In the Yankees’ final game of the season, Alex Rodriguez did what he could to pad his statistics.  From MLB.com:

Rodriguez’s two homers and seven RBIs confirmed that 2009 would be his 13th season of compiling 30 homers and 100 RBIs, giving him a new Major League record and breaking a tie for 12 seasons with Manny Ramirez and Jimmie Foxx.

Rodriguez has also reached the 30/100 mark in 12 consecutive seasons, tying Foxx’s Major League record, set from 1929-40. Yet Rodriguez said he wasn’t even trying to hit the grand slam that made it all possible.

It’s become just about impossible to defend A-Rod anymore, as he’s become a parody of himself.  And I’m not even talking about his ridiculous Details photos.  Every season, A-Rod puts up gaudy numbers, but he’s lambasted in the media as a selfish jerk who only cares about personal achievments and fails when the playoffs roll around.  He’ll be compared unfavorably to Jeter, and the New York media machine will chew him up and spit him out once again.  It’s at the point where the guy can’t win – even if he does well, people will rave about Jeter’s leadership, and if he fails miserably, people will totally neglect something like Jeter going 3-17 in a playoff series and instead focus on meaningless concepts like team chemistry.  Point being, I’m rooting for A-Rod even though I know it’s pointless; he’ll never be recognized as the great player he is.  Also, it’s getting chilly out and I can’t wait to see how purple his lips look this postseason.