WasWatching.com

Well, I made my annual trip down to KC to see the Yanks last night, and on the way out we stumbled upon the Yankees loading up their buses, so we stopped and watched. Personally, I kind of felt lame and voyeuristic watching them carry duffle bags and whatnot on board, or while Sal Fasano kissed his wife goodbye, but what the hell? Anyway, one thing kind of stuck out to me- A-Rod was the only guy that didn't get on the bus, instead he got in a SUV-limo deal and was driven off. Jeter, Bernie, Mo, Giambi, even Johnson all got on the buses but not A-Rod. Considering the ride to the airport is pretty short, I found it kind of weird that he took the limo. I'm not trying to start an A-Rod deal but isn't it kind of weird that he would make such a deliberate gesture to avoid his teammates, or is this pretty common?

And apparently we just missed Damon, who was the only guy that stopped and signed-not that I blame the players as there was a pretty large crowd there. And Johnson did actually raise his cup to the crowd, which kind of surprised me- Bernie gave a shy little "diva" wave and Giambi ignored everyone. Well, that's my story!

Damn JeremyM, I've been a stalwart for defending Arod this season, but your story has really pissed me off. I know for a fact he has a private jet, but I didn't think that he uses it on a regular basis to travel separately from his team. Why else would he have another ride? See, it's little facts like that which evade us Yankfans. If this is frequent occurence , it's no wonder Jetes won't jump to his feet to defend the guy. I'm not going to read into this too much because it's really pissing me off and I don't want to say something about Arod I'll regret

Horrors! Oh the humanity! With a day off Thursday and presumably allowed to go to anywhere, even stay in K.C., maybe Arod and some other players weren't interested in going to Baltimore Wednesday night.

See molehill.
Make mountain.

Jeremy - thanks for the story.

Rich - I think there is something here. Teams bond through bus and air trips - it's the only time they can cut it up with each other away from the fans, and, more important, the media.

The Yankees bus rides of the late '70s were famous for that - Rivers getting on Jackson. Hunter getting on Piniella. Everyone cracking up - stuff like that.

And, as Posada mentioned here - the Yankees of the late '90's had bus fun.

If A-Rod is opting out of a bus ride, then he's telling the team "I don't want to be your friend and play along with the games on the bus."

It's elitist - and I'm sure that some of the players on the team are rubbed the wrong way by this action - I know that I would be, for sure.

Arod probably spent his off day at his house in Dallas, as he has done on every trip to KC and Arlington since 2004. Giambi does the same thing when they're in California. Damon does the same thing when they're in Florida. And as far as Jetes defending Arod goes, they shared a cab for 4 straight games in Boston - but you'll never hear the media talk about that.

Gotta say, I don't like this story about A-Rod. I agree with Steve.

I guess you should castigate Rivera, too.

2 months ago on the day after a day off Pete Abraham was on a flight with Mo going without the team. That Mo is such a cancer on the team.

In interviews Torre's also admitted ducking out on an offday to leave the team to fly back to NY from Toronto then back again the next day. Such contempt for his coaches and players.

Do you guys also require that the REAL players (not charlatans like AROD), after the flight arrives in Baltimore, spend all of their time together to promote harmony?

If you guys go on business trips with people do you always travel together at the same time? Do you spend all of your time together in the non-work environment after meetings are done?

Do you ever stop nitpicking about everything?

I agree. Who knows - maybe ARod had an interview scheduled with a magazine writer or maybe had to attend a meeting for his charity foundation. Maybe he needed to go to his house in Texas because the plumbing broke or something equally innocent. The point is, none of us have any idea so it's best to not rush to judgement. Plus, without the knowledge that he does this for every other road trip, then something that someone observed once doesn't mean it happens all the time.

Honestly, this is ridiculous. I'm certain that other players do this all the time.

During the last Chicago series, Mo flew out to Chicago by himself on the morning of a game and gave up a game tying home run to Konerko. I guess he hates his teammates too.

