By Mark La Monica
Derek Jeter singled to lead off the top of the ninth inning. Every Yankee fan in the country sat up and prayed what they figured would happen next wouldn’t happen at all.
It was Game 5 of the 2005 American League Division Series and the Yankees trailed Anaheim, 5-3. Alex Rodriguez came to the plate carrying a 2-for-14 slump and more pressure than Rosie O’Donnell’s high heels. A hit here and all would be forgiven, water under the George Washington Bridge. Even a walk would be OK. A hit-by-pitch. Alex, just get on base and they’ll name any street in the Bronx after you.
Rodriguez grounded into a double play.
“After the MVP season he had, and in the ultimate chance for redemption in Game 5, he hits into a double play,” Mike Deermount, creator of tradearod.com, told Keyboard Quarterbacks yesterday. “Nowadays, he gets up in a clutch situation, I’m thinking I’d rather have him strike out, because if he hits the ball, it’s going to be a double play.”
That would seem to be the current running through New York’s baseball circuits lately. Everyone wants to hate on A-Rod, especially after his awful June (.213, 3 HR, 11 RBI).
“I just don’t think he’ll ever excel here,” Deermount said.
So, for about $12, Deermount, 24, bought the URL and set up the site. That’s cheaper than a decent lunch in Manhattan. That’s 1/21,000th of A-Rod’s salary, before taxes that is.
But the disgust aimed at A-Rod goes way beyond one man’s Web site. There’s something deeper than that. Booing A-Rod has reached an all-time high in the Bronx. It has become the fashionable thing to do. Fans don’t really seem to care what inning it is, either. It could be the first inning and the Yankees could have already scored 11 runs. But if A-Rod pops out in his second at-bat of the inning, he’d likely hear some boos.
When he won the MVP after last season, New York newspapers still ripped. They wondered in print, as fans did on radio, whether or not A-Rod deserved it (even though the postseason has absolutely nothing to do with the award).
Why? That’s the real question.
It’s not as if the guy stinks. We’re talking about one of the five best players in the game right now who, when his career is done, will likely rank as one of the Top 10 baseball players in history.
Best I can figure, there are seven main reasons:
1) The contract
2) The slap
3) The comments
4) The lack of clutch hitting
5) The meaningless home run
6) He hasn’t earned his pinstripes
7) He’s not Derek Jeter
The contract
Yeah, $252 million for 10 years is quite a lot of money to be paid for anything, let alone playing baseball.
He didn’t force Rangers owner Tom Hicks to offer the deal. (His agent, Scott Boras, likely did). Did we expect A-Rod to say, “No, thanks, sir. That’s too much money. How about 10 years for $180 million?” Would any of us do such a thing? Our parents would smack us in the head for being so stupid. Friends and family would follow with what was left of our limp bodies.
But being the highest paid player carries a certain stigma. If he doesn’t go 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs each night, he might as well throw his glove away and go work as an actuary.
Makes no sense. Every athlete is overpaid when compared to us regular folks. If you want to boo someone, boo the oil company executives next time you fill up the car. Fans also have to realize that over the course of 162 games, athletes will deal with a slump or two. They all have them. Just accept it and move on.
The slap
Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. Against the Red Sox. Eighth inning. A-Rod hit a grounder up the first-base line. Bronson Arroyo fielded the ball and ran to tag A-Rod. With the Yankees trailing in the game, 4-2, and on the verge of blowing a 3-0 series lead, A-Rod slapped at Arroyo’s glove and knocked the ball loose. The original call was safe, but after the umpires huddled, they called A-Rod out for interference.
The Red Sox called the play “bush league” and “junior high.” He was mocked and ridiculed by plenty of people.
In reality, he made an instinctive attempt to help his team try to win a game and avoid what would become the greatest collapse in sports history. Any other player would have tried the same thing, but because it’s A-Rod, he gets mocked for it. The truth is if he got away with it, he’d have been praised. Funny how the line between brilliance and stupidity is so fuzzy.
The comments
Part of A-Rod’s responsibilities as one of the most talented and marketable stars is to talk to the media about baseball. Whether it’s fair or not, when a topic comes up, people want to know where A-Rod stands on it.
A-Rod will pretty much always make his voice be heard when asked. So, it can appear to fans that he’s always talking, but how much of it is him and how much of it is others seeking him out for opinion just because he makes the most money?
However, most of his quotes are bland and tempered. He’ll rarely say anything bad about anyone except for himself. Of course, 98 percent of professional athletes are the same way. But A-Rod takes the brunt of the abuse. Case in point: spring training 2005. The Red Sox ran their mouths about A-Rod. He did not respond, choosing to remain above the fray.
There’s little middle ground. If he makes outrageous comments, he’s all over television and the newspapers for days. Then he gets painted as a typical, spoiled athlete. If he doesn’t talk, he gets ripped for not having an opinion.
The lack of clutch hitting
It always seems that when the Yankees need a big hit, A-Rod is at the plate and the Yankees never get that big hit.
This perception is so ingrained into the fabric of fans, there’s almost no reason to even bring up the home run off Curt Schilling to beat the Red Sox last year, or the walkoff homer to beat the Braves on June 30 or the grand slam and three-run homer to help crush the Mets on July 2.
There are other instances of A-Rod coming up with big hits for the Yanks. The problem is not all of them come in the late innings. Very often, he’ll have a big hit early that helps the Yanks win. Or, better yet, he’ll come up with a key blast in the sixth inning that gives the Yanks a lead only to see the bullpen blow that lead. Who’s fault is that? A-Rod may not be having his greatest season, but he leads the American League with 13 game-winning RBI (second in majors to Albert Pujols’ 15).
