arty: 
SORRY, A-ROD YOU ARE THE NEW EMBLEM OF FUTILITY <!--end headline-->
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<script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (results == -1) { var caption = ' ANOTHER FALL OF DISCONTENT: In two seasons, Alex Rodriguez, shown striking out, has failed to make the World Series as a Yankee.
Photo: Getty Images '; document.write(caption); } //--> </script> ANOTHER FALL OF DISCONTENT: In two seasons, Alex Rodriguez, shown striking out, has failed to make the World Series as a Yankee.
Photo: Getty Images <input name="headline" value="SORRY, A-ROD YOU ARE THE NEW EMBLEM OF FUTILITY" type="hidden"> <input value="By MIKE VACCARO" name="byline" type="hidden"> <input value="ANAHEIM - He kept the uniform on for as long as he could, because once the jersey came off, once the socks were in the laundry pile, then another baseball season would be over. Another chapter of Alex Rodriguez' legacy would end so horribly wrong. <P>The vultures would prey, and he knew it. So he took the first bite at the apple of self-loathing. <P>"I played so well all year," Rodriguez said, "and then I played like a dog the last five days." <P>And there you had it: the most honest appraisal of what turned out to be a five-game calamity that approaches, if not matches, the catastrophe of last October. <P>The Angels finished off the Yankees last night, 5-3, and captured this American League Division Series, three games to two; you could hang those dual disappointments in a lot of the lockers in the visitors' clubhouse. <P>But you had to start at the one to the right, just inside the entrance: the corner stall where Alex Rodriguez tried to make sense of the most galling failure of his career. <P>"Maybe if I'd contributed, we'd be on our way to Chicago," Rodriguez said. "I have to take a long look in the mirror and say I didn't do my part." <!-- //--> <P>He was harsh, and he was cold, and he was right in every way. Rodriguez was awful. He hit .133. He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including the coup-de-grace, a 5-4-3 double play that quashed whatever ninth-inning momentum Derek Jeter tried to ignite by leading off with a single. <P>After hitting 48 homers and driving in 130 runs during a regular season that will likely yield his second MVP trophy, he had zero of each during these five playoff games. <P>He isn't the only member of the $208 million jalopy that goes home now - just the one with the biggest bankroll and the blankest hole in his resume. The one with a reputation as baseball's version of The Cooler. <P>"We win and we lose as a team," Joe Torre insisted, and Rodriguez mentioned that as well, but no one is going to buy that; certainly not now. Rodriguez so badly wants to be The Guy, the central member of the pricey ensemble, and he understands the only way he's ever going to do that is to turn those fancy regular-season numbers into useful October action. <P>He's 30 years old now. He isn't going to run out of opportunities soon, not on this roster. But he still has to beat back the idea that he isn't even the MVP of his own team, an argument that certainly gained steam over the last seven days. He still has to shoo away the notion that he's all about the spring - which is when he had that three-homer, 10-RBI game against these very Angels, incidentally - and recedes into a cocoon of ineptitude in the fall. <P>"I usually play well against the Angels," he said, as if trying to persuade himself. <P>This isn't about his paycheck, either. Yes, he makes $25 million annually, and as such there will always be extra scrutiny attached to each at-bat. He wasn't the only high-priced member of the Yankee Country Club that came up smaller than the Rally Monkey this week. There's plenty of blame - and plenty of shame - to spread around. <P>But you don't have to wander far from A-Rod's locker to find where the lion's share is located. It was his error in Game 2, after all, that altered the entire complexion of the series. And it was his ice-cold bat, punctuated by a feeble 0-for-4 last night, that made sure the Yankees weren't going to stage any 11 o'clock lightning. <P>All around the Yankee clubhouse, as midnight approached, heads hung and shoulders slumped and faces grew long. Brian Cashman, the usually stoic GM with the expiring contract, was asked if he'd thought about this being his last go-round with this team; growing misty, he whispered, "Sorry, I'll have to do this tomorrow." <P>There were no tears from A-Rod. What good would they have done? It's a long way from here to pitchers and catchers for everyone. <P>For The Cooler, it's going to feel like forever. <P> <P>" name="text" type="hidden"> <table valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#e7e3e3" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <form name="pfriendly" method="post" action="/php/pfriendly/pfriendly_new.php"></form> <tbody><tr><td colspan="3" height="2">
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</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> October 11, 2005 -- <!--start bodytext--> ANAHEIM - He kept the uniform on for as long as he could, because once the jersey came off, once the socks were in the laundry pile, then another baseball season would be over. Another chapter of Alex Rodriguez' legacy would end so horribly wrong. The vultures would prey, and he knew it. So he took the first bite at the apple of self-loathing.
