He was once the future of baseball. The heart throb that would create a whole new demographic for baseball. The future greatest of all time. Alex Rodriguez was once at the top of the baseball world. Today, he is in the hot corner of an angry city.
Earnie Banks once said you would be the greatest shortstop of all time when you ended your career. Analysts said you could be the greatest to ever play the game. Seattle said you were there own. Ken Griffey Jr. had just been traded to the Cincinati Reds, and Seattle lost it's all time favorite athlete. Junior reportedly wanted to play in his hometown, but it was revealed he could see his MVP performance rivaled by the hot new shortstop. You were the future.
They loved you. 90% of the signs in Safeco Field were for you. Fans chanted your name, gave you standing ovations, and bought your jerseys. In return, you made the Web Gems, 400 foot homeruns, and the electric smile that made women faint. The city loved you, and you loved it back.
Many remember you as the kid enjoying the magical run in 1995. You were always smiling, jumping around, and joking with teammates. When you played the end of games, you were quickly becoming the fan favorite with your athletic defensive plays. Even as a 20 year old kid, all the veterans felt a strong bond with you. When Seattle lost to Cleveland in the ALCS, Joey Cora cried in your lap. You were a Major League Player.
The next year you were named the starter. In return you hit .358 with 36 homeruns and 123 RBI's. In the All-Star game, you were the youngest shortstop selected in the history of baseball. That year, you were robbed of the MVP award, losing to Juan Gonzalez by three points. It was the second closest voting of all time, and you did it with a smile on your face. You had arrived.
Fast forward to 2000. Seattle had just dealt superstars to National League teams. You were offically the cornerstone of the team. You were still loved by the city, but quickly the Alex we knew was dissapearing. Instead of the fun loving A-Rod, you were the suit wearing Mr. Rodriguez. Your interviews were beginning to sound scripted, we saw you signing autographs less, and you were beginning to seperate yourself from the team. You weren't unhappy, you had hired Scott Boras as your agent. Although we saw less smiles, you were still a regular on Web Gems, hitting homeruns, and making clutch plays. You hit .316 with 41 homeruns and 132 RBI's, yet were robbed of the MVP again. The Mariners lost to the Yankees in the ALCS, and then you were done. You were a free agent.
If it wasn't Seattle, you would be a Met. Seattle offered over 100 million dollars, New York matched it. But with Scott Boras, you were going a seperate direction. He went looking around, and found a rich suitor in the Texas Rangers. They were looking up at the Mariners in the A.L. West, were a perennial loser, and had no other players to help. But they had 252 million. Boras convinced you money would make you happy; not a loving city and a place where you had become comfortable. Soon you began to make demands. You needed a private jet, a private office, and the fence's needed to be moved in at Safeco. You caved in.
You thought Texas would take Seattle's spot at the top of the A.L. West. Instead, you realized you needed to have a good manager, supportive fans, and some pitching. Instead of falling, Seattle rose with a new superstar. Ichiro Suzuki was the new man in baseball, and you watched the Mariners tear up baseball. Meanwhile, you were hitting homeruns with the closer fences, but you were in the cellar. When you returned to Seattle, you were booed. Fans threw play money, hung dollar bills from fishing poles, and chanted a new name. You lost to your former team. You were miserable.
You endured three seasons in Texas. Soon, Boras' tellng you money would replace the winning got old. You wanted to be traded. The feeling was mutual. Texas discovered you can't bank on one player, no matter how great he is. Boston called, and you were almost part of the Red Sox. The deal was rejected by the Players Association because you were giving up money to join Boston. When the deal went dead, another team saw an opprotunity. The New York Yankees called the Rangers when any possibility of you leaving looked bleak. New York agreed to send Alfonso Soriano to Texas in return for the phenom. Texas would pay 69 million dollars just to get rid of you. In Texas you had accomplished nothing besides a criticized MVP trophy. You didn't play with a smile, all quotes were typed by Boras, and you weren't the A-Rod that was once loved by the country. There was never a smile; just a frown. In New York, you hoped to play in front of your hometown and finally win a championship. You were to get paid, and win. You thought you were going to be happy. You were wrong.
Problem. Derek Jeter is in New York. Although you say you are best friends, he is still at the posistion you have mastered defensively. You can't ask for the spot; Jeter is the face of the Yankees. Instead of him learning a new posistion, your taking over third. Your all smiles at your press conference, as you put on pin stripes for the first time. When you play your first game, you get a standing ovation. You were the guy to end the Yankees' "drought". Things don't go as well as they should, but your winning, so the fans stay quiet. The Yankees win the division, then crush the Twins in the first round of the playoffs. Next up are the Red Sox. This rivalry is deep, and your facing the team you almost joined in the off-season. When you first faced them, you got into a brawl with Jason Varitek, and fans are beginning to see the new A-Rod. An egotistical hot-head. You get new quotes from Boras after the game, and your the clean Rodriguez again. In the ALCS, you hope to dominate the team and reach your first world series. It all starts out well, as you take a 3-0 series lead. Then your bat goes cold, and the Red Sox get hot. It goes to Game 7, and your continuing to struggle. The Red Sox win the series, and go on to defeat the Cardinals in the World Series. You are the scapegoat.
The new guy taste goes cold, and soon New York is on your back. You work hard during the off-season, and you begin to tear up the league again. You finally are the player New York thought they were getting. You still are struggling defensively, but your owning the plate. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter is in the worst slump of his life. Soon, a new name is being chanted in Yankee Stadium. When the Yankees reach the playoffs, you are expected to tear through the playoffs and win the World Series. Instead you are destroyed by the Angels in the first round. You hit .133 during the series. The White Sox win the championship, and you are watching it from your couch. You are criticized.
The next season is a whole new experience for you. Instead of the easy season you had before, you cant play. Fans boo, newspapers criticize, and you can't handle it. You miss Seattle where you were appreciated and lived a comfortable life. Fans want you out, and so does the front office. Problem is nobody else wants you. You continue through the season, and still cant find your swing. Now your defensive struggles aren't forgotten. Everything you do is wrong. When you take your kid to Central Park and relax in the sun, fans scream you aren't focusing on your job. Then it is discovered you are in some illegal underground poker games. You blow it all off until the playoffs. At this point, your alone in the clubhouse. When you play, you can't hit. You are dropped to 8th in the batting lineup, something unheard of for the richest athlete. The Yankees fail to make the World Series, and you are blamed. You are titled a loser.
Gone are the screaming fans, the remarks that you will be the greatest of all time when you are done, and gone is your comfort. You thought you would be happy in Texas. You were wrong. You thought you would be happy in New York. You were wrong. Now, turning your back to Seattle looks like a mistake. You still have Boras looking over you, and he tells you to stay in New York where the most money will be made. You feel hopeless.
You are no longer A-Rod we all loved.
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02-03-2007 11:01 PM