I had almost forgotten what "Yankees fan triumphalism" felt like. You'd never guess it had been 9 years since the last title -- Yankees fans effortlessly ride that bike again.
Speaking of triumphalism, I argue in the lead of today's SN column that a year from now -- or 5 or 10 or 20 -- all we will remember about this World Series is that it was A-Rod's breakthrough.
Nothing in sports -- not the most remarkable individual achievement, not the most brutalizing scandal -- changes the perception of an athlete like winning a championship.
Everything that tainted A-Rod -- the attitude, the steroids, the losing -- is eclipsed by "Alex Rodriguez, World Series champion."
(And I buy the theory that it was A-Rod's surgery that was the trigger to get him to stop worrying about stats and just playing to win. It also mitigated the steroids spotlight.)
You can be the most reviled player in your sport -- and A-Rod might have been that guy, up until now -- and still earn universal respect for winning a championship.
The Yankees might -- and probably should -- win a couple more titles while A-Rod is on the team. But he won't last for another 9-year drought. At the very least, he's got this one.
More you'll find in today's column:
*The most important moment in D-League history.
*The Magic ARE better without Vince Carter.
*Dwyane Wade > Gilbert Arenas
*I give Brandon Spikes a little too much credit.
*I solve Boise State's scheduling problem.
*It's put-up or shut-up time for Texas hoops.
See the complete column here. More later.
-- D.S.
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2 comments:
CFB Scandal Watch: Brandon Spikes instantly quashes any controversy around his "half-game" suspension for his Georgia eye-gouge by voluntarily sitting out the entire game on Saturday against Vandy. Spikes earns a ton of credit from the media -- his slate is wiped clean, frankly -- and it's not like Florida's defense will need him to dominate the 'Dores.
You're an idiot.
ARod hits .250 in the World Series and it's a breakthrough? Whatever, I aint buying that.
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