Alex Rodriguez Thinks He Is Entitled

[bk400]

There's a lot to be said when a media- and image-savvy person like A Rod publicly expresses resentment for his number not being retired and, even worse, that someone who didn't end up having a great year got to wear his number.

That's exactly why his number hasn't been retired by the Yankees. I don't think it's either necessary or sufficient for a player to have the greatest individual stats to get their number retired by their former team. Look at Gooden and Strawberry for the Mets. On the other hand, if a sizable part of the fan base uses words like "douchebag" and "self-centered" to describe you, it's going to be an uphill battle. Why? Because the fans don't want to see the jersey of a self-centered douchebag hanging from their rafters.

[packs]

I don’t know why Pettitte got brought up. He pitched 16 seasons for the Yankees, won 5 titles, and was one of the most recognizable players on the championship teams. There were only two other Yankee pitchers with retired numbers when they retired his. He’s an all time Yankee. Alex Rodriguez was not.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by packs

I don’t know why Pettitte got brought up. He pitched 16 seasons for the Yankees, won 5 titles, and was one of the most recognizable players on the championship teams. There were only two other Yankee pitchers with retired numbers when they retired his. He’s an all time Yankee. Alex Rodriguez was not.

Because, as very directly said, Pettitte is the clear and obvious proof PED’s are not a disqualifier and was less impressive numbers wise. A-Rod is the #1 Yankee 3B, and it’s not particularly close even. He’s an “all-time Yankee” by math if not emotion.

[packs]

Why would there not be emotion involved? This is about retired numbers not stats or WAR. Pettitte is a fan favorite beloved Yankee and has nothing in common with Alex Rodriguez. Fans will never link them so there’s no reason to say because fans love Pettitte they must love someone else.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by packs

Why would there not be emotion involved? This is about retired numbers not stats or WAR. Pettitte is a fan favorite beloved Yankee and has nothing in common with Alex Rodriguez. Fans will never link them so there’s no reason to say because fans love Pettitte they must love someone else.

Because this thread was pretending it was about his PED use and scandal, which is a complete fiction with Pettitte as the obvious proof of that. The claim that Pettitte is an all time performing yankee and Rodriguez is not is laughably absurd. The real answer is that A-Rod is cast as a villain, and this has nothing to do with merit, consistency, or fairness. That’s the entire point.

[ClementeFanOh]

Packs- good luck now that 1911 is weighing in. He’s never been wrong, just ask him. The #1 rule for 1911- he’s always right, and for heaven’s sake don’t question it… Now, for actual reality. Your point about emotion being part of number retirement- which again, Arod himself made news- is spot on. He is NOT an “all time” anything. His entire offensive output is asterisk- all of it. Trent King

[packs]

Retiring a number is all about fan service. Talking about stats is meaningless to the conversation. Alex Rodriguez is a not a beloved player for any of the franchises he played with. The Yankees retiring his number wouldn’t make any more sense than the Mariners retiring it, which I highly doubt they’ll ever do.

[packs]

Fundamentally, retiring a number is about fans saying goodbye to the player. No one is holding a candle for Alex Rodriguez.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by packs

Retiring a number is all about fan service. Talking about stats is meaningless to the conversation. Alex Rodriguez is a not a beloved player for any of the franchises he played with. The Yankees retiring his number wouldn’t make any more sense than the Mariners retiring it, which I highly doubt they’ll ever do.

Then make that argument in the first place. From post #1 this thread largely pretended it is about steroids; which is demonstrably false. You chose to make the argument the difference is that Pettitte is an all time Yankee but the far and away greatest 3B is not and this is not meritous is also demonstrably false.

If the argument is now (take 3) that yes, it has nothing to do with merit and is about narratives of heroes and villains independent of ascertainable fact, then we actually agree lol.

[D. Bergin]

All equivalencies are not the same. False equivalencies are neither pragmatic or logical. One guy being an asshole, doesn't cancel out another guy being a much bigger asshole. (There, I just said the same thing 3 different ways, for anybody who doesn't understand my point)

Yankees have no obligation to A-Rod...and A-Rod played out his contract as if he had no obligation to New York or even his own Players Union, whom he tried to sue when they couldn't overturn his well deserved suspension.

Most team union heads wanted to kick him out of the union after he pulled that stunt. He has no respect within the league, never mind within the Yankee organization.

A simple Google search shows his scumbaggery knows no bounds. Baseball related, and non-baseball related.

