so much for the afterglow

the yahoo headline that was up immediately following the game: "A-Rod slugs 10 RBIs – despite cooling off." is lupica writing for the AP on the side?

disappointingly and not all that surprisingly, what ought to have been a morning off from new york press negativity for alex rodriguez was not to be. oh sure, there are compliments sandwiched in between stuff like "but he doesn't have any rings" (whereas someone like ramiro mendoza has five, which i suppose makes him the Best Player Ever) and "but he has to do it in october" (nevermind the fact that rodriguez pretty much won game 4 of the 2004 alds all by his lonesome, and that his career postseason stats read .330/.395/.583).

anyway:

Pedro Martinez, the newest charismatic New York baseball star who'd burned brighter than any other this whole season — this whole April! — would perform at Shea. It was my sad duty to trudge to Yankee Stadium to watch faded people like Alex Rodriguez.

My sad duty, indeed.

Because if all the baseball buzz had surrounded that old Parks Department facility in Flushing, they all should have heard it in the big ballpark in the Bronx when A-Rod stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the fourth inning of last night's game against the Angels of all of Southern California.

Should have heard it when A-Rod, who had previously cracked a majestic three-run homer to left-center in the first and then a two-run rope over the wall in left in the third, dug in against Bartolo Colon. And then they should have heard it after he crushed, absolutely crushed Colon's full count pitch — his 101st and last — high and far and gone off the fence protecting the black bleacher area in center field.

Three at bats. Three home uns. Nine runs batted in.

Should have heard it as A-Rod circled the bases and then almost bashfully accepted another curtain call on the top step of the dugout. They probably they did hear it. All the way in Queens. [ny post]

Labels: team a-rod