Randall Dang and Others Say Goodbye to Alex Rodriguez

This Friday, Alex Rodriguez will play his final game for the New York Yankees. As a huge New York Yankees fan, Randall Dang, an accountant from Vancouver, will certainly miss him. Although Randall Dang lives on the other side of the cost, he does make it a point to attend as many games as he can during the summertime when he can make it to the Bronx. Obviously, Alex Rodrigues was a major part of his fandom for the New Yankees over the past decade.

 

Alex Rodriguez was certainly a polarizing figure for the New York Yankees. If there is such a thing as making too much money, Alex Rodriguez may have been hampered  by his $275 million contract that he signed in 2007 with the Yankees, which was at the time more than any other contract in baseball. Was it possible to live up to those numbers? We have seen players since then deal with similar issues – from Albert Pujols to Ryan Howard. Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to make $21 million this year and next year.

 

Obviously, there was the issue of the PED use as well. In 2013, Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, which for some fans and sportswriters, completely negated his accomplishments and statistics. Some have still not forgiven him for the incident, and some believe that his career was completely tarnished by his admitted use.

 

But, as a baseball fan, is it possible to consider these blemishes, but still praise a baseball player with some of the best natural talent in the game? As a Vancouver resident, Randall Dang wasn’t too far from Alex Rodriguez when he became an upstart for the Mariners. You could tell back then that he had some serious talent. He would move on to the Rangers and finally the Yankees where he became an international superstar.

 

He helped the Yankees reclaim their title as World Champions, beating a defending champion Phillies team that was looking to repeat. In the end, he posted Top 10 Ever level stats. In total, he has 3,114 hits and 696 home runs, which is fourth on the list for most homers. But he was also named by Sporting News as the third most hated baseball player in recent baseball history.

 

So as Randall Dang and other Yankees fans say goodbye to one of the more polarizing players in history, one thing is known for certain: there will never be another A-Rod.