"I played so well all year," Rodriguez said, "and then I played like a dog the last five days."
And there you had it: the most honest appraisal of what turned out to be a five-game calamity that approaches, if not matches, the catastrophe of last October.
The Angels finished off the Yankees last night, 5-3, and captured this American League Division Series, three games to two; you could hang those dual disappointments in a lot of the lockers in the visitors' clubhouse.
But you had to start at the one to the right, just inside the entrance: the corner stall where Alex Rodriguez tried to make sense of the most galling failure of his career.
"Maybe if I'd contributed, we'd be on our way to Chicago," Rodriguez said. "I have to take a long look in the mirror and say I didn't do my part."<!--OAS Middle-->
<table align="left"><tbody><tr><td> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- OAS_AD('Middle'); //--> </script><iframe src="http://view.atdmt.com/FUL/iview/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/&1467917120?click=http://ads.nypost.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/55193.htm/1467917120/Middle/DrivePM_Box_ROS_102005/drivepm_box_2005.htm/31383831643932313433346262616230?" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" width="300"><script> document.write('<a href="http://ads.nypost.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/55193.htm/1467917120/Middle/DrivePM_Box_ROS_102005/drivepm_box_2005.htm/31383831643932313433346262616230?http://clk.atdmt.com/FUL/go/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120" target="_blank"><img src="http://view.atdmt.com/FUL/view/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120"/></a>'); </script><noscript><a href="http://ads.nypost.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/55193.htm/1467917120/Middle/DrivePM_Box_ROS_102005/drivepm_box_2005.htm/31383831643932313433346262616230?http://clk.atdmt.com/FUL/go/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://view.atdmt.com/FUL/view/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120" /></a></noscript></iframe>
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He was harsh, and he was cold, and he was right in every way. Rodriguez was awful. He hit .133. He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including the coup-de-grace, a 5-4-3 double play that quashed whatever ninth-inning momentum Derek Jeter tried to ignite by leading off with a single.
After hitting 48 homers and driving in 130 runs during a regular season that will likely yield his second MVP trophy, he had zero of each during these five playoff games.
He isn't the only member of the $208 million jalopy that goes home now - just the one with the biggest bankroll and the blankest hole in his resume. The one with a reputation as baseball's version of The Cooler.
"We win and we lose as a team," Joe Torre insisted, and Rodriguez mentioned that as well, but no one is going to buy that; certainly not now. Rodriguez so badly wants to be The Guy, the central member of the pricey ensemble, and he understands the only way he's ever going to do that is to turn those fancy regular-season numbers into useful October action.
He's 30 years old now. He isn't going to run out of opportunities soon, not on this roster. But he still has to beat back the idea that he isn't even the MVP of his own team, an argument that certainly gained steam over the last seven days. He still has to shoo away the notion that he's all about the spring - which is when he had that three-homer, 10-RBI game against these very Angels, incidentally - and recedes into a cocoon of ineptitude in the fall.
"I usually play well against the Angels," he said, as if trying to persuade himself.
This isn't about his paycheck, either. Yes, he makes $25 million annually, and as such there will always be extra scrutiny attached to each at-bat. He wasn't the only high-priced member of the Yankee Country Club that came up smaller than the Rally Monkey this week. There's plenty of blame - and plenty of shame - to spread around.
But you don't have to wander far from A-Rod's locker to find where the lion's share is located. It was his error in Game 2, after all, that altered the entire complexion of the series. And it was his ice-cold bat, punctuated by a feeble 0-for-4 last night, that made sure the Yankees weren't going to stage any 11 o'clock lightning.
All around the Yankee clubhouse, as midnight approached, heads hung and shoulders slumped and faces grew long. Brian Cashman, the usually stoic GM with the expiring contract, was asked if he'd thought about this being his last go-round with this team; growing misty, he whispered, "Sorry, I'll have to do this tomorrow."
There were no tears from A-Rod. What good would they have done? It's a long way from here to pitchers and catchers for everyone.
For The Cooler, it's going to feel like forever.
