In an article posted to major news outlets today, A-Rod and Schilling fired shots at each other. Nothing new there.
A-Rod claims that the Yankees beat up on Schilling "a few times" this past year, and that Schilling was "crying" on the bench. I checked the stats. Schilling didn't lose to the Yankees during the regular season. He got beat up in Game 1 of the ALCS when his tendon was wriggling all throughout his ankle, and then stymied the Yankees in Game 6 by stapling the tendon in place.
So, when exactly was he crying? Trying to find that...
Even more so, A-Rod referred to himself as "upper-echelon". While his past stats and skills have made him on of the best in the league, I believe that upper-echelon is reserved for leaders. NEVER in his career has A-Rod been a leader. Let's do a quick review...
Seattle? Hmmmm....nope not there. They wanted him back. The fans loved him. They offered him lots of money. All the private rooms and planes an average man could want. But he chose Texas for the money.
Texas, you say? Not there, either. Sorry, partner...In fact, Texas did all they could to unload him to get out from under his contract which paralyzed the team.
In both cases, upon departure, both teams dramatically improved.
Schilling comes to Boston. He wins 20+ games, shows guts and blood pitching his heart out in Game 6, and leads his team to a World Series championship.
The Yankees had to go out and hire another hired gun in Randy Johnson this off-season partly because A-Rod couldn't deliver. His stats in the key games 4, 5, 6, and 7 were terrible to say the least.
His slap defines him. He is now just slapping out again.
So the questions remains "Is he upper-echelon?" Depends on the definition. But, he's not in my book.
The game in question was actually in Boston during July - I think it was the day before the A-Rod Tek love fest. Also the game that Millar hit the 3 HR. Schilling pitched 5+ innings, having given up an early Sox 4-1 or 4-0 lead. The Sox tied it up on Millars HRs and I think one by Tek as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Sox then lost the game in the 9th, while either Foulke or Timline were pitching. And after the game schilling sat on the bench for a while.
Yup...I remember that game, but that was not "beating up on him". He was still 2-0 against them. 3-1 overall. And much more of a team leader than A-Rod.
ReplyDeleteDo A-Rod's comments mean that A-Rod himself would have just gone straight to the locker room and not cared about losing? That doesn't make sense. I certainly don't think that Schilling being mad about not winning a game Bush League.
Believe me, I was not defending A-Rod. And true it was not a beating, or anything close. And Schilling was just pissed at himself for having given up a lead, which is the response you would hope for from one of your top pitchers. So long as he doesn't go and punch a wall and break his hand - that story will never get old :)
ReplyDeleteA-Rod is just whining.
Did anyone see Lupica yesterday, something to the affect of "A-Rod is saying he takes 100% of the blame, but that he really believes that statement about as much as he believes in the Easter bunny." I would love to see some "reporter" now goad him into expressing how he really feels.
Interview would go something like this:
CHB (Or someone else really doesn't matter): Are you looking forward to the 2005 season.
AF: Yes very much so. I think that Mr Steinbrenner and Mr. Cashman have put together a very good team here.
CHB: How do you think the team will fare, any predictions?
AF: Its a long season and with Mr. Torre's leadership, our solid lineup and pitching, I think this team has a chance at winning a championship.
CHB: Well. that is of course if you don't go and mess things up like you did last year and cause your team to collapse in an unprecedented manner. Correct?
AF: I think we had a very good team last year. I mean if Rivera had not walked Millar we would have won game 4. And you know, that Vazquez guy left a few balls over the plate to Damon.
CHB: Yeah but what about you going 2-17 over the final four games and leaving ROB after ROB...... (fade to in the background, A-Rod's purple lips starting to hyperventilate.....)
It could get good.
I think the only purple lips and hyperventalating is Dave as he.... um you knows to ARod folding under the scrutiny of what ever random report he was fantasizing about.
ReplyDeleteI heard that comment to - about him being 100% responsible. I don't want to defend him either but he's in a tough place - damned if he does damned if he doesn't. If he came out and said nothing or put it on the "team" everyone would point to his salary and accuse him of poor leadership. That being said, it's a bit silly for him to take 100% of the blame - it's a team game and as the Rangers and Seattle can tell you - one player doesn't win championships!
Damned if you do. Damned if you don't.
ReplyDeleteHow about you just shut up? Why does he need to call a press conference in January.
Clarifying. The "you" in that post, as in "why don't you just shut up" was meant for A-Rod. Not CE.
ReplyDeleteDammit, Dave, your post was much better before the clarification, with all the ambiguity. So here goes:
ReplyDeleteJeremy, how about you just shut up?
It had to be said.
Seriously, I agree. He (ARod) is just digging himself deeper. Honestly if I were him -- or any other Yankee, or even a Yankee fan -- I woulf *loathe* Schilling. But like I said about Schilling in the earlier post, the best way to come out of this looking good is just keep your mouth shut and let your actions on the field speak for themselves*. Look back at the the 1998 Yankees (and the couple holdovers from then) and you have some good models for that.
* it also helps if you don't wear purple lipstick and refrain from ball-slapping on the basepaths. Yes, that's right, I said "ball-slapping".
ReplyDeleteI missed the point that A-fraud called a press conference. That seems like a weird move. Do you think Yankee PR asked him to do that? It seems like a weird thing for a player to call their own press conference. If that is the case, my opinion of A-fraud as a self-absorb-purple-lipped-ball-slapper gains weight.
ReplyDeleteOh wait maybe that's Purple-lipped-absorbed (with)-Self-ball-slapping.
Earl wrote:
ReplyDelete"But like I said about Schilling in the earlier post, the best way to come out of this looking good is just keep your mouth shut and let your actions on the field speak for themselves*. Look back at the the 1998 Yankees (and the couple holdovers from then) and you have some good models for that."
Very good point. Do you hear Jeter making any comments. No.
A-Rod is an ass. Funny, I stumbled upon this web blog as I was searching for some answerst to my art homework.
School sucks. But baseball rocks. And the Yankees are the devil.
Remember that time Jesse post an Anonynmous post pretending to be an "art" student wasting time so that he could compliment himself on his previous comment?
ReplyDeleteThat was a good time.
Either that or some serious procrastinating by some poor art student who's still trying to figure out what "GYS" means.
I swear to God that was not me. The "art" thing is a little suspicious though. Matt? Longo?
ReplyDeleteNo...But it might have had something to do with the Art in America thing...By the way, what I figured out was that I created a blog under a different user name after the Janet Jackson debaucle...It was an angry rant about how people have to stop buying this crap and that if they checked out the struggling musicians and supported them we could get rid of silly musicians like Janet Jackson, etc...Speaking of silly musicians...Debbie Gibson will be in Playboy in March...Way to kick start that career!
ReplyDeleteYou've got to love how we have a thread that starts with Arod = upper echelon and 13 comments later ends with Debbie Gibson in playboy.
ReplyDeleteIs this coincidence? I think not!!!
Ah... that makes me chuckle to imagine Arod pumping himself up for the big game listening to Debbie Gibson's Geatest Hit. (Please notice the use of singular).