Another A-Rod Post

 

I'm going to hop on here with Steve and defend A-Rod from a baseball perspective. Can't defend him from a personal standpoint. I think the guy is socially retarded and hasn't had a genuine conversation with someone from the time he was 18 years old when he made his first million.

 

Anyone saying that A-rod either A) shouldn't be in the lineup, or B) should be moved down in the order is a fucking idiot. If you don't think that A-Rod makes this lineup better and the people around him better, than you sir, or maam,  are a complete and total moron.

 

I know I'm going to sound like an asshole here, but I really don't care. I hate it when people who have played baseball up until the highschool level feel the need to critique every little thing that these pros do. And, I feel that Steve and I, who both played D1 baseball have a little bit more knowledge and appreciation for what these guys do then the average fan.

 

A-Rod's strikeout against Jim Johnson. Everyone is flipping a shit over this because I guess on TV from the angle they show the pitch, it doesn't look like Jim Johnson is difficult to hit. Let me explain something to you, this dude throws frikin bowling balls. And when he throws a 93 mph fastball down in the zone it's impossible to hit. IMPOSSIBLE! It's why he's been so effective this year. I pitched in college and my throwing partner during the year threw a heavy sinker. He sat around 85-86 but it felt like 94. My hands were beat to shit after throwing with him and catching his flatgrounds. Steve can attest to this even more than me. Hitting against a guy with sink is the worst thing in the world. Add to that, it was 50 degrees that night, Johnson was down in the zone, and he was pumping 92. Let me tell you something, when a dude is throwing 98 and flat (max effort) vs. a dude like johnson who throws 92 with sink (relaxed) every single professional baseball player will take 98 and flat. It's why Armando Benitez got his tits lit everytime he took the mound.

 

I had this conversation with my friend from college and said the same thing. I may sound snotty, but I have a way larger appreciation for the game because of the level I played at. People really don't realize how good these guys are. And A-Rod for most of his career and currently is among the best of the best. He's always been a streaky hitter, and right now he's not hitting some pitches that when he's hot would drive out of the park. That's still no reason to take him out of the middle of the order. Put aside your personal hatred of the dude for a second and realize that he's still one of the most important parts of the Yankees. He's going to show up in a big way tonight and hopefully that will silence the ninkapoops at least until his next bad game.