Boss's criticism of A-Rod is long overdue

Rodriguez should expect more "clarifications" in his direction — and the way he's playing, he deserves them. It’s likely Rodriguez, who turns 31 on July 27, will find a way to bounce back, but it must disturb that Yankees a bit that so many of Rodriguez’s career highs in numbers — specifically, in hits, batting average, slugging percentage, double and runs — occurred a long time ago. Specifically, 10 years ago — his rookie season.

Although Rodriguez’s numbers have hardly melted in New York, even if many of them haven’t reached their peak, his inability to perform in the clutch adds fuel to the argument he can’t handle pressure situations — and playing for the Yankees every day is a pressure situation.

Hearing Rodriguez admit last year he used psychotherapy to come to terms with the pressure he faced as a Yankee was a big no-no in the macho sports world. In New York, therapy is OK for Woody Allen, but not for the best player on the Yankees. Babe Ruth didn’t need steroids, or Dr. Freud. One wonders whether Steinbrenner has kept his tongue in check in part because of Rodriguez’s well-known sensitivity.

But Rodriguez’s problems as a Yankee go beyond numbers. Like Winfield, he can never win in comparisons to the “real Yankee” on his team — Derek Jeter to Winfield’s Don Mattingly. Steinbrenner has been kind in not alluding to Rodriguez as not a real Yankee, although members of the Boston Red Sox over the past two seasons have more than made up for his silence.

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Rodriguez suffers even when he appears, on paper, to perform better than Jeter. Rodriguez batted only .258 against Boston in that 2004 playoffs series and performed the pathetic chop on Bronson Arroyo’s arm in a desperate bid to reach first on a weak grounder. Jeter was no great performer himself in that series — he batted only .200.

Then again, when you’ve been considered the heart and soul of four World Series teams, you tend to get a little slack (except if Steinbrenner accuses you of “partying too much.”) At least Winfield was spared that comparison against the title-free Mattingly.

So perhaps Rodriguez should get a hold of Winfield to figure out how to handle the coming wraths of the Boss. Check that — he should check with Mattingly, his hitting coach, to figure out how to win Steinbrenner's favor even when you've never won a World Series.

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