Mike Lupica Doesn't Like Alex Rodriguez.

A celebration of the first Yankee MVP in 20 years!


I think it's hilarious when ARod speaks the truth and Lupica mocks him for speaking it.

Example #1:

" 'We can win three World Series, with me it's never going to be over,' Rodriguez said yesterday. 'I think my benchmark is so high that no matter what I do, it's never going to be enough, and I understand that.'

What a guy."


Example #2:

" 'Maybe when I retire is when the critics and all that kind of stuff will end,' he said yesterday.

Puh-leeze."


But is ARod wrong?

You can't have it both ways, Lupica. You can't spend half your ink ripping Alex Rodriguez and then not own up to it.

Lupica is a constant critic of Alex Rodriguez. Lupica is constantly bringing up the '98 Yankees. There is little doubt in my mind that, if Alex Rodriguez wins three rings while playing for the Yankees, Lupica's first column will point out that Tino has four rings and Jeter has seven rings.

In other words, the benchmark is high and this stuff won't end until ARod retires. Just like he said.


"He isn't the only star Yankee who let his team down in the games I am talking about. No one in this city has ever thought of putting all of this on Rodriguez.

But it is hardly unreasonable to suggest that there were plenty of times over the past two postseasons when one swing from him, one Papi-like swing, could have changed everything for the Yankees."

Huh?

No one in this city is putting all of this on Rodriguez, except in this article which you are reading right now, where I'm putting all of of this on Rodriguez. No one in this city is putting all of this on Rodriguez, except for me, everytime I write one of my scintillating "Shootin' From the Lip" columns.

Lupica, at least be a man and stick with your guns. Don't back down just because ARod calls you out.


"The voters for the MVP award judge the candidates only on what they do during the regular season, not during the playoffs. Good thing. The last big postseason swing A-Rod made for the Yankees was a home run swing in Game 4 against the Red Sox, 2004 ALCS."

This is a curious statement by Lupica. Not the first time I've heard this idea bandied about. But let's think about this a little more carefully.

Does Lupica think that Ortiz's one postseason RBI would have propelled him into first place?

Or perhaps Vlad Guerrero's 1-for-ALCS would have propelled him all the way into first place?

In the American League, the only player who really helped his MVP candidacy significantly in the playoffs was Paul Konerko.

Who else? Jeter and Manny helped their causes somewhat. But it seems to me that nobody would have soared past ARod all the way into first place.

So, yeah, it's a good thing that the MVP voters don't include the playoffs while judging the MVP candidates. If they had, Paul Konerko probably would have finished ahead of Travis Hafner.