Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008)

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:32 am

gawd somebody wake me up! this is a nightmare!
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:52 am

it

sucks to c Pudge under "old players" Crying or Very sad

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:54 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:32 pm

So long Pudge, we hardly knew ya.....

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:25 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:28 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:13 am

Thursday, August 7, 2008
Game of the day: Yankees 5, Rangers 3
Pudge hurt in needed road win

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:26 am

_________________
bow

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:02 pm

09/01/2008 2:40 PM ET
Detroit fans embrace Pudge in return
Hearty ovation thanks catcher for nearly five years with Tigers
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- For most of the New York Yankees, Monday's makeup game against the Tigers was an unwelcome side trip on the way to St. Petersburg for a key series against the Rays that starts on Tuesday. For Ivan Rodriguez, it was one day back at his old home.

As much as Rodriguez tried to treat it as another game, there's still part of him that can't separate himself from Detroit -- certainly the real estate market, which in this case provided the benefits of a good night's sleep.

"I still have the house," Rodriguez said. "I stayed there last night."

Judging by the ovation Rodriguez received upon his introduction, he still has some fans, too. When Rodriguez stepped to the plate to lead off the second inning against Justin Verlander, the pitcher whose no-hitter the veteran backstop caught last year, the crowd at Comerica Park gave Pudge a lengthy standing ovation. It was enough to prompt the catcher to tip his batting helmet in appreciation.

When all-day rains postponed this game, originally scheduled for Mother's Day, there was no hint of how much of a back story the makeup game would have. That changed on July 30, when the Tigers traded Rodriguez to New York for reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

Much like he did for most of July, when the pending free agent faced questions about his future, Rodriguez said he was not surprised.

"That's baseball," Rodriguez shrugged. "You have to prepare for things like that are going to happen somewhere. I was waiting for that, because Brandon [Inge] still had three years of contract and they tried to find a place for him to play. That's the way it is. Baseball is like that."

With that trade, however, it was instantly going to be a day of mixed emotions for Pudge, no matter how much he tried to downplay it. He had been in the visitors' dugout at Comerica Park before, back when he was a member of the Texas Rangers, but this time was different.

The fact that it was one game, not an entire series, arguably made it easier for Rodriguez. Since he was traded in the middle of a road trip, it was one chance for him to say good-bye to his home fans, no matter how much he tried to focus on the game.

"When you play for 4 1/2 years with them, it's always something like that in there," Rodriguez said. "But again, it's a game that we have to go out and win. Now I'm a New York Yankee, and I'm going to compete against the Tigers."

How much the competition will mean in the American League playoff chase is debatable. The deal was essentially a chance both teams took at trying to address their needs -- the Yankees seeking a starting catcher to fill in for injured veteran Jorge Posada, and the Tigers desperately needing relief help.

Rodriguez entered Monday hitting .203 (12-for-59) in 20 games -- 16 starts -- since putting on pinstripes. The Yankees, meanwhile, entered Monday seven games back in the American League Wild Card race.

Farnsworth entered Monday having given up 17 hits over 11 1/3 innings, with a 4.76 ERA in 11 outings as a Tiger, though he had pitched four scoreless innings and recorded four strikeouts in his past four outings.

"I always grew up winning," Rodriguez said. "I play the game hard. I play the game to win. And of course, [the losing] bothers me a little bit, because I know we're good. We're capable of doing good. But that's baseball. What we have to do is keep playing hard and see what happens."

What will happen beyond this year is anyone's guess. Rodriguez isn't thinking that far ahead.

"Not yet," Rodriguez said. "I'm just looking for today's game. Play hard, finish this month strong, win games for the team. After that, I don't know yet."

The one thing Rodriguez knows is that he believes he is still an everyday catcher.

"Absolutely," he said. "I know myself, and I know my shape. I'm healthy, I'm good, I'm feeling great. And of course I can play every day."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:55 pm

I cried when he came up to bat. That was so cool. And he does not look good in a yankee uniform!
_________________
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. ~ George F. Will

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:37 pm

I know people will disagree with me, but I think it's really cool that Tiger fans gave him a nice ovation. I was happy to read this today thumbs up

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:47 pm

I'm glad they welcomed him like that, but they DID NOT HAVE TO BEAT US! Suspect

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:51 pm

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:02 pm

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:32 am

Its nice that the fans cheered him on, he's still a Tiger in my eyes, always will be. And yeah, he coulda said its nice to be back by losing.
_________________
"We only work three hours a day, so the least we can do is give 100 percent."

Todd Jones

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:48 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:08 am

Pudge's leaving: One for the money

Pudge Rodriguez got a big, warm, lengthy cheer in his first game back in Detroit on Monday. This was not a surprise. Tigers fans always will think of Rodriguez as the All-Star who came to Detroit when nobody else would and helped revive the franchise.

That is definitely a huge part of Pudge's story. It is not the whole story.

Pudge Rodriguez was happy to leave Detroit. This wasn't about the city or the fans or even the team. Pudge wanted to leave Detroit for the same reason he came: He likes to play for as much money as he can possibly make.