Steve, I guess that makes you an anti-elitist, just like the rest of the country. Shame on someone for doing something their own way. Shame on someone for not always going with the crowd. Shame on a guy who makes so much money doing something he wants instead of something we want him to do. Shame on someone for doing anything that could be second guessed by microanalysis, no... nanoanalysis of a public figure's personal life. Maybe A-Rod was on the way to one of his Boys and Girls Club charity functions. Maybe he was on his way to club some baby seals to death. Who cares? If Alex Rodriguez, one of the best ever at trying to hit a ball with a stick, is acting in an elite manner... he deserves it, he IS elite. The jealousy thing is really going too far. Venom should be reserved for athletes who actually try to make themselves bigger than the team, like Terell Owens or Ron Artest. But you know what? If either of those players were on my beloved Jets or Nets, I'd still root for them. You, Steve, seem only interested in joyfully waiting for A-Rod to fail. If that continues, I think you should remove the "zealot" from your blog title- zeal comes from rooting for the whole, not 24/25ths of it.

~~If you guys go on business trips with people do you always travel together at the same time? Do you spend all of your time together in the non-work environment after meetings are done?~~

Actually, yes. Without fail. For over 20 years now. I've never had it work another way.

mehmattski - you don't know me. You should read this:

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2006/07/i_heart_a-rod.html

Yes, I remember that post, and I remember thinking that you were overcompensating. Its like Stephen Colbert with his "I have a black friend!" routine (or in real life, Kathleen Harris boldly stating that "there are some Jews on my staff" to get around criticism that she is anti-semetic). I can only speak of this blog from around May until now, and I realize it was around for a little over a year before I got here. But in that time, my perception is that you have heaped a ton of emotional criticism on A-Rod. I have appreciated the posts where you use statistics to back up your criticisms (separating yourself from the boo-birds, as someone pointed out in that post). And yet, your commentary on "issues" such as this gives the impression that you are NOT a fan of this player. If you've been such a fan of A-Rod's since his rookie season, then shouldn't you be looking for ways to support your boy during the worst year of his career? Especially when that "worst season" also has him as the most valuable 3B in baseball, according to VORP? As others have said, write what you wish; however, your loyal readers get an impression of only what you write consistently, not what you say that you believe. Your posts are much more enjoyable when you are analyzing the performance of the team and not harping on one player whose picture hangs on your wall.

Alas, these days, talking about the Yankees and excluding any focus on A-Rod would be like talking about Pam Anderson and ignoring the tetons, no?

//Alas, these days, talking about the Yankees and excluding any focus on A-Rod would be like talking about Pam Anderson and ignoring the tetons, no?//

First of all, Pam's Anderson's "tetons" make for a hysterical metaphor.

But really, what I think mehmattski is saying here is that while there might be statistical evidence for writing about ARod's down year, focusing on him getting into a car separate from his teammates and extrapolating negative things about this (ie his relationship with his teammates, his being a 24+1 player, etc.) is what is fairly ridiculous. Since none of us know if he had a reason to ride separately then it isn't worth noting and criticizing. Further, since there have been many occasions of other Yankee players or coaches travelling separately for one reason or another, it again seems like people are being hypercritical of ARod, especially for something that didn't take place on the field of play or contribute to a win or loss.

As you wrote yesterday, most Yankee fans (unlike Red Sox fans) don't care what happens outside of the ballpark. Yet you and others clearly do since we're talking about what one player's mode of transportation is. This is so Boston...

Give me a break mehmattski... if you don't like Steve's blog, read another one. Just like Arod's free to take off in his limo, you're free to click your way off of this site. Fact is, Arod is getting paid alot of money to be Arod and he's simply not doing it this season. In my business, if you pay a star money manager a premium to work for you, he better be a star money manager. You don't pay for a Ferrari in order for it to drive like a Yugo.

I think we can over-romanticize the "boys cutting up and bonding on the bus" thing. Most behind the scenes videos I've seen of sports teams show people plugged into iPods, PSPs, cell phones, etc when they're on a bus. Frankly if I had to share a bus with my colleagues every other day for six months I'd probably want to take a taxi myself, and while I'm "elitist" in the Fox News sense, I don't have Arod's millions.

Nothing causes a more polarizing argument than A-Rod. His supporters are nearly fanatical in the face of criticism. I'm just waiting to hear "If you criticize A-Rod, the terrorists have won."

(Seriously, though, I agree with MJ -- we don't know why he got into the limo separately, though with the perception of A-Rod being that he doesn't get along with his teammates, it doesn't look great for him to take a separate ride.)

I just remembered something. Cal Ripken, towards the end of his career would stay in a different hotel than the rest of the team. I guess he wasn't the stand up guy everyone thought he was.

