Arod Benched

[Goodfellas]

MIAMI (AP) -- Slumping Alex Rodriguez (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/5275) has been benched for two days by the New York Yankees (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/teams/yankees).

The three-time AL MVP had been set to play his first regular-season games in his hometown of Miami against the Marlins. He is batting .145 (8 for 55) in June.

The third baseman is in an 0-for-15 slump, and is hitting .212 with nine homers and 26 RBIs.

Rodriguez missed the start of the season following hip surgery. He has played in every game since rejoining the Yankees on May 8 in Baltimore, where he homered on his first pitch.

In scratching him from Friday's lineup against the Marlins, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said A-Rod was "fatigued."

[Goodfellas]

MIAMI -- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman ordered superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/5275) be rested here Friday and Saturday after a conference call of Yankee bosses, including team owner Hal Steinbrenner, medical personnel and Rodriguez himself, people familiar with the situation tell SI.com.

Rodriguez conceded on the high-powered conference call that he was "bone tired." The call was precipitated by Steinbrenner, Cashman and other Yankees higherups after noticing A-Rod's terrible recent struggles and a tired look, especially in the games against the Nationals this week. They were concerned that he wasn't himself after playing constantly following his return from March hip surgery.

A-Rod was told, "You're hurting the team," by one or more of the Yankee decison-makers before he admitted he wasn't himself and agreed to the two-day break. It was also decided on the call that Rodriguez would need an occasional day off, which his doctors, Marc Philippon and David Lindsay recommended.

Some controversy was sparked when the Miami Herald in a lengthy story about Rodriguez's unexpected two-day rest included a "rumor" that A-Rod and manager Joe Girardi "spoke sharply to each other" in a meeting before Friday's game here. However, people familiar with the Yankees' decision to sit Rodriguez say the decision came from Cashman and higherups, not Girardi. The conference call did take place with Rodriguez when he was at the stadium, but Girardi wasn't believed to be on the call.

Yankees bosses believe Rodriguez was trying to play through the fatigue and would have happily continued to do play had they not called a halt Friday. Rodriguez is hitting .145 for the month with two home runs. The Miami Herald story noted that tens of Rodriguez friends and family were looking forward to the upcoming games for the hometown star here in Miami.

"When you're running on empty, you're not being yourself out there," Rodriguez was quoted as saying before the game. "I'll call my mom and tell her to save the gas money."

[Sugan]

I love it. He's a cunt and he can't hit for shit off the gear. Exhausted my ass. He'll never be known as a Yankee great. Biggest cunt in pro ball.

[BigJD69]

I love it. He's a cunt and he can't hit for shit off the gear. Exhausted my ass. He'll never be known as a Yankee great. Biggest cunt in pro ball.
It's not because of the juice! He isn't a clutch player!

[Sugan]

It's not because of the juice! He isn't a clutch player!

It's the juice. He's had many walk off dingers in his career.

[NPCKnight]

I love it. He's a cunt and he can't hit for shit off the gear. Exhausted my ass. He'll never be known as a Yankee great. Biggest cunt in pro ball.


Shut up. Have you ever hit a baseball? I'm guessing no, because simply put, hitting has nothing to do with the juice.

[Goodfellas]

Juice or no juice he came back too soon from the hip surgery...

[Sugan]

Shut up. Have you ever hit a baseball? I'm guessing no, because simply put, hitting has nothing to do with the juice.


