Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner just had to say it, didn’t he? Shortly after the trade that brings Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees from the Rangers was announced Monday, Steinbrenner declared in Tampa, “This is a big, big one. It ranks with when we signed Reggie.”
Oh, boy. That’s just what A-Rod didn’t need to hear.
On the one hand, it was a compliment. The Yankees won the World Series in Reggie Jackson’s first two seasons in pinstripes after he signed as a free agent in 1977. On the other hand, it was a reminder of what chaos can occur when a superstar is brought into a clubhouse that already has a perennial All-Star player and acknowledged team leader. Jackson’s success with the Yankees on the field was offset by clubhouse and dugout turmoil that characterized an era of Yankees history known as the “Bronx Zoo.”
It was the incumbent Yankees star, catcher Thurman Munson, who was coming off a Most Valuable Player season in the spring of 1977, as opposed to the current situation in which last year’s American League MVP is being added to the Yankees’ mix. Munson chafed at Jackson’s quotes in a 1978 magazine article that Jackson was the “straw that stirred the drink.” The two co-existed merely as teammates afterward.
More than a quarter of a century later, A-Rod is in a similar situation. The Yankees’ current captain, Derek Jeter, has been a charismatic figure on the New York sports scene for almost a decade. Already, Jeter has been given the upper hand, in that Rodriguez must switch from shortstop to third base–an accommodation A-Rod was willing to accept in order to escape Texas.
This is similar to another Yankees saga, also involving Jackson, when Dave Winfield was signed as a free agent after the 1980 season. Winfield was the superior right-fielder of the two but agreed to play left field in 1981, their only season together. The chemistry that had been expected of this pairing never developed, and the Yankees let Jackson depart to free agency and the Angels, a decision Steinbrenner later would say was one of his worst.
Going back even further in Yankees lore, there were the M&M Boys in the 1960s, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. They were able to co-exist and even develop a friendship despite some press coverage that pitted them against each other when challenging Babe Ruth’s home run record, as depicted in Billy Crystal’s HBO movie, “61*.”
“Roger was a terrific, young player when he came to us from Kansas City in a trade, but he didn’t become a star until that first season as a Yankee in 1960,” Whitey Ford said. “They hit it off right away. There was really no rivalry in their minds. They pushed each other, which is what teammates are supposed to do.”
One major difference in the Rodriguez-Jeter teaming is that there is already history between them. They were once close friends, but their relationship cooled several years ago when Rodriguez made unflattering remarks about Jeter in a magazine article. That fence appears to have been mended somewhat. Jeter attended Rodriguez’s wedding last year, and they appeared together in a promotional spot for Major League Baseball.
“I think A-Rod is hip enough to understand that the Yankees clubhouse is Jeter’s right now, and he won’t rock the boat,” one AL executive said. “But that clubhouse has been changing in recent years, and we know A-Rod loves being the center of attention.”
The truth is that Jeter, center-fielder Bernie Williams, relief pitcher Mariano Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada are the remaining players from the core group that won four of five World Series from 1996-2000. Jeter’s hold on the clubhouse may not be as strong as it was just two years ago, when another former MVP, Jason Giambi, arrived. But Giambi deferred.
Will A-Rod?
