The Yankees can never just lose a game in the postseason. There always has to be a goat. And it should be no surprise that many have already decided that Alex Rodriguez is the Game 2 goat. It’s amazing how the tone in Yankeeland changes so quickly — Saturday night, everything is sunshine and lollipops. But less than 24 hours later, you’d think the series was already lost.
Anyhow, it really ticked me off last night when Alex Rodriguez was getting booed by his own team’s fan base during the game. Sometimes, I really can’t stand some so-called Yankee “fans.” As I’ve said over and over in this blog over the years, booing your own home players doesn’t fix anything. All it shows is that you’re a fair-weather, petulant moron. And that goes for the Met fans who booed David Wright, too.
The booing yesterday — and the subsequent media attacks on A-Rod– are nothing but predictable. (Although I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by ESPN New York writer Wally Matthews defending Rodriguez, saying about that the scapegoating: “It isn’t fair and it isn’t right.”)
As I have been saying for years, no matter what he ever does in the postseason, A-Rod will always be held as a scapegoat. Those booing Yankee fans who pride themselves on being so knowledgeable on Yankee history seem to have conveniently forgotten that if it weren’t for him, the Bombers wouldn’t have won the 2009 World Series. And all the talk back before 2009 how if he would just have one great postseason, all would be forgiven is just nonsense, as I said at the time.
Sure, A-Rod is hitless in this series, although he does have an RBI and a walk. But the Yanks only got five hits yesterday, and Jorge Posada was the one batter in the lineup to have two hits (including a triple, my favorite moment of the day.) Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, and Curtis Granderson were the other batters to have hits. And how did Derek Jeter, aka Captain Clutch, do? He went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, left five runners on base, did nothing when the Yanks were trying to rally in the ninth, committed an error that led to a run, and helped cause a Boone Logan balk.
Also, I wasn’t crazy with Joe Girardi pitching Luis Ayala in the ninth inning. Best bullpen in baseball, and he goes to the last man in the lineup? Hey, Joe, we’re not playing Tampa anymore!
I’ve already heard talk about switching Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira in the starting lineup — one ignorant writer from NBC Sports’ Hardball Talk even sez A-Rod should be batting eighth, with Teixeira batting cleanup, because Mark is “the better option right now.” This, even though Tex has exactly one hit in the ALDS this year, and has a .168 average in the postseason as a Yankee over the last three years. When, exactly, did Tex become Mr. October?
Anyhow, CC Sabathia better win tonight, or there will be full-scale panic in Yankeeland, given that A.J. Burnett is the Game 4 starter!
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