Photo: Getty Images '; document.write(caption); } //--> </script> ANOTHER FALL OF DISCONTENT: In two seasons, Alex Rodriguez, shown striking out, has failed to make the World Series as a Yankee.
Photo: Getty Images <input name="headline" value="SORRY, A-ROD YOU ARE THE NEW EMBLEM OF FUTILITY" type="hidden"> <input value="By MIKE VACCARO" name="byline" type="hidden"> <input value="ANAHEIM - He kept the uniform on for as long as he could, because once the jersey came off, once the socks were in the laundry pile, then another baseball season would be over. Another chapter of Alex Rodriguez' legacy would end so horribly wrong. <P>The vultures would prey, and he knew it. So he took the first bite at the apple of self-loathing. <P>"I played so well all year," Rodriguez said, "and then I played like a dog the last five days." <P>And there you had it: the most honest appraisal of what turned out to be a five-game calamity that approaches, if not matches, the catastrophe of last October. <P>The Angels finished off the Yankees last night, 5-3, and captured this American League Division Series, three games to two; you could hang those dual disappointments in a lot of the lockers in the visitors' clubhouse. <P>But you had to start at the one to the right, just inside the entrance: the corner stall where Alex Rodriguez tried to make sense of the most galling failure of his career. <P>"Maybe if I'd contributed, we'd be on our way to Chicago," Rodriguez said. "I have to take a long look in the mirror and say I didn't do my part." <!-- //--> <P>He was harsh, and he was cold, and he was right in every way. Rodriguez was awful. He hit .133. He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including the coup-de-grace, a 5-4-3 double play that quashed whatever ninth-inning momentum Derek Jeter tried to ignite by leading off with a single. <P>After hitting 48 homers and driving in 130 runs during a regular season that will likely yield his second MVP trophy, he had zero of each during these five playoff games. <P>He isn't the only member of the $208 million jalopy that goes home now - just the one with the biggest bankroll and the blankest hole in his resume. The one with a reputation as baseball's version of The Cooler. <P>"We win and we lose as a team," Joe Torre insisted, and Rodriguez mentioned that as well, but no one is going to buy that; certainly not now. Rodriguez so badly wants to be The Guy, the central member of the pricey ensemble, and he understands the only way he's ever going to do that is to turn those fancy regular-season numbers into useful October action. <P>He's 30 years old now. He isn't going to run out of opportunities soon, not on this roster. But he still has to beat back the idea that he isn't even the MVP of his own team, an argument that certainly gained steam over the last seven days. He still has to shoo away the notion that he's all about the spring - which is when he had that three-homer, 10-RBI game against these very Angels, incidentally - and recedes into a cocoon of ineptitude in the fall. <P>"I usually play well against the Angels," he said, as if trying to persuade himself. <P>This isn't about his paycheck, either. Yes, he makes $25 million annually, and as such there will always be extra scrutiny attached to each at-bat. He wasn't the only high-priced member of the Yankee Country Club that came up smaller than the Rally Monkey this week. There's plenty of blame - and plenty of shame - to spread around. <P>But you don't have to wander far from A-Rod's locker to find where the lion's share is located. It was his error in Game 2, after all, that altered the entire complexion of the series. And it was his ice-cold bat, punctuated by a feeble 0-for-4 last night, that made sure the Yankees weren't going to stage any 11 o'clock lightning. <P>All around the Yankee clubhouse, as midnight approached, heads hung and shoulders slumped and faces grew long. Brian Cashman, the usually stoic GM with the expiring contract, was asked if he'd thought about this being his last go-round with this team; growing misty, he whispered, "Sorry, I'll have to do this tomorrow." <P>There were no tears from A-Rod. What good would they have done? It's a long way from here to pitchers and catchers for everyone. <P>For The Cooler, it's going to feel like forever. <P> <P>" name="text" type="hidden"> <table valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#e7e3e3" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <form name="pfriendly" method="post" action="/php/pfriendly/pfriendly_new.php"></form> <tbody><tr><td colspan="3" height="2">
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</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> October 11, 2005 -- <!--start bodytext--> ANAHEIM - He kept the uniform on for as long as he could, because once the jersey came off, once the socks were in the laundry pile, then another baseball season would be over. Another chapter of Alex Rodriguez' legacy would end so horribly wrong. The vultures would prey, and he knew it. So he took the first bite at the apple of self-loathing.
"I played so well all year," Rodriguez said, "and then I played like a dog the last five days."
