<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>SPOILED ROTTENJASON LEADS CHORUS OF A-ROD BASHERSSeptember 20, 2006 -- Last night the Yankees tried to play down a Sports Illustrated cover story on Alex Rodriguez that is filled with tantalizing quotes from Yankees criticizing A-Rod.The long article presents the $252 million dollar man as a disconnected, weird and statistics-conscious loner in his own clubhouse.Rodriguez said last night that he hadn't read the story yet, but he was unfazed by it. Among the biting SI quotes, Jason Giambi says, "Alex doesn't know who he is. We're going to find out who he is in the next couple of months.""That doesn't bother me at all because I have gotten a lot of support from this team," Rodriguez said before last night's game in Toronto. "This is the most support I have ever got from a team. Jason is a very supportive teammate as well."The nearly 5,000-word feature reveals many intriguing storylines that have been mentioned all season, but not in such detail. Here is the Post's Cliff's Notes version of it, beginning with several Yankees criticizing Rodriguez during his hitting slump.Giambi reportedly told Joe Torre to "stop coddling" Rodriguez. Giambi denied this last night, but it seemed to be confirmed in the story by Torre, whom, it should be noted, figures to have a strong relationship with the author of the article, Tom Verducci, since they wrote a book together nearly a decade ago.Giambi said that Rodriguez displayed a "false confidence" during his struggles.Giambi said, "He's guessing and he's doing a bad job of it, which is inevitable when you guess as often as he guesses. He's squeezing the [freaking] sawdust out of the bat."An unidentified teammate said, "I think he ought to get his eyes checked. I'm not kidding. I don't think he's seeing the ball."Another said, "I honestly think he might be afraid of the ball."A Yankees veteran said, "It was always about the numbers in [Seattle and Texas] for him. And that doesn't matter here. Winning is all you're judged on here."A Yankee said, "One thing people don't like is his body language. Too much of what he does on the field looks ... scripted."Giambi publicly confirms the division between Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He is quoted describing the "the heat that exists between" the two.After the Giambi nudge, Torre had a very stern meeting with Rodriguez in Seattle last month, but at the end of SI story, Rodriguez didn't seem to recall the details of the discussion.In defending himself, A-Rod mentioned negative stats or the amount of money that Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Giambi, Reggie Jackson and the A's Eric Chavez had or make. This is considered a no-no in baseball clubhouses.Rodriguez uses the "I'm too smart" defense. "I can't help that I'm a bright person," he is quoted as saying. "I know that's not a great quote to give, but I can't pretend to play dumb and stupid."When backed into a corner, Rodriguez would often turn to his statistics as a defense to fend off criticism and claims his contract is why he is disliked by some.A-Rod is presented as weird, specifically from an incident in which the Red Sox were courting him in 2003. Several Red Sox executives allegedly went to Rodriguez' room at 1 a.m. to find Rodriguez dressed in a suit and tie. The Boston executives found A-Rod's attire "odd" and "unsettling" at that hour.Jackson referred to Jeter and Rodriguez in the on-deck circle and said they looked like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, two Yankee legends who didn't get along.Rodriguez has turned to God during this trying season.After being told details of the story last night, Giambi seemed to backtrack from what he is quoted as saying. Verducci describes a scene after the Yankees 13-5 win at Fenway on Aug. 19. Giambi was mad that Rodriguez left four runners on base in the first three innings against Josh Beckett.In the story, Giambi is quoted telling Rodriguez, "We're all rooting for you and we're behind you 100 percent, but you've got to get the big hit."Rodriguez, according to Giambi's SI quotes, responded, "What do you mean? I've had five hits in Boston."Giambi retorted, "You [freaking] call those hits? You had two [freaking] dinkers to rightfield and a ball that bounced over the third baseman. Look at how many pitches you missed."When you hit three, four or five [in the order], you have to get the big hits, especially if they're going to walk Bobby [Abreu] and me. I'll help you out until you get going. I'll look to drive in runs when they pitch around me, go after that 3-and-1 pitch that might be a ball. But if they're going to walk Bobby and me, you're going to have to be the guy."In the SI article, A-Rod said he did not remember details of the conversation, while oddly adding he was sure there was a conversation.Giambi said last night, "What I remember is being in Boston and telling Alex that we really needed him, that if we were going to win the World Series we needed him."Giambi also downplayed the coddling quotes, but Torre seemed to confirm them as he discussed his stern meeting with A-Rod at Safeco Field, which was after the Boston trip."What Jason said made me realize that I had to go at it a different way," Torre said in SI. "When the rest of the team starts noticing things, you have to get it fixed. That's my job. I like to give individuals