Is this really the A-Rod we’ve despised?
Why, I do declare, Alex Rodriguez has dropped some humility on us.
Some humanity. Some authenticity.
Yes, THAT Alex Rodriguez, old A-Fraud himself, the Sultan of Smarm.
For once, he followed his heart, throwing himself at the mercy of the new Boss in the Bronx, Hank Steinbrenner. Offering himself back to the Yankees on their terms, at their price - which, it turns out, was $275 million over 10 years, the deal that was outlined Thursday, with the opportunity for A-Rod to earn much more as he starts breaking home-run records.
For once, Rodriguez did the logical thing, for the right reasons. A-Rod, of all people, kept it real. Did all the heavy lifting himself, without the evil agent to muck things up.
Unless, of course, the whole affair was scripted by Scott Boras in a bald-faced attempt to manipulate an Alex image boost.
Unless, of course, it was Rodriguez’s ultimate mercenary act, using any desperate ploy to re-engage the only team capable of approaching the neighborhood of $300 million that so motivated A-Rod and his people.
Unless, of course, he came to the horrifying realization that no one else wanted him badly enough to make more than a half-hearted bid, scared off by his declining reputation as a man whose sublime talent still didn’t make him a winner.
That is the web that A-Rod has woven for himself in a career of public-relations missteps, hollow-sounding gestures and postseason flameouts.
The fact that Alex is far more sincere and well-meaning than he is portrayed in the media, that it is invariably Boras’ heavy-handed scripts that lead him astray, and that once upon a time Rodriguez was a pretty darned good playoff performer (averages of .313, .308, .409 and .421 in his first four postseason series as a regular) have been lost in the hype.
For fans of schadenfreude - taking satisfaction in other’s misfortunes - this is an all-time banner week. First, Boras gets publicly humiliated by being left out of the heavy-duty A-Rod talks, and then Barry Bonds gets indicted. Happy days are here again.
I’d like to think that A-Rod, in working his way toward the deal to stay with the Yankees that emerged out of the ether this week, finally remembered that in his relationship with Boras, it is he who calls the shots. Boras works for him, not the other way around. Maybe he got confused by that over the years.
I’d like to think that Rodriguez looked at the mess that Boras made for him during the World Series - leaking the story of A-Rod exercising his out clause during Boston’s title-clinching victory in Game 4 - and seethed.
I’d like to think that he spent the ensuing two weeks, during which his public perception reached an all-time low, engaged in some major soul-searching.
I’d like to think that he remembered how he handled things back in 1996, that magical breakout year in Seattle, when he sidestepped Boras and fast-tracked a new four-year, $10.5 million deal with the Mariners.
Yeah, those salary figures sound almost quaint now, and I’m sure his quote in The Seattle Times back then will, in retrospect, make you roll your eyes. Can you say “disingenuous”?
“Scott did a great job for me, and in doing his job he told me I could have gotten a lot more,” Rodriguez said back in July of ‘96. “I didn’t want more. I wanted to be happy, and I am very happy.”
I’d hate to think that was the last time A-Rod was truly happy - barely 21 years old, on the threshold of superstardom, still revered by his fans, with his reputation still unsullied.
Since then, Rodriguez has steered himself on a relentless course toward the biggest payday, and has seemingly moved ever farther from the affection he left behind in Seattle.
Maybe now, A-Rod can begin to rehabilitate his image in New York, and beyond. He can start doing all those elusive and mysterious things that will allow him to be recognized as a true Yankee.
One not-so-mysterious place to start: drive in a few clutch runs in the postseason and get the Yankees back to the World Series. That will be the greatest career salve of them all.
For now, however, Rodriguez is off to a nice start in winning back the multitudes who love to taunt, scorn and ridicule the game’s greatest player.
A-Rod did good this week. He put Boras in his place. He emanated sincerity in approaching the Yankees for a second chance at working something out. He left some money on the table.
I’d like to think he thought of it all by himself.
Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com