And there you had it: the most honest appraisal of what turned out to be a five-game calamity that approaches, if not matches, the catastrophe of last October.
The Angels finished off the Yankees last night, 5-3, and captured this American League Division Series, three games to two; you could hang those dual disappointments in a lot of the lockers in the visitors' clubhouse.
But you had to start at the one to the right, just inside the entrance: the corner stall where Alex Rodriguez tried to make sense of the most galling failure of his career.
"Maybe if I'd contributed, we'd be on our way to Chicago," Rodriguez said. "I have to take a long look in the mirror and say I didn't do my part."<!--OAS Middle-->
<table align="left"><tbody><tr><td> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- OAS_AD('Middle'); //--> </script><iframe src="http://view.atdmt.com/FUL/iview/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/&1467917120?click=http://ads.nypost.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/55193.htm/1467917120/Middle/DrivePM_Box_ROS_102005/drivepm_box_2005.htm/31383831643932313433346262616230?" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" width="300"><script> document.write('<a href="http://ads.nypost.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/55193.htm/1467917120/Middle/DrivePM_Box_ROS_102005/drivepm_box_2005.htm/31383831643932313433346262616230?http://clk.atdmt.com/FUL/go/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120" target="_blank"><img src="http://view.atdmt.com/FUL/view/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120"/></a>'); </script><noscript><a href="http://ads.nypost.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/55193.htm/1467917120/Middle/DrivePM_Box_ROS_102005/drivepm_box_2005.htm/31383831643932313433346262616230?http://clk.atdmt.com/FUL/go/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://view.atdmt.com/FUL/view/nypstful0140000021ful/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/1467917120" /></a></noscript></iframe>
</td></tr></tbody></table> <!--/OAS Middle-->
He was harsh, and he was cold, and he was right in every way. Rodriguez was awful. He hit .133. He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including the coup-de-grace, a 5-4-3 double play that quashed whatever ninth-inning momentum Derek Jeter tried to ignite by leading off with a single.
After hitting 48 homers and driving in 130 runs during a regular season that will likely yield his second MVP trophy, he had zero of each during these five playoff games.
He isn't the only member of the $208 million jalopy that goes home now - just the one with the biggest bankroll and the blankest hole in his resume. The one with a reputation as baseball's version of The Cooler.
"We win and we lose as a team," Joe Torre insisted, and Rodriguez mentioned that as well, but no one is going to buy that; certainly not now. Rodriguez so badly wants to be The Guy, the central member of the pricey ensemble, and he understands the only way he's ever going to do that is to turn those fancy regular-season numbers into useful October action.
He's 30 years old now. He isn't going to run out of opportunities soon, not on this roster. But he still has to beat back the idea that he isn't even the MVP of his own team, an argument that certainly gained steam over the last seven days. He still has to shoo away the notion that he's all about the spring - which is when he had that three-homer, 10-RBI game against these very Angels, incidentally - and recedes into a cocoon of ineptitude in the fall.
"I usually play well against the Angels," he said, as if trying to persuade himself.
This isn't about his paycheck, either. Yes, he makes $25 million annually, and as such there will always be extra scrutiny attached to each at-bat. He wasn't the only high-priced member of the Yankee Country Club that came up smaller than the Rally Monkey this week. There's plenty of blame - and plenty of shame - to spread around.
But you don't have to wander far from A-Rod's locker to find where the lion's share is located. It was his error in Game 2, after all, that altered the entire complexion of the series. And it was his ice-cold bat, punctuated by a feeble 0-for-4 last night, that made sure the Yankees weren't going to stage any 11 o'clock lightning.
All around the Yankee clubhouse, as midnight approached, heads hung and shoulders slumped and faces grew long. Brian Cashman, the usually stoic GM with the expiring contract, was asked if he'd thought about this being his last go-round with this team; growing misty, he whispered, "Sorry, I'll have to do this tomorrow."
There were no tears from A-Rod. What good would they have done? It's a long way from here to pitchers and catchers for everyone.
For The Cooler, it's going to feel like forever.
Holysmoke said:SORRY, A-ROD YOU ARE THE NEW EMBLEM OF FUTILITY <!--end headline-->
<hr color="#000000" size="1"> <table valign="top" align="left" cellspacing="2" width="140"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (results == -1) { var photo = ' /photos/yanks10112005101.jpg '; document.write(photo); } //--> </script><script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (results == -1) { var caption = ' ANOTHER FALL OF DISCONTENT: In two seasons, Alex Rodriguez, shown striking out, has failed to make the World Series as a Yankee.
