ALEX RODRIGUEZ returns a call and walks a minefield, navigating between his euphoria and his trepidation. He is psyched by the Yankees’ offseason moves, especially the signing of Johnny Damon, and wants to express his enthusiasm. Yet, he fears his every word will be parsed to uncover a hidden agenda he swears is not there.
Such is life for A-Rod as the calendar flips from 2005 to 2006.
He is a winner in nearly all the ways our society keeps score, notably in the areas of incredible riches and talent. Nevertheless, he often feels as if he cannot win. So his answers during a half-hour call are, as usual, long and full of insight.
But almost all come with disclaimers that he is responding to questions because they have been asked. Not because he is positioning himself as the leader of the Yankees. Not because it is good personal public relations to respond. Not because he is looking to take a veiled swipe at anybody else.
At this point, A-Rod recognizes his sincerity and motives are challenged enough that there is no such thing as a simple answer to a simple question. A few weeks ago when the courtship phase with Damon was still ongoing, Rodriguez was quoted as saying he hoped the Yanks would sign the center fielder because Damon and Ichiro Suzuki were the majors’ best leadoff hitters.
The decoding began instantly. Derek Jeter had a higher on-base percentage than both Damon and Suzuki last year and for his career; therefore, this was roundly translated to be more a slap at Jeter than an A-Rod endorsement of Damon.
“I don’t feel a need to address it,” Rodriguez said. But then, indeed, he did address it, showing just how leery and exhausted he has become of such matters.
“Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows [Jeter] is the best No. 2 hitter, and a terrific leadoff hitter, but now we have the best 1-2 in baseball,” Rodriguez explained. “You can put any Hall of Fame player into the one spot [leadoff] and they are going to be great. No one is questioning Jeter’s greatness.”
Rodriguez cited Jeter’s ability, maybe the best in the majors, to hit to right field, bunt and run the bases intelligently, making him the ideal No. 2 hitter. He also called the one-time Chuck Knoblauch/Jeter top of the order the “recipe for world championships,” and added, “I played against those teams when they had that 1-2 and it was devastating to deal with.”
He insisted that is why he adores adding Damon, because he admires Damon’s game, yearns for the Yanks to be champions and imagines how Damon brings the Yanks closer to a title. Nothing else. And there is nothing cosmetic about A-Rod’s zeal during the conversation. The AL MVP loves baseball. Trust me, most players have no idea what transactions their own teams have made. Rodriguez is not only aware of every move of every club, but is able to contextualize it better than most GMs I speak to. In some ways, A-Rod has the soul of a nerd fantasy- league player.
So after a few more disclaimers about speaking just for himself and not for the team, Rodriguez breaks down Damon’s game like a scout and likens him to Larry Bird.
“It may not be pretty, but he does everything pretty well.
“He’s the ultimate player for the Yankees to get,” Rodriguez said. “He fits our team like a glove. He’s battle-tested, plays best when the heat is on him and is one of those guys, like [John] Olerud, where numbers don’t tell a full story. He was a [bleeping] pain in the [butt] to play against 25 times a year because of all the intangibles and all the abilities.”
For a few more minutes, Alex Rodriguez talks baseball, analyzing the impact of additions and subtractions across the landscape. He sounds happy, confident and – perhaps most important of all to how he wants to be perceived – real.