MY BASEBALL BIAS

Saw this at Sliding Into Home.

A-Rod has a new workout buddy in Miami. From the Miami Herald:

Hurricanes first baseman Yonder Alonso, 20, wanted to completely emulate the reigning MVP in his workout regimen — from the stationary bike and lifting weights to running 120-yard sprints, batting practice and fielding ground balls.

What started out as nothing more than a dream has led to a possible lasting friendship.

Alonso walked up to the star one morning in December as Rodriguez rode a stationary bike in the UM weight room.

”I told him whatever race he would do, I would beat him,” Alonso said. “He found that pretty funny, and after that [he] said all right, lets go run.”

For more than five weeks, Rodriguez and Alonso arrived at UM by 6 a.m. and would finish by noon. Sometimes they would have a light workout in the evening, practicing fielding, hitting and running.

”I’m very private about my workouts, and he’s really the first kid in 10 years that has joined me like this,” said Rodriguez, 32.

Alonso, who starred at Coral Gables High, had a stellar sophomore season last year. Baseball America has rated him as one of the top five collegiate players in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft.

Good to see Alex getting along with the common folk.

A few things to check out:

• Alex Rodriguez has been named as the sixth recipient of Thurman Munson award. Says Alex, “It is a privilege and honor to receive the Munson Award, Knowing of Thurman’s legacy in the storied history of the Yankees franchise, and how much the dinner has done to assist children through AHRC NYC Foundation, it is a special honor that I will always cherish.” The dinner is slated for Feb. 5th and as of know, A-Rod is slated to attend.

• Phil Hughes added another post at his blog today with his football picks for the weekend. Click on the link, check it out and send Phil a comment.

• The Yankees Double-A and Triple-A clubs are set to face off against each other on April 1st. Farm director Mark Newman adds - “This game will give the Thunder fans a great chance to honor so many of the players that made the 2007 season so memorable. The 2007 Thunder was a special group of very talented men.” For more information, click here

• A few things via PeteAbe - George Steinbrenner and his sons were all absent from the MLB Owner meetings. President Randy Levine and COO Loon Trost sat in. Not sure why all of the Steinbrenner’s decided to skip the event. Also, if you’re hoping to land a ticket for the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankees Stadium, good luck. Pete explains the hurdles here.

That’s it for now.

So much for that tell-all, follow-up to Juiced from Jose Canseco where he shares with us what he knows about A-Rod’s “alleged” steroid use:

…former Bash Brother Canseco has finalized a deal to publish “Vindicated” with Penguin Books, with a planned release date to coincide with Opening Day. But former Sports Illustrated associate editor Don Yaeger, who was scheduled to collaborate with Canseco on the book, has passed on the project. Yaeger said Friday that Canseco does not have the goods on Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez that Canseco alluded to in media interviews last month.

“I’m passing,” Yaeger told the Daily News. “I had a chance to review the Jose Canseco (material) that he provided me. I don’t think there’s a book there. I don’t know what they’re going to do. I don’t think he’s got what he claims to have, certainly doesn’t have what he claims to have on A-Rod.

“There’s no meat on the bones.”

It looks like the book will still go forward, but this blip certainly takes the wind out of his sails.

Click here for A-Rod’s interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday Night with Katie Couric.

Here are some of the highlights:

A-Rod on Steroids:

“For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?” Couric asked.

“No,” Rodriguez replied.

Asked if he had ever been tempted to use any of those things, Rodriguez told Couric, “No.”

“You never felt like, ‘This guy’s doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He’s getting better numbers, playing better ball,’” Couric asked.

“I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I’ve always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I’ve done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn’t have a problem competing at any level. So, no,” he replied.

A-Rod on Agent Scott Boras:

“What is your relationship like with him today? Why do you have to think about that so much?” Couric asked Rodriguez.

“Well, the whole situation saddens me a little bit,” he replied.

Asked if he talks with him at all, Rodriguez said “No.”

“Do you think that will change?” Couric asked.

“We’ll see,” Rodriguez said.

Asked if he was talking to Boras during the negotiation process, Rodriguez said, “No, I wasn’t. I was talking with my wife.”

A-Rod on the opt-out debacle:

“Can you understand why so many people found that so incredibly offensive?” Couric asked.

“Absolutely. A hundred percent,” Rodriguez said. “If I was a sports writer, if I was a fan, I would have been very, very upset. I was angry and upset. Shocked — disbelief. I mean, I’m sitting in my living room.”

“You were watching the game?” Couric asked.

