So I missed the game tonight. Apparently there were some fireworks.
We all know how great Alex Rodriguez is and could be and will be. We all know how rich that has and will make him.
My question tonight is one I've been thinking about, though it treads closely on the 'True Yankee' nonsense that talk radio loves so much:
Judging just his four years in pinstripes how great has Arod been?
Do you think of him as a great Yankee, a la Mantle, or does your vision focus on his other uniforms?
Rickey Henderson arguably had his best season with the Yankees (1985), but I always think of him as an A.
On the other hand, Reggie is in the Hall as a Yankee, despite driving a dynasty in Oakland.
In my mind there are four tiers of Yankee-hood:
Hendersonish: This is the player who had a decent run with the Yankees, but who belongs with another team. Henderson, Strawberry, Boggs, and Clemens all fit the bill for me.
Jacksonian: A player whose career out of pinstripes is overshadowed, but not eclipsed by his career in pinstripes. the Davids Cone and Wells are prime examples.
Ruthian: The category for players whose Yankee careers eclipse their non-Yankee time. This could just as easily be the Paul O'Neill catagory.
Mantle-esque: A born and bred Yankee. If you have to be reminded that the guy played for another team (see: Yogi, the Mets), he belongs in the Mantle-esque category.