Some Yankee Fans Have Bad Memories.

Good Morning, Kids!

Let's play a game.

How many things can you find wrong in Joel Sherman's two paragraphs?:

"When the Yankees struck the deal in February 2004 to import reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez and his record $252 million contract from Texas in exchange for Alfonso Soriano, it seemed like a no-brainer.

But in recent months, public opinion has soured on under-performing A-Rod, inciting boobirds in the Bronx and leaving some Yankees fans ruing the day they relinquished Soriano, who continues to improve and mature, now with the Nationals."

1) The Yankees did not import all of Alex Rodriguez's $252 million contract.

2) In February 2004, I think most observers knew the Yankees gave up a lot to get a lot. How are you going to get the MVP without giving up a lot?

3) Having said that, I really don't think there are too many Yankee fans who rue the day they relinquished Soriano.

If these are the same people who are fixated on ARod's poor performance in the 2005 ALDS, let me remind these people of Soriano's benching in the 2003 World Series.

2003 ALCS: 4-for-30 (.133) with eleven strikeouts.

2003 WS: 5-for-22 (.227) with 1 hr and nine strikeouts.

Combined: 9-for-52 (.173), 1 hr, 5 rbis, 2 runs scored, and twenty strikeouts.

Overall playoffs: 34-for-146 (.233), 4 hrs, 18 rbis, 8 bb, 45 k, .287 ob%, .336 slugging%.

Don't make me come over there and compare these to Alex Rodriguez's playoffs stats, tough guy.


Oh, and if you think ARod is struggling in the field, well ... I don't know what to even say.

May I remind you of the play where Mike Mussina fielded a ground ball and threw to second base and Soriano forgot to cover the base?

May I remind you of the pop up near first base where Soriano ran all the way to the tarp near first base? He looked up, but the wind had blown the ball back towards the infield. The ball drifted back into fair territory, landed on the dirt near first base, and bounced into the stands for a ... ground rule "double."


The only person who should be ruing is Pedro Martinez.

Pedro rues no longer having the opportunity to strike out Soriano four times in one game.

Don't you remember? Tens of millions of people all across the country -- maybe even all across the world! -- pleading in unison, screaming at their televisions, imploring Soriano to not swing at the slider that is two feet outside.

It was the "What are you swinging at?" series.