Let’s take a look at some numbers for A-Rod:
2006
.282, 19 HR, 65 RBI, 61 R, 12 2B, 9 SBCareer
.306, 1,991 hits, 448 HR, 1,291 RBIPostseason
2004: .320, 16-50, 3 HR, 8 RBI
2005: .133, 2-15, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Career: .305, 36-118, 6 HR, 16 RBIWith runners in scoring position
2006: .303, 30-99, 8 HR, 49 RBI
As Yankee: .278, 25 HR, 192 RBI
Career: .304, 107 HR, 803 RBI
Postseason: 4-24, .167 0 HR, 6 RBIWith runners in scoring position and two outs
2006: .333, 14-42, 3 HR, 17 RBI
As Yankee: .276, 12 HR, 78 RBI
Career: .268, 34 HR, 266 RBI
Postseason: .000, 0-14, 0 RBI7th inning and beyond
2006: .252, 26-103, 6 HR, 18 RBI
As Yankee: .288, 24 HR, 75 RBI
Career: .281, 114 HR, 349 RBI
Postseason: .250, 11-44, 2 HR, 4 RBIClose and late*
2006: .170, 8-47, 1 HR, 7 RBI
As Yankee: .257, 7 HR, 32 RBI
Career: .272, 55 HR, 177 RBI
Postseason: .333, 8-24, 0 HR, 2 RBI* Defined as situations when score is tied or has one-run margin in the seventh inning or later, or with tying run on base, at the plate or on deck.
A-Rod is decent in clutch situations in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different story. But what do all these numbers really mean? He hit .133 in the 2005 ALDS against Anaheim, but his on-base percentage was close to .500.
The meaningless home run
“When you're up by 10 you can always count on A-Rod to hit the grand slam. But when you're down by 1 he goes down watching,” reads one of the top grievances on tradearod.com.
Let’s explore. Of A-Rod’s 19 home runs, five have come in a loss. In those five games, the Yanks scored a total of 26 runs. A-Rod had nine RBIs in those games. The Yanks lost those games by a total of 20 runs.
The Yanks won the other 12 games when A-Rod homered (he hit two homers on May 27 and July 2). Of those 12 games, five were decided by more than five runs. And in three of those five games, A-Rod drove in at least three runs, including seven in a 16-7 win over the Mets.
So, he’s not exactly hitting meaningless home runs, now is he? If you’re comfortable with discarding A-Rod’s home runs and RBIs, then you must think the bullpen is very capable of bridging the gap from starter to Mariano Rivera. Interesting.
He hasn’t earned his pinstripes
This has never made very much sense. It’s a mythical notion brought about by an 11-year run of playoff success mixed with four World Series rings in that span, the franchise’s tradition and a bunch of free-agent signings.
The hallmark moment for this concept of “earning the pinstripes” came on May 17, 2002. Jason Giambi, in his first season with the Yankees after signing a seven-year, $120 million deal, hit a walkoff grand slam in the 14th inning in the pouring rain to beat the Twins, 13-12, at the Stadium.
That home run told Yankee fans that Giambi’s presence was one to be felt. From that moment, this concept of earning one’s pinstripes has taken on new life.
A-Rod struggled in 2004, his first season with the Yankees, and didn’t have a defining moment. Yet he still hit 36 homers and drove in 106 runs. These are not bad numbers. In 2005, he beat Schilling in Fenway, and won the MVP award with a .321 avearge, 48 homers and 130 RBI. Still, people wanted him to win the playoffs all by himself to “earn his pinstripes.”
Giambi and Mike Mussina have never won a World Series with the Yankees. Neither has Hideki Matsui nor Gary Sheffield.
Don Mattingly never won a World Series, never even got there, but there’s not a Yankee fan in existence who would question his historical significance to the franchise.
He’s not Derek Jeter
Who is?
Jeter took over the city in 1996 during a magical season for the team. He was the homegrown, handsome, young shortstop with great all-around talent playing for a team that hadn’t won a championship since 1978. Eighteen years is a long time to go between championships, regardless of franchise or sport.
Instantly, Jeter became a winner. World Series champ. Rookie of the year. Whatever he does works. From the famous “flip play” to his famous girlfriends. How he escapes any kind of serious gossip-page scandal in this city is amazing. A-Rod? He even thinks about playing poker one day, boom, it’s the biggest story of the week.
Most of that isn’t fair, but it is what it is. This is Jeter’s city.
The Yankee culture is to win and then win again. Yankee fans have been spoiled over the past 11 years and they don’t want the winning to end. You can’t fault that passion at all.
Everyone has been booed at least once as a Yankee, even Jeter. Mariano Rivera, too. Roger Clemens, Giambi, Randy Johnson, Mattingly and Dave Winfield. It’s just a fact of life when playing in New York.
But A-Rod endures so much more abuse. Makes little sense. The over-abuse, that is. The “I’m paying outrageous ticket prices, so I can boo who I wanna boo” argument doesn’t work. Don’t go to the game. Maybe sit in the bleachers instead. Or wait until $5 ticket night.
Fans seem to realize that they can get under a player’s skin and they like that. Just ask Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran at any point last year.
Surely, A-Rod wants to excel. He’s always the first one to say it. But it seems he has only two options left to end the booing and the hating he receives from so many Yankee fans:
1) Hit game-winning home runs in four straight World Series games.
2) Hope Carl Pavano returns to deflect the abuse.
Comments (78)
Those stats don't have an impact on fans' impressions that A-Rod consistently fails in the clutch, because that's what we remember. Last year's double play in game 5 was devastating. The point everyone in the media is missing is that A-Rod invites scorn because of his body language. What is says is that he is overly self-conscious and postured, he is condescending, he approaches the game as a game, a child's game, not as a down-and-dirty war, the way for example Jeter and Posada do. He's not acting like a regular guy, he's acting like a prima-donna. That infuriates fans. Look at the artificial way he brings his legs up to his chest when he advances for example from base to base on a walk - like a little girl. Overall he comes across as a weak sister because once again the failures stick in the mind of the fan, the occasional hit does not. All those stats have no juice, no effect upon the average Yankee fan's emotions, understand? They remember what they want to remember, which is that A-Rod is NOT a clutch player. He is not a ballsy player. He is not a regular guy. You will never change that gut feeling about the guy by rattling off statistics. He does suffer greatly by playing next to Giambi who fans respect for coming back, next to Jeter who is a true team player and a fearless warrior willing to sacrifice himself for the team, and Posada for example who always is playing hurt and is about as down and dirty and regular a guy literally and personality wise as you'll find in baseball. Add Mariano who is Mr. Clutch about 80 times a year and A-Rod has NO chance to fit in here. I remember when Bobby Murcer had asked A-Rod as a goof to help him hit a home run in the All-Star game and the camera showed how dismissive and condescending A-Rod was to Bobby, one of the most likeable and unassuming guys in the game. People hate A-Rod because he comes across as a big baby. That to me is the main reason he will forever get booed in NY. If A-Rod was just relaxed and being himself and playing hard and unselfconsciously for the team, if he looked gritty and tough, like Mattingly always did he would be popular, no doubt about it. As it is, he comes across as a momma's boy, the privileged little kid whose mother drops him off at school in a Rolls Royce, as a sissy who is afraid to get his hands dirty, the kind of guy the bullies loved to taunt and beat up in high school. That's why the Red Sox hate him so much and give respect to Jeter, for example. That's the point all you reporters are missing. A-Rod brings this upon himself. He's comes across as a huge phony and a sissy and a condescending "me" player who has no balls when the heat is on, never will.
