Via Jeff Passan:
Alex Rodriguez is a walking identity crisis. He is perpetually looking for something new because he never has found himself. He is the Howard Hughes of baseball, rich and famous beyond belief and still searching, seeking, yearning.
Right now, he is dabbling in a new religion, dating 50-year-old Madonna after divorcing his wife and trying to reaffirm his status as the best baseball player in the world instead of a $300 million nightmare. And now, in the latest chapter of his early midlife autopsy, Rodriguez is planning on dissecting his heritage.
Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday that Rodriguez plans to play for the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Rodriguez played for the United States last time around, though the decision, as is de rigueur with A-Rod, came with all sorts of consternation.
Before the inaugural WBC in 2006, he first leaned toward playing for the Dominican. Then he wouldn’t dare choose between his native country (the United States) and his family’s homeland (the Dominican). Eventually, he bowed to the wishes of Major League Baseball, which needed his star power for the U.S. team.
Whatever the current motive of Rodriguez’s decision – to honor his family, to win the tournament or to rehabilitate an image tarnished like dull silver – it reeks of calculation, as do many of his actions. However brilliant Rodriguez looks on the field – and at his best, he is without peer – he continuously sports a dunce cap with his other antics. He gets caught by cameras with a stripper fling, disses Derek Jeter, apologizes and says he misses having sleepovers with the Yankees captain, opts out of his richest-ever contract during the World Series so he can get one even more lucrative, spends his money on apartment complexes that The New York Times exposes him running like a slumlord and, if that wasn’t enough, dumps his wife for the world’s biggest tabloid magnet and finds himself strewn in the pages of glossy magazines here and across the pond.
This sort of ties into a comment that I shared here back in January 2007:
Last summer, someone who once met with a member of Stein’s circle of trusted aides told me that person shared with them that the Yankees brass thought A-Rod was a, well, a word that starts with “P” and sounds like “wussy.”
In many ways, A-Rod is a three-hundred-million-dollar airport with a two-dollar control tower. And, he’s all ours for the next nine years.
18 Responses to “Passan: A-Rod’s One Messed-Up Little Dude”
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December 5th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Boy, you sure do cover all your bases by combing the internet for the most negative or pessimistic POV’s on EVERYTHING Yankee-related, don’t you?
Nine more years of the best player in the AL. If only we could’ve unloaded him for Chone Figgins after the 2006 season. That’s what happens when you have a bad GM like Cashman though. Lets those golden opportunities slip through his fingers…
December 5th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
MJ – or anyone else who wants to offer an opinion on this -
How would you define what a player has to do in order to be considered the best player in baseball? How would you construct a report card or grading system for such a thing?
December 5th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Saber: VORP, RCAA, WS
Standard: MVP
Since coming to the Yanks, A-Rod’s been the Yanks best player. A-Rod’s put up two of the best seasons by a righty in Yankee history. A-Rod’s carried the team to the playoffs nearly single-handedly twice (2005, 2007).
I just don’t know what more the man can do. Even if he’s not the best player in baseball or the best player in the AL, he is most certainly the best player on the team. He gets no respect and it’s a mixture of infuriating and depressing.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
~~He gets no respect and it’s a mixture of infuriating and depressing.~~
You’re an astute fan of the game. Why do you think it is that he gets no respect?
December 5th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
You’re an astute fan of the game. Why do you think it is that he gets no respect?
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Because (1) there aren’t enough astute fans of the game and (2) the media is full of ninnies who perpeutuate the same garbage about people they don’t like.
Although #1 above makes me sound like a pompous ass, I don’t mean to be. It’s just that I think back to all the booing that took place during the 2006 season and all the cheering that took place after the 2007 season and I see the same people. Do people realize that who he’s shacking up with or how immature he might be is totally irrelevant to the fact that the cost of admission gets you the privilege of witnessing one of the great players in history?
As for #2, this is true in all walks of life, not just sports. Those that control the stories play favorites. It’s why Michael Jordan’s or Mickey Mantle’s dirty underbelly was underreported and why a guy like Barry Bonds — for all his flaws — takes EVERY SINGLE bit of the blame for something he didn’t create or participate in by himself. We like to pick on people, that’s just how we are. Cool kids vs. nerds, to keep with a theme you brought up earlier today.
Two current Yankee players have completely manufactured, image-conscious personalities (aka phoniness). Only one of them is constantly called a phony. The other one is lauded for keeping his private life under wraps. You mean to tell me that dating one of the world’s biggest celebrities is a publicity-seeking maneuver but dating five or six of the most beautiful and famous Hollywood stars is flying under the radar?
