That what Larry Bowa thinks about the way Alex Rodriguez is being portrayed in the fallout from Joe Torre's book, "The Yankee Years."
Rodriguez reportedly was referred to as "A-Fraud" by teammates, but Bowa reiterated to WFAN today that, if so, it was only in jest.
"This stuff about Alex not being liked in the clubhouse is so, so overblown," Bowa told hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. "He's well liked in that clubhouse."
Maybe even by Derek Jeter.
"They talk to each other, they mingle with each other, they may not go out to dinner with each other," Bowa said of the superstars' relationship.
Bowa, with the Yankees in 2006-07, said Rodriguez's admiration of Jeter's four World Series rings creates an unhealthy focus on getting one himself.
"Alex is obsessed with winning a World Series," Bowa said. "It might be detrimental to him, he's so obsessed with it."
Seemingly running for president of A-Rod's fan club, Bowa, a 40-year baseball veteran who played with Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt, called Rodriguez "the most prepared player I've ever seen," and defended his postseason disappointments.
"It's hard to judge a guy with 11, 12, 13 at-bats," Bowa said. "Let him get deep into the playoffs when you get 40 at-bats."
One could argue the Yankees New York Yankees didn't get deeper into the playoffs because of Rodriguez's performance. He batted .133, .071 and .267 in first-round losses in 2005, '06 and '07. He did hit .320 over two playoff rounds (50 at-bats) in 2004, but went 2-for-17 as the Red Sox won the final four games of the ALCS after trailing 3-0.
Rodriguez is a hot topic in January because of Torre's book, co-authored with Tom Verducci and scheduled to be released Feb. 3.
Bowa, who was with Torre on the Dodgers last season, said he hasn't read the book, but "I do know that what I've heard doesn't sound like Joe Torre . . . at all."
"Joe's got great credibility, and if a little bit of this is gonna take it away, then so be it," Bowa said. "I don't think Joe did this to rip anybody.
Even when he goes in the back room, he doesn't rip people. He just doesn't do it."
Bowa said he never noticed resentment from Torre toward the Yankees' low-ball offer of a one-year contract prior to last season, but said Torre's glaring omission from the closing ceremony at Yankee Stadium had to bother his boss.
"In my opinion, the thing that hurt Joe -- and he won't ever admit this -- is the last day at Yankee Stadium," Bowa said. "The non-recognition. I think that did bother him."
