Everyone who reads about sports knows about the Alex Rodriguez " New York Yankees marriage. Virtually everyone has asserted that this team will hit better than the 1927 Murderer's Row or the 2003 Cowboy Up Red Sox. John Henry, the quick tempered, not always mentally engaged owner of the Red Sox blew his cork and demanded a salary cap to control the Evil Empire, while the Emperor himself, George Steinbrenner, declared that Henry should stop it with the sour grapes. I guess George doesn't mind overpaying for mix-matched grapes, just don't let them be sour, or no more dental plan.
The truth of the matter is that this may become the most uncivil union in Yankeedom since the heady days of Billy Martin being fired every 23 pitches because Steinbrenner's guardian angel told him that Martin was a communist, a martian and possibly, just possibly, smarter than George.
I hear all of you now, "He's a Red Sox fan, of course he's going to claim that the A-Rod trade isn't good for the Yankees." Well, you're right, but I am serious about this.
First off, this was Derek Jeter's team. He's the captain, he was the star, the stud, the capo di tutti capo. Now, the Emperor has brought in one of the 3 superior shortstops in the game (yes there are 3 in Rodriguez, Nomar and Tejada), and he expects that all will be fine.
Think of Jeter as Count Dooku, a true stud among men, and powerful, but in comes A-Rod, the Darth Vader of our story, the most powerful of all Jedi, the balancer of the force. Now what do you think will happen to Dooku? He'll get pushed aside, get pissy and try to rock the boat. Oh yeah, and did I mention that A-Rod has a history as a prima donna, even in Texas? God knows what will happen when this kid hits the big apple with the glitz, glamour and more than 8 fans at a game.
Okay so aside from a lack of stability on the dark side, is there any other reason for baseball not to send the 2004 World Series Trophy to the Emperor in Tampa now? Look at their pitching staff.
Mike Mussina is still a great pitcher, and I won't deny that. Javier Vasquez has been a great pitcher for the Montreal Expos. But it's far more difficult to pitch in the American league, with the DH rather than the pitcher hitting, and lineups like Toronto, Baltimore and Boston 55 times this year, rather than the Mets, Phillies and Marlins.
That brings me to Kevin Brown. Now Kevin Brown has been one of the nastiest pitchers in the game for nearly a decade. However, Brown used to pitch in the AL, and only twice posted an ERA below 3.60, and only twice won more than 12 games. This was over nine years. Brown is clearly a phenomenal NL pitcher, but has never been more than a good AL pitcher. Oh yeah, and his elbow was recently reconstructed after two dismal years in 2001 and 2002. Those who think Brown, who turns 39 in March, is likely to make it an entire season are kidding themselves.
That brings us to the back end of the rotation with Jon Lieber and Jose Contreras. Lieber hasn't thrown a pitch since the middle of 2002 because his arm was just reconstructed. Lieber wasn't pitching great in 2002 either, and his reputation is staked mostly to a 20-6 season in 2001 when tremendous run support allowed him to win 20 games with a 3.80 ERA in the NL. Not a stellar championship team starter. Lastly is Contreras, who, though very solid for most of last year, has a 24.92 ERA against Boston and a 4.00 ERA against Toronto, so he's had trouble with the Yankees' biggest competitors.
All of this goes beyond the A-Rod trade, but it should comfort those who feel broken before the season has even started. Yes, Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees is terrible for baseball folks, in so many ways. But, it has done something good for the sport. For years, only the Red Sox and Mets fans have hated the Yankees. Now, with the acquisition of A Rod, and now holding $190 million in contracts and seven of the 12 largest contracts, everyone hates the Yankees. And for the first time, the forces of good are finally uniting against Emperor George. The rebels are banding together ladies and gentleman. The only question is, when will the Empire finally fall?