December 5th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
You’re an astute fan of the game. Why do you think it is that he gets no respect?
It is due to the fact that such informative and non-biased individuals, such as yourself, who hate the guy because he is paid so much money and feel that every time he gets up to the plate he has to hit a home run or get a base hit and bat 1.000, drive in 500 RBI and score 750 runs every year because “WE” are paying him so much money to perform.
The media, in general, loves to capture celebrities in compromising or embarrassing situations because it is supposed to make everyone feel better. So what if he plays for the DR or the US, what bearing is it going to have on your or anyone’s life?
Leave the man alone, none of has the right to say anything about him (positive or negative) away from from the baseball field. Ask yourself, what would you do with his talent and money? Probably the same fucking thing.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I would completely agree with what MJ said. This whole thing with the WBC is slightly disconcerting because you would think A-Rod was more prudent than this. The Madonna thing and his relationship with Jeter were blown out of proportion by the media and are not really his fault. He should have, however, realized that changing countries would draw attention he doesn’t need. He needs to hire a better publicist or PR manager.
And why should A-Rod, a relatively stand-up guy off the field, get austracized for who he dates when Pettitte and Giambi did steroids… when Robbie Cano punts an entire year… when Joba Chamberlain gets a DUI… and the list goes on.
I think the Barry thing is a good parallel. Barry Bonds gets treated like OJ Simpson even though he was neither the catalyst nor the only one doing steroids. Why does the media do this? Because he is an asshole? That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard for not being an impartial judge.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
MJ, I agree with you on St Derek. The rumors about the gift that Jeter gave to these girls is out there, too. Hint, it wasn’t a box of chocolates…..He gets slack ‘coz of the rings. The last time I checked that was what, 8 years ago! Jeter’s image is very carefully cultivated like Arod BUT Arod gets the bad press. My brother’s friend met Jeter and asked Jeter for Mariah Carey’s phone number. Jeter responded with a hearty laugh! That was cool of him no matter how phony he is or seems.
Stein and Co thought Afraud was a pussy? Then why the hell did you give him 300 mill for a decade? I keep on telling you all that the inmates are running the asylum in Yankeeland. Bring back Stick and Watson and get rid of these goofballs.
AFraud makes a faux pas with this old goat named Madonna “Esther(her Kabbalah name)” Ritchie. Can you imagine what you could get if you were Afraud? I would have 2 twenty year old super models rather than one old tranny looking kookball. That is where Afraud makes no sense. The media hypes up what he does 5 times larger so what does he do? He acts like he doesn’t give a flip. I think that slagging on Afraud vs Jeter is unfair BUT if Alex got a clutch hit then he would get some serious slack. Instead , he hangs round Gwen Paltrow, Madonna and all these aging hipsters. Meanwhile , St Derek is with super hotty ,Minka Kelly……
December 5th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-LFBNbDzBs
December 5th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
But Butchie, why does it even matter? Who cares if A-Rod is dating a disgusting used skank like Maddona while Jeter is dating down the list of FHM’s top-100? People seem to hate A-Rod for who he dates, for his supposed immaturity, for all of these silly things. David Ortiz is universally loved but do we know that he’s mature? Do we know that he’s a well-adjusted, sane, competent individual in his private life?
Why does any of this matter? We’re baseball fans, not a bunch of gossiping teenaged girls, right?
If the only reason people disliked A-Rod was because he’s “unclutch” (a fairly large steaming pile of BS, by the way) then I would shake my head but move on. But that’s NOT the reason. It’s not why Pete Abe posted a picture of A-Rod wearing a silly scarf at a Madonna concert on his website and it’s not why Steve continually posts negative A-Rod stories here.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
are you kidding me lol…who cares where he plays in an EXHIBITION tournament…does anyone seriously feel national pride from the WBC? If you do you need to get your head checked..
December 5th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
are you kidding me lol…who cares where he plays in an EXHIBITION tournament…does anyone seriously feel national pride from the WBC? If you do you need to get your head checked..
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That’s the opinion I, MJ, and others have, but certainly not the media. Listen, it matters if Bill Clinton is getting BJs in the Oval Office because his character and honesty is an integral part of being President.
‘Character’ issues basically don’t matter in baseball, especially if the character in question is one of the hardest working, most dedicated, and most talented players in baseball. He worked out with Robbie and Melky, for God’s sake. This guy has a decent (yet quirky) character.
Most of the things A-Rod get’s chastised for has nothing to do with his performance on the field (except for his so-called lack of clutch.)
