NY Yankees Alex Rodriguez revitalizes team

By Jeff Freedman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/20/08 — Since coming off the disabled list nearly a month ago, Alex Rodriguez has shown why he is absolutely the best player in baseball. His team, the New York Yankees, have awakened from their early season doldrums and going into Friday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, had won 7 straight and overall with A-Rod in the lineup they have gone 20-9.

Now that he has enough official at bats to qualify, Rodriguez leads the American League in batting with a .335 average. He has hit 14 home runs, which places him only 5 behind the AL leader, Josh Hamilton of Texas Rangers, who also leads with 74 RBIs to A-Rod’s 41. It might seem like a huge deficit to make up, but remember that A-Rod has driven in 30 runs in his last 29 games, so the RBI crown is well within his reach as well.

Of course no one has won the Triple Crown in baseball since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, which was 41 years ago. That year Yaz went 44-121-.326. And while Rodriguez has won multiple MVP awards and hit over 50 home runs in a season, he has never managed this elusive trifecta. But it is certainly within his grasp this year.

There will be no artificially inflated home run numbers. Chipper Jones and his flirtation with .400 is going to be a National League story. With Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreau boasting high on-base percentages in front of him the RBI opportunities should be plentiful.

Furthermore, given the state of their pitching staff, wracked with injuries to their ace, Chen Ming-Wang and youngster Philip Hughes, it may very well be that the New Yorkers will not be in a pennant race this year (they are currently in fourth place in the AL East, trailing Boston, Tampa Bay and Baltimore). There will not be that late season pressure situation when the whole team’s season is on the line – just A-Rod’s pursuit of yet another historical mark in this, the last year of Yankee Stadium. It would be a fine way for the fans to remember the House That Ruth Built as another Yankee may etch his name again into the record books.