what I believe is the room they need, but when I sense that other people are affected, teamwise, I have to find a solution to it."Last night, Torre added, "I told him to be honest with himself. I knew he had a tough series in Boston, he had a couple of hits but wasn't as good as he wanted to be. I watch body language and that's where I was going with the honesty stuff. I said, 'I know you are hurting inside because you know how much we count on you.'"Rodriguez also seemed to cause more trouble for himself by mentioning other players struggles to defend himself."Reggie hit .230 one year," Rodriguez told SI. "That's awful. He struck out 170-something times in a year. I don't care who you are, extremes are just part of the game. I was awful [in Anaheim], but Jeter was 0 for 32 [in 2004], Mo blew three games in one week [last year] ... Everybody goes through it."Mussina doesn't get hammered at all," Rodriguez said. "He's making a boatload of money. Giambi's making [$20.4 million], which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass. When people write [bad things] about me, I don't know if it's [because] I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team ... "Whatever it is, Rodriguez is a lightning A-Rod. Despite all his riches, he seemed a bit jinxed even before he landed on SI's cover.</div>http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/spoil...ew_marchand.htm
Why is Giambi speaking? He needs steroids to be good. If I were A-Rod, I would point that out everyday of Giambi's deceptive success as a baseball player.Bottom line, A-Rod makes too much money which is obviously getting to his head. Responding with "So what, people make so-and-so and do this-and-that," is immature and definately does not make you seem "intelligent." It makes you seem like a pompous ass that isn't willing to accept a shred of responsibility for anything bad that happens and is just finding excuses and easy comparisons to explain things.There are rich people that can be humble and down to earth (see Bill Gates, dude makes billions of dollars but he recognized that he was lucky, he felt his product was actually inferior, he's a leading humanitarian and supporter of improved schooling, etc.)
I don't get why everyone is making a big deal of this? It's tough love. This happens on all sports team. It happened on my basketball team. It's called motivation. You motivate your team mates to do better.
The problem is that A-Rod cares too much. He is very similar to Jeter in just about every way except personality. If A-Rod would stop caring about everyone elses opinion, and just be a little selfish people would like him more.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TCOF @ Sep 20 2006, 04:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't get why everyone is making a big deal of this? It's tough love. This happens on all sports team. It happened on my basketball team. It's called motivation. You motivate your team mates to do better.</div>That is hardly motavation.There is a difference giving somebody a hard time to motavate them and going to your manager behind his back and telling him to "stop coddling" Rodriguez. First of all, A-Rod isnt going to become motavated by some conversation he never know existed. Second of all, If A-Rod did hear about the conversation its just going to make him feel worse then he already does, especially if he is as insecure as the media makes him out to be.Even worse is letting out to the media that there is a 'division' between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez because nothing good is going to come from that. Not to mention that all of these cases of 'motavation' are taken care of in-house and not leaked to the Media for a reason. If I was a Yankees fan, there are 2 things that should be very troubleing.1) A-Rod's excuse making.1) He isnt the only overpaid player (citeing Specific Examples, throwing teammates under the bus)2) He isnt the only player whos had a slump (citeing Specific Examples, throwing teammates under the bus)3) Hes too smart.4) His statistics are still impressive. 5) They're after him because hes the most paid.6) There are 'extremes' to the game.7) Hes good looking.8) Hes bi-racial9) He plays on the most popular team.By my count, he made 9 Different Excuses in One Article (Very few of which actually even have to do with the Game of baseball), not to mention threw quite a few teammates under the bus in the process. Both of which should be major no-no's in any team sport. He should be focuseing on how to break out of this slump and not be worrying about why the media and the Yankees fans hate him, because I guarantee the first time he starts to hit in a clutch situation they wont be booing A-Rod anymore. 2) The reported 'division' in the Yankees clubhouse surrounding A-Rod.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Giambi publicly confirms the division between Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He is quoted describing the "the heat that exists between" the two.Giambi reportedly told Joe Torre to "stop coddling" Rodriguez. Giambi denied this last night, but it seemed to be confirmed in the story by Torre, whom, it should be noted, figures to have a strong relationship with the author of the article, Tom Verducci, since they wrote a book together nearly a decade ago.</div>Neither of which is a good thing in a Team Sport.