I don’t know where I am going with this anymore except to say that A-Rod gets undeserved media attention for things that have nothing to do with baseball. It’s stupid and many fans don’t care about it.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Alex Rodriguez is a walking identity crisis. He is perpetually looking for something new because he never has found himself. He is the Howard Hughes of baseball, rich and famous beyond belief and still searching, seeking, yearning.
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Also, the hyperbole in this article is sickening. No one cares about the WBC, especially MLB players. Who knows why A-Rod switched teams.
For all we know Ortiz came up to him and was like “yo, how sick would it be if we got to hit back-to-back? I’ve had Manny behind me and want to see what its like to have you batting 4th.”
And then A-Rod goes, “Yeah, that sounds good. No one gives a shit about the WBC anyways, so I’ll happily switch teams. I mean, I do have Dominican heritage.”
Is that a mid-life crisis? Is he soul searching? PLEASE. The exagerations when it come to A-Rod are sickening.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
MJ, honestly Afraud and St Derek both are out there strutting their stuff, whether we like it or not. People evidently care if Afraud is having sexual relations with an old skank ho like Madonna. He’s in the american media capital, so he’s bringing this upon himself. St Jeter is wilder than Afraud but unfairly gets a pass. If Jeter has one more record GIDP year this year, he should be a goat too(in my eyes he already is one).
Big Flappi? He is so beloved by other baseball players and is in provincial Boston. It doesn’t have the same play as being a NYY.
Lastly, I don’t give too sweet shits if Afraud plays on the Santo Domingo team or what! He can play with Manram or Flappi, he can play for the Hashin Tigers for all I care…..
December 5th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
“He should have, however, realized that changing countries would draw attention he doesn’t need. He needs to hire a better publicist or PR manager.”
Why? In order to spend his life tap dancing for people, who in the end, don’t give a shit about him anyway? No one knows the dude. No one knows what parts of him are fake and what parts are genuine.
It amazes me how so many people think they know these athletes. If we were more intuitive about our own lives maybe our own relationships, careers and achievements would be better.
WBC means nothing. Playing for the DR or US means nothing. Instead of seeing it as being lost, why not view it as acknowledging both cultures. Its not the Olympics or something. Its an exhibition tourney.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
WBC means nothing. Playing for the DR or US means nothing.
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Yeah. That’s what I said a few posts later if you would have read it. And SINCE it doesn’t matter, and since he should know that move like this would draw unneeded attention (as unfair as it may be), it would have been prudent (and in his best interest) to not change countries. If he knew it would create this controversy (which, whether or not you like it has been created), then he should have just stayed with the US.
December 5th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Jeff Passan comes off as a pompous ass in that first paragraph. People should always be searching, seeking and yearning until their last breathe or they are not living a full life. How nice it must be for someone as young as him to have all the answers already. And how arrogant of him to think he knows who A-Rod is while claiming A-Rod doesn’t know who he is.
I’ve never heard A-Rod say he was exploring a new religion, dating Madonna or needing to re-establish his status as anything. He’s off the clock and owes the fans nothing until the first day of ST.
A-Rod has made for many lazy journalists. There is no need to look for a story if you can just make him the story. Stop projecting trouble and just report it if and when it happens.
The answer to the mystery that is A-Rod is simple. Realistic expectations. He’s not going to put up 2007 numbers every year. Not many have before him and few will follow with that kind of performance. He’s never going to “earn” $27.5 million a year because baseball is a game of failures and those who succeed only 1/3 of the time for a number of years find themselves making a speech 5 years after retirement in a small upstate NY town. He’s not always gonna say the right thing because he’s human. I don’t always say the right thing but the difference is no one holds me accountable for it and reminds me of it everytime I make a mistake. And learn to seperate Alex from A-Rod. A-Rod is capable of doing superhuman things on a baseball field and Alex struggles with the same stuff all other humans do- albeit in more expensive clothes and a nicer house and car.
He is part of the solution, not part of the problem. He plays on the biggest stage, takes the pressure off 24 other guys around him to be able to be human. Applaud excellence when you see it instead of booing imperfection.
I would love for him to play with the DR in the WBC. How could a couple of weeks of hanging with Manny and Pujols, taking BP, working out and talking hitting be a bad thing?
December 6th, 2008 at 4:43 am
“Yeah. That’s what I said a few posts later if you would have read it.”
Dude chill. Everything in my post, especially with the WBC part, wasn’t meant for you. Good lord LOL.
And I wasn’t criticizing what you said more so than I was the people who want him to do what they want.