A-Rod Highest Paid Scrub in History

I'm not playing?

Joe Girardi has taken things one step further for today's ALDS Game 5 by benching Alex Rodriguez. If he were able to, Girardi might bench all but a couple of players for the decisive contest.

Rodriguez was fine with Girardi's choice to pinch Raul Ibanez for him in Game 3, but didn't feel the same way when Girardi again called on Ibanez to hit for his third baseman in extra innings. You can imagine how A-Rod must be feeling  now as he prepares to watch Eric Chavez start at third base and Ibanez at DH.

The Yankees, as a whole, are in a bad slump, but it's Rodriguez that has had a pair of goat ears firmly planted on him. Robinson Cano, who hit over .600 for the last week of the season is just 2-18 in the division series.  Curtis Granderson is 1-16 with 9 K's (apparently he has been inhabited by the ghost of the 2002-2003 Alfonso Soriano). Nick Swisher is 2-15 and has looked like a clown on a couple of plays in the outfield.  Ichiro Suzuki, in his first playoff series in 11 years, is 4-20.  Russell Martin has just three hits in 14 at-bats, but he did hit the go ahead home run in Game 1.

The only regulars worth their salt have been Derek Jeter (8-19) and Mark Teixeira (5-15), the latter of which came into this post-season with a poor track record as a Yankee.

The Yankees .216 team batting average is actually nearly 20 points higher than Baltimore's .197 mark. So while the Yankees pitchers have done their job, the Yankees offense has fallen well short of helping the effort.

The question that remains, besides who will win Game 5, is will Yankees blame A-Rod if the team loses, even he's riding the pines?