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| After Alex Rodriguez signed a contract in December of 2000 that was worth a quarter of a billion dollars, many said that he ruined baseball. Fans booed him relentlessly in his return to SafeCo Field in Seattle. They threw Monopoly money at him and flew banners that read: "Pay-Rod" or "A-Wad." But if you had a chance to earn $252 million, by playing baseball, wouldn't you take it? I'm sure you would've done the same thing that Alex did. No doubts. Alexander Emmanual Rodriguez is one of the greatest baseball players on the planet. "By far," says teammate Todd Greene. Last season he hit 52 home runs and drove in 135 runs. He batted .318, with an amazing 1.021 OPS (on base plus slugging percentage). He also won the AL Hank Aaron Award for being the league's top offensive player. He also took home the Josh Gibson Legacy Award for winning the AL home run crown. Rodriguez was only one of four players to collect 50 homers and 200 hits in one season. The other three? Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Hack Wilson and Jimmie Foxx. But his greatness lasts longer then one year. Throughout his career, Rodriguez has hit 268 home runs, well on his way to 756. As for runs batted in, Rodriguez has driven in 803 in his career. His career .310 batting average ranks higher then Chipper Jones (.307), Jim Edmonds (.294) and Ken Griffey Jr. (.295). To top it all off, Alex has achieved a 40-40 season. (A 40-40 year is when a player hits 40 home runs and steals 40 bases.) Rodriguez is the epiphany of one of the greatest hitters of all time when he retires. Alex Rodriguez is only 26 - still years from the prime of his career -years old. He was born July 27th 1975 in New York. He stands in at 6'3" and weighs 210 pounds. This is what makes him an imposing figure in the batting box. But he doesn't impose in the clubhouse. He quickly became one of the leaders in the Rangers clubhouse, easily gelling with everyone else. His teammates have nothing but nice things to say about him. |
| Player In The Spotlight: Alex Rodriguez |
| Daniel Paulling a.k.a "The Razor" |
| This page contains recent articles by Daniel Paulling |
| "The Razor" is a top basball analyst who cuts through the latest issues with precision. His unique writing style creates a complete overview of the topic, and expect to see at least one article per week. Also, you can get his expert advice in our weekly chat sessions every wednesday and Saturday night. |
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| The biggest trade of the season occurred on June 27th, when the Expos dealt Lee Stevens and three minor league players for Indians' ace Bartolo Colon and prospect Tim Drew, both pitchers. This seems like a lopsided deal but Indian fans shouldn't panic. Mark Shapiro hasn't become the next Dan Duquette, this deal has some reasoning to it. Here's a quick breakdown of the entire deal. The first four players are going to the Indians, the last two are going to the Expos. Shortstop Brandon Phillips is the heir apparent when Omar Vizquel leaves town. Before his promotion to Ottawa (AAA), Phillips was hitting .327 with nine homers and thirty-five RBIs. He can also run, because he stole nine bases during his time in double-A. Left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee has blown the competition away double-A. Lee throws a low 90s fastball, a good breaking pitch |
| and he's working on a changeup. His control has been greatly improved, with a 105/23 strikeout to walk ratio. Through 15 starts, he was 7-2 with a 3.27 ERA and opponents were hitting .197 against him. Lee could be up in the Majors for a cup of coffee if he can keep the ball in the park, he has a tendency (12 in 86 innings of work) to allow a homer every now and then. More-> |
| Colon Trade Speaks Volumes for Expos, Indians |