Really bad things might happen to the Yankees.

What a shame that another writer is acting like ARod's hip is the end of the world when Chuck Daly has pancreatic cancer:

"The good news for Alex Rodriguez, who was due for some, is that the first of the surgeries on his hip was classified a success by his doctors. The even better news for Rodriguez, at least for the time being, is that he has now managed to change the subject, from steroids and Cousin Yuri to his rehab."

ARod's injury is not bad news for ARod.

ARod is paid $27.5 million to ride an exercise bike.

ARod's injury, however, is bad news for the Yankees.


"Yankee fans, whether they are A-Rod fans or not, have a right to wonder not only what kind of A-Rod they get this year, but the next eight after that, especially in light of the amazingly high standards the guy has already set. And they have been amazingly high standards, at least in the regular season."

Shut up, you fraud.

You've written one hundred articles claiming that ARod should move to CF and that he only hits HRs in April.

Now, all of a sudden, because the Yankees will need to play without ARod, Lupica concedes that ARod sets "amazingly high standards."

Funny, because you never seemed to be too amazed until just now.


"You can see: It is no easy thing, or sure thing, to maintain your home run game as you get older. Ted Williams, the greatest pure hitter of them all, hit 197 home runs after he was 33 years old and change. Reggie Jackson only got to 194."

Was Ted Williams a greater pure hitter than Ty Cobb? Or Tony Gwynn? Or Wade Boggs? Or Rogers Hornsby?

Put it this way: When Mike Lupica states a baseball fact, you can bet he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Lupica probably knows who ARod is dating at the moment, though.


Also, why the fixation with the HR?

I know the Yankees built dopey incentive clauses into their contract for ARod's individual HR exploits -- and I know that people like Lupica assumed ARod would hit 800 HRs, or even 1,000.

But injuries are always a possibility with any ballplayer, any age, regardless of talent or contract size.

Will the next five seaons be as good as the last five? They probably will.

.300/40/120, year in and year out. But I'll trade 10 HRs for 20 doubles; I'll trade 10 HRs for 40 less strikeouts. If ARod loses power, maybe he can hit .320 with 100 walks, 40 doubles, 120 RBIs, and 120 runs scored -- in other words, the best player in baseball.

Won't matter, though.

Lupica will never admit he was wrong.

Lupica has been predicting the demise of Mariano Rivera for twelve straight years.