Been playing all my life . Maybe you shut up before talking out of your ass. I play in a competitive men's league. It's the only baseball around for a 40 year old. Not slo pitch or any crap like that. BASEBALL. I faced a kid (lefty) the other night who threw near 90mph. I hit him .I know plenty about baseball. It's my favourite sport , has been since I started following the Yanks at age 10. Hitting a ball 400 feet when a guy is throwing near 100 mph with movement is possibly the hardest thing to do in team sports. I think pro ball players are hugely underrated. Amazing athletes.
Being jacked doesn't make anyone hit dingers. I take gear and rarely hit them. I hit line drives cuz I have a flat swing from hockey. I hit the ball hard before gear as a teen and I hit it much harder now.
That said, being geared up will increase strength and it will directly increase bat speed. I watched a Yanks game the other night it was apparent that his bat speed has slowed down. The announcer said as much 5 minutes after I mentioned it to my brother in law , a very good ball player himself. Jose Canseco himself said he wouldn't have even made the majors without AAS. This from a guy who hit over 400 of them.
A Rod is not exhausted. Jason Giambi did not have a stomach virus or whatever the fuck the excuse was for him losing 30 lbs years ago. We know now what it was. He was coming off gear and/or didn't want to fail any more tests.
Hitting a ball has little to do with juice, true. It doesn't sharpen hand to eye or anything like that . Bat speed is certainly increased. Bat speed is largely held by baseball experts to be the most relavent factor in determining the distance a ball can be hit and how hard. Not the size of the bat or player , as once believed.
Take any 20 home run guy with decent power and put him on gear and you have a 30 home run guy. The extra bat speed is gonna give him a few more feet and a few more homers over 500 + ABS. 10 million K a year as opposed to 5. There are literally dozens of guys who fell off when MLB instituted drug testing. Brad Fullmer , Pudge , Gonzalez , HGiambi , Nomar , Sosa (who said he showed up in Baltimore at 205 lbs instead of his Cubbie 230 because he wanted to be lean again) etc etc. The list goes on.
Try me on something else I don't know shit about pal.

[CodyKelly]

He asked to be benched for 2 games

[Goodfellas]

When did he say was the last time he actually used?

[Sugan]

When did he say was the last time he actually used?

Doesn't matter cuz it would be a lie anyway. I doubt any major leaguer outside of Canseco has been honest about his use. Everyone thus far has said they either took it for an injury or took one shot and threw it away. :rolleyes:

[Goodfellas]

Kate Hudson may be wearing A-Rod out. The slumping Yankee slugger missed most of last night's game against the Florida Marlins after riding the bench the night before as well with a case of "fatigue." It's not surprising that A-Rod is feeling a bit sluggish -- the wilting all-star was caught partying in South Beach with Hudson, his main squeeze, in the wee hours yesterday morning. The third baseman was seen leaving an exclusive party with the actress at around 2:30 a.m. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/seven/06212009/news/regionalnews/call_him_m_i_a__rod_175262.htm)

[Sugan]

Kate Hudson may be wearing A-Rod out. The slumping Yankee slugger missed most of last night's game against the Florida Marlins after riding the bench the night before as well with a case of "fatigue." It's not surprising that A-Rod is feeling a bit sluggish -- the wilting all-star was caught partying in South Beach with Hudson, his main squeeze, in the wee hours yesterday morning. The third baseman was seen leaving an exclusive party with the actress at around 2:30 a.m. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/seven/06212009/news/regionalnews/call_him_m_i_a__rod_175262.htm)

Real team player that A Rod is. A knob.

[Goodfellas]

What a jerk. I thought Cashman already hada "talk" with him. They should see if they can get some money back somehow and wave him. They have Teixeira now. Screw A-Roid.

["Rodz"]

Shut up. Have you ever hit a baseball? I'm guessing no, because simply put, hitting has nothing to do with the juice.

Truth! No product is going to give you the talent and skill to hit a 90mph fastball or a 70 mph changeup with a 12 inch drop

[bringingthehuge]

Its probably a good thing to sit him for a couple games. It sure seems to be working for David Ortiz. He hit another home run today.

[Goodfellas]

Its probably a good thing to sit him for a couple games. It sure seems to be working for David Ortiz. He hit another home run today.

Yippee :D

[Sugan]

Truth! No product is going to give you the talent and skill to hit a 90mph fastball or a 70 mph changeup with a 12 inch drop

No , but it will give you the ability to hit that same ball further. Dozens of major leaguers and former major leaguers have shown us this.

[Sugan]

Yippee :D

A whole 6 of them on the season. Good thing they have a talented Canadian in their lineup.