October 17, 2005

My sympathies to A-Rod and his family! A Pepsi curse is certainly more newsworthy!

posted by daddisamm at 05:42 AM on October 17, 2005

... oh come on. You think it's implausible that the death of a near relative would affect an athlete's performance?

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:02 AM on October 17, 2005

Who hasn't lost a loved one and still had to on to do a job? It is sad he lost someone, but....a poor performance over an entire postseason? It was the NY pressure that got to him....nothing more....

posted by sinisterfoot at 07:24 AM on October 17, 2005

I don't know Gary. Everything about ARod's public persona seems a calculated move to me, from the "saving a young Yankee fan from the dangerous speeding traffic on Newbury Street in Boston" (hah!) to the "I'm in therapy!"

posted by jerseygirl at 07:52 AM on October 17, 2005

Oh, for pity's sake, listen to yourselves. I really hope these words come back to haunt y'all when the person who raised you died and your boss wants you to suck it up and "perform".

posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:32 AM on October 17, 2005

Clemens, Favre, Rivera, I think even O'Neill and Brosius all lost someone immediate and performed. This shouldn't have come out, not now and not after the fact, especially after Clemens lost his mom and still managed to get back out there that night. It looks stupid and futile on ARod's part -- Clemens, Favre, Rivera all can do it, but he can't. Looks like an excuse. You know what? If he wasn't 100%, he should have asked out or said something while it was going on, not as an after-the-fact. And if he couldn't muster that, then sack up. And I'm not ARod, LBB. I don't have a team championship over my head, I don't have a 25 million dollar payroll and I don't have his expectations. While grief is universal, workplace expectations are vastly different.

posted by jerseygirl at 08:43 AM on October 17, 2005

Has anyone heard Arod talk about this at all. All I've heard is he apologized to his team and took all the blame for the way the team played. I don't see him as the type of person to make excuses. What's the point he'll be in the same position next year if he doesn't perform well.

posted by jtrluva at 09:15 AM on October 17, 2005

Me think's his mother probably spoke before discussing the matter with her son. Moms can be protective. exactly. ARod is not shy about speaking to the press. if he wanted this to come out i'm sure he would've brought it up himself.

posted by goddam at 09:42 AM on October 17, 2005

CLEMENS MOM HAD DIED THE MORNING HE PITCHED HE STILL GOT THW WIN

posted by barry from h-town at 09:47 AM on October 17, 2005

A-Rods uncle use to drink lots of Pepsi.

posted by Turbo at 10:04 AM on October 17, 2005

OCT. 17, 2005 It's been a couple of days since we were eliminated by the Angels, but the disappointment has not yet subsided. I'll carry it with me the entire offseason, as I think everyone in our clubhouse will. I really believed that we had the team to win it all. This club overcame a lot of adversity. Regardless of injuries, inconsistent play and mental lapses, we were still able to win the division. We knew we were better than all those mistakes, and as a team we rallied in the second half to get into the postseason. We entered the playoffs playing our best ball of the season, and were ready to go all the way. We played our hearts out for five games, leaving everything on the field. Unfortunately, we came up short in the end. I received quite a few e-mails about the ALDS. Many of your e-mails have expressed support, encouragement and concern. I appreciate your kind words. There are also many who are angry and upset. I appreciate your frustration at the team, the outcome and at me. Many have asked, "What went wrong?" Or, "Why didn't you have a better series?" I may never find the answers to those questions. I was physically and mentally prepared to take the field every night. I was seeing the ball well, and when the Angels did not give me much to hit, I was patient and took walks to get on base for the guys behind me. When I did have opportunities to swing the bat or saw a pitch I could handle, I just couldn't capitalize. I wish we were still playing, but we'll have to wait until Opening Day 2006. Until then, I will spend time with my wife, daughter, our family and our friends. I am proud of how we battled, and what we accomplished. I will learn from the 2005 season, grow from it, and come back next spring to go for it again. Take care and thank you. Alex That is the comment from his website no excuses made. Some of this stuff sounds like red sox spring training last year. Did you know there is a new pro sport called Arod trashing.

posted by jtrluva at 10:35 AM on October 17, 2005

my father died on a press day for my newspaper and I missed him passing by 30 minutes, but the paper has to get out You've said that before, wfjr. I hope you're not implying that everyone should simply show up for work and perform 100% when a parent is dying. I confess I lack the qualities that would make that possible.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:22 AM on October 17, 2005

No but if I had Arod's salary......Thats ALOT OF COMFORT.

posted by volfire at 11:43 AM on October 17, 2005

Since when did SpoFi turn into a forum to rip apart a player for his mothers comments? It's a forum for anything that happens in the sports world. The best way to show your disgust with a post is to not comment in the thread. I found the topic amusing because it's not every day an athlete's mother comes out to get his back (not the death itself), but that's just me. I don't know Gary. Everything about ARod's public persona seems a calculated move to me, from the "saving a young Yankee fan from the dangerous speeding traffic on Newbury Street in Boston" (hah!) to the "I'm in therapy!" But his mom? I think most people understand that by the time you're 12 having your mother come to defend you isn't really that cool. If arod wanted it to come out, surely he would have picked another way. If I were in arod's shoes taking this much criticism my mom would probably be writing letters to every paper in the nation ;) Of course, I'd be too rich to hang around you guys so I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. I really hope these words come back to haunt y'all when the person who raised you died and your boss wants you to suck it up and "perform". When my father died I had a final chinese history test to take the next day. I went to the proff to ask for an extension. He told me to "suck it up" and take the test. Death is a part of life blah blah blah. I had to go to the student union and file a grievance. He finally gave me a week. Good times, good times...