The problem with A-Rod is that he is not a "warm and fuzzy" kind of guy. When you look at the Red Sox, you can clearly see that those guys have genuine support for each other. Johnny Damon is still like that, and that is why the fans have accepted him as a true Yankee. He embraces the game. He embraces a win and good efforts of his team mates. Who doesn't love someone like that? But that kind of support is lost on a group of players that live in emotional silos. Look at the Red Sox bench during a game when someone gets that key hit. Then, look at the Yankees when someone gets that key hit.
A-Rod is a great player, no doubt. He is not a great team mate.
A-Rod will have his 40 plus homers 100 plus RBI's a 300 average when the smoke clears this season.He's an excellent defensive 3rd basement with a great arm.I'm a 30 year yankee fan......NY Give this man a break,it's Roger Maris all over again.
I's like to add reason number 8 to the list, the A-Rod curse...he's played for the Mariners, the Rangers, the Yankees and even Team USA...and never won anything !
The reason is just what Harold Reynolds of ESNP said. He should just stop whining and making excuses, shut his mouth and just play the game.
You left out a really big reason Yankee fans have had a hard time accepting A-ROD. When he was with the Rangers and made derogatory comments about Jeter in a magazine article, when they were supposed to be friends made him look real jealous, and a back stabber. That was it for him in NY.
Even in these comments, after reading your blog article these fans think they know everything about A-rod. Fine, he got heralded early on, got a huge contract, hit for big numbers, but fans' over-analysis is borderline ridiculous. This guy who says A-rod's not "ballsy," Who says he approaches baseball as a game, Baseball IS a game, last time I checked. Just because you want your favorite team to win doesn't mean your players need to bust out M-16s. I see A-rod's uniform get as dirty as any other guy's when he steals a base and dives for a ball.
You call A-rod a guy unwilling to sacrifice himself for the team? It is quite evident that, had he remained a shortstop, he would HAVE GONE DOWN AS THE BEST SHORTSTOP IN THE HISTORY OF MLB. But, he wanted to play with a winning team so badly, that he attempted (without knowing the nuances of Scott Boras' contract) to negotiate a lower salary to sign with the Red Sox; and then he wanted to play with the YANKEES so badly, and he's such a TEAM PLAYER, that he MOVED TO THIRD BASE. I love Derek Jeter - my favorite player on the team, but c'mon, A-rod was a better-fielding SS than Jeter. Any sports guy with a brain will have to own up to it. Yet he moved his position, gave up the chance to go down as easily the best SS in the history of the game, never complained ONCE about it, and you head-case "fans" are calling the guy "not a team player?" You say he has "condescending body language?" You're wrong, man. You're the one being condescending. You're the one pre-judging a guy who you don't know. I got sick when Yankees fans booed Jeet 2 years ago, when they booed Mo last year, and it's these fickle fans that are the "condescending" ones. We're Yankees fans. We're used to having our $15-20 million guys busting out game-winning RBIs, hitting .320, with a .400 OBP, .900 OPS, and being on the ESPN Baseball tonight highlights. We're used to winning the pennant, if not the whole thing. Stop blaming one guy. If FANS stop making the guy feel like GARBAGE, maybe he WILL play relaxed and get you those "clutch hits" that you think he never delivers.
All I have to say is.....Don't you wish your third baseman was David Right...Don't Cha Don't Cha
Wright
Another reason is that why does he always find the need to make it public that he goes and cries to his therapist every time something goes wrong...To think 252 million dollars is enough therapy for anyone. Wipe those tears with 100 dollar bills A-Rod and do something on the field. Props to Jeter for not sticking up for A-Rod but backing the steroid cheater Giambi.
Nil D --
You don't have to be Dr. Phil to see that A-Rod's problem is that he is a big momma's boy. I said it because the beat writers can't, not without getting slapped with a lawsuit. He doesn't come through in the real pressure situations because he can't. Here's a sad comment on A-Rod's status. Right now I'd rather have the rookie Melky batting in a clutch situation than A-Rod, and I'm not being sarcastic.
Playing next to gut-it-out every day guys like Jeter and Posada who consistently do come through just makes it that more obvious and worse for A-Rod. Jeter could have played on any Yankee time in their history and done well and earned respect. If A-Rod showed up on a DiMaggio/Mantle/Berra/Hank Bauer/Billy Martin dominated team he would have been mercilessly hounded by the other players and the fans until he quit. Also, having a a lassez-faire manager like Torre doesn't help this team or A-Rod. A-Rod couldn't wait to get away from the proactive Buck Showalter that's why he left Texas. Torre's constant reminders that players need to "relax" and to "get comfortable", the way he allows his star players to dictate to him, such as chasing him back into the dugout when he starts to make a pitching change is the wrong approach for this club. This is technically a game, but it is in fact primarily a multi-billion dollar corporate business and players should not be counseled and babied and told to "get comfortable". They should go out there feeling the pressure to produce, and if they can't handle that, then they should find something else to do because the professional sports spotlight in NY is not for them. Period. I prefer Ozzie Guillen's approach to Torre's anyday. God, would I love to see Pinella back in pinstripes. But it isn't going to happen. Cashman and Torre have the money machine cranking and they aren't going to do anything to disrupt that. George is out of the picture, something is going on with him, that's obvious. I say that the Yankees go out in the first round of the playoffs this year AND next under Torre, if they even make it to the post-season at all.
The real problem is, Yankee fans, on the whole, are idiots. Yankee fans seem to have this ingrained belief that they are better than everyone else, because the team that they root for won 26 championships. Bit effin deal, what have YOU done? The Yankees are getting older, they've been stupid with their money, stupid with their trades, and as a result - surprise! - the team has suffered. A-Rod gets the blame because he is the highest paid player on the highest paid team, who are turning into perrenial failures.
