The first half of the Major League Baseball season is over. For the first time since becoming a full time player, Alex Rodriguez will not be an all star.
Truth be told, he hasn't played like one either. Not for a long while.
OK, he missed the first month after hip surgery and still has 17 home runs on the season and got his average from a dismal .212 to around .257.
In the series against the Angels this weekend, he did slug three home runs and now has 570 career home runs, putting him 10th on the all-time list.
But in Sunday's 0-for-5 game for A-Rod, the most frustrating part of his game was shown.
In the 7th inning, Alex Rodriguez had bases loaded and only one out after Mark Teixeira struck out. Instead of working the count on John Lackey, who was obviously struggling that inning, A-Rod jumps on the second pitch, hitting a hard grounder to Chone Figgins, who stepped on third for the second out and threw to Kendry Morales for the third out, ending the Yankee rally for another inning ending double play.
The Yankees did fight back in the game and cut the lead from 5-1 to 5-4. With two outs, it was Brian Fuentes against A-Rod in the final at-bat. Fuentes has blown saves for the Angels this year, but has pitched better as of late. But A-Rod is supposed to be a better hitter of late. Instead, Fuentes over-powered Rodriguez and struck him out to end the game.
So once again, Alex had two key chances to come up in the clutch and did not deliver again. Same song and dance for A-Rod.
Can A-Rod really keep doing this for the next eight years of his contract with the Yankees? Not if he wants to be labeled the biggest choke artist who ever wore pinstripes. How does he fix this problem?
He will be 34 at the end of the month, so he is a seasoned veteran. But he is still one of the best and talented players in the game. Hopefully, his 40-point rise in batting average is a sign of Rodriguez turning his 2009 season around.
But what happens if the Yankees make the postseason, will A-Rod continue to crumble under the bright lights of October?
What he needs to do is follow in Kobe Bryant's footsteps.
In 2003, Kobe Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year old girl in Colorado. Despite Kobe's plea of innocence, Bryant's reputation had now been tarnished, just like the recent steroid allegations have now tarnished Rodriguez. For the record, Bryant was cleared of the charges and was never convicted of the crime.
Bryant could have let the media's outtake on him ruin him and destroy his basketball career, but instead, what Bryant did was flush out all the bad criticism and make himself into a better basketball player and better teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers. Because of the new focus people saw in him, it helped the Lakers become an even stronger team as they made the NBA Finals in 2008 and won the NBA Finals in 2009.
People hardly even remember the Colorado incident of 2003 as part of Bryant's legacy. They will remember Bryant as an NBA Champion.
A-Rod needs to follow in Kobe's path. The dating of Madonna and Kate Hudson and partying in night clubs until 2:30 needs to stop, because it's clear that his mind is elsewhere aside from baseball, and it shows in the clutch situations.
All you need to do is look at his past postseason numbers from 2004 on, they are flat out horrible. In 2005, 2-for-15 with 5 strikeouts and 0 home runs and RBI. In 2006, 1-for-14 with 4 strikeouts and 0 home runs and RBI. In 2007, 4-for-15 with 1 home run and 1 RBI and 6 strikeouts. In the playoffs, it's like he is afraid to be a leader.
Now, Alex has a reputation to fix, because I doubt he wants to be remembered as a guy who failed in the clutch and got caught taking steroids in the past. I'm sure he'd rather be remembered as an MLB Champion.
What A-Rod needs to do is flush out all the distractions, stop dating the types of girls he has because it's obvious they are distractions, stop messing around, period. Just get rid of all the crap, (because crap is exactly what it is; and in some cases, what he's played like) and focus on baseball. The game of baseball itself.
If that means sleeping inside Yankee Stadium, go right ahead.
If that means taking batting practice 24 hours a day and watching video on opposing pitchers all night until his eyes can't focus anymore, I'm sure Joe Girardi will be more than happy to accommodate Alex.
If Alex needs to bunk up with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, have one big slumber party and just talk about the importance of playing in key baseball games and not cracking under the pressure, then get your freakin' sleeping bag Alex, because you need to change it up.
Rodriguez has eight more years left on his mega contract with the Yankees. He has at least eight more opportunities to help himself win a championship in New York, something he keeps striding for as a major leaguer.
If Alex Rodriguez the baseball player wants to truly be remembered as an all-time great and not a failure, then he needs to re-gain his focus and put it squarely on baseball.
It's time to tell Kate Hudson to hit the road. It's time to get out of the Miami lifestyle. It's time to start remembering the love of the game of baseball like he was a young child, who would probably play for free. Alex needs to re-establish his love of the game first.
Not only do it for yourself, Alex, but do it for the fans who through the good times and bad times, still continue to stand by your side and pay their hard-earned money to see you play.
Do it for them, because when you're all done with the game, they will be the ones who tell the story and legend of Alex Rodriguez; how he plays over the next eight years will determine how that story gets told and remembered.
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