Mr. Mislabeled

Yesterday, on the drive home from work, I was listening to The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio (in NYC). And, someone called in to make a comment about Alex Rodriguez not being a clutch player.

Kay, forever the A-Rod apologist, went into a bit of a rant – saying that Rodriguez carried the Yankees into the 2004 ALCS, that Alex had 130 RBI last season (and that it was impossible that some of those RBI were not delivered in the clutch), and that he was the league MVP in 2005 for the Yankees. Then, Michael said what he often says about Rodriguez: “He’s the greatest player in the game today and maybe of all-time.”

Thinking about this some more this morning, I’m sure this (the label of being the greatest) is why A-Rod gets as much flack as he does from some Yankees fans.

When a Yankees fan is told that someone is the “greatest player in the game” they expect one of two things:

1. That the guy hits like Roy Hobbs did in The Natural – or the way that Barry Bonds hits when he’s being unnatural – meaning that every swing of the bat results in the ball being smashed somewhere (and over the fence for the most part). Or,

2. That the player hits Red Sox pitching the way that David Ortiz has been hitting Yankees pitching the last three years. (And, if A-Rod hit the Sox they way that Ortiz hits the Yankees, he could probably bat .275 against the rest of the league and Yankees fans would still be willing to name their babies after him.)

But, the fact of the matter is that Alex Rodriguez does not swing the bat like Roy Hobbs or Barry Bonds. And, A-Rod does not hit the Red Sox the way that Ortiz mashes Yankees pitching.

In reality, Alex is a high-octane version of Cal Ripken Jr. He’s a player who has the defensive skills to play the left side of the infield, who is durable, and has great power. But, he’s also a player who does have some holes in his strikezone and who has a tendency to run into cold streaks with the bat.

Hey, there’s no shame with being like Cal Ripken Jr. He’s a Hall of Famer – or will be as soon as he’s on the ballot. Is there anything wrong with being a better version of a Hall of Fame player? That’s a silly question. Check that – it’s a stupid question (if there ever was such a thing).

But, in terms of being a hitter, A-Rod is not in the class of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and/or a juiced Barry Bonds. Yes, when you factor in the skill required to play the infield – and play it well – that will bridge the gap in the minds of many on this debate…….

However, to the average fan, all they care about is what the guy does with the bat. And, when they hear “greatest player in the game,” they want to see hitting like Ted Williams, Barry Bonds – or, at the least, hitting like Ortiz when it counts (and stands out) the most in their minds. And, when they don’t see those particular results, they see failure. And, then that failure is translated into being “not clutch.”

Therefore, perhaps, the answer is this: Stop referring to A-Rod as the greatest player in the game and then maybe people can level-set their expectations (and accept Alex for what he does bring to the table). Sure, this all stems back to Rodriguez’ camp – meaning his agent – for selling this label in the first place. But, there’s no reason why it cannot be stopped now.

In the range of answers, being:

1. Kill The Label
2. Hit The Sox Like Ortiz Does N.Y.
3. Hit Like Ruth

It (killing the label) is the simplest thing to do.

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