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Lucky 13?

	AP

You wouldn't know it by the heat he's been taking in the Big Apple but Alex Rodriguez is having an incredible season. At least at the plate, that is. As Bronx Banter points out, A-Rod's batting line of .324 (avg), .421 (OBP) and .659 (slg.) puts him on pace for the following totals: 148 runs, 200 hits, 59 homers and 169 RBIs. Thanks largely to A-Rod's bat -- and certainly not his glove -- the Yankees have overcome an 11-19 start to surpass the dormant Red Sox and move back within hailing distance of the first-place Orioles. But now comes yet another test for the man unaffectionately known as "A-Fraud" around these parts: "The Big Spot."

A three-game series with the Red Sox begins today, and if Rodriguez has another meltdown on the hot corner or fails to deliver at the plate in a "big spot," all of those home runs against the Angels and Tigers will be forgotten in a New York minute. That's too bad. (I have to admit to having a bias for A-Rod: It's hard for me not to like a guy who picks out No. 13 in honor of Dan The Man.)

The problem with ripping A-Rod -- fans and local media can't stop piling on the guy -- is that the criticism is based on the false notion that a player should be able to pick and choose when he succeeds. Not even Ted Williams could do that. Playing baseball in the major leagues just isn't that easy, even if Rodriguez's brilliance often makes it seem that way. Short of winning multiple rings -- and judging by the current state of this franchise, that's not gonna happen -- A-Rod might be destined for a Mike Schmidt-like existence here for years to come.

-- Jacob Luft (2:30 p.m.)

A-Rod is the MVP in the AL so far. Period. Of course, this could all change tonight. Seriously, I've never seen the NY media manufacture a story like this "do it in a big spot" theme. People loved to pick on him before he got here, and people LOVE to pick on the Yankees (believe me, as a fan, I know). Put the two together and this is what you get. No wonder the guy's in therapy.
-- Tim, Brooklyn, N.Y. (3:06 p.m.)

A-Rod is the best player in baseball. Last year he had an off-year and still outperformed just about everyone. Get off his back about his contract as anyone else would have tried to the same, particularly when Texas promised to build around him (and then opted to NOT have a pitching staff).
-- Raul, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (3:11 p.m.)

A-Rod is one of, if not the best, all-around players in the game. He can certainly be cast in the five-tool player mold, as so few in the bigs can these days. That is barring his recent defensive lapses. That being said he is one of the highest-paid players in the league, playing in its biggest market. He is bound to received excessive, sometimes unwarranted criticism. At least it keeps people from trampling each other in old New York talking about how absolutely amazing Derek Jeter is and what a "clutch" player he is. Give A-Rod a chance. He will go down in history as one of the greats.
-- Jason, Cleveland (3:21 p.m.)

It may not be A-Rod's intensity or focus that fail him in those "big spot" moments. Might it be that his production is largely against mediocre pitching? Much like the Yankees teams who, for years, beat up on the bad teams, maybe A-Rod just beats up on bad pitching and is an average hitter against premier pitching.
-- Mike, Rapid City, S.D. (3:36 p.m.)

I couldn't disagree with this column more. While I know players can't choose when to succeed, the great ones just step up when they have to. While Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez or even Bernie Williams might not put up the type of gaudy numbers that A-Rod puts up, I'd rather have any of them up in the Bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded. A-Rod has proven time after time that he can't come through when the game is on the line. And that is what keeps him from being a great player in my mind.
-- Brian Deckelnick, Bayville, N.J. (4:01 p.m.)

Yep, that was me you heard at the Stadium sitting five rows from the field down the third base line calling out "A-Fraud". Why? It all started a few years back when he decided to take out his frustrations about losing by calling out Derek Jeter for no reason. In New York the worst thing you can do is stab a friend in the back. A-Rod will never live that down in my book. Big games against Anaheim, Seattle, Detroit and Tampa in April and May only pad his stats. For every homer and RBI he's gotten he's made a big error or looked at a strike three with men on and two outs. Call me when he does it in October.
-- Tommy, Brooklyn (4:21 p.m.)

Everyone picks on A-Rod because they are jealous. He is not only the best player in baseball, but he is extremely good looking, a good father and an upstanding citizen. To top it all off, he's filthy rich. All this nonsense about him "going for the money" is completely ludicrous. Who among us would not take a new job that doubled or tripled our current salary?
-- Virginia, Portland, Ore. (4:31 p.m.)

In response to Tommy, I've got to say the following: I don't love the guy myself, but without Rodriguez's "big games against Anaheim, Seattle, Detroit and Tampa in April and May," there would not even be the hope of October for the Yankees this year.
-- Carla, Brooklyn, N.Y. (5:21 p.m.)

As a Red Sox fan, I hope Yankees fans continue to dog their best player, A-Rod, and worship at the Church of Derek Jeter (who has been stone cold in May and will always have a lousy first step on defense). As much as I like Manny Ramirez, I still wish we had pulled off the trade for A-Rod, who is simply the best player in baseball when he's at shortstop.
-- Hyoun Park, Boston (5:26 p.m.)

Oh, c'mon. A-Rod's not even the best third baseman in the AL, let alone in Major League Baseball. If it wasn't for all the guys around me stealing my homers and RBI situations, I would be putting up better numbers than him. Besides, when you take salary into account, his RBIs cost his team much much more.
-- Hank B., Arlington, Texas (5:46 p.m.)

As an A-Rod fan since his Mariners days, I have to ask why nobody calls Jeter selfish for not volunteering to move to another position. Jeter's defensive shortcomings have been pointed out many times, including on this website, and A-Rod was unquestionably one of the better defensive shortstops before donning the pinstripes.
-- Jake Zboya, Vancouver, B.C. (5:56 p.m.)

Derek Jeter has been on the team the past four years and they haven't won a thing. Is it his fault? Of course not. But he wasn't the only reason they won all those titles either. It was a team accomplishment. Until Yankees fans can accept that A-Rod is a part of the team and as such hold him accountable for his part on that team, then maybe expectations can be more reasonable. We should expect plenty from him, but it seems like we won't be happy until he walks on water after hitting a five-run homer.
-- Tom, New York (6:21 p.m.)