A-Rod, The Lightning Rod

"Now this looks like a job for me so everybody just follow me, 'cause we need a little controversy 'cause it feels so empty without me."

I could not let the 40th birthday of Eminem slide without injecting his brilliant words into the events that played out that day, especially in the hometown of the Detroit icon.

I had a number of things to tackle all afternoon in the house yesterday, and I had no interest in any more Hofstra debate post-mortem. So I made the mistake of turning on Mike Francesa - not because it wasn't compelling - but because it was. The feeding frenzy around Alex Rodriguez has reached epic proportions, as pictured above.

They Yankees are down and nearly out. Trailing 0-3 to the very legitimate Detroit Tigers isn't the story. The Yankees' exceptional pitching isn't the story. The anemic Yankee bats are. But Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, and Russell Martin didn't have the media swarmed on them. Only Alex.

Let me try to explain how a lightning rod works.

The building stands in the path of an oncoming electrical storm. 

In order to deflect attention from the vulnerable foundation, the lightning rod is there to attract the storm's blast and channel it away from the larger structure as a whole.

Sound familiar?

The lightning rod has no say in the matter. It's sole purpose is to stand idly and get struck by a bolt of lightning.

And while A-Rod seems often like an automaton who has no humanity or feelings, he shouldn't stand alone to take a strike.

Although Rodriguez isn't alone among Yankees experiencing offensive woes, he is the most visible. And none of this would be an issue if he were producing. He has been his own worst enemy, going 0-for-18 vs RH pitching in the playoffs.

A-Rod stood and faced the media storm yesterday. He was introspective, calm, and outwardly remained confident in both his ability to hit, and ability to contribute to the team. He dropped an "I don't give a shit" at one point, but it was his only real defiance. He was as professional as anyone could possibly be in that circumstance.

So the airwaves are clogged with A-Rod talk now. Was there a pickup attempted of an Australian model during an LCS game? Have the Yankees already discussed trading him to the Marlins? Will he ever see game action in a Yankee uniform again?

GM Brian Cashman met the media yesterday and called A-Rod's benching a "baseball decision" because of the splits versus right-handed pitching, inferring that he'd be in there against a lefty. The Tigers have no left-handed starters, and the Yankees are one game away from the 2012 season being over. And don't expect the storm to pass in the off-season.

Ichirolling!

In the middle of the 1999 season, the Seattle Mariners made the move from the cavernous and outdated Kingdome to state-of-the-art Safeco Field.

Before the 2001 season, the Seattle Mariners signed Ichiro Suzuki from the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League. The money was big at the time ($14M) since no Japanese non-pitcher had ever made a mark the US.

Ichiro of course was a sensation in Seattle, bringing the Pac Rim to the ballpark in their #51 jerseys every night. So Safeco Field marketers weren't dumb. The sushi/sake stand was very popular, which included the "Ichiroll," which wasn't anything exotic - a spicy tuna roll - but still far from the standard ballpark fare.

The first time I had sushi at a Major League venue was October 3, 1995 in the press box pre-game at Dodger Stadium, at the height of the Hideo Nomo frenzy. It was also the day O.J. Simpson was found "not guilty" on murder charges. Yes, I was in LA. Dodgers-Reds NL Divisional Playoff Game 1.

But I digress as usual. Like working with Don Criqui, Memory Lane isn't always a straight path.

Anyway I wonder if Suzuki, even in his heyday ever had a 3-game series like this one with Toronto. Two more hits last night, a solo HR, and 3 RBI makes him 9-for-12 in the series sweep and brings him up to .321 as a Yankee - only one point off his career average.

Suzuki is 38, and his skills this year seemed to be diminishing. But streaks like this prove that he's far from done, and his career resume may still have a few lines that are yet to be written.

The Yankees won ugly last night, but Nick Swisher hit a grand slam and Phil Hughes though largely unimpressive, won his 16th. Now the Yankees have won 5 straight, are 1 full game up in the AL East with 13 to go, and trade the Jays in for the smoking-hot A's for a weekend set at the Stadium.

The New York Yankees...Leading the AL in Designated Hitters

The New York Yankees recently completed an 18-game errorless streak, the best in Major League history.

They have a solid infield, and can make up for some weak outfielders with a dependable CF, whether it be Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner.

But the roster is generally loaded with far too many players who are best fielding baseballs while in the batters' box. If you've got no glove, you get no love in this post.

Exhibit A: Hideki Matsui.

This one actually is the DH. He was an average OF when he got to NY and those skills have deteriorated, whether it be by injury or a rapid aging process.

He's still formidable at the plate in stretches, but has become completely one-dimensional.

Exhibit B: Jorge Posada.

Never recovered from last year's shoulder injury. Not that throwing has everything to do with being a catcher. Nobody can make a 9-figure starting rotation look more disjointed.

It's no surprise that the Yanks' errorless streak took place primarily while Jorge was on the DL, or that he was the one to end it.

Still a clutch, feared hitter, and an enduring Yankee. But his future is likely as the backup catcher and the primary DH.

Exhibit C: Johnny Damon.

He can still run. But he can't really catch. The move from CF to LF seemed to be a good one for him a couple of years ago. Now I just cringe when a ball gets hit out there.

I have the exact opposite reaction when he's at the plate. He is an extremely productive hitter with no signs of age on offense. But he's probably a DH too.

Exhibit D: Nick Swisher.

Now he's probably the best fielder in this group. The former Buckeye will always give it the ol' college try and for that he became a Yankee fan favorite instantly. He even pitched a scoreless inning in an early blowout.

But despite the occasional great play, he's still below average defensively. He hides pretty well in RF or at 1B. He's a gregarious team guy and is hard not to like, but he's also a DH.

I'm glad my team plays in the American League, but you can only start one guy at the specialized position.