The more all of the so called yankee fans rip a-rod, the more i love him. Most of you guys know nothing about the Yankees before 1996. I'll take Alex on my team any day of the week.
...the reasons he is so hated are his contract and skin brown skin...and because he has no rings...yet...
^^^correction^^^...the reasons he is so hated are his contract and his brown skin...and because he has no rings...yet...
This is such a complete joke. Giambi hits a grand slam and he "earns his stripes?" Please. I am a huge fan of Giambi. But the guy cheated!!! And what did he say? "I am sorry" without EVER owning up to anything! What did A-Rod do to deserve this? He can't win and it is a joke. New York fans are supposed to be all knowing, the best and smartest fans in the world. But it seems that these "fans" are not giving one of their own guys a fair shake at all. If he hits the game winner, "that's what he is paid for." If he hits into another double play, "He stinks." The only way he can win these fair-weather fans over, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT ALL YOU BOO-ERS ARE, FAIR-WEATHER FANS, is if he hits four walk off home runs in the world series. Why do you alienate this guy?? It is ridiculous! We are ALL spoiled from the late 90's run we had. Nobody can win it all every year. And ALL of these free agent signings that we have had from Mussina too Giambi have won absolutely nothing. NOTHING!! He is having the most amazing "horrible season" in the history of baseball. All of you phony fans, and that ridiculous trade A-rod website have no idea what you are watching with this guy and you are going to miss it. And when he does carry us to a world series and gets his world series MVP, all you phony fans will be the first ones behind him saying you always had his back. And back to that ridiculous website, I feel really bad for you people. You obviously have no clue about anything, you all were probably picked on in high school and you probably can't walk and chew gum at the same time as far as athletic ability. And I would normally never say any of this but a website to trade A-rod?!?!? WOW!! You really have a lot of time on your hands...Pathetic actually.
Hello Mark,
You put up valid reasons as to why New York fans should not be so tough on A-Rod. But you do realize that this is New York and not Texas or Seattle. The fans here want to win. Even if we are in last place like the Knicks, we want to win every year. As for A-Rod, I do believe that the fans can be overly critical, but the fact remains, he makes the most money in baseball. He will be criticized always because of that contract. If he didn't get paid, they would say that he is underpaid and the best player money can buy. It is interesting to see what happened after the 2000 season. A-Rod was ready to sign with the Mets, but we will never know how that played out. Some say that Steve Phillips played hardball with him and some say that the Mets weren't willing to give into A-Rod's demands. A-Rod said that things got blown out of proportion that year. But who's to say who is right? I think that A-Rod feels he is the best player in the game. He plays the game like he is a God. When he fails, it brings him down and we love seeing it. So for most of us that bring home $30k to $60k a year, its nice to see a $252 million dollar man fall flat on his face. If A-Rod wants to play in a big stage and out do Jeter, well you better hurry up!
Much of the poor treatment A-Rod gets stems from the way the organization publicly behaves towards him. From The Boss on down to Torre, Jeter and the rest of the Yankees, Alex is rarely given anything that resembles support. From the beginning, Alex has gotten a cold reception from Jeter (who can't play either SS or 3rd as well as A-Rod), and as the unreasonable expectations failed to be met and the fans voice their dissatisfaction, at best he's gotten only lame, weak back-handed praise from Torre (or silence- even more damning), who wouldn't say word one in anyway even remotely critical about the two Balco cheats on his roster. The fans pick up on this and pile on. A-Rod has never been treated like part of the team; he's become a pariah. Lets see Jeter or Giambi or Posada receive the same scrutiny and be subjected to the same abuse at every failed opportunity, while any success is regarded as the smallest minimal payment on a huge debt the fans feel they are owed. Then, be left out to dry by the owner, manager and the rest of the team. Every HR and RBI is worthless; any out he makes is the reason for a Yankee loss. Maybe Alex should start to hot-dog and showboat- every time he gets an RBI or makes a good defensive play, he should pump his fist or smack his palms together in the manner of a certain popular team captain. This will let everyone know that he's a BIG HERO and has just made a good play that he wants everyone to notice. I'd actually like to see A-Rod traded- to Boston. That way, at least he'll get to be in the post-season this year. Unlike the rest of the spoiled, selfish and imploding Yankees and their fans with their culture of whining cry-baby entitlement and lack of appreciation for what it really takes to make a team a champion.
A-Rod is a Yankee, therefore he must suck.
Go Mets.
Landlord, you are an arse. A-rod isn't disliked because of his brown skin. What color is Jeter, Mariano, Bernie, etc.? What a stupid, moronic remark to make. It ain't about skin color/race, you nincompoop.
There is no doubt A-Rod is a good player. For some reason, he just hasn't clicked during playoffs. Sh*t happens. It doesn't amount to anything since the Yankee pitching sucks, and they'll screw up IF they make the playoffs this year. You can't give away the runs Yankee pitchers are giving away and win ball games, A-Rod or no. Bigger question - what gives with the egomanicial Mr. R. Johnson???
Most of your reasons I agree with, except lack of clutch hitting. I tend to have a different definition of "clutch" than you. But I guess being clutch can be separated into degrees. 2 outs with RISP has a level of "clutchness" to it. RBIs that shave a lead or take the lead have a degree of "clutch" as well. But I don't call these "clutch" hits. I call them important hits.
To me, clutch hitting starts in the seventh inning of a close game...or, as your stats put it, the close and late situation. You kind of just brushed aside A-rod's poor hitting in these situations with a poor excuse, that sometimes, A-rod gets the big hit early in the game. Well, so what? That doesn't disprove his lack of clutch hitting. Jeter, Posada, Sheffield, Matsui, even guys like Cabrera and Phillips can get a big hit early in the game. But, they can also get a big hit late in the game. You can't be only good in one situation but not the other. That's not the way the game works. You need to be ready for every situation. You can't just say, with A-rod coming up as the tying run in the 9th, "Oh, it's OK that A-rod will probably fail here because he hits better earlier in the game anyways." No. He needs to be ready and able for every situation, early or late, like every other player on the team is.
Here's why I can't stand Alex Rodriguez:
*He's a complete phony (he said he left Seattle for Texas, because the Rangers could win a World Series - does he think we're stupid?). Be real and say you went for the money.
*He's a whiner (Instead of honoring the contract, he pouts and pressures the Rangers to trade him.)
