The Problem with AROD

is that he embodies and exacerbates the weaknesses that the Yankees already exhibit instead of acting as a bulwark against them, the sort of role one might expect a so-called superstar to perform. The yankees are prone to little league type errors. So what does AROD do? He commits the kind of error you won't see in a Little League game until the coach is forced to play that dufus benchwarmer because the game is supposed to be "fun" for everyone. The Yankees have trouble leaving men on base. So what does AROD do? he fails to make contact with men on second and third with one out. It is this context that allows us to understand why yankee fans, myself included, have turned on this guy so forcefully. It's not that he never produces. It's certainly not the money--like anyone cares if a guy makes 25,000,000 per annum instead of only 19,000,000. It's not his slick persona: if there is any athlete slicker in his public face than Jeter, I've yet to see him or her. No, it's the fact that he is a supposed superstar who is nevertheless the face of this team at its worst, much as Jeter is the face of this team at its best. Jeter is the face of Robby Cano spraying doubles down the line, because DJ does that sort of thing in a superstar register. AROD is the face of Bernie throwing badly or Wilson striking out with men on base, because AROD does that sort of thing, with regularity, in a superstar register. AROD functions, I am suggesting, as a symbol in Coleridge's sense of the term. He stands for something, unreliability at bat and in the field, of which he is himself a leading part. When the Yankee fans execrate AROD, they are execrating a larger pattern of disappointing tendencies on the team. And they do so with justice because he, as a putative superstar,sets the pace for these very tendencies.

Today the Yankees would lead the Sox by 5 in the loss column had AROD not thrown away a sure DP and allowed all those runs to score last night. How many games would the Yankees be leading by had AROD bought into the small ball concept, stopped taking so many damn strikes waiting for a HR pitch, stopped striking out so much as a result, started getting productive outs and raising his lowly batting average in the process, and fielded his position with just average proficiency? I don't know, but the ghost of those lost games cannot be exorcised, as the pundits seem to believe, by the endless citation of AROD's impressive lifetime stats.


THE SOLUTION FOR AROD?

For now I think the Yankees might want to think about trolling the waiver wires for a 3b with some pop (where is Vinny Castillo these days) so that they can make AROD the world's most overhyped DH. Giambi has never hurt them as badly, as consistently at 1b as AROD is at 3rd. In the year Knoblach blew up at 2nd, he made 26 errors. AROD is currently on a pace for 28 errors. And while third definitely a tougher position to play, the errors AROD is making are on the easiest plays. If Knoobby is too harsh a comparison, the later Steve Sax seems apt, and his career foundered on these same shoals.


PAVANO SIGHTING

After alot of buzz, from slow Joe among others, about how impressive baby Carl's stuff has been in workouts, Class A batters begged to disagree last night, when Pavano finally showed up to pitch in public, verifying the authenticity of his identity by giving up 3 runs, all earned, and five hits in just 2 2/3 innings. all you ERA and WHIP afficianados can do the math yourselves, but I think we can all agree (and hope) we won't be seeing this albatross on the big club anytime soon. Which I guess means we won't be seeing Dotel at all.

Too bad the Yankees (by which I mean Err-Rod) not only wasted a gutty performance by Mussina last night but a nice relief stint by Proctor as well. BGW notes that Mussina seems to have gotten overt the sulks when thib=ngs go badly. I agree. Instead he's gotten into the habit of callin out AROD after the game ("We can't be giving these guys four and five outs"). Good for him! No word of support for AROD from Jeter either. Good for him too!