Alex Rodriguez recently did an interview with YES Network’s Michael Kay, and had a few very interesting things to say:
Alex Rodriguez believes the other 103 positive tests from Major League Baseball’s 2003 survey program should remain anonymous, the Yankees slugger told the YES Network in an interview to be aired Tuesday….
“This is really about my mistake,” Rodriguez told Kay. “You know, many nights I fell asleep thinking about who I can blame, and this guy, or that guy. And when I woke up I kept coming back to the same person; it’s me. I mean, there’s no one to blame. I hope those 103 names never come out…..”
The recent revelations are certainly the most prominent items in what has been a tumultuous five-plus year stay in New York for Rodriguez. Asked by Kay if Rodriguez worries that people do not like him, Rodriguez said that he has “given up on that.”
“It’s just the way it is,” Rodriguez said. “I mean, look, I feel like right now, that, not too many people like me, so I’ve given up on that. As long as my teammates like me, and they respect me, and my two daughters love their daddy, I’m going to go out and do the very best I can. Look, I really screwed up, and for that I’m sorry. I’m just happy to be playing baseball again.”
The quote that is getting the most attention is the first part of the cited piece, as many find it notable that Alex feels that those names should remain secret. Although the release may help ease the spotlight off of Rodriguez and onto other star players on the list, A-Rod seems to have no problem with taking one for the team and I commend him for that.
However, for Yankee fans, the notable portion of the quote is the second half. Many believed that some of Alex’s struggles in New York, particularly those in the big spots, stemmed from his obsession with being loved. He put so much pressure on himself to be a likeable, championship winning mega-star that it caused him to choke in difficult situations. It is refreshing to see that Alex has finally come to terms with the fact that he is not destined to be a player respected by the fans of the opposition, nor is he likely to become a fan favorite in New York. His status as the most highly compensated player in the sport has seen to that, and his acceptance of that fact should lead to a more relaxed ballplayer. Hopefully this new found mental peace will pay off in the form of important hits in the postseason. His reputation could certainly use that sort of publicity.
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I think ESPN has a lot to do with Arod being as hated as he is.
If you recall, when he went to Texas they gleefully chronicled every strike out, every failure for many weeks. And when he missed a few games, they made Texas winning without him into an important story that was repeated over and over. I hadn’t seen anything as universally mean-spirited or vindictive since Roger Maris in 1961.
The only time he was able to shed this constant barrage of negativity was when he was going to Boston.
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Moshe Mandel Reply:
March 24th, 2009 at 10:51 am
That is a good point. However, I think ESPN may just be tapping into the reservoir of dislike that people are going to have for a guy who makes that kind of money and has never really won.
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I think they started back when not a lot of people even knew who he was-before he signed with Texas. They also kept repeating the nonsense the Mets were spewing about him wanting an empty locker between his and everybody else’s, and a bunch of other stuff the Mets were using to explain why they weren’t going to sign him. (They were saving their money for Mo Vaughn I guess.)
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Moshe Mandel Reply:
March 24th, 2009 at 11:59 am
That is fair. I guess he has never really been able to charm the media like others have (ahem, Jeter).
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Arod is my favorite player so I’m glad he has figured out that most people will hate him and that he just needs to not give a fuck. At the same time, I wish he didn’t do things like the details photo shoot. lol
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Moshe Mandel Reply:
March 24th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Agreed- he needs to learn to stop doing stupid things.
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