A-Rod Misses Yankees Team Photo Today
Posted by Steve L. on August 3rd, 2010 · Comments (24)
Via Kevin Kernan -
A-Rod misses team photo, Girardi said he didn’t read the memo
No worries. I’m sure they can CGI him into the picture – as a centaur, of course. (No word on whether or not it will be possible to CGI his 600th career homer into today’s boxscore ‘tho…)
Now, why everyone else on the team got the memo and Alex missed it…is anyone’s guess.
The return of “Me-Rod”
The Yankees made the mistake of placing the memo in his chair, in front of his locker. Obviously, they should have taped it to his mirror.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
*giggle*
Considering they’re paying him $200 million+, that $500 fine should really put a dent in his wallet, no? that’s hoochie tipping money for A-Rod.
What kills me is that the other 24 members of the playing team made it, and one did not. What kind of message is that one now sending to the other 24?
Don’t think it’s sending any message, actually. These are paid professionals, with lives and stuff; this isn’t your local little league team. What is the organization going to do? Bench him? Release him? Trade him because he missed the team photo?
That’s the point – they are professionals and 24 of them acted like it. The one, somehow, missed the memo.
Steve Phillips 1 + 24 comment is ringing loud on this one.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
This is a severe overstatement.
I think Steve. L. is spot on here
Didn’t Darryl Strawberry get in a fight with his teammate Keith Hernandez at a team photo session for the 80′s Mets?….Ah, found the story. 1989 Spring Training.
And now, Keith is an analyst for the Mets TV casts, and Strawberry just got inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.
Go figure.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
A-Rod has one WS ring, and the remaining 24 players on the team have how many totaled up??? Does anyone really think A-Rod has that kind of superficial influence over everyone else?
Watch, tomorrow the papers will hump this story for all it’s worth and try to make it like THIS is the reason the Yanks are no longer in first place.
Take a deep breath, guys.
Didn’t Jeter and Posada miss the team photo one year because they were celebrating Posada’s B-Day or something? Oooh, wonder what message that sent to the rest to the team!
Yeah, it’s lame A-Rod missed the team photo, but if it were anybody else, it would be a non-story. But because it’s him, it gives all his detractors something to squawk about.
lisaswan wrote:
Guess that speaks to Steve Phillips 1 + 24 comment; no one on the team can attract a “story” like Rodriguez.
lisaswan wrote:
I don’t recall that at all? Do you have a link to support it?
Evan3457 wrote:
Ah, yes, but, at least they were there for the photo!
Face it, guys and gals, this “stunt” is the kind of crap that you would have expected from Manny Ramirez back when he was in Boston during the “Manny being Manny” days…and not from the face of your franchise, or at least one of the faces, if you’re the New York Yankees.
If ANYONE on the Yankees knows that they cannot afford to make stupid mistakes like this, without getting tons of attention and getting fried, it’s A-Rod. Yet, stupid is as stupid does and he was THE ONLY ONE on the team not to show.
He deserves all the heat that he gets for this – because, as usual, he’s brought it on himself.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Mistake or not, let’s not jump to conclusions that it was a “stunt”. Who knows why he missed it? Maybe he flaked on his obligation but maybe there was a legitimate reason too? We don’t know yet so let’s not assume first and find out later.
@ Steve Lombardi:
As a matter of fact, it’s mentioned in today’s Daily News:
“Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada famously missed a team photo, showing up late on Aug. 17, 1999 after celebrating Posada’s 28th birthday at the catcher’s home. Coaches Don Zimmer and Chris Chambliss also missed that photo – Zimmer because he had traveled to Pee Wee Reese’s funeral and Chambliss because of a medical condition.”
Read more: http://tinyurl.com/2afjb6b
Geez, I don’t know how the team survived after Jeter’s and Posada’s “stunt”!
lisaswan wrote:
I heart Lisa Swan for this.
MJ Recanati wrote:
He said that he missed it because he didn’t read the board when leaving the clubhouse the day before. FWIW, Girardi said that he didn’t read the memo that was left at his locker ‘tho…
@ lisaswan:
Thanks for the link – totally missed that one. Question – what was the media reaction to Jeter missing the photo back in 1999?
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Doesn’t make it “a stunt”, only makes it an act of carelessness. A stunt connotes some self-serving/attention-grabbing action. Being careless or absent-minded is different.
Frankly, if Jeter/Posada missed the team picture in 1999 because of Posada’s birthday party — dare I assume they were both hung over? — that’s a stunt. That’s putting yourself before your job. And honestly? I don’t care about the fact that Jeter/Posada did that. It’s trivial.
@ Steve Lombardi:
I honestly don’t remember.
Steve, if you take a look at the 77 & 78 team photos, you’d see Mickey Rivers isn’t in either of them and Sparky Lyle isn’t in one of them.
Also, if you remember in The Bronx Zoo, Sparky, Nettles, and Munson all blew off the Welcome Home Luncheon in 1978, then when they got fined, Munson & Nettles refused to play the next day. And Reggie was pulling nonsense all the time. But funny how performing on the field erases all of that.