Photo: Getty Images '; document.write(caption); } //--> </script> ANOTHER FALL OF DISCONTENT: In two seasons, Alex Rodriguez, shown striking out, has failed to make the World Series as a Yankee.
Photo: Getty Images <input name="headline" value="SORRY, A-ROD YOU ARE THE NEW EMBLEM OF FUTILITY" type="hidden"> <input value="By MIKE VACCARO" name="byline" type="hidden"> <input value="ANAHEIM - He kept the uniform on for as long as he could, because once the jersey came off, once the socks were in the laundry pile, then another baseball season would be over. Another chapter of Alex Rodriguez' legacy would end so horribly wrong. <P>The vultures would prey, and he knew it. So he took the first bite at the apple of self-loathing. <P>"I played so well all year," Rodriguez said, "and then I played like a dog the last five days." <P>And there you had it: the most honest appraisal of what turned out to be a five-game calamity that approaches, if not matches, the catastrophe of last October. <P>The Angels finished off the Yankees last night, 5-3, and captured this American League Division Series, three games to two; you could hang those dual disappointments in a lot of the lockers in the visitors' clubhouse. <P>But you had to start at the one to the right, just inside the entrance: the corner stall where Alex Rodriguez tried to make sense of the most galling failure of his career. <P>"Maybe if I'd contributed, we'd be on our way to Chicago," Rodriguez said. "I have to take a long look in the mirror and say I didn't do my part." <!-- //--> <P>He was harsh, and he was cold, and he was right in every way. Rodriguez was awful. He hit .133. He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including the coup-de-grace, a 5-4-3 double play that quashed whatever ninth-inning momentum Derek Jeter tried to ignite by leading off with a single. <P>After hitting 48 homers and driving in 130 runs during a regular season that will likely yield his second MVP trophy, he had zero of each during these five playoff games. <P>He isn't the only member of the $208 million jalopy that goes home now - just the one with the biggest bankroll and the blankest hole in his resume. The one with a reputation as baseball's version of The Cooler. <P>"We win and we lose as a team," Joe Torre insisted, and Rodriguez mentioned that as well, but no one is going to buy that; certainly not now. Rodriguez so badly wants to be The Guy, the central member of the pricey ensemble, and he understands the only way he's ever going to do that is to turn those fancy regular-season numbers into useful October action. <P>He's 30 years old now. He isn't going to run out of opportunities soon, not on this roster. But he still has to beat back the idea that he isn't even the MVP of his own team, an argument that certainly gained steam over the last seven days. He still has to shoo away the notion that he's all about the spring - which is when he had that three-homer, 10-RBI game against these very Angels, incidentally - and recedes into a cocoon of ineptitude in the fall. <P>"I usually play well against the Angels," he said, as if trying to persuade himself. <P>This isn't about his paycheck, either. Yes, he makes $25 million annually, and as such there will always be extra scrutiny attached to each at-bat. He wasn't the only high-priced member of the Yankee Country Club that came up smaller than the Rally Monkey this week. There's plenty of blame - and plenty of shame - to spread around. <P>But you don't have to wander far from A-Rod's locker to find where the lion's share is located. It was his error in Game 2, after all, that altered the entire complexion of the series. And it was his ice-cold bat, punctuated by a feeble 0-for-4 last night, that made sure the Yankees weren't going to stage any 11 o'clock lightning. <P>All around the Yankee clubhouse, as midnight approached, heads hung and shoulders slumped and faces grew long. Brian Cashman, the usually stoic GM with the expiring contract, was asked if he'd thought about this being his last go-round with this team; growing misty, he whispered, "Sorry, I'll have to do this tomorrow." <P>There were no tears from A-Rod. What good would they have done? It's a long way from here to pitchers and catchers for everyone. <P>For The Cooler, it's going to feel like forever. <P> <P>" name="text" type="hidden"> <table valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#e7e3e3" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <form name="pfriendly" method="post" action="/php/pfriendly/pfriendly_new.php"></form> <tbody><tr><td colspan="3" height="2">
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</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> October 11, 2005 -- <!--start bodytext--> ANAHEIM - He kept the uniform on for as long as he could, because once the jersey came off, once the socks were in the laundry pile, then another baseball season would be over. Another chapter of Alex Rodriguez' legacy would end so horribly wrong. The vultures would prey, and he knew it. So he took the first bite at the apple of self-loathing.