*He thinks he's above the game (he practically handpicked the team he was traded to.)
*He's a punk (slapping the ball out of the Red Sox' first-baseman's glove).
*He didn't deserve an MVP award playing for a last-place Texas team.
This just proves the direction of yankee fans nowadays, they have turned an arguement about a-rod into comparing joe torre and ozzie guillen, but on that note guillen will be lucky to have his job at the end of the year and saying that he is a better manager than torre is ludicrous....in any case, A-Rod might be a baby, but to say you dont want the second best player in mlb (pujols number 1) on the team is crazy...he will have a huge second half, the 2 homer met game was the turning point for him this season
Here's one reason. On Sunday, David Wright and ARod were to host an All-Star game party for the MLB website....and A-Punk didn't show up. But you know who did? The BEST THIRD BASEMAN IN NEW YORK....David Wright!! A-Rod was seen partying with his boy Jeter that night. Did A-Rod say sorry....NO!! He was actually mad that MLB used his name. He's a loser!
He is hated because he turned down his Dominican heritage so there he loses a load of his fans and also he is so over paid!!!! He needs to get off of that cloud he is floating on!
I know all the stats and do think he should have won the MVP last year (he played gold glove type 3rd base to big papi's bench warming...no contest).
What I hate about A-Rod, and someone tell me if you've noticed this too, is how he nods his head after he takes a strike, strikes out, grounds into a double play, makes an error. As if to say "Ok...now I see. This is all unfolding exactly as I have forseen it. Now I get it."
Has anyone else noticed this? I hate it.
First of all I am a White Sox fan, and we look foward to sweeping the Yanks soon. But as far as Arod is concerned, the salary, the choke job in 2004 and lack of clutch hits will doom him. ARod is a talented player but think about this, he, Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson in his prime did not win while they were Mariners. Some guys just cannot get it done while others can. Period, end of story. It is not always the best players or highest paid. The Yankees payroll is sick, yet it has been 6 years now without a title. This year will make it 7.
First of all I am a White Sox fan, and we look foward to sweeping the Yanks soon. But as far as Arod is concerned, the salary, the choke job in 2004 and lack of clutch hits will doom him. ARod is a talented player but think about this, he, Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson in his prime did not win while they were Mariners. Some guys just cannot get it done while others can. Period, end of story. It is not always the best players or highest paid. The Yankees payroll is sick, yet it has been 6 years now without a title. This year will make it 7.
There are 252 million reasons people hate a-rod. Booing this guy is ignorant. He is a bit contrived and gets bad PR advice. Hope he gets traded away for his own good and so the ignorant people who boo him will then realize how good they had it. By the way, how about Jeter at 3rd base or CF?
I am the biggest Yankee fan of all time since 77.....anybody who goes to the stadium these days is definitely not a yankee fan, and knows nothing about baseball. Just sit in the bleachers and listen to the fat,ugly idiots boo bernie one minute, and cheer him when he gets a hit.....enough said. Youre all garbage
Yo La Monica!
I agree with previous posters that there are 252 million reasons why A-Rod is better known as Lightning Rod when it comes to fan 'abuse' (thankfully the Yankees foot about 1/2 the bill). I also agree that if you pay to see the game, you can voice your dissatisfaction so long as it's done with some small measure of tact. You should expect only the best output given the payroll and your ticket prices in New York. Period. This isn't Milwaukee.
However, the reasons A-Rod is even asked to produce in 'clutch' situations, is because there are TOO MANY clutch situations in the first place...all the other Yankees are asked to do the same and some have fallen short (does anyone remember the .190 avg Giambi was carrying around a few springs ago?)...this is traced back to the current version of the team, which has no David Cone, Jimmy Key, Andy Pettite, Rocket or heck even a Boomer Wells. Mussina and Johnson are artists, but as much as they protest their competitiveness, they are not bulldogs in the sense that Cone and Rocket and Pettite were. And couple that with their age and restricted menu of pitches and velocity and you begin to see that the Yankees need 8 runs a night, and NO team in history has averaged that over a season (corrections welcome).
Cashman and Torre continue to search for offensive output but they need to find another two serviceable rotation pitchers and they need to find them fast. If Sheff isn't going to be a Yankee next year, lose him and get something in return while you can (yeah he's injured, but does anyone doubt he'll be a monster again upon his return or at least next spring?); middle relief has been a joke since 2001, there is no single pitcher who can hold the fort when a starter falls apart before the sixth inning. Villone, Proctor, Farnsworth, Myers, Beam who who who? The scouting department should shoulder some of the blame for even recommending some of these clowns. Lastly on the pitcher front, the Yankees should think TEN TIMES before importing NL pitchers and expecting the same output. Just not reasonable to do so. One successful ex-Yankee is Kenny Rogers, but he is only successful because there's no pressure (or even cameramen!) at Comerica and he can pitch to his heart's content and not be bothered with the aura of success that NY demands (would love to see how he does for Detroit if and when they make the playoffs, suspect either of the Sox teams would eat him for lunch). Pitching would keep this powerful lineup in most games, and that's something this team simply does not have, at all. Chacon and Small have gone by the wayside. Wright is not the Wright of '97, nor should we expect him to be. Pavano will never wear pinstripes again in my opinion and Wang is now left to shore up what used to be the Yankees strong suit. A complete rotation overhaul is needed, the sooner the better. Then A-Rod's towering home runs will come when needed, because he won't be asked to bat 1.000 or risk being called every name in the book. He's proven he can produce in this town, it's up to OTHERS to show they can too (Messrs. Johnson and Damon, that means YOU!)
THE NEW YORK MEDIA HAS STARTED THIS ENTIRE NONSENSE. THE AVERAGE PERSON BELIEVES EVEYTHING THEY READ IN THE NEWSPAPER AND HEAR ON WFAN IS GOSPEL. IT'S REALLY ASHAME, GREAT PLAYERS IN THE FUTURE WILL NOT WANT TO COME TO NEW YORK AND HAVE THE MEDIA TURN THE FANS AGAINST ALL-TIME GREATS. HOPEFULLY THE FANS WILL WAKE UP AND SUPPORT THEIR PLAYERS THROUGH THICK AND THIN. VERY SELDOM IS ANYTHING WRITTEN IN A POSITIVE VAIN ABOUT THE YANKEES, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PLAYOFFS 11 YEARS IN A ROW. JUST THINK ABOUT IT !!!
