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//  Saturday, July 31, 2010

A-Rod Ends with Vengeance

Sunday, October 4, 2009
Posted by Phillip Lee

A season that was supposed to be marked with tabloid issues, injuries, and steroid allegations, A-Rod has managed to end the 2009 season still intact.

He had divorced his wife Cynthia in July of last year, was accused of having an affair with Madonna, he was accused of steroid use and later confirmed that he did. If the off-the-field issues weren’t enough, A-Rod missed the first 28 games of the season and ended the season playing only 124 games due to his ailing hip.

Perhaps because of so, A-Rod made every single at-bat, 444 to be exact, count. He needed to prove to the rest of the world that he was not finished, slumping, deteriorated, or that the off-season issues affected his play on-the-field. He needed to assure the fans, his team, and essentially himself that he was the almighty A-Rod.

So he came back against the Baltimore Orioles in May and belted a three-run shot on the first pitch he saw. Sure, he didn’t perform like that every single ball game, but he’s human and he had his slumps. In the end though A-Rod proved to everyone and everything why he’s A-Rod.

In the last game of the regular season, A-Rod belted another home run, actually…make that two…in the same inning. A-Rod first belted a three-run shot off of Wade Davis to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the 6th inning over Tampa Bay. Then the Yankees managed to load the bases in the same inning for A-Rod who hit a home run off of Andy Sonnanstine for 7 RBI’s on the night and the inning.

He finished the season hitting .286 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s. Those are remarkable numbers for a player who missed 40 games in the season.

Call me crazy, but this is the best season for A-Rod by far, even exceeding his 2003 and 2005 MVP seasons. Why? Because for the first time A-Rod came over adversity. For the first time, A-Rod climbed to the top of the mountain instead of giving up. For the first time, A-Rod said “I’m going to do this because I’m A-Rod” not “I can give up because I’m A-Rod.”

Sure, his numbers this season are minuscule compared to his best statistical numbers but A-Rod is playing at a level higher than ever before.

Through all the tabloid talk about his “affair” and perhaps his new girlfriend, his steroid usage, and his injuries, A-Rod persevered.

This is the life that Yankees fans have been wishing for and foes trying to avoid. With momentum again on his side, it is time for A-Rod to prove why he is A-Rod in the biggest stage in American baseball: the playoffs.

It’s about time A-Rod put down the talk about why he can’t perform in the playoffs. This is the season to either beat the speculators or go down again as the guy with the big check and the small bat.

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