ARod Youngest Player to Reach 450 HRs ANOTHER GREAT YANKEE PLAYER Updated 8:30 PM ET July 21, 2006 TORONTO (AP) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to reach 450 home runs when he hit one Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. The three-run homer in the third inning off A.J. Burnett was also Rodriguez's 2000th hit. Rodriguez, who turns 31 next Thursday, is the eighth player to get his 2000th hit before his 31st birthday. The milestones come at a time when Rodriguez has struggled. He committed his team-leading 17th error in Thursday's loss to Toronto. Ken Griffey Jr. was the previous youngest to reach 450. He was 31 years, 261 days old when he did it August 9, 2001
And the Mets have a player who is equal to A-Rod? David Wright is not even close 1 year does not make a career.
Good for him. If he can avoid a Griffey like string of injuries or turning into a recluse because of pyschological abuse he'll make a run at Aaron.
I have no Problem w/ A-Rod. You don't hear about steroids, Wife Beatings, Shootouts in Clubs, Slapping reporters . Let alone, you never hear of team mates having problems w/ Him. This guy is a Model Player and Citizen. And he is a Phenominal Baseball player. Amazing that we have a guy like him, sad that we have fans who can't appreciate it.
A rod imo,is a great ball player,but he is not a great Yankee..yet. I won't count him out yet,and I like him and hope he comes around. But the guy is pissing me off this year. I do think though,if the home crowd would get behind him rather than buying a ticket just to look for reasons to boo the guy,he jjst might come around
New York fans are doing what New York fans do best.They love you when all is well and want you dead when its not.A-Rod will be fine and the boos will stop.
Normally I'd agree with you but I don't think that it's gonna play out like that with Rodriguez. I for some reason get the feeling that A-Rod is going to be maligned by many until the day he retires, if only because he makes a ton of money and sometimes makes bad plays. It's the Alexei Yashin syndrome (though Yashin deserves much more of the criticism that he gets.) Some of the insults about A-Rod, like ripping him (a first generation American) for wanting to play for the DR in the World Baseball Classic while not caring that Barry Zito and Mike Piazza were playing for Italy despite having families that are far removed from that country, will not go away with a championship. A lot of people just plain hate the guy.
He's been given the Beltran treatment. A-Rod can't carry the team by himself, he needs Matsui or Sheff to bat behind him so he can see more pitches. Posada doesn't exactly scare a pitching staff. A-Rod just will never be accepted if he doesn't bring a ring to NY.
When Arod hits his 500th HR at Yankee Stadium everyone better get off their asses and cheer him and stick those boos up their asses.
I guess there could be plenty of reasons for people to dislike him. But the met and Sox fans dislike him really because at the time we got him,they were players in the trade possibility also. They didn't gey him so they are bitter.
Well, that doesn't apply to me. Some Yankees fans don't like him because they hated having to admit for years that 2 wasn't the best shortstop in his own league. Then Rod was being talked about going to the Mets before 2000. Years later he was almost traded to Boston. So, Yankees fans hated him even more. Then all of a sudden he got traded to the Yankees, so it confused the Yankee fan.
FITM hit the nail on the head by calling it the "Beltran" treatment, and it brings up the huge difference between the 2 players. Beltran got ripped, he didn't like it, but he kept his mouth shut and played hard everyday. A-Rod keeps trying to be everyones the best friend, trying to be a media darling and trying to explain himself and he just makes himself look more awkward and easier to criticize.