Right on, Jerry Knox! The overall reason for all the criticism: The people doing the criticizing are MORONS.
WELL DONE JERRY. ALL OF YOU BOO-ERS ARE MISSING A SPECIAL, SPECIAL PLAYER IN A-ROD. HE WILL SHUT YOU ALL UP IN TIME, THAT IS A FACT. AND HE WILL BREAK A FEW WORLD SERIES RECORDS ALONG THE WAY. YOU ARE ALL PHONY, ALL OF YOU BOO-ERS!!! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO WATCH HIM...OH, AND JUST WATCH THE SECOND HALF THE GUY HAS.
Regarding "The Slap": Anyone who has ever played baseball understands that you do whatever you can do to get on base. If A-Rod doesn't get called out on that play, he's a genius. Doesn't anyone who is old enough to remember Reggie Jackson sticking his hip out against the Dodgers in the World Series? Jackson was labeled as a genius after that play. We are lucky to have a player of A-Rod's caliber on the Yankees. That's what the financial resources the Yankees have will bring. This guy changed positions to come here, won an MVP award and as pointed out in the blog, HAS hit some big homeruns.
One guy commented that A-Rod should "stop the whining and making excuses". I have to ask what paper he is reading because I've never seen A-Rod do anything but take the blame, even when he clearly wasn't the reason they lost. A-Rod seems to put tremendous pressure on himself because I think he is used to being the one that had to carry his teams, but make no bones about it, we haven't had a 3b like this since Nettles. Come on people now, smile on your brother A-Rod!
Stop the Booing. Boone is gone.
What I'd like to know: WHAT is going to change between now and this weekend which will enable the "awesome" second half May-Rod and his supporters keep talking about? Wishful thinking? What, exactly? And if he can do it next half, why couldn't he do it this half? I think it's all bull myself. Bottom line, even if he does have a good second half, everyone knows that when it comes down to it, he'll still go 1 for 15 in the next playoff series. And BTW, anyone ever notice that if you add up 6-4-3, his favorite way to kill a rally, you get 13, May-Rod's uniform number? Coincidence? I don't think so! LOL
I am embarrassed to say I am one of those fans. I really like A-Rod and I agree with most of what you say. But it always seems the game is on the line and A-Rod comes up and strikes out, pops out or just makes an out. If it was Posada, Giambi (anyone but Jeter) I believe the fans would do the same. We are the NYY and we should be playing better because of the player on our team. No excuses, they are all superstars and sometimes they play like little leaguer. I am not a fan of Pavano and I think he should be embarrassed to cash his check knowing what he collects from the team and he offers nothing. He is a modern day Kevin Brown and if we trade anyone I hope it is him. I would rather pay another $5 a seat than suffer through another year of his excuses and aches. Thanks for listening. Go Yankees!
Raffy...you are right on the money!!!
I hate ARod BUT that stems from his years before NY, not by what he has or hasn't done in NY.
But none of the Yanks' issues have to do w/ him...their pitching is plain terrible.
WE ARE SOPHISTICATED NEW YORKERS, LET'S ACT THE PART. WE DON'T NEED TO BE MANIPULATED BY THE MEDIA, WHO LOVES CONTROVERSY; AND HAS NO LOVE FOR OUR TEAMS OR PLAYERS. LET'S TURN DEAF EARS TO THE MEDIA, AND SUPPORT OUR PLAYERS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR BOSS, OR ANYONE PUTTING YOU DOWN, WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD DAY ON YOUR JOB. AND DON'T EVEN BRING UP THE MONEY DIFFERENCE, IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT WHAT YOU DO, YOU WOULD MAKE MILLIONS ALSO. GO YANKS, GO A-ROD, GO NEW YORK TEAMS !!
Why do Yankee Fans Hate A-Rod?
Gents and Ladies,
The problem w/ A-Rod is that he's trying to hard to fit in, so therefore he's struggling mind that I said struggling. All, he needs to do is just relax and play the freaking game, don't worry that you have to carry the team he's not the team, nor DJ or JG or RJ. Yankees they need pitching, not hitting and overall THEY ALL NEED TO GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THEIR REAR AND PLAY BASEBALL C'MON WHAT'S GOIN'ON I'M FREAKING TIRED OF THEIR PITCHING GIVING UP THE LEAD IF THE YANKEES SCORE 5 RUNS, WHAT DO THE PITCHING DO? THEY GIVE UP 7 RUNS PITCHING SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think the majority of yankee fans today are just fair weather fans anyway most season ticket holds not all but most only got tickets because they yankees started to win. i have been a yankee fan for 22 years in the early and late 80's when the yankees were like the pirates, most fans today need the name on the yankee jerseys because they dont know the players by numbers, THATS WHAT BEING A YANKEE FAN IS ALL ABOUT! as for A-Rod, i think that 99% of A-Rod haters have never played baseball a day in their lives, and like most sports fans who think they know the game cause they can spit out stats doesnt make you a player or give you knowledge of the game. i played ball for 17 years and even d-II college ball, its hard give A-Rod a break he changed his position to come to the greatest team in sports, and yeah he hasnt performed in the clutch but hey look at jason giambi where did all those haters go, see you stood behind your player as fans and thats what you need to do, how could you perform if you had 56,000 people booing and saying ungodly things. Give him a break he was the MVP! I'm not very fond of A-rod but as a yankee fan he is a member of my team and i support him, like it was said in another postin above this is the hating of roger maris all over again. Go A-Rod!
Hey, I am not a Yankee fan but a Met fan and frankly, I hate A-FAKE!
A-FAKE, if you remember during the 2000 World Series, publicized the fact that you wanted to become a New York Met after he became a free agent. Of course he spurned (burned) them by going to the Rangers. The was the best decision you ever made!
Bottom line, he took the money! Just like other free agents in the past! Hey A-FAKE, thanks for choosing the Rangers, BOSOX I mean Yankees!
First off I want to say that I agree with many who have pointed out how stupid Yankees' fans have become. My personal favorite is the guy who pointed out that “A-Rod won an MVP for a last place Texas team" as a reason for hating A-Rod. Yeah, it's A-rod’s fault the stupid sportswriters picked him. What should he do, publicly reject the award? Fans like that are idiots. I once thought Yankees' fans for the most part were very knowledgeable but that clearly isn't the case any longer.
