It's an exhibition, friends. Nothing more, nothing less.
Would it be nice if A-Rod wanted to compete in the HR Derby during the All-Star break? Yeah. But the fact that he doesn't is totally fine with me. He wants to stay focused on the real task at hand: helping lift the team to the playoffs, which seems a real stretch at this point. He doesn't want to mess with his swing.
"I try to stay away from that," Rodriguez said, according to the New York Daily News. "My responsibility is to the New York Yankees. I need my swing to be at its best."
Remember who won the Derby last year (try it without cheating*)? Remember how badly the Derby affected Abreu and David Wright. Each suffered the 2nd half of the year after participating. Besides, if there's a player on the Yanks with a HR Derby-tailored swing, it's Giambi, not ARod. Let Giambi see if he can hack a few into the short porch. What, like he can screw up that swing? It's ugly but it's perfect for a HR Derby, since that's how he swings normally!
ARod's going to be the starting 3B in the actual game, a quasi-exhibition. We can celebrate him then, during the game. The Yanks need him at his sharpest if he is going to hoist them on his back and lead them back into the fray.
Besides, he can spend the night with Madonna. Ewwww. Man arms and old-lady claws. Canseco. Rodman. gaaak!
Posts
2 comments:
Isn't it more likely that these players are going back to the mean after what have to be monstrous starts to the season in order to get in the All-Star Game? I think the whole "changing the swing" thing is completely overrated. These guys are professionals who have honed their swings for years. I think they could do it for a day, and then get back to it the next.
Mark, I agree. It seems strange that a night of swinging from their heels could alter a finely tuned craft. If I spent a day typing with my elbows, I am fairly certain I could still type normally a day later.
Post a Comment