| Pay-Rod
By Patryk Fournier February 23rd, 2004 |
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As if there wasn't enough of a reason to despise the New York Yankees, now they go out and acquire Alex Rodriguez, the poster child for over-inflated sports contracts. Pay-Rod, as he'll forever be known after signing his 10 year $252 million dollar contract with the Texas Rangers three years ago has now joined the "Evil Empire". The Evil Empire is a place that can rob you of your individuality. Just ask Yanks first baseman Jason Giambi. Didn't everyone prefer the Oakland A's version of Giambi a lot more than this corporate version who pimps deodorant and Nike Gear? It's hard to even remember him when he had the goatee, long greasy hair, visible tattoos and that fun loving attitude that coined the three star approach to life: "Play like an All-Star, Party like a Rock Star and Hammer like a Porn Star." His arrival to New York is the equivalent of Stone Cold Steve Austin turning corporate complete with the suits and martini's.
The Texas Rangers' signing of Alex Rodriguez was a disappointment of Alexandre Daigle proportions but it was hardly a surprise. A-Rod put himself in a tough position with the Rangers. How was he expecting to play on a competitive team when the entire budget was used on him? The most important position in baseball is the pitcher; you simply can't win without a quality staff. The same way you can't win in hockey without an elite goaltender. The Rangers tried to address their pitching problems by taking a flier on free agent Chan Ho Park, the key word there being tried. While we're on the subject of the Korean pitcher, to be safe I think broadcasters need to announce him by his full name. Simply referring to him as Ho Park conjures up a strange thought of a recreational area for street walkers. Though, let me point out that on the field Rodriguez did all he could to help the team win. He is after all the 2-time reigning AL MVP and one of the only players to have a legitimate chance to break Aaron's HR record. Along with Pay-rod the Yankees have added Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez and Kenny Lofton this off-season. With all the veterans in the lineup I think the Yankees need to adopt the same slogan I heard on the radio the other day for a local car dealership: "Experience the Reputation", which interestingly enough is the same slogan that a few girls in high school had.
I was expecting a comment from the Yankees most hated rival and mutual Rodriguez pursuer but I never imagined a Red Sox comment would come from Ben Affleck. Is this how Ben Affleck is getting over the whole J Lo thing, by showing the world his devotion for the Sox? First he makes reference to it in Paycheck, then he makes a statement in an interview when the Sox decided to let Todd Walker explore free agency and now he has reporters huddling around him at the Daytona 500 for a comment about Pay-Rod going to the Yanks. Did I miss something or is he the press secretary for the Sox? Maybe like every other girlfriend J Lo just got fed up with all the sports banter and gave him an ultimatum. I guess we're all just seeing the choice he made. I may not measure up to Ben Affleck's devotion level for the Red Sox, but I do love them so that's why I'm hoping this season plays out like a MasterCard commercial for the Yankees:
Team Salary: $185 million Speaking of those Priceless commercials, do you think the person who came up with that campaign was able to retire? I assume coming up with that idea is a little like winning the lottery; you can live off of it for the rest of your life. What better resume buffer can you have than coming up with that idea? It also helps that MasterCard has been milking those ads for years. Throughout this entire signing process by the Yankees there have been a myriad of reactions but by far the strangest admonishment has come from Red Sox owner John Henry. Here's a guy who owns a team with the 2nd highest payroll in baseball and he now sides in favour of a salary cap? In case you didn't have a clear idea of the definition of sour grapes before, now you have one and that's coming from a Red Sox fan. I personally think if the Red Sox owner was serious about instituting the idea of a salary cap then he should have left it up to someone else to discuss. He should have just sent Ben Affleck to see MLB commissioner Bud Selig.
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