What Giambi did is defintly motivation.That's what goes down on my team. If someone is messing up, we explain to them what to do, and tell them to their ass in motion.It worked on me, namely cause everyone on my team said if there was a most improved player award I would get it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TCOF @ Sep 21 2006, 12:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What Giambi did is defintly motivation.That's what goes down on my team. If someone is messing up, we explain to them what to do, and tell them to their ass in motion.</div>Your missing my point though. Giambi DID NOT just go to A-Rod and explain to him what to do or tell him to get his ass in motion. Sitting down with him and explaining where he is messing up is one thing, giving him a hard time to get him pumped up to prove you wrong is one thing. Going to Torre and the Media and talking trash about your teammate is a whole 'nother story, there is nothing positive that is going to come from talking trash about your teammate behind his back and thats is what Giambi did. - Giambi Went to Torre and told him to Stop Coddleing A-Rod. - Giambi Told the Media that A-Rod was guessing on his pitches. - Giambi Admitted to the Media a fewd between Jeter and A-Rod. None of that is motavation. Nothing positive is going to come from those 3 specific examples. The only part of the article that you can say was motavation between Giambi and A-Rod is the part that Giambi said directly to A-Rod.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>In the story, Giambi is quoted telling Rodriguez, "We're all rooting for you and we're behind you 100 percent, but you've got to get the big hit."Rodriguez, according to Giambi's SI quotes, responded, "What do you mean? I've had five hits in Boston."Giambi retorted, "You [freaking]call those hits? You had two [freaking] dinkers to rightfield and a ball that bounced over the third baseman. Look at how many pitches you missed."When you hit three, four or five [in the order], you have to get the big hits, especially if they're going to walk Bobby [Abreu] and me. I'll help you out until you get going. I'll look to drive in runs when they pitch around me, go after that 3-and-1 pitch that might be a ball. But if they're going to walk Bobby and me, you're going to have to be the guy."</div>That one little blurb was motavation. That's it. The rest is attacking a teammate.
i love how people still make fun of Giambi for steriods when he was the only one who admitted it and apologized, and is now back and steriodfree.and this is gertting blown out of proportion.it i motivation. It wasnt leaked to the press. Tom Verducci (the writer of the SI article) spent months inside the locker room before he got the information.Bottomline - Arod is playing better now. And the rift between Jeter and Arod? Jeter isnt gonna let that happen as long as the yankees are winning.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nebkreb @ Sep 23 2006, 11:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>1) i love how people still make fun of Giambi for steriods when he was the only one who admitted it and apologized, and is now back and steriodfree.2) It wasnt leaked to the press. Tom Verducci (the writer of the SI article) spent months inside the locker room before he got the information.</div>1) Got any proof he is 'steroidfree' Who is to say that he hasnt gone back to them, especially during the middle of that major slump he had last season, one could get desperate. :whistling: 2) Is he somehow not the press because of that? Just because he spent months in the locker room doesnt mean that players are allowed to talk trash about thier teammates to him. :whistling:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (chang @ Sep 23 2006, 11:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You can't reserve the effects of steroids. Giambi's power is still from taking steroids.</div>I agree. Even when you stop, you still retian massive amounts of added muscle given from the juice
i dont like that he threw moose and giambi under the bus. thats the part i was most upset about.so what? you want Giambi to retire? hes done everything possible for an ex steriod user to do, and people still wont get off his back. fuck off. id rather have him that Palmiero. Or Sosa who still refuse to admit that they took it.
Alright lets kill this.Dick Vitale was on Mike and Mike this morning. He went out to dinner with A-Rod and his family. He said that A-Rod said that everyone in the locker room are friends and that he never said what people said he said.
