A-Rod

I think Yankees fans are torn when it comes to discussing A-Rod. Of course, we were all thrilled when we acquired him and we were happy he could thrive on a team as competitive as ours, instead of draining the Rangers' entire payroll hopelessly. However, I am thoroughly unable to deny how irritating his antics have become over the years. I am always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but A-Rod has displayed shameless behavior both on and off the field, that, in my opinion, has brought a great deal of negativity to an otherwise squeaky clean, respectable, and dominant Yankee franchise.

Back in an especially glorious Yankee era, the late '90s and early '00's, I was living in Boston and many a Red Sox fan was wiling to admit they had a great deal of respect for the Yankees overall. Before A-Rod, none of our players had a reputation for poor sportsmanship, but I'm sorry....there is NO denying game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, you know, the Bronson Arroyo arm-swatting move. I will acknowledge that Gary Sheffield also brought some negativity to our reputation when he was still with us. The man loved to run his mouth. But I think we had higher expectations for A-Rod when he joined us. He had built up such a fantastic reputation during his years as a Mariner and a Ranger.

Now he is widely known as a homewrecking cheater. I think part of assimilating oneself to a team such as the Yankees is through humility. Derek Jeter has become known as the quintessential example of class and sportsmanship. A-Rod, however, not only has acted obnoxious on a number of occasions, but seems to feel entitled to this behavior. I don't believe he has expressed any genuine remorse worth noting.

I have to admit, one of the most amusing Halloween costumes I have ever seen was in Boston right after the 2004 Red Sox surprise. A Sox fan had an A-Rod T-Shirt on with a tutu. You would think A-Rod would learn his lesson after the major upset of 2004, and the run he cost Jeter through cheating. However, recent antics have proved he still feels he should get away with outrageous behavior. Between this whole Madonna page 6-attracting drama in his personal life, not to mention the previous personal drama that embarrassed his wife, and his extremely controversial decision, along with Scott Boras, to rev up the gossip rumor about his status with the Yankees just before game 4 of the 2007 World Series, there is simply too much evidence that A-Rod, is, well....a tool.