Amazing game last night, and it all came down to Joe Girardi making a very gutsy move. Too often, particularly with the Yankees, we see deference to aging stars even if present circumstances strongly suggest that a change is needed. Last night's decision to bench Alex Rodriguez in favor of Raul Ibanez in the bottom of the ninth with the Yankees trailing by a run was inspired and obviously paid off.



Rodriguez for his part, seemed to take it in stride as replays showed that he celebrated as much as anyone else in that dugout when Ibanez hit each homerun and that Rodriguez was the first player out of the dugout to congratulate his teammate.



But I only saw the highlights of Rodriguez's reactions because I was at the game, which brings me to this question: Why do Yankees fan hate Alex Rodriguez so much?



Reading comments on websites (including nj.com) the vitriol from fans was already quite clear, but I was taken aback by the fans at the game last night. It seemed wherever I was, whether it be on the subway ride to the stadium, walking outside and then through the concourses of the stadium, around my seat in the bleachers, in concession lines, in the bathrooms, and on the subway ride home, the fans had a singular focus - how much Alex Rodriguez sucks and how much they personally dislike the guy. The spirit of last night's game was probably best epitomized by the resounding chant of fans exiting the stadium beyond centerfield, a raucous and seemless transition from "Raul, Raul!" to " F@#k A-Rod!"



To be honest, it put a damper on the celebration last night for me, and caused me to be embarrassed to be a Yankees fan. The unabashed hatred spewed at Alex Rodriguez by the fans of his own team just feeds the stereotype that Yankees fans are spoiled brats who lack perspective. It's really as if Yankees fans root for Alex Rodriguez to fail just so they can turn to their buddy and say, "I told you the guy's a bum!" It makes no sense - the guy is on your team, and if you want your team to win, you should want him to do well.



So I go back to my question, why do Yankees fans hate Alex Rodriguez? Why does it seem like Rodriguez is some heinous person who did something so grievous to so many individuals almost as if he is Jerry Sandusky? What did Alex Rodriguez do to you?



Was it:



- When he called up Joe Torre prior to the 2001 All Star game and insisted that Cal Ripken Jr start at SS and then made sure the modest Ripken in fact played SS so he could be rightfully honored?



- When he first came to the Yankees and agreed to move to 3B in deference to Derek Jeter, despite Rodriguez being a better defensive SS than Jeter (and say what you want about this Yankees fans, but there is no objective argument that Jeter was a better defensive SS than Rodriguez; the Yankees would have been a better team with Rodriguez at SS and Jeter perhaps pulling a Robin Yount and supplanting a declining Bernie Williams in CF)?



- When he won two MVPs as a Yankee, which were also two of the greatest seasons ever by a 3Bman?



- When he was a driving force to the team actually winning a World Series in 2009?



- When the Yankees may not have even been in several postseasons if not for his regular season play?



- When he's hit any one of his 23 grand slams, tied with Lou Gehrig for the most in MLB history?



- The many occasions when he's actually come through in the "clutch", as objectively evidenced by his OPS in "clutch" situations, such as:

- Late in Close Situations (defined as 7th inning or later in a tied or one run game): .895 OPS

- RISP: .933 OPS

- 2 Outs and RISP: .858 OPS

- Tie Games: .948 OPS

- 1 Run Games: .955 OPS

- 2 Run Games: .934 OPS

- 3 Run Games: .939 OPS

- When Trailing: .915 OPS

- Against the Red Sox: .889 OPS



- When the Yankees played just .500 baseball and nearly blew a 10 game lead while Rodriguez was on the DL this year?



Or is the fact that he always plays hard, by all accounts is a good teammate, and always seems to be among the most jubilant when things go well for the team?



Or maybe it's the ridiculous contract? I won't quibble that it's a terrible a contract, but it takes two to tango. He didn't offer the contract to himself (or the previous one with the Rangers), he simply did what I imagine any rational person would do, accepted it. If there's to be any blame for the contract, particularly with its absurd length, that should fall squarely on Yankees management.



This isn't all to say that Rodriguez hasn't struggled and disappointed at times. He has, and he is right now, and Girardi made the right move last night and would be making an appropriate move by dropping Rodriguez in the lineup. But the selective memory fans have with Rodriguez is amazing. His achievements are easily brushed aside and forgotten, while his failures are magnified to a degree that I don't know if any other professional athlete has ever faced. If the team loses, it's seemingly all Rodriguez's fault. If he has one bad game in the postseason, it all seems to snowball, and the hate pours out, fueled by a media that seems to relish making mountains out of molehills.



My plea Yankees fan, apply some perspective and tone down the vitriol. Rodriguez has been a great player for the Yankees (even if you choose not to acknowledge it) who's always tried hard, and he's done nothing to you personally to justify the condemnation he receives.

