daddy yankee
10.04.2005
Alex Rodriguez spent the year taking swings at the many myths and misconceptions about him. He hit almost every one of them out of the ballpark. There's satisfaction in that.
There's always expectation staring him down, expectation to outplay everyone, to dominate everything. No matter what he says or does, he'll be too perfect for some, not perfect enough for others.
Tonight in Game 1 he'll face Angels ace Bartolo Colon, the 98 mph-throwing Cy Young favorite he's habitually tormented. A-Rod's a .442 hitter against Colon, with seven home runs in 43 at-bats, including four homers in four at-bats earlier this season.
Tonight the pressure comes from having to carry over his superhuman efforts from the Yankees' regular-season roller coaster into the postseason, in which his good deeds have largely gone unnoticed or overshadowed. But Rodriguez insisted the worst is behind them. And maybe it is.
...A-Rod's spent the season completing circles, answering questions and knocking back knocks.
Can't play in New York? He set the Yankees' single-season home-run record for a righthanded batter, hitting 48 to beat Joe DiMaggio.
Can't play third base? He played the best third base we've seen since Graig Nettles, maybe better.
Can't beat Boston? He had four hits, including a home run, in the clincher.
When it was all over, Ortiz, using a batboy as a messenger, sent words of congratulations to Rodriguez for his superb season. A-Rod was so touched that he reciprocated, sending that batboy back like a boomerang with kind words for Ortiz. [jon heyman]
Labels: team a-rod, yanquis
