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Friday, July 15, 2011

The A-Rod LeBron Parallel (and why they're more alike then you think)

A month ago LeBron James wilted during the Finals, the Dallas Mavericks vanquished his Miami Heat and, for one breathtaking moment, all was right in the sports world.  LeBron got his comeuppance and America's team, a ragtag collection of NBA stars and misfits both young and old, eliminated the hated Heat.  A few days later, a sympathetic Alex Rodriguez urged critics to lay off the tormented superstar, maybe because he sees a lot of himself when he looks at the self-proclaimed King.  Now, little more than a year after "The Decision," I started thinking and came to the realization that Lebron is at virtually the same point Rodriguez was seven years ago, another instance when everything was right in the sports world.  I'm referring to October, 2004, of course, when Red Sox Nation, led by a long-haired collection of baseball stars and idiots, vanquished the Evil Empire once and for all. 

Upon further investigation, it became clear the two supremely-skilled-yet-incredibly-polarizing superstars shared incredibly remarkable career arcs, so let's hop in the DeLorean and gun it to 88, shall we?  I'll drive.

High School Success and #1 Draft Pick
A-Rod starred as a shortstop at Westminster Christian High School in Miami, hitting .419 with 90 steals in 100 games as a junior.  The phenom topped himself the following year as a first team prep All-American, tearing up the competition with a .505 average, nine home runs and 36 RBI in 33 games.  Regarded as the top baseball prospect in the nation, he was also a perfect 35 for 35 in steals and was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in the stacked 1993 draft (included Derrek Lee, Billy Wagner, Torii Hunter, Chris Carpenter and Jason Varitek).

LeBron crafted a distinguished high school career at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, where he led his team to back to back state titles as a freshman and sophomore.  He continued to improve during his junior year, gaining more attention and exposure before capping his senior year with a third state championship while averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 boards, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game.  His hometown Cavaliers selected him with the first pick in the loaded 2003 draft (Carmelo Anthony, Chris Kaman, David West and future teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh).

Fun fact: they were both named Gatorade National Player of the Year
Not so fun fact: both had rough childhoods with absent fathers

Immediate Superstardom and Popularity
A-Rod rode the fast track to The Show and made the majors as an 18 year-old.  He broke out in his third season, stuffing the stat sheet with a league leading 141 runs, 54 doubles, .358 average and 379 total bases to finish a close second in the AL MVP voting.  Became an immediate sensation in Seattle and was regarded as the game's top shortstop as well as one of its finest all-around players, especially after becoming just the third player ever to blast 40 homers and steal 40 bases when he had 42 and 46, respectively, in 1998.  Despite making the playoffs three times with talented teammates such as Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson, Rodriguez found a World Series ring to be elusive despite triple slashing .353/.389/.588 in his 13 postseason starts.

LeBron wasted no time establishing himself in The Association at the tender age of 18 by winning the 2003-2004 Rookie of the Year on the strength of 20.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 dimes per game.  The following year he made the All-Star team and became a household name in his third season thanks a second place finish in the MVP race.  Began earning comparisons to Michael Jordan because of his combination of otherworldly talent and marketability, then won back to back NBA MVPs in 2009 and 2010.  Despite making the playoffs five consecutive seasons with talented teammates such as Mo Williams, Shaquille O'Neal and Antawn Jamison, King James found a championship ring to be elusive despite single-handedly willing Cleveland into the 2006 NBA Finals and never averaging fewer than 25.1/7.8/5.8 in a postseason.

Bad Decisions
After averaging 122 runs, 77 extra base hits, 115 RBI, a .956 OPS and 25 steals throughout his five full seasons (seven overall) in small-market Seattle where he was woefully underpaid, A-Rod became a free agent.  The Mariners couldn't afford their 25 year-old superstar, who promptly teased teams such as the New York Mets before signing a gargantuan 10 year, $252 million dollar contract with the Texas Rangers on December 16th, 2000.  "The Contract" eroded his impeccable reputation and polished image during his stint in Dallas (sixth largest TV market), where he became the poster-boy of the game's absurd greed, skyrocketing salaries, and growing disconnect between fans and the players they root for.  No longer appreciated for his talent and wildly unpopular, especially back in Seattle (where fans showered him in Monopoly money), Rodriguez was expected to perform at the highest level in order to earn his paycheck.  No one felt sorry for him when the Rangers, enslaved to his contract and unable to afford quality pitching, wallowed in last place.  He started taking performance enhancing drugs and constantly sulked, eventually pouting his way to the Yankees courtesy of Aaron Boone's shredded knee ligament.  Years later, Texas owner Tom Hicks would characterize Rodriguez's quarter billion dollar contract as a mistake.

