Selective Memory.

"The lead in the division is nine games, the magic number is down to 18 and the fans have become downright leisurely, wandering in and out of the action like a U.S. Open crowd prowling the outer courts. The atmosphere around Yankee Stadium is laid-back, almost friendly."

Good thing Alex Rodriguez has played so brilliantly in the past several games. If he hadn't, the lead in the division might be only six or seven games. With three games remaining vs. Boston.

Also, please remember that the White Sox and Twins are potential Yankee playoff opponents. These games are damned important.


"It can mean only one thing: Alex Rodriguez is set up to have a monstrous September."

That would be good, right? Trying to clinch the pennant? Trying to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs?


"He is three days into it, and if the month ended today, he already would have one fewer home run than he managed in the entire month of August."

I keep hearing how terrible and nightmarish ARod's month of August was.

In August, ARod hit .277/.364/.482 with 5 homeruns, 8 doubles, 22 rbis, and 18 runs scored.


"But then, the pennant race is over. The pressure is off. Suddenly, it's A-Rod Time."

The pennant race isn't over. I'm pleased and surprised that the Red Sox have collapsed so quickly. But the pennant race isn't over until it's over.

Certainly, the race for homefield advantage isn't over.

Doesn't Wallace Matthews want Game Seven of the ALCS at home?


"All of the tension has gone out of the American League East race as the Red Sox, hobbled by injuries and rocked by misfortune, spin hopelessly out of contention. For the first time in many Septembers, all is well in the Bronx."

Good thing ARod hit .333 in the five game sweep of Boston.

Good thing ARod has contributed 31 hrs and 104 rbis this season.

There might be a lot of tension in the AL East race if the Yankees had an inferior player at third base.


"The Yankees are chasing nobody and nobody is chasing them."

The Yankees are chasing the Tigers for best record in the AL.


" 'He can put up numbers like nobody,' Joe Torre said after the 10-1 win. 'It's great to see him having such relaxed at-bats.'

And that, friends, sums up the Alex Rodriguez conundrum in two revealing sentences."

It sums up the Joe Torre conundrum in two revealing sentences.

When any player on the Yankees has a bad game, guess why? They were "uncomfortable."

When any player on the Yankees has a good game, guess why? They were "comfortable."

How convenient.


"So what? Around here, performance is gauged not by stats but by situations. It's not so much what you do but when you do it, and against whom. All too often, when Rodriguez does it, it doesn't really matter."

As we all know by now, that's completely untrue. Matthews works backwards, as usual.

The games against Seattle and the Angels must have been important. Why? Because ARod stunk out the joint.

The games against Minnesota and Detroit must not have been important. Why? Because ARod hit 5 homeruns in 4 games.


"Like yesterday. The game mattered only to the Minnesota Twins, who are fighting for the wild-card spot. The Yankees are just killing time between now and October, trying out kid pitchers and hoping nobody important gets hurt before the playoffs."

Odd.

I thought the Yankee were trying to (a) clinch their division, and, for the hundredth time, (b) catch the Tigers for best record in the AL.


Winning is good. Winning is always good. Let's not complicate the main objectives of competitive sports.

Led by ARod, the Yankees stormed through two playoff teams and went 4-2 on the homestand. This helped extend the lead in the AL East to nine games.

But if ARod keeps slumping and the team keeps losing, then the lead isn't nine games.


"Of course Rodriguez is relaxed. Nobody goes into a slump during batting practice."

I couldn't argue with Matthews when he referred to Yankee fans as "hypocrites." But he's gone too far when he says the Twins' pitchers are batting practice pitchers.

Oh, by the way, players absolutely slump during batting practice. Watch batting practice sometime.


"By the end of this relaxed September, Rodriguez will have compiled his customarily impressive numbers. A lot of fans will forget the agonies of the summer, the .213 batting average in June, the 10 strikeouts in 15 at-bats against the Angels in late August, the 22 errors, the appalling failures to come through in truly key situations."

Not sure when the Yankees have had "truly key" situations this season, but ARod has come through in plenty of them.

I also think a lot of fans will remember ARod's failures this season.

But why should we remember? You just told us that none of that matters because it wasn't the playoffs.