Alex Rodriguez’s exodus from the Yankees may not be as catastrophic as many Yankee fans fear.
Since the World Series began, teams have won it without A-Rod or players of his caliber, and teams, including the Yankees, will continue to do so.
Teams that make it to the World Series succeed because the players perform as a cohesive unit, not entirely because of the performance of a single player.
A-Rod‘s performance may have enabled the Yankees to reach the postseason, but his enormous presence may have prevented the Yankees from playing as a unit and from winning.
Perhaps A-Rod‘s departure will clear the way for the Yankees to win the World Series. After all, they have won it 26 times without him.
Rosanne Harvey
Manhasset
With the departure of Rodriguez, Joe Torre, Don Mattingly and a host of high-priced others, will the fans attending games be the recipients of lower prices from vendors?
David P. Burke
Calverton
The Yankee corporation is the perfect example of how doing business has changed.
Everyone is dispensable, and everyone can be replaced. What you get is players like Alex “It’s All About Me” Rodriguez, and there is no loyalty.
Business schools could use this as a case study about the changing values, morals and ethics in American business today.
People should come first. Make that work and the profits will flow.
Carole Stein
Boynton Beach, Fla.
Congratulations, A-Rod. You have finally made a name for yourself in the postseason and have verified what you are all about and why New York never truly embraced you.
Goodbye, A-Rod, and good riddance. I hope you have a lovely holiday season – maybe you can even upstage Santa Claus.
Rau Wojtusiak
East Hampton
We should now call A-Rod, “PayRod.”
For all the years that we waited for him to adjust to being a Yankee, this is what we get?
It is clear what he desires. Not a championship and not a legacy – money is all that he wants.
Next year, when PayRod comes back to Yankee Stadium in another uniform, let’s wave dollar bills in the air and roar with disapproval as we watch him choke under pressure and strike out for someone else.
John Corbin
Brooklyn
Not only did I have to explain to my die-hard, 7-year-old Yankee fan son that the Red Sox won the World Series, I also had to explain to him that his beloved A-Rod decided to leave for more money.
It is sad to know that this is the lesson that our kids are learning – that the almighty buck is what baseball is truly about.
I wish Rodriguez cared more about his young fans than he did about money.
Amy Greer
Ossining
Don’t tell us that it wasn’t about the money. If it was about winning championships, then A-Rod is leaving the one team that consistently puts a contending playoff team together every year.
There is no stability in MLB with the free-agent market and owners looking to cut payroll.
Given their history, it doesn’t seem likely that the Yankees will turn into the Tampa Bay Devil Rays next year.
Poetic justice would be for teams to offer A-Rod less than what he would have gotten from the Yankees, so that he has to take a pay cut.
The cherry on top would be for the Yankees to win the World Series next year with a third baseman hitting .250 for the season.
Jim Glaab
Elmsford
As a Red Sox fan, I could not have written it any better myself. The night the Sox sweept another series, A-Rod shows the world that he is the biggest jerk on the planet.
First he declines to attend the game and receive the Hank Aaron Award. Then, in the middle of the game, A-Rod‘s agent announces he is opting out of his contract with the Yankees.
While coming back on the Yankees from 3-0 to win the ALCS in 2004 was as good as it will probably ever get, I want to thank A-Rod and the Yankee front office that panders to him for making this one almost as sweet. Sean Casey
Manhattan
As if we needed any more evidence, Scott Boras’ interruption of the World Series to proclaim A-Rod‘s decision to opt for free agency only confirms that the “most talented player in the game” is nothing more than a spoiled punk.
I only wish that no team would pony up the kind of money he’s looking for, because A-Rod has proven to the fans that he’s not worth it. Then again, when was the last time the fans entered into MLB’s consideration?
Paul Schmidt
Manhattan