Meet the New AROD
Same as the Old AROD? After tonight's breakout against the Twins (2 good games in a row!), one wonders was this a darkest before the dawn phenomenon? AROD did really pile up the errors right before he resumed a more reasonable pace. Perhaps he similarly piled up the strike outs and missed opportunities before resuming his status as a regular season (and I emphasize regular season) superstar at the plate. Just when he became indelible E-Rod, he turned it around. Now that he became K-Rod, did he turn it around on offense as well? Or perhaps his hitting had become so humiliatingly awful that it absorbed all of his anxious attention, freeing him of all thoughts about fielding and throwing, which of course allowed him to succeed better in that area? Now that he's hitting homers again and driving in runs, will his throws start shooting off in all directions like rabid sugargliders, or now that he has returned to the fans' temporary good graces, with the teanm itself ensconced beyond worry in first, will he be able to play more comfortably in his own skin.
Something happened during the Boston massacre and in its aftermath. While AROD's struggles continued to frustrate all Yankee fans, they became less relevant to the fortunes of the team, which is to say they became less relevant. This happenstance offered AROD the opportunity to worry less about his individual performance and identify with the team's unexpectedly abrupt ascendancy. Working toward and identifying with the team's ascendancy is of course the mark of a "true Yankee." (Joe DiMaggio said he thanked God for making him a Yankee, not he thanked God for making him the finest all-around player of his generation). In AROD's case, this path to true Yankeedom might also prove the key to relieving egocentric obsessions and anxieties which torment him with and into failure. It is probably too much to hope that AROD has undergone some sort of Kafkaeseque (or is it Samsaesque) metamorphosis in reverse: from self-absorbed bug to family-directed mealticket.
And I for one Won't Get Fooled Again into believing it. But I won't be able to stop hoping either, just as I still find myself nursing the hope of a 15 strikeout shutout everytime Johnson takes the mound, even though I soooo know better.
Something happened during the Boston massacre and in its aftermath. While AROD's struggles continued to frustrate all Yankee fans, they became less relevant to the fortunes of the team, which is to say they became less relevant. This happenstance offered AROD the opportunity to worry less about his individual performance and identify with the team's unexpectedly abrupt ascendancy. Working toward and identifying with the team's ascendancy is of course the mark of a "true Yankee." (Joe DiMaggio said he thanked God for making him a Yankee, not he thanked God for making him the finest all-around player of his generation). In AROD's case, this path to true Yankeedom might also prove the key to relieving egocentric obsessions and anxieties which torment him with and into failure. It is probably too much to hope that AROD has undergone some sort of Kafkaeseque (or is it Samsaesque) metamorphosis in reverse: from self-absorbed bug to family-directed mealticket.
And I for one Won't Get Fooled Again into believing it. But I won't be able to stop hoping either, just as I still find myself nursing the hope of a 15 strikeout shutout everytime Johnson takes the mound, even though I soooo know better.
posted by joe valente | 1:07 AM
2 Comments:
There is no doubt that both Villone and Proctor have been overused to the point of either risking or destroying their effectiveness. You are correct, most of the blame does go to Wright, who refuses to pound the strike zone even when he has his stuff and so regularly succombs to the pitch count. After three outings, including today, Karstens has left me wondering whether he is not the solution. Shouldn't he take over as fifth starter for awhile to see what he has (he should be 2-0, see today's post) while Wright takes over the Sturtze role of long reliever? Soemthing to think about. The rest of the blame goes to the combination of Farnsworth, who complains about his back every third week, and Momma Joe who refuses to ignore the complaints and tell him to go out and earn his paycheck. All these guys have become aware that Momma can't tell the difference between discomfort and injury, and of course, given their druthers, they'd rather be comfortable. When AROD told the press he had played hurt through part of this year, it was widely greeted (by me as well) as a statement intended for the fans who were so disappointed in his performance. But AROD does show up to play everyday, and perhaps his words reflected his own disappointment with those on the team who do not.
Having said that, I really do think compelling Farnsworth to pitch is a more promising option than expecting Dotel to pitch effectively (as of now, he shouldn't be on the postseason roster) or expecting Bruney to carry you through tough situations.
As for Mo, apparently his rest regimen only means that he won't pitch three days in a row. and between the games they lose and the games they win handily, there really aren't that many occasions to use Mo 3 days in a row anyway. It is more important, I think, that he pitch no more than an inning and a third in any given game (which doesn't mean you have to wait until the end).
I am now officially Fooled Again. Man, A-Rod has really turned it on. If he hits like this, and Jeter, Abreu, and Giambi keep hitting, and Matsui returns and DHs, the Yanks may average 8 runs a game in the post-season.
Like I said, Fooled Again.
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