If there is a game-changing moment in the Bronx during the ALCS, expect nothing less than to have Alex Rodriguez in the middle of it. Good or bad.
Much like Marvel comic book character Wolverine, Yankees third baseman A-Rod just wants to fit in and be liked.
Is A-Rod a bit over dramatic at times and overexposed? Sure. However, he has earned his reputation and popularity for a reason, the guy is good at baseball.
Alex is arguably one of the best players to ever play on the baseball diamond.
The guy just wanted to be liked; by nearly everyone, and that is impossible.
He wasn’t well liked before the 2009 steroid admission, from a supposed drug use during the 2003 season with the Texas Rangers. Once that word got out he was one of the “cheaters,” bad went to worse.
On top of all of his injuries, personal pain and playoff failures, Rodriguez battled back to the top.
He got as far as he could go in 2009, winning his first World Series title and having clutch moment after clutch moment that post season with New York.
That year must seem like a blur to Alex, because he didn’t do much before that in the playoffs and hasn’t done much after that.
Call that year his “climax” if you will, because his numbers seem to be deteriorating by the second.
Rodriguez has dealt with a lot of suffering and heartache throughout his Major League career, some you could say is his own fault, or maybe he is just guilty by association.
Heading into the 2012 postseason, Rodriguez was ready to put the past couple of seasons behind him and climb that mountain once again.
This postseason has the makings of being his worse.
If hitting .125 with nine strikeouts and no extra-base hits isn’t bad enough, Raul Ibanez came in to pinch hit for him in Game 3.
Ibanez not only pinch hit for Rodriguez, he hit the game-tying and game-winning homeruns for the Yankees that night.
A-Rod was pinch hit for again with Game 4 on the line, with Eric Chavez lining out to end the game.
To make matters worse, in Game 5, he couldn’t stay out of the headlines, after being benched by Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
The Yankees managed to secure the Game 5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS to move onto the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers.
After an extra day of rest and some motivation to go along with it, Rodriguez should return to the Yankees lineup raring to go on Saturday night in the Bronx.
Will he try to do too much at the plate to please the Yankees faithful, or will he relax and let his talent take over at the dish?
If he can calm his nerves and channel his energy, we could be seeing the rebirth of the 2009 Alex Rodriguez and a storybook playoff comeback performance.
Stay tuned.
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