Why do I Find Myself Rooting For Him?

Alex Rodriguez has taken a lot of heat since he came to New York, much of it deserved, some of it not. He came to the Yankees as the best and highest-paid player in the game, and until Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, there was not a whole lot to complain about.

Then the Red Sox won 4 in a row. Then they won the World Series. The Yankees have not come close since, and Alex Rodriguez's image has taken many hits along the way.

Even though he has earned two MVPs (2005 & 2007) while with the Yankees, the constant pressure on him to perform in the clutch and attention to his personal life have obviously affected him.

After that 2004 postseason, Rodriguez hit .159 with 1 RBI and 2 extra base hits in three consecutive playoff losses, culminating in the Yankees missing the postseason for the first time in 13 years in 2008.

In his defense, Rodriguez has an argument to back up his performance during the regular season. He has averaged a .300 batting average with 40 home runs and 119 RBI as a Yankee so there is little to complain about there. Additionally, postseason performance is placed under a different microscope, and depending on who you talk to, unrealistic expectations are placed on the highest paid player in the game. Before 2005 Rodriguez was a career .330 playoff hitter in 103 at bats.

Then it all came crashing down.

Sandwiched between playoff disappointments and missing the playoffs altogether in 2008, Rodriguez was photographed with a former Playboy model heading out of a Toronto strip club a month before his wife filed for divorce. This created an all new set of problems for Rodriguez, forever changing the image he worked so hard to maintain.

The photos and divorce led to more stories of Rodriguez's infidelities while married, further damaging this image. Then came 2009, and an admission to steroid use, and a tainted career for the man many believed would bring legitimacy to the all time home run record.

The man who spent so much time developing an image as the face of baseball now was public enemy number one, this generation's Barry Bonds. Only two things were different:

He actually admitted to using, and he cares about his image.

No matter how or why he admitted, he did actually admit to 'some' using. Personally, I would not be surprised if he used outside of the 2001 - 2003 range that he admitted to, but that is another story. His admission put him in the club with Giambi, Pettite, and others who admitted some form of use. While they may not have shared the whole story, the fact that they said they used lifted a weight off of their shoulders. A-Rod is proving it with every swing of the bat.

People don't really care about it anymore. They have moved on. And I can't help but be transfixed every time he is at bat in this postseason. He is confident, he is loose, and he is undoubtedly the best player on the field.

Call me crazy, but I find myself rooting for the guy. Is he a diva? Yes. Self-Centered? You bet. Phony? Sure, but since when do you have to be Ghandi to earn a rooting interest? Rodriguez's past two years have actually made him look human, and added drama to a vanilla image that led Dustin Pedroia to refer to him as a 'Dork' last year.

His failings have made him interesting, and his reaction to it has been pure entertainment. If Hollywood was to make a movie about A-Rod how fun would it have been before he got to New York? Brief synopsis:

High School kid...better than everybody...first pick in draft...big leagues before 20...All Star...MVP...Married with kids...going to break all major records in baseball history.

Amazing, but where's the drama? You go to the theater to see the drama, the struggle, the human condition on display. That is what Rodriguez has inadvertently done by exposing himself to all of this criticism, and by becoming human in my eyes, I have reason to root for him. I also want him to do well because he is so talented, and what is more fun then watching a the best player in baseball perform at his highest level? As much as everyone spewed vitriol at Barry Bonds, you made sure to watch when he hit. It is the human reaction to watching such an impressive feat of athleticism and strength, no matter who the person is. At its core baseball is entertainment, and who better to entertain us than the best player in baseball?

Rodriguez has redefined his image unknowingly by not being afraid to be hated, and moving on with his life. He is not a saint by any means, but the gorillas that get thrown off of his back with each playoff home run not only endear him to the fickle New York media, but the fans and most importantly, his teammates. He may not be the favored son in that dugout, but the whole culture of the Yankees is changing before our eyes, as A-Rod is the proverbial straw that stirs the proverbial drink. It is funny how a confession to steroid use and getting exposed personally can change a man for the better, and I am having a great time watching it.