posted by justgary at 11:52 AM on October 17, 2005

I just have a hard time believing his mother doesn't know better than to talk to her son before consenting to an interview, a blurb in the paper, even a conversation with the media. He's been doing shining in the public eye for over a decade as an athlete et al, I really have a hard time believing she's naive and someone knocked on her door and found her in rollers and a housecoat, completely surprised. No one in ARod's inner circle says anything that isn't preapproved either by ARod or someone in his staff. He's got too much on the line to let people near him be loose cannons in the media. They aren't backwater nouveau riche innocents. They're more sophisticated than that, and they've been here before and been here a while.

posted by jerseygirl at 12:01 PM on October 17, 2005

I'm not big A-Rod fan. Indeed, I take cruel joy in his not being able to get a World Series ring. That being said, this seems like a non-story to me. A-Rod said his piece on his webpage, to the press and to his teammates. If his mother says something different, well, that isn't A-Rod's fault. He was actually fairly classy about this - albeit classy in the sense of "my team wins or loses based on my performance" kind of way. Dear God, this thread has put me in a position where I felt I needed to defend A-Rod. I'm going to have to go vomit now.

posted by Joey Michaels at 12:59 PM on October 17, 2005

The best way to show your disgust with a post is to not comment in the thread. I don't find your post to be the least bit disgusting. You usually post items that I otherwise wouldn't find. It's some of the comments to the posting that disgusts me. What sense is there in making something up - and then using this made-up statement to criticize Arod. For instance: You know what? If he wasn't 100%, he should have asked out or said something while it was going on, not as an after-the-fact. And if he couldn't muster that, then sack up Show me where Arod said he wasn't 100% - either before or after the fact. All I have read about Arod is that he apologized to his teamates for his poor post-season and also (per a comment above) to his fans via his web-site. No one in ARod's inner circle says anything that isn't preapproved either by ARod or someone in his staff. Yet another piece of made-up shit. This comes from the other jg. Maybe she's on Arod's staff and knows this is true. Or maybe she's as full of crap as you. You know, it's just possible that Arods mom is just like any other mom and sticks up for her son - period.

posted by drevl at 02:06 PM on October 17, 2005

I just have a hard time believing his mother doesn't know better than to talk to her son before consenting to an interview, a blurb in the paper, even a conversation with the media. Eric Lindros' mother was known to be quite vocal with the press about her son, and it often got him in a lot of hot water. Vince Carter's mom was known to talk to the press, and it wasn't always a good thing for him. Not every mother of a star athlete is media savvy. Even after all the attention their children get, they are still moms at heart. And most good moms want to stick up for their kids when they get criticized.

posted by grum@work at 02:28 PM on October 17, 2005

OK That explains A Rod, now what about Vlad, the Angels, Cardinals, and Yankees?

posted by redsoxrgay at 04:06 PM on October 17, 2005

I don't find your post to be the least bit disgusting. No problem drevi, I know what your'e sayin'. And most good moms want to stick up for their kids when they get criticized. My mother still thinks I was good enough to play in the majors. I'm also model good looking. Are you telling me she's lying grum?? =(

posted by justgary at 04:41 PM on October 17, 2005

Maybe he should consult with Brett Fav...ra on how to play through emotional pain.

posted by smithnyiu at 09:23 PM on October 17, 2005

Maybe he should consult with Brett Fav...ra on how to play through emotional pain. How well has he performed in the playoffs recently? Maybe his "emotional pain" is the reason he throws more interceptions than receptions come crunch time. For the record, I don't discount anyone's reaction to loss, but unless this comes straight from the player himself, it's basically not real newsworthy.

posted by dyams at 07:07 AM on October 18, 2005

Feeling better now.

posted by yerfatma at 03:02 PM on October 20, 2005

the media relations guy and the catcher are not one in the same. Cerrone, the yankee flack, has an extra "r" in his name. Cerone, the player, was the owner of the Newark Bears last time i saw him (i believe he has since sole the team.)

posted by goddam at 03:46 PM on October 20, 2005

yeah, Aldo is doing just fine. now that i think about it, he was at Old Timers' Day this year. i wouldn't mind being a yankee flack either. i'm treated like crap at my job anyway, might as well be for the yankees. (that should read "sold the team" btw)

posted by goddam at 05:28 PM on October 20, 2005

goddam, thanks for that. I always assumed they were the same guy and it seemed kind of lame. You'd think an ex-Red Sox would have more pride.

posted by yerfatma at 08:53 PM on October 20, 2005