All I Want For Christmas is A-Rod to leave the Yankees

I make no apologies for being a Yankees' fan. Nor do I make apologies for dislike of Alex Rodriguez, former Texas Ranger and current Yankee third baseman. I realize he's headed for the Hall of Fame and I know he's won the MVP, been an all-star and won a batting title, blah, blah. That's great when you can be the MVP on a last place team in Texas and hit most of your home runs and get RBIs long after your team falls out of contention. But where has this guy gone that he's really lifted the team and the players around him? Seattle? Maybe. That was before he got his record $252 million contract and became arrogant, aloof, and annoying. Certainly he didn't lift the Texas Rangers though. He hurt them, despite his MVP numbers. And certainly he hasn't lifted the Yankees. He has hurt them. Has he put up good, All-Star numbers with the Yankees? Yes. But he's also caused problems in the locker room and he's faded when his team really needed him to perform. Though it's not something that can be quantified in a tangible manner, I think the New York Yankees will continue underperforming as long as Alex Rodriguez is a member of that team. He's a symbol of everything that is wrong with baseball, and he's certainly not the organization above myself kind of guy that New York is so famous for in its history.....Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Berra, Hunter, Ford, Jackson, Mattingly, Clemens, Martinez, Posada, Brosius, Cone, and of course, Jeter. Those guys are talented just like A-Rod, but they had toughness. The had the intangibles. One intangible is producing when it really counts. Let's look at A-Rod compared to teammate Derek Jeter (definitely a winner) in playoff games over the past two seasons: 2006 Division Series (Player) (AB) (Batting Average) (RBIs) (HRs) (On Base%) Rodriguez 14, .071, 0, 0, .133 Jeter 16, .500, 1, 1, .529 2005 Postseason (Player) (AB) (Batting Average) (RBIs) (HRs) (On Base%) Rodriguez 15, .133, 0, 0, n/a Jeter 21, .333, 5, 2, n/a Make no mistake about it, statistics can be manipulative and A-Rod had a good 2004 postseason and when the Mariners made the postseason in the 1990s he was good. But here's the highest paid player in major league baseball and also the owner of the richest contract ever, a quarter of a billion dollars, and he can't help you win games when it really matters. On top of that, he is widely known as a polarizing figure in the locker room and has been quoted several times touting his own work ethic as greater than that of his teammates. So, please Santa, for Christmas give Alex Rodriguez to another team.

In Memory of Ed Bradley, 1941-2006

Last Thursday, November 9th, 2006, the world lost one of its great contributors in Ed Bradley. You might think it a bold statement for one to declare a journalist one of the great contributors to the world, but I do not. Ed Bradley was more than a journalist though. He was a storyteller, a humanitarian, a pop culture figure, and a role model. Above all, he carried himself with grace, dignity, and made those of us who watched him on television feel as if though he was our friend. He was disarming, but utterly engaging. As I watched the 60 Minutes tribute to Ed's life Sunday, I realized that I had seen him report on a lot of stories, though my viewing barely scratched the surface of his reporting career. I can remember the reporting in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the interview with Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Bob Dylan in his first television interview in years, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Springsteen, Timothy McVeigh, Bono, bum hunting videos, the Duke lacrosse rape scandal, corrupt cops in New York City, the Fall of Saigon, domestic eco-terrorism, and that is just the beginning. I remember Ali shaking. I remember the passion Derek Jeter had for winning. I remember the eco-terrorists burning down entire developments. I remember the twisted calm of Tim McVeigh. I remember the founder of the bum hunting video company shrugging off the criticism and justifying his exploitation of the homeless. And I'll never forget Bob Dylan, who was cooler even than Ed Bradley. Some of my favorite personalities ever and some of the most fascinating new stories, Mr. Bradley covered. Here's a man who has generously supported the Jazz from Lincoln Center arts program, who Wynton Marsalis barely has words to describe how important he is, a man who calls the Neville brothers, Jimmy Buffett, and Hunter Thompson friends, and who left a legacy not only for journalists, but for anyone interested in the people and events of our world. In a world where journalists often insert themselves into the story for dramatic effect(see Geraldo, Anderson Cooper, etc.), Ed Bradley never had to do anything but facilitate. He was larger than his stories because he guided them and never became a part of them. He was only the facilitator. I still say Mike Wallace is my favorite interviewer, but Ed Bradley is my favorite journalist. I'll miss Ed Bradley. God bless him.