After averaging 28 points and 7 rebounds/assists per game throughout his seven seasons in small-market Cleveland where he was woefully underpaid, LeBron quit on his team in the playoffs and became a free agent.  Cleveland couldn't afford the supporting talent their 25 year-old superstar required, who promptly teased teams such as the New York Knicks before informing America through "The Decision" on July 8th, 2010, that he would join fellow superstars Dwyane Wade (proven winner in Miami, home of the 16th largest TV market) and Chris Bosh to form a Big Three.  "The Decision" was a PR disaster and instantly shattered his popularity and likeable image.  Overninght, he went from franchise savior to symbol of the game's changing landscape, a terrain of fraternization where stars align instead of collide. 

Stumbling on the Biggest Stage
A-Rod joined a veritable All-Star team in the Bronx, the richest squad in baseball that employed the services of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera (proven winners in New York) Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Javier Vazquez and Mike Mussina for a whopping $185 million bucks.  Under the microscope in New York's fishbowl, his statistics took a small hit and he struggled with runners in scoring position.  He was expected to deliver another championship to New York but the Yanks (an outstanding regular season team that had its flaws--mediocre rotation, thin bullpen, reliance on offense and advanced age--exposed during the playoffs) infamously blew a 3-0 lead over Boston in the ALCS.  Rodriguez disappeared, going 2-17 during those four consecutive losses and having his masculinity questioned when he slapped the ball out of Arroyo's glove.

Intensely scrutinized, no longer appreciated for his talent and wildly unpopular, especially back in Cleveland (where fans doused his jerseys in flaming gasoline), James was expected to lead his team to a championship.  His statistics took a small hit and he struggled during late game crunch time.  The world rejoiced when the Heat (a great regular season team that had its flaws--no point guard, no center, no bench, and streaky shooting--exposed during the playoffs) crumbled like a stale cookie in the Finals.  He made promises he couldn't deliver (eight championships?  Who do you think you are; Bill Russell?), went MIA during fourth quarters and shot his mouth off through Twitter and postgame press conferences.  Even worse, critics questioned his mental toughness and absence of a Kobe Bryant killer instinct.

What's Next?
A-Rod used his playoff meltdown as motivation and came back with a vengeance in 2005, winning his second MVP award in three years on the strength of a monster season (league leading 124 runs, 48 taters, .610 slugging percentage and 1.031 OPS).  His postseason and off the field issues (strippers, divorce, Madonna) would continue, however, and he was unfairly branded as a choker (despite previous demonstration os postseason dominance) before you could say "oh-for-four."  He hit rock bottom in February, 2009 when his PED use was exposed by Sports Illustrated and he became even more despised.  Only after the lowest of lows would Rodriguez bask in the glory of a World Series title when he earned his ring after becoming a one man wrecking crew that fall at the age of 34, a redemption comparable to Andy Dusfrene's.  A-Rod flourished off the field as well by keeping his mouth shut, avoiding controversey, and repairing his icy relationship with Derek Jeter.

James is likely to return strong when the lockout ends because he was humbled on the league's biggest stage (he hasn't been sitting around watching Sportscenter all summer).  Hopefully he's matured a bit and won't take his talent for granted, especially if his latest failure lights a fire under him and supplies extra motivation to improve his game.  The 2011 Finals may have been his rock bottom, or it might just be the first in a line of disappointments in Miami.  Like A-Rod in 2004, Bron-Bron seems guaranteed to win multiple championships, but he's also been unfairly saddled with the choker label (despite previous demonstration of postseason dominance).  Only time will tell if he can eventually win a title without crawling through 500 yards of unimaginable foulness to get there. 

Because if he waits until he's 34, he'll need a cane and walker by the time he wins that eighth ring.

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