F*ck
Fricking A-Rod...
I admit that A-Rod has not always been treated fairly in NY, especially when fans booed him last year for a sub-par season (though still good compared to others). But heck, I have always been one of his supporters yet I can't forgive him now...
As usual with my sports rants, here is some background. A-Rod was signed for 3 more years but he had the option to pot out of his contract this year. He is already the highest paid baseball player (discounting Roger Clemens) in the league and would have been paid 81 million for the next 3 years (with the Texas Rangers chipping in 21.3 million). The Yankees, in order to keep him from opting out, were prepared to offer him a 5 year 150 million extension to his contract and make him the highest paid player in baseball again. A-Rod had until 10 days after the end of the World Series (today) to decide whether he would opt out or not.
However, despite the fact that A-Rod has stated over the course of the season that he wants to stay in NY, he opts out today. The reasons he gives? Because he wasn't sure about the direction the team was going. Jorge Posada (starting catcher) and Mariano Rivera (future Hall-of-Fame closer) are free agents and Andy Pettitte (veteran starting pitcher) has a player option in his contract. Sure the Yankees haven't signed/renewed either of their contracts yet, but A-Rod didn't even give them and time and wait until a time closer to the deadline. Plus, he OPTED OUT BEFORE HE EVEN FORMALLY RECEIVED A CONTRACT OFFER AND WAY BEFORE HE NEEDED TO DECIDE! This shows that he didn't even care about the contract offer from the Yankees, he was going to opt out anyway and lied to the fans all year.
It is very inconceivable that A-Rod will receive an offer that matches the Yankees offer (231 million over 8 years) in the open market. WTF A-Rod. And to announce his opting out on the day the Red Sox win the World Series? Does he want to be hated in NY?!?!
The Yankees are weakened, no doubt, because A-Rod is the best hitter in baseball, but the Yankees can and will survive his departure/betrayal(?). Heck, when they won 4 titles in 5 years, they did not have the best hitters in the league. With the young pitchers the Yankees have, they will still do fine, but A-Rod is admittedly a big loss. F*ck...
EDIT: About A-Rod's excuse for opting out, it is particularly flimsy because of a one main reasons. He states that he is unsure of the direction the team is going and whether some main players will return. However, the main reason these players haven't made their intentions clear yet is because the Yankees have not yet announced their new manager for next season. These players want to see who they would be playing for before making a decision. And, of course, the Yankees are making that announcement today (Monday). If A-Rod would wait until close to the his deadline (of when he has to decide whether to opt out, which is in 10 days), the intentions of these players would be a lot clearer. He can't wait a few days and see what these other players are going to do? Very very flimsy excuse A-Rod...
I admit that A-Rod has not always been treated fairly in NY, especially when fans booed him last year for a sub-par season (though still good compared to others). But heck, I have always been one of his supporters yet I can't forgive him now...
As usual with my sports rants, here is some background. A-Rod was signed for 3 more years but he had the option to pot out of his contract this year. He is already the highest paid baseball player (discounting Roger Clemens) in the league and would have been paid 81 million for the next 3 years (with the Texas Rangers chipping in 21.3 million). The Yankees, in order to keep him from opting out, were prepared to offer him a 5 year 150 million extension to his contract and make him the highest paid player in baseball again. A-Rod had until 10 days after the end of the World Series (today) to decide whether he would opt out or not.
However, despite the fact that A-Rod has stated over the course of the season that he wants to stay in NY, he opts out today. The reasons he gives? Because he wasn't sure about the direction the team was going. Jorge Posada (starting catcher) and Mariano Rivera (future Hall-of-Fame closer) are free agents and Andy Pettitte (veteran starting pitcher) has a player option in his contract. Sure the Yankees haven't signed/renewed either of their contracts yet, but A-Rod didn't even give them and time and wait until a time closer to the deadline. Plus, he OPTED OUT BEFORE HE EVEN FORMALLY RECEIVED A CONTRACT OFFER AND WAY BEFORE HE NEEDED TO DECIDE! This shows that he didn't even care about the contract offer from the Yankees, he was going to opt out anyway and lied to the fans all year.
It is very inconceivable that A-Rod will receive an offer that matches the Yankees offer (231 million over 8 years) in the open market. WTF A-Rod. And to announce his opting out on the day the Red Sox win the World Series? Does he want to be hated in NY?!?!
The Yankees are weakened, no doubt, because A-Rod is the best hitter in baseball, but the Yankees can and will survive his departure/betrayal(?). Heck, when they won 4 titles in 5 years, they did not have the best hitters in the league. With the young pitchers the Yankees have, they will still do fine, but A-Rod is admittedly a big loss. F*ck...
EDIT: About A-Rod's excuse for opting out, it is particularly flimsy because of a one main reasons. He states that he is unsure of the direction the team is going and whether some main players will return. However, the main reason these players haven't made their intentions clear yet is because the Yankees have not yet announced their new manager for next season. These players want to see who they would be playing for before making a decision. And, of course, the Yankees are making that announcement today (Monday). If A-Rod would wait until close to the his deadline (of when he has to decide whether to opt out, which is in 10 days), the intentions of these players would be a lot clearer. He can't wait a few days and see what these other players are going to do? Very very flimsy excuse A-Rod...