We’ve been down this road before, Alex Rodriguez using questionable judgment on the baseball field when it comes to straddling the fine line of being competitive and being “dirty”. Arod may never live down “the slap” and following countless photoshopped handbags and hamburger helper hands as a result of his questionable judgment during the 2004 ALCS.

Was it just Arod’s competitive desire gone awry? Was it just the juices overflowing in the heat of the moment or was it more likely as has been decreed by the court of public opinion that he was “cheap” and “dirty”?

Well, regardless of intent, one time may be a random occurrence, but two times starts to indicate a trend and a three a latent characteristic. The second such occurrence happened during the 2004 regular season when Arod and Varitek went blow to blow, as much if not more Tek’s fault than Arod’s but while we are piling on…pile on. The third occurred last night.
Bugs & Cranks sets the stage nicely:

“Bottom of the eighth, one out, bases loaded, Jorge Posada grounds into what should be a rally-killing double play. Running from first, A-Rod bumbles his aim on the takeout slide. So what does he do? Why, he jumps off the bag and elbows Dustin Pedroia in the gut. Shockingly, Pedroia is unable to throw out Posada at first.”

The video can’t be embedded (damn MLB restrictions), but here it is. .

Clearly, Alex Rodriguez is running hard with the intent to break up the potential inning ending and rally ending double play. And clearly he is going to try and take out the diminutive Dustin Pedroia on his way through. And that’s all a part of the game and to be expected.

But a step late with Pedroia likely able to side step his slide and throw out Posada at first as he charged down the first base line, Arod once again showed what are more and more indicative of being his “true colors” as he pops up with a shoulder/extended elbow to place a further charge into the second baseman.

“He went in late and kind of threw an elbow,” Pedroia said. “It was a little cheap but no big deal. I’ll remember. I play second base. I’ve got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he’s coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That’s it.”

I think it was cheap. I also think that it, like the incident in 2004 was driven out of desperation and a need to achieve, a hyper-competitiveness on Arod’s part. He could not stand the concept of not being able to win and not being able to be the person that could lead his team to that win. Under duress however is when one’s true nature shines most brightly.

So where does that leave us? I hope that Curt Schilling, whose history with Arod is spotty as a result of his post-2004 experience, runs one up and in, just to show Alex that his behavior was noted.

But so I don’t make myself a hypocrite over next offseason as the “Arod backing out of his contract and coming to Boston” rumors percolate, I will say that I appreciate Arod’s desire to win and his competitiveness. I think many of the things that malign him are rooted in that desire; the inability to come through in clutch situations, the self induced depression/funk he seems to play in when losing, and the questionable character moments. They are all a result of his drive.

Should Arod become a free agent in the offseason, I think it is critical that the Red Sox seriously consider him as an option. The need for a right handed bat to replace Manny Ramirez is a must, whether Manny has a few more years in Boston or not, you need to cover off against that potential hole. Mike Lowell is filling the 3B spot more than admirably right now and I do think that another year or two can be squeezed out of him if need be. But not considering Arod and option would be foolish.

Now does that mean that I want him on this team? Not really. I think he makes this team better and it makes all the sense in the world. Will I root for him if it were to ever happen? Yes. Will it take some time and be difficult? Yes.

But while he’s a Yankee, and coming off of last night’s cheap actions, high and tight tonight.

Update: I found the NESN version of the Arod/Pedroia slide video, here you go:

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