So What Do You Think Of A-Rod Now?

Alex Rodriguez's breakthrough postseason performance was the difference this year for the Yankees



Used steroids. Madonna rumors. Got divorced. Underperformed in the playoffs. Hip injury in spring training. Media saying he will never go to the hall of fame.

How the New York Yankees third-baseman, Alex Rodriguez or "A-Rod" overcame all these distractions before the 2009 season and play as well as he did in the playoffs, is truly amazing. What he did this postseason, in my mind, was the missing piece the Yankees had needed this year to win their 27th World Series Championship in franchise history.

What about their dominant ace pitcher, C.C. Sabathia? What about their captain shortstop and "Mr. November", Derek Jeter? What about the actual World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui? What about the best pitching-closer in MLB history, Mariano Rivera?

While all those players had their part in the Yankees winning the World Series, A-Rod was the missing piece this year for the Yankees because they finally got the performance they had been waiting for, and out of their most talented player.

It's like how the Boston Celtics did without Kevin Garnett in the 2008-2009 playoffs; they got to the second-round with everyone besides Garnett, but couldn't defend their championship without their best player. It's like how the New England Patriots did without Tom Brady in the 2008 season; they had a solid 11-5 record with everyone besides Brady, but didn't make it to the playoffs after making it to the Super Bowl the previous year without their best player.

Even with an organization that has had as much talent as the Yankees have had on their teams with A-Rod, it comes down to this: when a team doesn't get the most out of their best player, it is very difficult for them to be champions that season.

Ever since he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2004, A-Rod has been a great regular season player but a huge disappointment in the playoffs. Playing in a total of 13 playoffs games from the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons, A-Rod in 44 at-bats had just seven hits, one home-run, 15 strikeouts and a terrible .157 batting average. In all three of those playoffs series, the Yankees lost in the first round.

This postseason in 2009, A-Rod was much better. In 15 games and 52 at-bats, A-Rod had 19 hits, six home-runs, 13 strikeouts and a much improved .365 batting average. Even though those stats are impressive, he played better then what the stats show for the entire playoffs because after the first two rounds he already had five home-runs, just five strikeouts and an unheard of .438 batting average.

Those are the stats the Yankees organization, fans and even the media had been waiting for from A-Rod in the playoffs, and this year he finally delivered. He overcame all the distractions from the New York media and finally got his life together off the field, and showed in the postseason why he is so good on the field.

Which leads to the media and A-Rod's critics: What do you think of A-Rod now? At the beginning of the 2009 season he had many critics that were very tough about the steroids issue, his playoffs struggle and that he will never win a championship as a Yankee.

In its own way, the steroids issue was kind of a blessing in disguise for A-Rod. Yes, he lost a lot of respect from his fans, the media and baseball in general. He lost a majority of endorsements and had many people believe that no matter what his starts are at the end of career, he tainted baseball and should never be accepted to the baseball hall of fame.

It may sound weird, but admitting that he used steroids may have been the best thing that happened to A-Rod this year. He had this huge secret that must have built loads of guilt and shame to his conscience and to finally admit his use of steroids, was a huge monkey off his back. A-Rod could now do one thing that he hasn't done in a while as a professional baseball player: simply be a kid again and have fun.

As for A-Rod's playoff struggle, he really changed his critics' minds after this postseason. No matter how much the New York media may have not liked him, I hope they will realize that without A-Rod's performance in the playoffs this year, the Yankees would not have gotten to the World Series and win a championship.

I mean he almost scored as many runs as the Minnesota Twins did all by himself in the first-round. In the second-round against the Los Angeles Angles, he delivered clutch hits when the Yankees needed him the most, something A-Rod had never done beore. Although he didn't do as well in the World Series, remember that his opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies were the defending champs, the best team from the National League two years in a row and the best pitching staff he faced all throughout the playoffs. Lets just say he showed he was human by coming back to earth for the World Series after putting up out of this world stats in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

As for championships, he now has a ring and being just 34 years old with a very good New York Yankees team, expect him to have a few more by the end of his career. Its remarkable that in just one season, A-Rod's image has changed from a steroid using, overpaid, playoff disappointment, to not only to one of the best players in baseball again, but now a champion and a leader to his team. Congratulations A-Rod to your first World Series championship, after what you went through this season, you deserve it.