“Yes. And that was very, very difficult,” Rodriguez said.

Asked what he did when he heard it, Rodriguez told Couric, “Nightmare — you know, I got white like a ghost. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I was under the impression that it would come out a day or two after the World Series concluded. And I would never do anything to harm the game … to the Red Sox and the Rockies, my deepest apologies, and to all of Major League Baseball.”

“You got hammered by the press. A number of respected sports writers called you, among other things, ‘A gold plated phony.’ ‘Pay-Rod in Pinstripes.’ They say you upstaged more World Series games than you actually played in. Were you surprised at the level of vitriol that came your way?” Couric asked.

“No. If I was a writer, I would have done the same thing, because it was unacceptable. And inappropriate,” Rodriguez said. “And, you know, when you do things the wrong way, that’s what you get.”

A-Rod on what he really wants:

“These are the two MVP awards,” Rodriguez told Couric in his memorabilia room. “And this right here is the Babe Ruth Award for most home runs in Major League Baseball. But I would like to yank all three of ‘em and put World Championship there. That’s my goal. That’s my ultimate goal.”

Today, Alex Rodriguez says he’s in a better position than ever to help make that happen. “I feel comfortable my team can expect me to be in the line up every day and at the end of the day, I get paid to be a Major League Baseball player, not anything else, and I do that pretty well.”

After watching the video, I think A-Rod might have a handle on his life now. Hopefully, he’s the one pulling the strings and he’ll go about his business and just play ball. He doesn’t have to worry about another contract negotiation and certainly won’t have Boras calling the shots for him in the future. It’s time to suck it up and bring a World Series championship to the Bronx.

What’s in the papers this morning?

• Kevin Kernan of the NY Post has a great article today on Joba Chamberlian. Kernan followed Joba and is Dad Harlan around Lincoln, Nebraska and writes a nice profile of the young man. It’s a nice break from all the steroid stuff.

• Hank Steinbrenner is 100% percent behind his pitcher Andy Pettitte and his decision to apologize for using HGH in 2002. No regrets signing him back. Oh yeah, those championships aren’t tainted either.

• Remember that guy McNamee who gave up Clemens, Pettitte and a few others? Here’s a very critical report on the man from an acquaintance of his. I just don’t know who to believe anymore. Former pitcher C. J. Nowitski gave a glowing report of McNamee yesterday that was printed in all the major newspapers. No we have someone coming out to say that he’s a liar, an “alcoholic” and “a troubled soul. Makes you wonder who’s the credible one in all of this.

• Hank made it clear today when discussing any deal for Johan Santana: “I am not giving up two of the three,” Steinbrenner said of Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Hughes, the Holy Trio of the Yankees’ pitching-rich organization. “That’s not going to happen.” Very good to hear. And at this point, I don’t think he should part with any of them.

• Mike Lupica has no sympathy for Andy Pettitte. What’s new. John Harper believes that Roger Clemens‘ denial no longer holds up after Pettitte’s apology.

Don’t forget to tune in today at 3:00 PM ET to our radio show The Hits Keep Coming where Ian of Sox and Dawgs and Anthony of the Oriole Post join me in discussing the latest developments regarding the Mitchell Report.

Also, A-Rod will be interviewed on 60 minutes tonight. Check your local listings.

From Newsday:

A-Rod, officially a Yankee again, conducted the interview with CBS news anchor Katie Couric, who brought up the subject of the Mitchell Report.

“Well, Katie, you’re putting me in a tough spot,” he said in an excerpt released Friday. “I mean, these are guys that I play with. They’re my teammates, friends, people that I respect, people that I play with every day.

“If anything comes of this, [I] would be extremely disappointed. I mean, it would be a huge black eye on the game of baseball. A lot of fans, they just want to know a lot. They want to know the truth and I think in this George Mitchell investigation … maybe they will get what they want.”

When Couric asked Rodriguez if he ever has used steroids, human growth hormone or any other illegal, performance-enhancing substance, A-Rod responded, “No.” He answered the same way when Couric followed up by asking if he had been tempted to do so.

“I think baseball’s done a fine job of implementing some very strict rules,” A-Rod added. “I mean, I got tested eight or nine times. I know some of my teammates got tested, you know, seven, eight … times, and, you know, if you think about where the game is today versus where it was six years ago, I think Major League Baseball has made some nice strides.”

Check your local listings.

Sadaharu Oh thinks so:

Oh, who hit 868 homers over 22 seasons in Japanese professional baseball, said he thinks it’s just a matter of time before someone catches up and surpasses him.

