I wrote THE MATURING ALEX RODRIGUEZ the other day. It was a a bunch of thoughts about Alex Rodriguez and his meetings coming up with Rob Manfred and Yankee brass. It was also about the hate machine against him, and the reasons why he probably SHOULD be hated. But there was another part to it. It was also about not getting too close to players as fans, or in Bob Klapisch's case, as writers.
Alex Rodriguez messed up big time. Bad choices and lying and cheating will do that to an individual. But this isn't personal for me and unless you're getting beers with Alex or holding the needle going into his ass because he asked you too, it shouldn't be personal for you either. And that's what the haters and Bob Klapisch seem to be forgetting. We're not personally attacked by Alex, we're just fans. We're removed from his personal disasters.
Bob wrote a piece called A-Rod should let bat do his talking. It was filled with anger, but the underlying message after he took it personally for 4 to 5 paragraphs was that Alex was a steroid user, abuser, and nothing he could do could make it better. In the end, Bob suggested, ARod needed to hit the ball. Alex Rodriguez needed to produce, pretty much everything everyone has already said. There's nothing new there.
But it isn't the hitting part that got me. It's that Bob can't let go. Geez man, get over it bro! By the way, it's not just Bob, it's all of the haters as well.
Bob writes:
"...There’s no coming back from his years of lying about steroids and the manner in which he hunted down his enemies."
Alex is coming back Bob... remember? If you're speaking of reputation, sure, maybe, but I don't think that was the underlying reasoning for his meetings at this point.
Bob also wrote:
"Rodriguez’s scorched-earth policy, which included suing Major League Baseball, the players’ association and Yankees physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad, have left a permanent stain on his legacy. A-Rod is, at best, naïve to think all parties involved are ready to forgive and forget. At worst, he’s delusional. Rodriguez should stop the pandering... the idea of a face to face with Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman is ludicrous and pointless...Steinbrenner might listen politely as the slugger apologizes for his mistakes, but that’s not going to change a thing. A-Rod is still loathed, no matter how much he begs for forgiveness."
Way off base when it comes to the forgive part. Why? I'll explain...
I wonder if Bob ever did anything bad in his life... something bad enough where he felt he needed to talk it out with someone he hurt, or even if the act was so terrible, ugly and stupid... that he was embarrassed by it after the fact. Hmm, I guess not. I guess Bob's squeaky clean and that's why he has no idea why "talking it out" or even apologizing shows something important about a person. Even a "bad" person as Bob portrays Alex Rodriguez to be.
Think about this for a second; Bob's got it all figured out. He knows the sit downs are "not going to change a thing", and you know what? I have news for you. Alex Rodriguez is not looking for a pat on the back from the Yankees. He's not looking for a "It's OK pal, we still love you." Alex is meeting with his team to "clear the air". He's actually being man enough to face his employer and say "Hey, I'm a piece of shit, I know that, but I will work for you." It doesn't matter if Yankee brass doesn't crack a smile. It's about coming to a common ground. It's about communication.
And let me explain something else before people start yelling about how much of a circus it will be in Spring Training with Alex there. Um... it's been a circus since the Yankees signed him. This is nothing new. It's Alex Rodriguez, not Jaret Wright ladies and gentlemen. It comes with the territory, scandal or no scandal, the cameras still show up.
Bob Klapisch needs to turn it down a notch. He's showing me he's personally offended by what 1 man did to his own reputation. As an ARod fan, maybe you're disappointed. If you're a Yankee fan, you're disgusted, but why do you care this much about Alex Rodriguez? You can argue that he let the Yankees down, but let's be frank.... YOU DON'T PLAY FOR THE YANKEES!
"Disgracing the pinstripes" wasn't invented by Alex Rodriguez. He's a player who made stupid choices, but ultimately he did it to himself. He became too big for his own good and found himself to be invincible...or so he thought. But unfortunately, Bob and millions of ARod haters fell into the trap of bringing on this burden of ARod-gate like their lives have been changed because of him. Get over yourself!
Oh, and before you defile my site with "You're a freaking ARod fan, you're just as disgraceful as him," Let me state here for at least the 10th time this year that I was never an ARod fan. I was always a Jeter guy. Since the Big 3 of he, Alex and Nomar ... I was always a Jeter guy. But over time, and now, me being in my 40's, raising my own children, I started to see the big picture about a lot of stuff. My children ultimately learn from me. If I make mistakes, my kids learn from me. If I want forgiveness or want to talk it out with someone I hurt, I would hope my children learn that sometimes, no matter how hard it may seem, sometimes you gotta take your lumps, whether it will change the outcome or not. Sometimes people make such big mistakes it's even harder. But as human beings, there is always a soft side. Well, maybe Bob Klapsich doesn't have one... but most of us do. Sometimes what makes an individual great is the way we listen... or the way we need to "get something off our chest." Sometimes Bob, we know it won't change a thing... we just need to talk.
Bob Klapsich wanted to get a rise out of you. Bob wanted to make you feel angry about Alex Rodriguez. But the underlying message is talking through it, no matter what... helps.
It doesn't matter if it's your brother who broke the window in the neighbor's yard, or your son who used a bad word in school. It could even be Alex Rodriguez. Sometimes listening, and sometimes talking... well... brings the real you out, and helps get over the hurdle. Sure, ARod has climbed way too many to mention... but he's still a human being trying to fix this mess. In the end... he's doing the right thing, and the Yankees are too... for listening to him. Yup... even if it won't change a thing.
In your haste, there's a bigger message Bob... and you missed it.
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