Yanks win, A-Rod struggles

When you have one of the best players in the game on your bench, you need to find a spot to use him. Last night with two on and one out in the 7th down by a run, Joe Torre put Jason Giambi in just that spot and the Yankees 1B/DH duly stepped up to the plate and smashed an RBI double down the first base line into right field.

Giambi, who has poor career numbers (2/13) against Ted Lilly has been in a bit of a funk since the All Star break so was benched against the tough lefty to give him a bit of a rest, but when he was out of the game Giambi came in to face another lefty, but this one without a blistering fastball and good curve and that was the all important difference.

Of course the big story of the night was A-Rod moved into the DH spot following his recent fielding troubles, not that it helped him at the plate with the reigning AL MVP picking up The Golden Sombrero going 0/4 with 4K's but I won't say anything more than report the facts, as someone said to me yesterday, 'he's trying his best, I cheer A-Rod not boo him like some fairweather fan' so following that I now resolve to cheer him wildly at every opportunity and never criticise the Yankees 3B, well for today at least, well for the rest of this blog anyway.

Personally I find it difficult when I am informed that I'm both a fairweather fan and that I infact hate A-Rod because I am not happy with his fielding. I have never booed a player of the team I root for in my life, and I never intend to, but if I feel that they aren't living up to the standard I expect, and what they expects of themselves then I think I have the right to pass on my thoughts and comments, if I don't then there is little room for journalism in the world.

The media as a whole get bitched at, I'm not talking about bloggers like me, I'm talking about your NY Posts, NY Times, ESPN's of this world for focusing on Alex Rodriguez's struggles, however it is a legitimate story, if it wasn't then editors wouldn't run with it as no-one would read/watch. I remember talking to the editor of my local newspaper in Portsmouth, England a couple of years ago and he told me that if they had a story about the local football club on the back page then they would sell 30% more copies that day. Just goes to show that sports stories to sell newspapers and the most talented player on the planet struggling is certainly fair game.

However, I sense that I'm probably wrong and as a fan you have to cheer whatever they do and show no frustration, if that is the case then there is little point watching or supporting a team as you'll never experience any lows, and its the lows that make the highs worthwhile.