JT the Brick

Sunday night while the Boston Red Sox were about to win their second World Series since 1918, Alex Rodriguez decided to opt out of his current contract with the New York Yankees. Red Sox fans should consider their latest championship along with Rodriguez slapping the Yankees organization in the face, the greatest moment in the history of this storied rivalry. Now, Boston has the entire off-season to celebrate their last championship and the opportunity to sit back and laugh while the Yankees try to figure out a way to sign their remaining free agents and look to fill a gaping hole at third base.

How could A-Rod make such a monumental decision that would clearly shake the foundation of the Yankee's organization on the same night that the Red Sox would complete a four game championship sweep of the Colorado Rockies?

When my six-year-old son asked my wife "Mom, why would A-Rod leave the Yankees?” she replied that he didn't want to be a Yankee anymore. That about sums it up for a player who should go down in history as the greatest statistical player to ever play the game, but never accomplished much in the playoffs while wearing Pinstripes.

Oh, life is good in Bean Town! In fact, it has never been this good since Babe Ruth left the Red Sox and went on to become the best and most popular player in American sports history. The Red Sox still trail the Yankees by 19 World Series, but if you live in the present, tip your hat to the best team of this current decade.

Once team owner John Henry along with Larry Luchino and general manager Theo Epstein decided to spend money, the Red Sox became a real threat at slowing down the momentum that the Yankees brought into the new millennium. As of today, the foundation has been set for the Boston Red Sox to become the latest dynasty in Major League Baseball.

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A-Rod obviously wanted to send shock ways throughout baseball by announcing his decision to opt out of his current deal with the Yankees during game four of the World Series because he wanted to get the most bang for his buck in regard to maximum media exposure. This proves that he had no respect for the commissioner’s office, the Boston Red Sox and Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. His goal was to steal much of the headlines in sports pages throughout the country this past Monday and he accomplished what he set out to do.

Alex Rodriguez has always been a great baseball player, but he might actually be a better businessman. Let’s assume that the New York Yankees were comfortable giving him an extension that would have paid him as much as $300 million over the next 10 seasons, Scott Boras must have advised his most valuable client that there was equal to more money available for him in free agency.

Obviously, there are a few other teams willing to spend this type of outlandish money on one player. If not, Rodriguez would have waited to see what the Yankees were willing to spend to keep him in the Bronx. The Yankees used to get all of the negative attention from baseball fans around the country because they were the only team that would spend this type of money for one player, but that is no longer the case.

Scott Boras is paid more than any other agent is in baseball to find owners and general managers who are ready to step up to the plate and continue to make Rodriguez the most expensive baseball player in the history of the game. I’m convinced that he has at least two teams that could easily afford A-Rod other than the Yankees and that is why they both decided to opt out.

Now here’s my breakdown of this story concentrating on the perspective of baseball fans who are trying to get a hold of their emotions:

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