A-rod is hated because of the way he acts. As one guy said, he left for Texas signing that record contract to only demand a trade a few years later to a team he hand-picked. The reason Texas couldn’t put together a good pitching staff in large part was because of A-Rod’s ridiculous contract. And who can forget the way he carried on publicly earlier this year on his all important decision whether to play for the U.S. or Dominican WBC teams. You and Clemens both need to get over yourselves. You throw in his comments about Jeter, and it's just too much to overcome for guy that never seems to come through in the clutch (two things you can say about Yankees’ fans; 1) winning matters more than anything else; and 2) Jeter is as close to a God as they come because of reason number one). It's his behavior that is drawing the criticism, and he is not alone--just ask Barry Bonds...
Yankee fans are out of their mind...some of them anyway.there are plenty of us who dont go to Yankee stadium to act like a jackass and boo the players....leave Arod alone already........Arod has had a ton of clutch hit for this team...moved positions in the prime of his career..Who the hell cares if he makes $5 a day or 5 million i still dont see any of that money.The fact is instead of booing how about cheering him and be happy were watching one of the great players in the history of the game...a guy who ill be able to tell my grandkids i saw play..Ive never seen the guy take a play off.he hustles out every ball and never makes any excuses.Its time for Yankees fans to pipe down and start cheering this guy. Also lets be honest Sports fans arent as smart as they used to be........there been a dumbing down of the media and fans in the last 20 years or so.......with things like Fantasy sports and ESPN more fans are focused on pure stats and really dont grasp the game. Well this is one Yankee fan who says im glad your a Yankee Arod there are still some real Yankees fans out here
Keep the beast Spare the swing there is disppointment on every team sheff has done it jeter has done it and now arod has done it Oh and by the way barry bonds One of if not the best player ever has done it . disappoint that is
Why do Yankee fans hate Arod? Real Yankee fans don't hate Arod. Real Yankee fans see a much deeper picture than just blaming one player. It is only the fake Johnny come lately fans that hate Arod - and the vast majority of them are certifiable morons given that their posts, and reasons therein, are for the most part non-sensical. And what little that does make sense could be applied to just about anyone (baseball players aside). As pointed out in Mark's commentary - the facts, er uh, "stats" show otherwise. But, pseudo-Yankee fans - don't let a minor inconvenience like "FACTS" get in your way! Boo, because it's now fashionable to do so. Funny how just after September 11, 2000 EVERYONE was from New York . . . Now it's fun to boo Arod - just like everyone else. His Contract - not a single one of you would have done anything different - and it was and for the most part, remains the Rangers problem to pay the majority of the contract. Arod is to be honored and praised for being a great baseball player but a stupid business man? Right. The slap? Give me a break - yeah, you new found Yankee fans (and Bosox fans in disguise appearing here - we see ya so give it up!) - Arod should have just meekly stopped in the basepath and let local county fair rock "star", er uh I mean Arroyo tag him out. Arod's comments - free speech issues aside, so what - you all are just jealous you can't rip on those in your lives you'd love to rip. Plus, the comments are not even remotely significant. Clutch hitting? See the "FACTS", not the hype. Arod has hit just fine. Trouble is, he's played almost every game when others playing around him have fallen to injury etc., and let's face it - having to get a clutch hit late in an 8-7 ballgame isn't exactly a single batter's fault. A stronger bullpin might go a long way to making those "clutch" late inning situations less common. Meaningless home runs? Again, look at the facts. With our bullpin I have to question anyone that describes a homerun as "meaningless". Earn his pin strips - I'll leave that one alone until someone can (1) articulately and objectively describe that term, and (2)then hold the likes of Mattingly, Moose, etc. to the same standard. Arod is not Jeter - nor is anyone else in baseball.
hello friends,
I feel that the New York media has started this and it has snowballed.
A Rod is the best player in baseball and I think he will come around and be just fine in the second-half of the season.
Maybe if some of you so-called Yankee fans should be more considerate to the home team remember you stick with them through thick and thin!
Quit bashing the guy it is not call for!
Remember this is a team sport not an individual sport! So if you want to criticize A Rod criticize the rest of the ballplayers.
A Rod is a winner regardless of what these jealous people are saying and doing
I feel when it is all said and done we will win the pennant no doubt we will stop that journey this weekend by sweeping the overrated White Sox
Getrdone
Helloooooooo out there in fantasy land........
It's NOT A-ROD, it's the pitching, Stupid!
Go Yankees!
He whines too much. Stop making excuses and just play and don't complain. For all of the money he makes, he should just suck it up.
I can remember when everyone got on Bonds case because his playoff numbers were dreadful. Then he lead the Giants to the Series and was a monster. Look how great Mattingly was all those years and he only made it to the playoffs when he was done (although he excelled vs. Seattle). The point is that A-Rod is probably the most talented player we're likely to see up close and personal in a Yankee uniform in our lifetime. I am willing to bet that he'll be a beast if the pitching staff can get this team to the Series. Moose, Sheff, Matsui, Giambi - where are their rings? I concur with a previous blogger - this is Maris revisted! Just because he makes $125 million doesn't mean he can't have feelings. STOP THE DARN BOOING!
I amy a huge A-Rod fan. He's a great player, but I do agree with some of you and disagree with others. His problem is not being fake because Jeter is the same way, and don't say he isn't. The media called Jeter a goat for the error he made in the '03 WS against the Marlins.
A-Rod's problem is he want to be liked by everybody and don't know when to just say go F the world. He's going to be in the HOF because of his talent not for being liked or disliked by the fans or media for that manner.
As for the not being like by his hertiage. Who are you to say that. I'm black and I'm not getting upset when Manny chose to play for DR instead of the US and he has dual citizenship just as A-Rod has.
The best thing for A-Rod is for him to get traded. Any fan who cheers someone who takes roids but, boos a clear talent like A-Rod doesn't deserve to treated like crap from so called fans like that.
And 2.6 million fans can't be wrong either.
I can't understand why he is in the All-Star game tonight. His June was pitiful. I think he is overrated and overpaid. I heard a NY voice on ESPN say yesterday "Just wait until he gets going" Well, the season is half over, how long do you wait? Christmas is coming.