“I think the 868 record will be broken,” Oh said Monday. “Nobody in Japan is close, but I think Alex Rodriguez could do it, he has the ability to hit 1,000.”

Maybe A-Rod and Boras can negotiate an incentive for reaching 1,000 home runs before signing on the dotted line.

I’d push for a monthly subscription to the “Jelly of the month” club.

From English Peoples Daily:

“We should able to (win) next year because the Yankees, we always give ourselves a chance,” Damon told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Thailand, his mother’s home country.

“We were the only team who made it back to the playoffs this year from the year before. We’re going to be as good as ever. It’s about our guys coming through at the right time.”

Damon also talks about Girardi, his health and re-signing A-Rod:

“I had breakfast with him (Girardi) and that went great, he plans to put me in as the left fielder and the leadoff, I can’t wait to get it going,” said the 34-year-old.

“There’s definitely a few more years in me, hopefully a few good ones and probably another championship.

“I’m all about winning and when it’s time for me to walk away, I’ll know, but that’s no time soon.”

“Re-signing Alex Rodriguez was a great move and getting Girardi is a very positive step. (His players) said he might be the best manager they ever played for and when players say that, it means a big thing.”

It sounds like Johnny is itching for spring training to start. He came in last year a little out of shape, but it sound like he’s committing himself for the upcoming season.

ESPN insider has a free preview going, so if you get the chance, go check out Rob Neyer’s new piece where he analyzes the biggest contracts Scott Boras has landed for his clients since 1997.

A few that stuck out to me were the seven years/$105 million that he got for Kevin Brown from the Dodgers in 1998. How about when the Rangers dished out six years/$65 million for Chan Ho Park? And finally, seven years and $126 million for Barry Zito from the Giants last year was brilliant, but will ultimately turn out to be a disaster for the Giants.

Will 10 years and $305M (including the marketing deal) for Alex Rodriguez turn out to be the highest he ever gets for a client?

From SI.com:

Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees have agreed on a $30 million marketing package based on home-run achievements that could raise the total value of his new contract to $305 million over 10 years.

Under the agreement, which remains to be finalized, Rodriguez could receive $6 million each for tying the home-run levels of Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762), and an additional $6 million for breaking Bonds’ major league record.

The Yankees could designate each level as a historic event, enabling Rodriguez to receive the added money in exchange for additional personal appearances and signed memorabilia for the club. That enabled the agreement to be allowed by the players’ association and the commissioner’s office. Baseball generally prohibits bonuses based on statistics such as home runs.

Details of the agreement were first reported by The New York Times on its Web site and were confirmed Saturday by a baseball official who spoke on condition of anonymity because those aspects have not been made public. The commissioner’s office and the players’ association have approved the concept of the marketing agreement, the official said.

Murray Chass of the New York Times has more on the deal here.

Steve of WasWatching.com pointed out what one predictor (Bill James) thinks of A-Rod’s chances to meet said home run milestones:

The 2007 Bill James Handbook gave A-Rod a 90% chance at 600 career homers, a 50% chance at 700 lifetime dingers, and a 31% chance at reaching 756 big flies. If you believe those marks, then there’s a good chance that Alex never sees close to 80% of that “milestone” money.

A 50% chance of reaching 700 is hard to believe now after the year A-Rod had in ‘07 when he smashed 54 dingers.

Rodriguez currently has 518 home runs. Conservative estimates of 35 HR’s a year put him 7 shy of the 700 HR milestone at the end of the fifth season of his new 10-year, $275 million dollar deal. He would easily reach Ruth in season six and push past Aaron, Bonds and the MLB record in season seven.

Here’s a closer look:

(35 HR’s a year for the next 7 years. A-Rod currently has 518.)

• 2008 (age 32) - 553 HR
• 2009 (age 33) - 588 HR
• 2010 (age 34) - 623 HR
• 2011 (age 35) - 658 HR
• 2012 (age 36) - 693 HR | $6 million
• 2013 (age 37) - 728 HR | $6 million
• 2014 (age 38) - 763 HR | $18 million

By my calculations, A-Rod could tie both Aaron and Bonds then break the MLB record giving him a sweet $21 million dollar pay-out. Add that to his yearly salary of $27.5M and he has the potential of making $45.5 million dollars in one year!

Let’s hope he helps the Yankees win a World Series title before then or there may be more talk about the money he’s about to receive than the actual record and what he’s done for the Yankees and the city of New York.

***Hat tip to Ian of Sox and Dawgs for the SI.com link.