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And A-Rod probably doesn't care that much about what folks on the street do. I realize that point isn't lost on you...but even if he doesn't have a "I'll sacrifice so the team can win" mentality, he still puts up the numbers that help a team win. To say otherwise is retarded.
To put it another way, if A-Rod weren't a Yankee this year, would they have made the playoffs?
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No, the Yankees would most likely not have made the playoffs this year without A-Rod, and I wouldn't argue otherwise.
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Okay, so here's where I'm confused.
<ul type="square">[*]He can make or break a playoff team[*]He may go down as the greatest player of all time[/list]
That's not good enough?
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Good enough for what? He's good enough to help a team with flaws make the playoffs. Is he good enough to help a team win a World Series? Obviously, he's good enough to be a key contributor, but no one player is good enough to win a World Series. And that is why, to some extent, chemistry matters. Because no one player can do it by themself.
And it just seems to me that someone who would make such an announcement at that time, for the
purpose of upstaging the Series, is probably not someone who would add to the chemistry of a team, and would likely detract from it. The announcement clearly was not made for purposes of negotiation, because that announcement could have been made today, if that were the only intended effect. No, the announcement was made in order to make A-Rod the story, and the center of attention. That doesn't seem like the kind of personality trait common of someone who is willing to put the success of the team ahead of his own -- and much like the fact his slugging prowess *can* be the difference between a team making the playoffs or not (and this year, probably was the main difference), his self-centeredness *can* be the difference between a team playing well enough collectively to win a World Series or not.