from the NY Daily News (February 8, 2009)

Eating $270M worth it for the Yankess to finally ditch A-Rod by Bill Madden

This is for real. This was actually the title of the article.

Cashman: Hey Bill, Brian Cashman here. Look, keep this under your hat, but we need to ditch A-Rod. We just can’t figure out how…any ideas?

Madden: Got it! How about eating the remaining nine years and $270M on his contract?

Cashman: Dude, that’s totally worth it.

As difficult as it is to imagine eating $270 million, the Bombers will be making a statement, not just for the Yankee brand but for baseball as a whole.

They will be applauded for it.

The Yankees operate under two basic tenets: The relentless pursuit of championships and the fierce protection of their brand. If they are going to remain true to both, then they have no choice but to sever ties with Rodriguez.

Yankee Tenet #1: the relentless pursuit of championships. In order to remain true to this tenet, they must sever ties with Rodriguez. The guy who leads the team in HRs since 2004 (208)? The guy who’s won two MVP awards since joining the team? The guy who’s OPS+’d 153 since becoming a Yankee? Yeah? Getting rid of him (and paying him a quarter of a billion dollars to play for someone else) will help their relentless pursuit of championships?

Yankee Tenet #2: fierce protection of their brand. Simply not true…I see guys selling homophobic “Brokeback Jeter” and “A-Rod Swallows” t-shirts on Boylston Street after every Red Sox game. I guess I can’t say for sure, but I highly doubt these are Yankee-sanctioned products. This makes me question how fiercely the brand is being protected.

He is right about other teams applauding if the Yankees cut A-Rod though…they’ll be applauding how much easier it will be to beat the Yankees, and how they could sign A-Rod for a “cheap” salary since the Yankees would still be on the hook for $270M.

Now, everything about the pursuit of championships and the Yankee brand is a mockery if A-Rod is the centerpiece of this team.

The World Series doesn’t count if the Yankees win next year. Could you imagine how disgusted the Yankee fans will be if their favorite team wins the World Series at any point during the next nine years?

As painful as swallowing that $270 million might be, there will be consolation for the Yankees when no other team elects to besmirch their brand by taking in A-Rod – even for nothing.

I need a drink.