A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP
No middle ground with these New Yorkers
THE trophy, of course, was permanently retired the moment Alex Rodriguez did. A-Rod was the single most polarizing athlete New York ever has known. There were others before him. As we will soon discuss, there are others presently playing.
But Rodriguez was a class unto himself. He was alternately dazzling and infuriating, often in the same season, sometimes in the same game. He specialized in drama, not all of it contained to the baseball field. And the feelings he generated … well, it was unprecedented.
Some loved him. Some loathed him. But there was rarely a time when you would ask a Yankees fan, “What do you think of Alex Rodriguez?” and the reply would be muted.
So if you’re comparing other polarizing sports figures in town, you measure them all against the great A-Rod show that ruled New York from 2004-16. Among the folks who make New Yorkers take sides, you have a colorful assortment of figures now to choose from.
You have:
Carmelo Anthony — The heir to A-Rod in so many ways, though Melo never has had the crowning moment that Rodriguez did in 2009 — when he was the engine that drove the Yankees to the most recent of their 27 championships. In so many ways, when you read and listen to fans talk about Melo, you easily could substitute “A-Rod” and the complaint/compliment still would make perfect sense.
The passing of time has lessened the severity of the schism between Melo backers and Melo hackers, and it has been so long since the Knicks were anything but a cartoon. Still, for every passionate defense of Melo you’ll see on social media or in your inbox, you’re liable to hear a prosecution of his time here that is equally stirring. For as long as he remains a New Yorker, he is A-Rod’s heir in this department.
Odell Beckham Jr. — What separates him from Anthony or Rodriguez is you’re unlikely ever to hear a Giants fan complain about his performance — the notable exception being his subpar playoff showing against the Packers in January. Mostly, Giants fans empty the thesaurus of adjectives watching him play, which is really the only way to do it justice. On that there is little debate.
What causes the rift is the Other Stuff, the most recent example being his public desire to be the sport’s highest-paid player, but a list that also includes his blowing off (voluntary) summer workouts, his temper, his extra-oomph celebrations, his occasional lapses of onfield reason and decorum. Mostly, these are things Giants fans will learn to live with assuming Beckham continues to make catches and score touchdowns.
Joe Girardi — There are times you talk to Yankees fans and it is hard to believe they’re talking about the same manager. There is a strong segment of Girardi Backers who be- lieve (with some justification) he has performed some of his best work in recent years, keeping competitive a string of teams that had no business even playing above .500.
Then there are Joe’s Foes — and they can be loud and persuasive, they will bemoan his “binder” and the way he rests regulars too often and the way he uses his bullpen. Of course, there are few aspects of sports that have withstood the test of time more than crushing the local manager, so maybe that is part of it.
Yoenis Cespedes — The latest entry, and one that seems to be gaining speed by the day. For the first two years of Cespedes in New York, it seemed he could do little wrong — which was understandable given how well he played during the Mets’ epic 2015 stretch run. But starting right around a year ago, when he hurt his quad and was unapologetic about playing golf while trying to recover from it, it has been a much different story.
Mostly, the Cespedes quandary can be summed up thusly: “He doesn’t run hard!/Don’t run so hard you’ll hurt your hammy!” It hasn’t helped that he hasn’t been himself for the better part of a month.