Who gives a shit? A-Rod doesn't want to be here, and if he's so emotionally fragile that he has to issue an ultimatum to fans that its "up to them" whether he stays or not...good riddance. I honestly think now that A-Rod thinks he is better than he is. His defense (as shown last night) is lacking; he's one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league (stats wise). His offense is good, but is it A-Rod good? No. It's also not worth the huge contract.
I say we go back to the old formula - get someone at the hot corner who can play defense...maybe we can give Scott Brosius a call. Hell, Graig Nettles would be better at this point.
You hit on a good point. While A-Rod was a great defensive shortstop, and I have to believe still is, third base is a completely different position. Whereas greatness at shortstop largely emphasizes range and speed, third base emphasizes reaction, and frequently involves the hardest ground ball to field- the hard hit ball hit right at you at point blank range.
Few shortstops can make the successful conversion to third base. I don't think A-Rod was ever fully comfortable there.
I remember an all-star game where Ripken, then a thirdbaseman (who made the transition pretty well), entered the game with A-Rod at short. A-Rod spontaneously flipped positions with him in a nice gesture, and casually remarked after the game how different it was for him to be at third base. He is an incredible athlete, who may still improve defensively at third, but the best thirdbasemen seem to be naturals.
