In 2003, the Yankees won the pennant and made it to Game 6 of the World Series. Following that, prior to the 2004 season, the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez. What happened next?
The Yankees finished first in the A.L. East in 2004 – but, then they lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox in the worst way possible.
In 2005, the Yankees barely finished in first, tying for the top spot with the Red Sox. And, they lost the ALDS – with A-Rod having a terrible series, going 2 for 15.
In 2006, the Yankees did finish in first again – thanks to a record setting collapse by the Boston Red Sox. However, once again, they lost the ALDS – with A-Rod again having a terrible series, going 1 for 14.
In 2007, the Yankees did not finish in first place for the first time since 1997. However, they did make the post-season via the Wildcard. But, again, they lost the ALDS – with A-Rod, once again, having a soft series, going 4 for 15.
And, now, in 2008, it’s beginning to appear as if the Yankees will not finish in first place or make the post-season.
Clearly, the Yankees have been going backwards since Alex Rodriguez has joined the team. Granted, it’s hard to blame A-Rod for all this…as he was the league MVP in 2005 and 2007. And, it’s not A-Rod’s fault that the Yankees team pitching stunk in 2004, etc.
However, while it’s totally illogical to think about things like “curses” and the like, you can’t blame someone for wondering if there’s some connect between Alex Rodriguez joining the Yankees and all the bad things that we’ve seen in Yankeeland since New York last won a pennant.
Related, for a minute, suspend your possible desire to call me an A-Rod hater or basher, etc. And, please answer this poll question with a simple “yes” or “no.” And, let’s see what Yankees fans really think towards this matter.
Thanks in advance. And, please feel free to add comments on your opinion in the comments section below. If you feel the need to call me names, etc., for bringing this topic up, that’s your choice. But, just remember, unless everyone answers this question with a choice of “no,” then there are a number of Yankees fans out there who believe there could be something to this notion of “The A-Rod Curse” – and, therefore, it’s a question worth asking.
18 Responses to “August 2008 Survey Question #6”
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August 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I’m shocked, shocked that you’d come up with an angle to potentially scapegoat Alex Rodriguez for what’s transpired since 2004. What else? The curse of Phil Hughes, who was drafted the same year?
I have a great idea: let’s turn back time to 2006, trade A-Rod to Anaheim for Chone Figgins and Scot Shields and see if the playoff streak would’ve ended a year earlier?!
Good grief.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:18 am
But, just remember, unless everyone answers this question with a choice of “no,”…it’s a question worth asking.
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That’s the first test of a flawed survey: assuming that even one “yes” makes it a valid question.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:26 am
How many “yes” votes would make it a valid question for you MJ?
August 20th, 2008 at 10:38 am
That’s the first test of a flawed survey: assuming that even one “yes” makes it a valid question.
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To be fair, this was written as well;
“However, while it’s totally illogical to think about things like “curses” and the like, you can’t blame someone for wondering if there’s some connect between Alex Rodriguez joining the Yankees and all the bad things that we’ve seen in Yankeeland since New York last won a pennant.”
Given that correlation often equals causation in baseball (life in general, come to think of it), I wouldn’t be surprised if someone asked that question, or even thought it to be true.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:03 am
It’s not A-Rod that needs to go. It’s cashman. He’s the one who has made failed decision after failed decision.
He’s horrendous.
How many Igawa’s and Wright’s and Johnsons’s does it take to get fired in NY?
August 20th, 2008 at 11:04 am
How many “yes” votes would make it a valid question for you MJ?
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None, since a survey that is phrased as a yes/no is unscientific. I’m sure there are some folks that signed on this morning, saw the question, and gave a “yes” just to be contrarian just as I’m sure that there are some folks that signed on, saw the question and gave a “no” just because they don’t like Steve or his opinion on things.
So, what do we really know?
August 20th, 2008 at 11:08 am
How many Igawa’s and Wright’s and Johnsons’s does it take to get fired in NY?
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Igawa hasn’t worked out. It was a bad decision from the get-go and it’s on Cashman.