While I don't like the idea of a player riding separate from the rest of the team, it really isn't more than a minor incident. Now, if there are a whole bunch of these things, then it is bad.

These comments are why this is the greatest Yankees blog around. Steve makes a post about Don Zimmer giving lap dances, and it turns into commentary about Arod, Katherine Harris, terrorism, Yugos, and Pam Anderson's tetons.

"Actually, yes. Without fail. For over 20 years now. I've never had it work another way."

Steve, you're a true Yankee.

Me? I'd be considered one of those untrue Yankees. When I've worked on long projects I've had the audacity to go home for an extra day. When I need to travel to a remote location I have the gall to arrange my trip so I can stop at home for a day.

And if I don't want to go to a strip joint with my coworkers during a business trip I don't think I'm not a team player.

I'm fortunate enough that the people I respect are more concerned with results than petty jealousies.

rbj, it's funny that you bring up Ripken's now-infamous stance of staying in a separate hotel. Rather than this being a "minor incident," people still talk about it to prove that Cal wasn't a nice guy. It's something people still hold against him to this day. In fact, it just points out how much something like this -- separating yourself from your team -- is NOT a minor thing.

I don't know how often A-Rod does this, and I'm not saying he's separating himself from the team, but doing so frequently certainly wouldn't sit well with the team or the media. Just ask Ripken (his hotel request is talked about as much as his streak).

"Blame it on the Tetons. Yeah, I need a scapegoat now.
No my dog won't bite you, though it had the right to.
You oughta give her credit cuz she knows I would've let it
happen.

Blame it on the weekends. God I need a cola now.
Oh we mumble loudly, wear our shame so proudly.
Wore our blank expressions, trying to look interesting.
Blame it all on me cuz God I need a cold one now."
~Modest Mouse

~~Steve makes a post about Don Zimmer giving lap dances, and it turns into commentary about Arod, Katherine Harris, terrorism, Yugos, and Pam Anderson's tetons.~~

Just a normal day at WW.com!
LOL.

Interesting baileywalk. I haven't heard Ripken's hotel stuff mentioned very often. I must not be a plugged in as I thought.

FWIW, I always heard that Ripken stayed at different hotels than the team so that the media, during the streak, would not hound the hotel and make it a mess for the rest of the team.

The official word on why Cal stayed in a separate hotel was "security reasons." Which everyone took to be bull.

I don't know the real reason. And I find it pretty surprising, because Cal is a nice guy (as least according to the few people I know who have met him). Another interesting wrinkle to this is that Cal was A-Rod's hero growing up and they're friends. Maybe they have the same off-the-field personality.

Wow, can open, worms everywhere. I didn't mean to start something with this. Just thought it was kind of interesting and thought I'd lay it out there. I think the argument that he just wanted to get out of there and enjoy his off day is a pretty good one, who knows the reason and I guess who cares really? Well, besides me:) I guess it stuck out to me because a friend of mine said the same thing when he saw them leaving the game last year, that A-Rod left in a limo while everyone else rode the bus. And I know even the great Michael Jordan rode the bus with his team; on the other hand I'm reading a book on Babe Ruth--he stayed in separate hotels and lived almost a separate life from his teammates (hence the "I don't room with Ruth, I room with his suitcase" quote) and nobody cared.

As far as Ripken, I've actually heard quite a few negatives about him as far as usurping the manager's authority and even going so far as to call pitches from shortstop. I know he really had a problem with moving to shortstop under Davey Johnson and really made a stink when Manny Alexander played poorly in his stead; to A-Rod's credit he made that move with no complaints that I know of. And of course people will argue that Ripken was "selfish" in continuing his streak instead of taking a few strategic days off for rest so he would be fresher, but I think that was coming from the media. To be honest, from what I've read A-Rod is probably a far better teammate than Ripken ever was, and I say this as an admirer of the man. Plus, A-Rod is a far better player as well, this down year of his was a dream season for Ripken.

I wasn't meaning to bash either A-Rod or Ripken (tone doesn't come through on the 'net), though I would rather have a team ride the bus together. I just thought it was interesting that (at least some) star players get their own special treatment (Giambi with a personal trainer -- though most star players have that, I believe).

And let's not even touch Barry Bonds.