"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Daily Archives: March 23, 2004

Puff n Stuff

The Daily News has the first of a three-part series profiling the career of Alex Rodriguez today, if you like that sort of thing. Rodriguez turned a nifty double play against the Tigers yesterday. John Haper called it Rodriguez’s first Graig Nettles play:

“I guess you’d say it was like the birth of me being a third baseman,” A-Rod said afterward. “That was the first one where I got a pretty good rush out of it, I’ll tell you that.”

It was a beauty, all right, A-Rod’s first truly sensational play with the glove as a Yankee. He robbed Ivan Rodriguez of a double with a backhand dive, and with runners at first and second, turned the stab into a double play by scrambling to third and making an off-the-wrong-foot throw across the diamond.

Meanwhile, Bubba Crosby could make the big club coming out of spring training. With all of the high-priced studs on this team, Crosby, the Dodgers number one draft pick in 1998, is a welcome breath of air. He is often compared with Lenny Dykstra, as a hustling, scrappy kind of player. Hey, if Clay Bellinger made the team, so can Bubber.

Back fo Mo

Mariano Rivera will be in New York for at least another three seasons. A two-year extension, with an option for a third, could be announced later today. According to the New York Times:

The Yankees and Rivera agreed to terms on a two-year, $21 million contract extension that will keep Rivera with the team through 2006, several club officials said Monday. The deal includes an option year for 2007 that will be triggered by games finished. Rivera will earn $10.5 million each season, making the total value of the deal $31.5 million if the third year vests.

A lot of money for a closer? Yup. Is Rivera worth the risk? I’d say so. I know I’ll sleep well at night knowing that the Sandman is around to close games out for the Yankees. If he holds up for the next few years, I think it’s safe to say: Next stop, Cooperstown.

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"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver