On the A-mazing A-Rod success story this year, and why he reminds me of a Smiths lyric

A-Rod

I'm going to be on my friend Mike Lindsley's radio show this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. today. Mike is a Syracuse sports radio host, and his show "In the Cell With Mike L." is on Syracuse's radio 1260 AM (you can also listen live online by clicking here.)

Anyhow, I will be squawking in my (not so dulcet) tones about the state of the Yankees, And if I am asked what the biggest story out of Yankeeland this year, obviously, since I joke that I have a PhD in Arodology, I am going to say that the transformation of Alex Rodriguez from pariah to fan favorite is the biggest one.

Even though I did predict that he would have a good season, and said that there would be "a real 'sticking it to the man' edge to rooting for Rodriguez this year," I am still impressed and surprised by 1) How well he is hitting -- he could end up with over 35 homers and over 90 RBI for the year, and 2) How beloved a figure he has become. It used to be me and some other diehard

Morrissey, lead singer
of the Smiths

A-Rod supporters (and Bald Vinny) at the beginning of this spring rooting for him. Now he is the Yankees' biggest star!

Yesterday, Alex hit a three-run homer to win the game, and he also is now the AL leader in career RBIs. He has also received more All-Star game votes than any other Yankee besides Jacoby Ellsbury. And he is clearly the fan favorite when it comes to Yankee Stadium cheers.

Alex told the media yesterday that the layoff from baseball helped his body heal. But I really also think it helped his mind heal, too. In a way, there is something liberating about hitting rock bottom, the way Rodriguez did. He has no more secrets, nothing to be afraid of. We all know the worst of him.

This Smiths lyric (the Smiths are my second-favorite band of all time, by the way!) from "How Soon Is Now" reminds me an awful lot of what A-Rod's mindset has been in the past:

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
just like everybody else does

Now he is getting the love he always wanted. And now he is only 19 hits away from 3000. It will be delicious to see the Yankees squirm over yet another A-Rod milestone!