I don't care if David Ortiz has a PED strike against him or not. I don't care that I've rooted against David Ortiz for a large part of my adult life as a Yankee fan. Every time he subtly (or un-subtly) emasculates and embarrasses A-Rod on National Television, it brings a little smile to my face every time.

Don't care how much A-Rod's laughing (or crying) all the way to the bank. That doesn't garner respect from me. That doesn't mean he's "doing something right".

Call it hypocritical if you want, but I've long ago come to terms with the fact that "hypocrisy" is one of the most overused and misused terms in our language. We're all hypocrites in some way shape or form. Some more-so than others. Best to just acknowledge it and move on.

[ClementeFanOh]

Packs- sounds like we are on same sheet of music here and saying it differently. ARod has one thing to hang his hat on in his one man effort to get a number retired- that’s personal achievement. That one thing has been rendered null and void by his own stupidity. There is NOTHING great about ARod, so the team sees no need to retire a number at his request. Trent King

[ClementeFanOh]

Good morning net54ers-

bk400- perfectly put.

Peter Spaeth- I've said it before, bears repeating. People who dive behind
words like "triggered" have surrendered their legitimacy at the starting gun.
The mere fact that I called out your extraordinarily short attention span
doesn't mean I'm triggered- it's called discernment, and mine is based on
example after example. Truly, I'm stunned you didn't shoehorn an insult
about SGC while you were attempting to move the goalposts-again- on a
topic. The topic is ARod, not Pettitte, "other guys", etc.

Bottom line- ripping on ARoid is FUN low hanging fruit, which is entirely on
him. His 12 years with NY produced 1 Series win. He consistently feuded
with their front office, was suspended an entire season, and generally made
everything he possibly could make, about him. He admitted to steroid use
as far back as 2001, and Biogenisis clearly coincided with his prime Yankee
years later. He was a constant distraction who cared only about himself. I'm
no Yankee fan- an understatement- but their history is rich enough that they
can say "thanks, no thanks" to retiring this clown's number.


Trent King

[SyrNy1960]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Good morning net54ers-

Bottom line- ripping on ARoid is FUN low hanging fruit, which is entirely on
him. His 12 years with NY produced 1 Series win. He consistently feuded
with their front office, was suspended an entire season, and generally made
everything he possibly could make, about him. He admitted to steroid use
as far back as 2001, and Biogenisis clearly coincided with his prime Yankee
years later. He was a constant distraction who cared only about himself. I'm
no Yankee fan- an understatement- but their history is rich enough that they
can say "thanks, no thanks" to retiring this clown's number.


Trent King

Well said! Even after baseball, Arod continues to do everything he can to stay relevant, which is just more annoying to me. He takes his gum disease, like it's something new he discovered, and goes on shows to share his story, wanting to warn everyone, so he can save the world. Freakin annoying! It just never ends with Arod. It truly is difficult to like the guy.

I will say this. Putting all of his bull crap aside, I still always loved watching him play baseball.

[packs]

He also opted out during the World Series. Nine out of ten memories a Yankees fan has of A-rod are about BS like that.

There is no reason to look at stats or accomplishments for A-rod. This is about being a Yankee fan and considering whether or not he really has any place in any discussion about the greatest Yankees. I can't imagine there are many of us who think he does.

You will also not see anyone wearing a number 13 jersey at the stadium.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Good morning net54ers-

The topic is ARod, not Pettitte, "other guys", etc.


Trent King

And yet... you aren't getting cranky at the people who are discussing pettitte..

Just a little "discernment"

[ClementeFanOh]

Steve- it’s like trying to stop a dam from leaking with my thumb. You are late to this parade of sadness. There are people on this board who deserve to be countered, it gets old. Focus isn’t that difficult. Trent King

[G1911]

Foul, completely off topic.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

Foul, completely off topic.

Of course, the irony is that Trent is the one who derailed a perfectly good thread, by starting to whine. And another thing. Making comparisons, or placing things in a larger context, is not off topic. Only to you.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Of course, the irony is that Trent is the one who derailed a perfectly good thread, by starting to whine. And another thing. Making comparisons, or placing things in a larger context, is not off topic. Only to you.

Off topic = any post by a person he doesn't like or expresses a different view from what he thinks is acceptable. I mean, any post by a fly that needs shooing away. If that means he needs to cuss out anyone who thinks the statistics suggest Kaline was Clemente's equal, attack folks for being against lynching people, or hijacking threads in an exercise of stunning hypocrisy, then by God he must do it, for it's the right thing to do anyways. None of us can post about the actual subject and issues very literally and directly in the original post, but he can veer off into anything because he's defending the watercooler from these dangerous flies. The hero we need, but don't deserve.