This does not make Rodriguez different from a lot of players. But while a lot of folks talk about what Pudge Rodriguez did for the Tigers, remember this: Pudge always was looking at what the Tigers could do for him.

He had been reduced to an every-other-day catcher with the Tigers, the baseball equivalent of alternate side of the street parking, and he wanted his own spot every day. This went beyond a desire to play. Rodriguez's contract is up after this season. He (and his agent, Scott Boras) know that every-other-day catchers do not get lucrative multiyear contract extensions.

Pudge wanted a chance to show prospective suitors he is an everyday player. He thought the Yankees would provide that.

Rodriguez won't say this, of course. But he could have blocked the trade to the Yankees. A few days before he was traded, the normally media-shy Pudge told Free Press reporter Jon Paul Morosi that he was "ready for anything," including a trade. That was a signal that he was more than willing to go.

And when he was asked Monday if it was time to move on, he said this:

"I don't know ... I'm a person, I'm a player, that I was ready for everything. That's baseball. You have to prepare for things like that. I was ready for that. Brandon (Inge) still had three years on his contract, and they were trying to find a place for him to play."

Just before he was traded at the end of July, Rodriguez acknowledged that free agency was on his mind. This is a player who always -- always -- is thinking about his next big contract. That is how he became a Tiger in the first place.

In the winter after the 2003 season, the Tigers were desperately searching for a cornerstone. They were wandering in the desert, and Pudge was the only guy anywhere willing to sell them water. He could practically name his price.

Rodriguez was new to the Boras stable then, and Boras had promised him a $10-million-a-year contract. Only one team was willing to pay that much, but Boras -- being a good agent -- found that team. Rodriguez did not sign with the Tigers to make baseball important again in Detroit. He came for the money.

Again, there is nothing wrong with that. But it explains his arrival and his exit.

Once he signed, Rodriguez played hard every day and had one of the best years, for a catcher, in Tigers history. His leadership skills always have been overplayed; he was never a vocal leader. But he set an example on the field, especially in his first season.

In his second year, Rodriguez's production dropped, and he irked manager Alan Trammell by spending a four-game suspension in Colombia, then showing up late for his first game back. (He said his flight was delayed.)

From Pudge's third year on, the Tigers were usually in contention. His skills declined, the way skills usually decline for catchers in their mid-30s.

And that's where the Pudge conundrum became apparent: He wanted to play every game, but he did not always want to make every single play. He won a Gold Glove in 2007 more because of his name than his defense. He had gained a reputation within the organization for failing to call for breaking balls with runners on base, because he didn't want to block pitches in the dirt. He also had a tendency to get frustrated at the plate, and that carried over to his defense.

The Tigers' trade of Rodriguez for Kyle Farnsworth has not worked out. But they were right about Pudge. Just ask the Yankees. Veteran pitchers Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina prefer throwing to backup Jose Molina. Since the trade, Rodriguez has caught 17 games for the Yankees; Molina has caught 13.

I asked Rodriguez on Monday if he still sees himself as an everyday player.

"Absolutely, absolutely," he said. "I know myself. I know my shape. I'm healthy. I'm feeling great. Of course I can play every day."

That is the story Boras will sell to general managers this off-season, and Rodriguez believes every word.

Tigers fans always will think fondly of Pudge, as they should. But I get the feeling he has already moved on. He spent Sunday night at his house in the Detroit suburbs, and he planned to spend Monday there, too. He said he has a lot of work to do on his house before he can put it up for sale.

Rodriguez is about to find out that the market is not what it once was. He might have a problem selling his house, too.
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bow

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:46 am

good article. I think half of the fans' ardor in giving him the O was that they missed him as a Tiger...but then, they probably miss Tiger Stadium too. Magglio will be gone one day as well.
We grieve the loss of the familiar.
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:52 am

I don't want to see maggs leave Crying or Very sad

_________________
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. ~ George F. Will

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:50 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:02 am

That's why I only wear jerseys with HOF Players like Kaline, Yzerman or Barry Sanders etc, etc

I am not gonna spend 175 bucks on an authentic Maggs jersey and he gets traded next season

That goes for any Tigers player

Even Miggy could be traded in a couple years;

You never know

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:04 am

I'll still love maggs after he leaves the tigers Big Smile

so it doesn't matter!
_________________
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. ~ George F. Will

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 10:41 am

I wear the names of our guys
Gala
Magglio
because they WILL be HOF someday! Probably Miggy too--
_________________
There are three things in my life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. ~Al Gallagher, 1971

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 11:05 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 11:13 am

AND MATT!!! HAHA

_________________
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. ~ George F. Will

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:45 pm

Miggy fa show!
_________________
"We only work three hours a day, so the least we can do is give 100 percent."

Todd Jones

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:37 am

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Wed Sep 03, 2008 2:45 am

Miggy is awesome thumbs up

_________________
"We only work three hours a day, so the least we can do is give 100 percent."

Todd Jones

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:49 pm

Subject: Re: Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez (2004-2008) Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:57 pm