"I played so well all year," Rodriguez said, "and then I played like a dog the last five days."
And there you had it: the most honest appraisal of what turned out to be a five-game calamity that approaches, if not matches, the catastrophe of last October.
The Angels finished off the Yankees last night, 5-3, and captured this American League Division Series, three games to two; you could hang those dual disappointments in a lot of the lockers in the visitors' clubhouse.
But you had to start at the one to the right, just inside the entrance: the corner stall where Alex Rodriguez tried to make sense of the most galling failure of his career.
"Maybe if I'd contributed, we'd be on our way to Chicago," Rodriguez said. "I have to take a long look in the mirror and say I didn't do my part."<!--OAS Middle-->
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He was harsh, and he was cold, and he was right in every way. Rodriguez was awful. He hit .133. He was 0-for-7 with men on base, including the coup-de-grace, a 5-4-3 double play that quashed whatever ninth-inning momentum Derek Jeter tried to ignite by leading off with a single.
After hitting 48 homers and driving in 130 runs during a regular season that will likely yield his second MVP trophy, he had zero of each during these five playoff games.
He isn't the only member of the $208 million jalopy that goes home now - just the one with the biggest bankroll and the blankest hole in his resume. The one with a reputation as baseball's version of The Cooler.
"We win and we lose as a team," Joe Torre insisted, and Rodriguez mentioned that as well, but no one is going to buy that; certainly not now. Rodriguez so badly wants to be The Guy, the central member of the pricey ensemble, and he understands the only way he's ever going to do that is to turn those fancy regular-season numbers into useful October action.
He's 30 years old now. He isn't going to run out of opportunities soon, not on this roster. But he still has to beat back the idea that he isn't even the MVP of his own team, an argument that certainly gained steam over the last seven days. He still has to shoo away the notion that he's all about the spring - which is when he had that three-homer, 10-RBI game against these very Angels, incidentally - and recedes into a cocoon of ineptitude in the fall.
"I usually play well against the Angels," he said, as if trying to persuade himself.
This isn't about his paycheck, either. Yes, he makes $25 million annually, and as such there will always be extra scrutiny attached to each at-bat. He wasn't the only high-priced member of the Yankee Country Club that came up smaller than the Rally Monkey this week. There's plenty of blame - and plenty of shame - to spread around.
But you don't have to wander far from A-Rod's locker to find where the lion's share is located. It was his error in Game 2, after all, that altered the entire complexion of the series. And it was his ice-cold bat, punctuated by a feeble 0-for-4 last night, that made sure the Yankees weren't going to stage any 11 o'clock lightning.
All around the Yankee clubhouse, as midnight approached, heads hung and shoulders slumped and faces grew long. Brian Cashman, the usually stoic GM with the expiring contract, was asked if he'd thought about this being his last go-round with this team; growing misty, he whispered, "Sorry, I'll have to do this tomorrow."
There were no tears from A-Rod. What good would they have done? It's a long way from here to pitchers and catchers for everyone.
For The Cooler, it's going to feel like forever.
Let me be clear---I'm NO YANKEE FAN. But without A-Rod; they ain't even IN the playoffs!
Salaries (Leaders)
<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>1994</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$442,333</TD></TR><TR><TD>1995</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$442,333</TD></TR><TR><TD>1996</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$442,334</TD></TR><TR><TD>1997</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$1,062,500</TD></TR><TR><TD>1998</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$2,162,500</TD></TR><TR><TD>1999</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$3,112,500</TD></TR><TR><TD>2000</TD><TD>Seattle Mariners</TD><TD align=right>$4,362,500</TD></TR><TR><TD>2001</TD><TD>Texas Rangers</TD><TD align=right>$22,000,000</TD></TR><TR><TD>2002</TD><TD>Texas Rangers</TD><TD align=right>$22,000,000</TD></TR><TR><TD>2003</TD><TD>Texas Rangers</TD><TD align=right>$22,000,000</TD></TR><TR><TD>2004</TD><TD>New York Yankees</TD><TD align=right>$22,000,000</TD></TR><TR><TD>2005</TD><TD>New York Yankees</TD><TD align=right>$26,000,000</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>Career <SMALL>(may be incomplete)</SMALL></TD><TD align=right>$126,027,000</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
