Lucky 13

We all have dreams of one day accomplishing that one great feat whatever it may be. That one desire or challenge that beckons to us. We desire to be a certain type of person by a certain time. The reality is that in order for that to come to fruition it starts now, one day at a time. One day we don't just wake up and become who we wanted - it starts with small daily steps.

For Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez his desire is to throw the 9 million member Monkey of NYC off his back. To overcome the demon of having gaudy regular season averages deteriorate into postseason failures. The greatest baseball player on the planet who has endured many sleepless nights desires to have the that great city which never sleeps embrace him for the excellence that he is. To turn the boos into curtain calls, to become clutch, to become the best hitter to ever wear the pinstripes.

A-rod took one of those small steps tonight:

Yankees trail one run to the Orioles...

Bottom of the ninth...

Bases loaded...

Two outs...

Two strikes...

And when A-rod would usually choke - even though every person alive knows such choking is not telling of his gross talent - leaving him always falling short of Jeter...

A-rod smoked a high fastball over the centerfield wall for a walk-off Grand Slam.

And the man who he is so often compared to, the man whose friendship with has deteriorated over the years, the man who plays the position A-rod naturally plays and is not as talented as A-rod yet A-rod in his team mindedness took a backseat to - this man Derek Jeter pushed him out onto the field for a curtain call that had to be one of the sweetest of his career...even if it is only April.

Small steps remember?

On the A-rod case...You either love him or hate him - in my case its the former - but you have to respect him. The man who signed the largest contract in MLB history is worth every penny. Contracts in general are all so ridiculously inflated - to get down on A-rod for the ridiculousness of his is unfair. The man is not slowly but methodically swinging his way to the all time HR record. Sure, we all hate for the walking chem-lab Barry Bonds to break Hank's record but the truth is if we can just stay patient and if he can stay healthy A-rod will realistically make the Bonds conversation irrelevant. Bonds will hit 755 this year in his 22nd season. A-rod is currently sitting on 467 averaging 36 HR a year (including his rookie year where he hit zero). At the same pace he will hit 755 in his 20th or 21st season and thats if he only hits 36 a year...in the last 9 seasons he as only hit less than 41 twice. This is the man who has hit 57 in a season and who should he relax again is capable of having more monster years.

The man has a perfect swing, is not just average in the field but is a perennial gold-glover, gave up his position as league's best shortstop to come play 3B for the Yankees who haven't made things easy on him, carries himself well, is clean-cut, never is in trouble off the field and would be the best player on any team in the MLB with the exception of perhaps St. Louis with Pujols.

What's not to like?

Keep swinging yourself into the record books A-rod.