Right now, my favorite laundry is dirty.
I will talk about the Joe Torre book first. To establish a frame of reference for those that don't know my opinion on him, I am a big Joe Torre fan. When the Yankees did not make the playoffs in 2008, I rooted for the Dodgers because Don Mattingly and Joe Torre were on the bench. That said, when the excerpts from the book started to surface, I was unhappy about the book. He doesn't need the money, it was unnecessary, and it was airing dirty laundry just for the sake of taking some shots.
I have read the first 100 pages, so I am not all the way through the book. However, I have listened to the interviews with Torre, Tom Verducci, Mike Mussina, John Heyman (SI), and many others. I have listened to Mike Francesa kill the book. Frankly, I don't see what's that bad about it. He is certainly entitled to write a book if he wants and as we have come to expect, Joe is going to be truthful. He always had his favorites, there's no surprise there.
The voice of the book is really Verducci's. Joe certainly contributed more than any other source, but there are many quotes, obviously not obtained by Joe as he is not a reporter. I would rather spend my money on a book with some insight that I haven't heard/read before than something to be regurgitated. I loved Buster Olney's book, The Last Night of The Yankee Dynasty. I was hoping for more of that kind of insight, and so far, I am getting it.
If the book turns in the next 300 pages in to something else, I promise to write an update. However, the first person Joe thanks in the acknowledgements is George Steinbrenner. He recognizes that he was given an amazing opportunity, and also that he was the fourth choice for the job in 1996. This is not an anti-Yankee book, but rather an explanation of what happened in those 12 years, which were very special for me as a fan. I urge anyone with a negative opinion of the book to actually read it. I promise, I will finish it before finalizing my opinion.
Now...ARod. Where to start? Was I surprised? No way. Was I surprised that he coincidentally left the country immediately when the news came out? No way. Was I surprised that he held an interview in a controlled environment to admit his guilt. Not a chance. Is it comical that he went running back to Scott Boras for advice? Yes...definitely. Is it absurd to think that he didn't know what he was taking, as he said in the interview? Completely absurd. Did the interview go completely off the tracks when he started to slam the reporter who broke the story? Oh yeah. Do I think he is truly sorry he cheated? No. Do I think he is sorry he got caught? Definitely.
Here's a guy who desperately wants to be the best of all time. He really doesn't care about winning nearly as much as he cares about his stats. I root for ARod. I am not an ARod hater. He is a tremendously talented player, maybe the most talented in the game. He is fun to watch, but he is not a winner. He is Dominique Wilkins. Great stats, great player, but doesn't help the players about him. So, why wouldn't he cheat, especially if everyone else is doing it? Apparently, that's a great excuse because he used it a lot in the interview.
But the juice isn't my real problem with ARod. So what's my problem you ask? I am spoiled.
The Yankees of the late 90's were easy to root for. They played to win. They bunted, hit behind the runner, took the extra base, hit the occasional home run, pitched like crazy and were desperate to win. They were good guys. The guys that didn't fit in were shipped out. If they weren't willing to put winning first, they were gone. It was that simple. They were human beings, they were easy to root for as people and they backed it up with a great band of baseball.
ARod wouldn't fit in on those teams. His largest sin in my opinion is that he would rather hit 800 home runs that win the World Series. How do I know this? Because he is a terrible situational hitter. He thinks that because he has the ability to hit the ball out of the park, that's the only way for him to help the team. He's got crazy power and yes, in many situations, he should be trying to hit the ball as hard as he can. However, with a man on third and less than two outs, this guy should NEVER strike out and he does often. Could you imagine Paul O'Neill being on the same team as ARod? O'Neill would probably kill him.
Is he a good guy? He certainly doesn't seem like one. What he does off the field is his business. However, unlike those great Yankee teams that I loved, he makes it hard to root for him. Did he need to stay until the end of the All Star Game? No. He obviously didn't care to be there. If he didn't care to be there, why should I shell out the money for the ticket? If he was so eager to opt out of his contract, why should I be so eager to have him back? I was also told a story that I won't repeat about him blowing off Yogi Berra. Now, that's just unforgivable.
He never says the right thing, and we have been spoiled by Derek Jeter who always manages to say the right thing, even when he says nothing. ARod can't get out of his own way and while I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I find it hard. He is a liar, a cheater, and a selfish player. Will I cheer when he hits his home runs this year? Of course...I root for the laundry.
So the past few weeks, the laundry has been soiled. In two days, pitchers and catchers report. CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett will put on the pinstripes for the first time. Joba will work towards being the #5 starter and Phil Hughes will try and prove that the hype was for real. I truly can't wait for the conversation to turn from the dirty laundry to BASEBALL.
"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."
JN
