IS THE A-ROD ERA ACTUALLY OVER

IS THE A-ROD ERA ACTUALLY OVER

On Friday night, August 12th the New York Yankees said goodbye to Alex Rodriguez as a member of their team. It was a bit of an odd farewell for the longtime star who spent twelve of his twenty-two year career as a Yankee.

In what was a tumultuous week, A-Rod was advised that he was being released from the team with another full year remaining on his contract. He was also benched by Manager Joe Girardi for a couple of games saying that other players could do more to help the team win.

Rodriguez also requested that he be able to play in the field at least one more time as a member of the Yankees Initially, Girardi declined that request but ended up changing course when the 46,459 fans chanted his name in the ninth inning of Friday’s game.

But with Friday being officially his last game, there was Rodriguez batting third in the lineup and lacing a run-scoring double to right center in the first inning. It would be his last hit as a Yankee.

Then came the ninth where he trotted out to third base to the cheers of the crowd. He only lasted for one batter and was then replaced. For most of the past two seasons he has served as only a designated hitter. He would say after the game that getting a chance to play the field was maybe the most memorable part of the night.

After the game, Rodriguez returned to third base to collect some dirt from the area. A keepsake to have that would remind him of the place he called “home”.

But is this really the last we will see A-Rod play in a major league game? There was nothing in the farewell that mentioned retirement, only that he was being released by the Yankees.

There have been times in the past where we thought we had seen the last of him. After missing the entire 2014 season due to his suspension for performance enhancing drugs, many thought that was the end.

But he came back and played the better part of the last two seasons. Now 41, Rodriguez still feels deep down that he could help another major league team. Maybe not at the level he used to, but he thinks there are still anywhere from 15 to 20 home runs over the course of a year to an interested team.

Also, don’t forget that he is just four home runs shy of the 700 career home run mark. Only three other players in history (Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth) have hit 700 hundred or more over their career.

Even though he has made some mistakes over the years, A-Rod is truly an all-time great. Frankly, I would prefer that he call it a career rather than hanging around for a few more seasons looking like a shadow of the star we knew.

That’s a decision that only he can make.