I don't think I have ever watched a superstar struggle so mightily to reach a milestone then A-Rod has this past week. Scratch that, we're now running onto the second week now. July 22nd was the last time Rodriguez hit a home run and after tonight's 0-3 at bat performance, he has since gone 9 for 46.
Talk about a slump, eh?
Yankees manager Joe Girardi doesn't seem to be bothered by A-Rod's lack of performance.
"It's hard to tell if a guy is pressing," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Right now, he's in a little funk. Like I've said, sometimes these milestones are hard."
Girardi is being nice here and it shows his class as manager, but the truth is that his team just got taken over as the top team in the AL East and believe me, he needs Rodriguez to get going and he needs that much more than he's letting on. This milestone isn't just about Rodriguez making it to 600, it's about kick-starting the Yankees back in the win column and back into the division lead. The Yankees have gone 5-5 in their last ten and are riding a three game losing streak. You would think that the team's troubles don't squarely rest on Rodriguez's shoulders but at the same time you would have to think that once A -Rod hits that 600th home run, and he will, the momentum and overall good feeling in the locker room could give this team that serious momentum boost that they're lacking and we could just as easily be talking about this team riding a five game winning streak in a week.
Once again it all comes back to Rodriguez.
The Tampa Bay Rays got a home run from their own Rodriguez, Sean Rodriguez, in the first inning of their game versus an injured Minnesota Twins team, who I'm sure were very happy to see a returning Mauer get an RBI single in the ninth. This win puts more and more heat on the Yankees' Rodriguez to hit that elusive 600th home run and move this team past this terrible mess.
But could this be viewed as a plus? We all know how athletes love competition, especially competition that carries the same name. Two Rodriguez's, only one can hit the long ball. But, tomorrow's a different day and you got to wonder how long the Blue Jays can hold off this powerful Yankee offense. I suspect Rodriguez and the Yankees won't have to wait too much longer.
Switching sports!
In the hockey world the Chicago Blackhawks are the champions! At least they were. Some say this is the result of the salary cap system ruining a teams chance to sign and keep key marquee players and form the dynasty teams people remember from the past. All of which is complete bullshit. The Blackhawks signed all their key marquee players: Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith, and unfortunately Cristobal Huet. This is where the big flaw of the Hawks was exposed, but instead of playing Niemi and hoping the progression of Byfuglien, Ladd, Vertseeg and Bolland goes along as planned, they went and signed Marian Hossa.
Now why the hell would you do that?
It's hard to criticize a team that won the cup, but with Hossa's terrible playoff performance combined with the Hawks' present situation, I'd say it's fair game.
Seriously though, this move was completely unnecessary. Some say that Hossa gave the Hawks the four lines needed to win and I say that Radek Dvorak could have suited that role just as well. You didn't need a 68 million dollar player to win the cup! You had all the right pieces in place you just simply needed to bury Huet just like they're going to do this season. Hossa was straight-up not an impact player. The Hawks spent, what is now precious, cap space on a guy who scored three total playoff goals!
Former GM Dale Tallon has to take the blame rather than the man appointed to fix the mess, Stan Bowman. Not only did Tallon sign Hossa but he also made Brian Campbell the seven-million dollar man he is today. I like Campbell, he's a great defenseman, but he's overpaid.
Couple with these two bad signings with Tallon's inability to meet the RFA deadline, costing the team millions, and you've got the reason why this team is currently dismantling it's roster and this: bad management. It has nothing to do with the cap system. This is an example of poor management and a teams attempt to fix mistakes while still remaining competitive. Here's hoping Turco, Hossa and Campbell find their games together because I still think this team will make the playoffs and ultimately compete. I know it looks bad now, but they've still got four of the best young players in the game.
Tomorrow I chat a little Favre. I refuse to comment today because I still want to hear him say it himself. But this is getting ridiculous, ridiculously hilarious that is! Cheers.
Quote from: Sportsnet
Picture from: Google
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