We’ll take Big News At 11 for Yankees, Alex 8-7-16
Alex Rodriguez is to be DFA-ed by the Yankees, next Friday (8/12) at Yankee Stadium. Yankees eat ~$27M remaining on his deal through 2017.
Baseball fact: Alex Rodriguez (22 seasons: .295/.380/.550) was the greatest SS in the history of the game, and easily one of the 5-best players ever.
He likely used PED’s because he never truly believed in himself, which is tragic.
Third base, (and second fiddle) was his unfairly-assigned role upon his arrival in the Bronx in 2004:
As far as valuing Alex Rodriguez’s career, his best years were with the Mariners (1995-2000) & Rangers (2001-2003), because he played SS. The Yankees could not have won it in 2009 without him.
The Yankees acquired A-Rod and received value in the first half of his time in NY. He was clearly superior defensively to SS Derek Jeter, who selfishly insisted on staying at his position. Alex Rodriguez responded by becoming a gold-glove 3B. By the end, A-Rod was a DH: the ‘Albatross left by the Boss.’
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Angels designate Lincecum for assignment 8-6-16
It also looks like the end for RHP Tim Lincecum. Some injuries are career-enders, and his hip injury was one of them. ‘The Freak’ was awesome with the Giants, and baseball fans are happy someone (Angels) gave him another chance, but he can no longer generate the necessary torque & velocity, so it isn’t going to happen.
Tim Lincecum’s 10-year career (9 w/ SFG), included: 2 Cy Young Awards, 4 All-Star selections, and pitching on 3 World Series-championship teams (2010, 2012 & 2014). He is listed at 5′ 11′, 170 pounds; and stood as an inspiration for normalcy in a PED-driven sports world.
Of course, Lincecum is notorious for smoking marijuana, so conventional PED ethics & results now become further blurred. One last note on Tim Lincecum; the best mainstream article (I’ve ever read) on pitching was Tom Verducci’s “How Tiny Tim Became a Giant” in 2008. Consider it essential reading for any serious baseball fan [1].
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