30 yr Yankee fan and I remember the days of Dave Winfield who could never get out of Reggie's shadow and the subsquent 18yr drought that Yankees Haters choose to forget when they claim the Yanks buy World Series.
I dont get the booing of an MVP and I dont get the worship of Jeter who is a great player but why is he is given a pass for not coming up CLUTCH in the 04' debacle and not switching positions when AROD came aboard. Piazza got a whole bunch of crap for not moving off Catcher why is Jeter consistently given a pass.
There were other reasons why the Yanks won besides Jeter so dont tell me the 4 rings.
We all know that had more to do with MO,Oneill,Tino,Bernie and Brosius.
Big-time Yankee fan for almost 30 years and I'd rather have A-Rod than not. I think a lot of the booing stems from jealousy (he's got a $252 million contract and plays for one of the world's most popular franchises) and media hype. We all think back to '04 and the "slap play," but the Yankees as a whole didn't come through in the last two games of the dreaded comeback. Should he be singled out as the sole reason for the Yankees' failure to win the ALCS when the team was rolling along so nicely the first three games? I don't think so.
I think A-Rod is bound to have a great second half and I'm confident the Yankees will give the Red Sox and the rest of the AL a LOT to think about (and be worried about) come September - and hopefully October.
And Mets fans: Save the whole "David Wright is better" talk. He's NOT and I'd say that even if I wasn't a Yankees fan. David has a long way to go to ursurp A-Rod. If the Mets win it all this year, then you may have an argument.
GO YANKEES!!
A-Rod might be a better fielder than Jeter, but he'll never be as heady a player as Jeter, as clutch a player as Jeter nor as real a player as Jeter.
Examples:
A-Rod NEVER would have made the backhanded flip to home plate that Jeter made against the A's. He wouldn't even have been in position to make the play because he doesn't have an instinctive a baseball brain as Jeter.
A-Rod NEVER will have the respect Jeter elicits from his peers because he NEVER will have won four titles in his first five years. Heck, he hasn't even won ONE title yet. Say what you will about A-Rod switching positions; it was all a ploy so he could help discard the notion he isn't a winner, and yet all his move to the Yankees has done is reinforce that notion. A-Rod is all about A-Rod and always will be; Jeter has always been and always will be about the Yankees.
A-Rod NEVER will come across as real because, well, he isn't. He is a self-absorbed, insincere, wannabe Yankee who is more concerned with his personal success than that of the team. Watching him flip the bat and stroll to first, all the while looking toward the Yankee dugout with that "look at me" grin on his face after his recent - and infrequent -- clutch home runs is a case in point. The only reason A-Rod wants to win is so he can get all this negativity from A-Rod haters like me off his back. Winners win championships, and MVPs put up big stats. Most Valuable Phonies, that is.
You guys need to sometimes put yourselves in other people's shoes. The guy above me attacks A-Rod's looking into the Yankee dugout after he hits the HR. Gotta be kidding me, man... you're telling me you never did badly in school now and then, and then you got one awesome test score, and you didn't look around you and smile? Your kids never were bad at riding a bike, and hen one day they got it and looked at mom n' dad with a "look, i finally did something for the team!" smile??? C'mon, these players are paid to be professionals, but they're not robots, they're human beings.
Onto the "flip play," awesome play. Awesome play. But are you kidding me, you're holding a play someone else made, AGAINST another guy? Jeter's the man, dude, but he made that play 5 years ago and he's made an adequate amount of errors since then on regular grounders. So, Jeter's human too... just like our friend A-Rod. And besides, this isn't an A-Rod vs. Jeter argument, this is about why fans are booing one of the better players on their own team. One who HAS in fact been helpful **more often than not**.
I will take a bet with anyone that over 162 games, A-Rod helps the yankees more than he hurts. And much more than most 3B help their teams. Check certain baseball numbers like "VORP", Value over Replacement Player, which takes into account how many "wins" the player in question is worth to the team over other players in the league. A-Rod brings the Yankees more wins than you can shake a stick at.
Now: he's whining? He wouldn't say a DAMN thing if the media didn't keep ASKING him about the booing. What do you want him to say? "No Comment?" You want him to be fake like "Starbury" and lie to you every time he talks to a camera - at least as far as the team/game is concerned? You want him to deny what's happening, like "Randolph Johnstone" who doesn't need to change his style of pitching, doesn't need to learn to paint a few corners, cuz he's "still got the heat?" No, A-Rod stands up like a man, says "I'm screwing up, gotta get better." And inherent in that is his hope that YANKEE "FANS" will bear with him until he excels again. The last time standing up and admitting you messed up was "whining" or "making an excuse," well, that was... oh, never. Or at least, not in English.
He's a momma's boy? Think about how the press hones in on every facet of a star's life. I don't think A-Rod tells his pr guys to send e-mails to Newsday about his therapy. Chances are, someone spread the word, and when A-Rod was approached about it, instead of being ashamed of something he does, he was HONEST about it and told the press. How many of you people have the "balls" to tell the truth about your own problems. You call him a sissy? Last time I heard, where A-Rod grew up was NO place for a sissy. Or, why don't you try growing up in a city ghetto in the 70s? MAYBE he intended for the story about calling the kid in a coma to hit the press, but DON'T TELL ME YOU WOULDN'T WANT PEOPLE HEARING ABOUT THAT, especially when half a city of millions was debating whether or not you're a jerk. Put yourselves in someone else's shoes. The guy wants to be liked, he keeps his mouth shut (i.e. doesn't get negative about anyone but himself), and he keeps working. Be patient.
All you fans that jumped on the Yankee Bandwagon long after the days of pitching staffs of Andy Hawkins/Dave LaPointe/Eric Plunk and third basemen like Mike Pagliarulo, (whose OBP was consistently in the mid-.200s), need to either shut up and let real fans cheer a guy on to DO BETTER, or use your booing talents at Fenway and Comerica so we can catch up a few games. Why don't you turn the heat on the bad guys, eh? Leave A-Rod alone.
Maybe you "fans" are just DYING for a Jack McDowell / Jake Plummer middle finger, because some of you really deserve it. Hmm, if i remember right McDowell pitched a lot better after he flipped us off...
I always thought the fans of a team represented as the extra player, hence, the home-field advantage. Following this train of thought, the fans are then part of the team where we become teammates to the rest of the players. If the fans then boo (all the time) one of the players such as A-Rod, then we are bad teammates.