RJ was a good trade at the time whose results were underwhelming and disappointing. But no GM would’ve passed on a chance to get RJ. You can’t blame Cashman for that.
As for Wright, even Steve — one of the biggest Cash-haters out there — says this move was originated outside of NYC:
http://waswatching.com/2008/02/15/brian-cashman-2004/
August 20th, 2008 at 11:21 am
“How many “yes” votes would make it a valid question for you MJ?”
how many ‘yes’ votes that are on this survey, assuming that they are from people who were being honest and not just screwing around, would equal how many dopes for yankees fans there are who voted.
seriously, an ARod curse? right.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I do believe that A-Rod is the ultimate “cooler” in the major leagues. He simply brings a lot of excess baggage wherever he goes (and he’ll be with the Yanks the rest of the way, of that you can be sure), and that baggage is both exterior – the distractions created by the likes of Madonna and ugly she-male strippers – and interior, his own psychological issues. A-Freud isn’t far off. I also don’t believe that there are a lot of teammates who find him to be, shall we say, a genuine person.
For the curse of A-Rod to go away, he has to play like an MVP when it counts – down the stretch and straight through the playoffs til he has an appointment at the Canyon of Heroes. Will he? You would think that eventually the law of averages will work in his favor, but as the years go by and his physical skills deteriorate, the chance that he comes up big during crunch time and carries his team to a championship gets smaller.
And if I may, the question is legit because he’s been on the Yankees for five years, and when he was signed, no one expected that the Yankees wouldn’t win at least once in the first five years. But then again, Mussina and Giambi expected to have at least a ring a piece by now and that hasn’t happened either.
And I say that having never once believed that my team’s heartbreak was caused by someone who wasn’t really a Sultan.
But I do know that when things go wrong for a period of time, these sorts of questions can only start to effect a team in a bad way. Now in the case of the Sox, I do think there was a negative effect team-wide. For the Yanks, the effect is purely on A-Rod himself. And like I said, it will take him coming through as the great player he is during crunch time.
I really rambled on there but I hope I said something intelligible ….
August 20th, 2008 at 11:51 am
FWIW, more on A-Rod and being a “cooler”
http://tinyurl.com/6c6g2c
August 20th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
FWIW, more on A-Rod and being a “cooler”
http://tinyurl.com/6c6g2c
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I’m having flashbacks to 2006. We’re back to trashing A-Rod.
Yankee fans suck.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
FWIW, more on A-Rod and being a “cooler”
http://tinyurl.com/6c6g2c
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Speaking of coolers, seems to me they’re full of
http://tinyurl.com/3e2tp2
Anyway, it’s probably because he’s “good-looking, biracial, makes the most money, plays on the most popular team …”
August 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
“I’m having flashbacks to 2006. We’re back to trashing A-Rod.
Yankee fans suck.”
seriously. qft.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
And if I may, the question is legit because he’s been on the Yankees for five years, and when he was signed, no one expected that the Yankees wouldn’t win at least once in the first five years. But then again, Mussina and Giambi expected to have at least a ring a piece by now and that hasn’t happened either.
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At least you acknowledge that you contradict yourself.
I also don’t believe that there are a lot of teammates who find him to be, shall we say, a genuine person.
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You know this how? I happen to know first-hand of several teammates who love him.
You’re just repeating oft-cited tripe that MSM uses to justify subjective positions.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
The curse of A-Rod? Gimme a break. BTW, I do think he’s a complete whacko.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Steve,
By using the term ‘curse’ you raise all sorts of irrelevant stuff. Had you just asked if Arod’s presence on the team has had a negative impact then it would be more revealing.
And don’t forget how great Seattle and Texas played during the year after Arod left each of those teams. Even back then there were whispers of some negative impact that countered his statistics.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
A-Freud.
No, no curse, but as he ages, and we have nine (9)! more years to go, it will seem a curse of sorts.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
And don’t forget how great Seattle and Texas played during the year after Arod left each of those teams.
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Also don’t forget where they are now, as well as how they did the second year after Rodriguez’s departure.