Post by Admin on Aug 9, 2016 12:08:55 GMT -4
For those that believe everything A-Rod does is premeditated, that he is only truly worried about what remains of his ubiquitous legacy, you have to wonder if there is any chance he “un-retires.”
For those that don’t know what I’m alluding to by penning the title to this article, let’s replay the events towards the end of Brett Favre’s illustrious career. After 15-seasons and one Super Bowl Championship, Favre retired from the Green Bay Packers at the completion of the 2007 season.
Just a few months later, as training camp got underway, Favre unretired, and then orchestrated a trade to the New York Jets. After one so-so year with Gang-Green, Favre packed it in again; only to personally call the Minnesota Vikings in July of 2009 and offer his services, because let’s face it, even at 39, after a down year with the Jets, he was still way better than what the Vikings were going to roll out at quarterback; Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels.
Not only would Favre go on to lead his new team to a 12-4 regular season record, but the Vikings would advance to the NFC Championship game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion, New Orleans Saints.
2010 would see Favre achieve two major milestones, his 500th touchdown, and 70,000th yard (against those NY Jets), but a sprain of the AC joint in his throwing shoulder would be the beginning of the end, as a concussion he sustained in a late December game against the Chicago Bears would be his final appearance in an NFL uniform.
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For whatever the reason, the St. Louis Rams came knocking on Favre’s door one last time nearly two years later, thinking that at even at the age of 41, Favre would help their injury-plagued signal calling situation. Citing memory loss due to a multitude of concussions suffered during his 20-year career, this time, Favre’s retirement was set in stone.
How does to correlate to Alex Rodriguez you ask? Well, A-Rod pretty much left the door wide open to the possibility of a return as a player. Never once during his retirement press conference did he say that this was the end. Actually, A-Rod flat out said that he felt there was still more baseball left in him.
It’s actually pretty understandable. For instance, Favre retired the first time in 2008, after losing in the NFC Championship Game to that year’s eventual champion, the New York Giants. But after a season in which he set the all-time NFL wins and TD passes record, he must have felt there was still more ability within him to win and achieve even more.
A-Rod, had an absolutely remarkable 2015 season, after being suspended for the entirety of the 2014 campaign. In ’15, Rodriguez played in 151 games while slugging 33 home runs and 86 RBI. This year, he struggled out of the gate, his body began to break down, and once Carlos Beltran was no longer able to play right field each day, A-Rod’s days as an integral part of the lineup were kaput.
It’s easy to say Rodriguez is finished, his numbers point to that assessment. But everyone said the same thing after the PED suspension. The shame of it is that A-Rod’s still only four home runs away from 700. 700! Only three men have ever accomplished this feat in the history of the game.
Regardless if you don’t agree about how exactly Rodriguez got to the precipice of a monumental accomplishment, he’s still right there. Four more long balls put A-Rod in a whole new category of greatness. It this selfish? Sure! But you’d be too if you were in his shoes.
While A-Rod is highly unlikely to smash four home runs before his final game as a Yankee on Aug. 12, the tickets to watch his final at-bats are selling like hotcakes.
According to TiqIQ, which monitors a number of resale sites, asking prices for A-Rod’s final game rose 501.6% in the first 90 minutes or so after the announcement, from an average of $75.92 to $456.76.
That’s a pretty good return on investment if you ask me. So why wouldn’t some club, in need of an increase in attendance, sign Rodriguez either for the remainder of this season or a duration to be later determined in 2017? And don’t tell me it’s because A-Rod has that contract awaiting him to become a Yankees special instructor.
By now we all know that Rodriguez hails from Miami. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria loves all things Yankees. And though there isn’t a DH in the National League, if Martin Prado leaves via free agency, A-Rod could split time with Derek Dietrich as he grows into the everyday player the Marlins hope for. Besides, signing Ichiro certainly worked out well.
The Rays (yes, they still play in Tampa) could certainly use a bump to their 16,439 per game attendance, which currently ranks dead-last in baseball. An everyday DH that only plays a few miles from the home of the Yankees’ Spring Training facility, would surely aid in filling the Trop.
ESPN’s Buster Olney also thinks that the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros could potentially be in the market for A-Rod’s services.
If any club does decide to bring the 22-year veteran into the fold, it will certainly be must-see TV, for at least a series or two. Besides, signing Rodriguez won’t cost much more than a prorated portion of the baseball minimum ($500,700); you know, since the Yankees are still on the hook for nearly $27 million through 2017.
It was a nice run so long A ROD
