorite joke of the (Year X- 2001) year old Yankees fan wondering if they will ever win a World Series in his lifetime. Time to swap in some more agreeable fanbase (Chicago Cubs? Tampa Bay Rays?), I suppose.
The thing that is most upsetting, though, is that Alex Rodriguez appears to be within the grasp of acquiring his first World Series ring. Your author is of the opinion that A-Rod traded championships for cash back when he signed that quarter of a billion dollar contract with the Rangers in 2001. To be perfectly clear, I don't begrudge the man for getting paid; we should all be so lucky to be in such high demand. He should have realized, though, that his albatross of a contract killed financial flexibility and that he could not have expected a super competitive team when his contract exceeds the GDP of some smaller nations in a sport, though uncapped, is limited in its financial resources.
It wasn't a particular surprise to this sports fan when A-Rod joined the NYY; he fit right in with the culture of the mercenaries-for-hire that permeated the Yankees since Paul O'Neill had retired. For a while, it seemed like his surly attitude, devil-may-care demeanor, and morbid self-obsession permeated the clubhouse. The Derek Jeters of the world, who I believe plays the game the right way (and I am alone in that opinion; no one else has ever said that before) and probably is a genuinely nice guy making the most of his God-given talents, were being crushed by the megalomaniac A-Rod. It doesn't need to be said that his obsession with himself caused his well-documented postseason failures. That, however, appears as if it will change in one game.
Listen, the Yankees are playing the best baseball at the right time of the year. Mariano Rivera, if not the MVP of the World Series, certainly is cementing his reputation as the gold standard of closers. That's tough to say, but the man has a beautiful cut fastball that is nigh unhittable and has arguably done more for the team in the World Series than A-Rod has in the entire playoffs. Hopefully, game recognize game and the MVP is awarded to the rightful candidate, not the redemption candidate.
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