WasWatching.com

you call this a hiatus?

well, it may not scare you, but it does me. i'm seeing him making the same 'mistakes' he made all last year. taking FBs down the middle, then late on mediocre FBs, etc. yesterday's game, runners on 2nd & 3rd, 2 outs, K looking predictably. I have zero confidence in him in sits like that. I'm afraid 2007 will be a repeat of 2006. But before anyone kills me, I know it's only March 6, and I could certainly be wrong, and I truly hope I am wrong.

I was never a big fan of the Grateful Dead, but recall the "Deadheads'" lament when the band suddenly stopped making appearances. The Deadheads were all used to seeing each other when the Band played, and thought this would continue indefinitely. If the Band suddenly stopped playing, the Deadheads would have no place to go and no way to see their like-minded cohorts. Most didn't see each other away from the concerts. So when I saw Steve's "Hiatus" post, with no comments allowed, I thought of the Deadheads.

~~~I'm afraid 2007 will be a repeat of 2006. But before anyone kills me, I know it's only March 6, and I could certainly be wrong, and I truly hope I am wrong.~~~

Yeah, me too, Travis. I'm very afraid that A-Rod will hit .290/.392/.523 with 35 HR and 121 RBI. I'm MORTALLY AFRAID of that level of success. Hold me.

Benjamin's right. Barring an injury, another "down" year will produce a .290/.392/.523/35 HR/121 RBI line.

What Yankee fans should be afraid of is when ARod walks away from his contract at the end of the year. While I certainly won't miss the drama and the headaches his presence seems to cause (only partially his fault, by the way), I'll miss the production that can't be easily replaced. It's not like righty hitting hall of famers grow on trees. And the kinds of players that will be available next year make me wonder if it's not worth just paying Alex what it'll take to keep him around for hit #3000, homer #650, and take our chances that between now and 2012 (assuming a 5 year extension), he'll earn a ring and another MVP.

Benjamin, you're right. Silly me. I forgot regular season ba/obp/slg, HR and RBI tell the whole story. Oops. Now I understand how Jeter lost the MVP to Morneau. It all makes sense.

I hate playing Devil's advocate, but if A-Rod strikes out his next six times up to the plate (not saying that he will and very doubtful, it will become a story within the NY Media.

He'll be fine. He's working in the cage tonight with Sheffield.

Benjamin, you're right. Silly me. I forgot regular season ba/obp/slg, HR and RBI tell the whole story. Oops. Now I understand how Jeter lost the MVP to Morneau. It all makes sense.
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It wasn't so much that Jeter lost the MVP to Morneau; that Travis Hafner wasn't even seriously considered is a testament to the stupidity of baseball voters. Hell, Morneau wasn't even the best player on his team. He just happened to be a catcher that won a batting title.

I don't mind if he's repeating his slump early in ST. Plenty of time to get it together.

Steve, regarding your other post ("Don't call it a comeback"), keep doing what you are doing. More people appreciate it than you think. You won't be able to please all of the people all of the time. Good for you for sticking to your guns.

Loads of people out there reading the posts, loving it but not commenting (like I was several weeks back).

We appreciate it.

~~~I forgot regular season ba/obp/slg, HR and RBI tell the whole story.~~~

Are you implying that we should judge A-Rod's entire season on 14 postseason at-bats? Or you don't like the stats I use? Because here are some more:

ARod's OPS+ was an astronomical 140. Runs created per 27 outs: 7.18. VORP: 51.6. EqA: .315.

The truth is, without A-Rod, the Yanks don't score nearly as many runs; they aren't nearly as good. You can look at him through the prism of 14 at-bats against great pitching. You can look at him through the prism of some BS situation where he doesn't drive in enough runs for you. But the runs all add up. He is very valuable for the Yanks. And if you're not satisfied with those numbers, then you're demanding perfection in a sport where perfection is impossible to attain.

Thanks Mikos and LOL Susan.

postseason play is merely ONE of the things I'm implying. in 2006, Arod led the team in Ks, GDPs, errors, and was the worst at getting the runner in from 3rd w/ less than 2 outs. he also hit his best when the margin of the game was over 4 runs, and his worst in tie games and Late & Close sits. don't forget he's our CLEANUP hitter and the highest paid player in baseball.

but mind you, i never said 'Arod sucks' or anything, i merely said it looks like he'll have the same problems as 2006.