Former Mets outfielder Ron Swoboda, who helped the Mets win their first world championship in 1969, leveled some sharp criticism at Alex Rodriguez.
Kevin Kernan of the NY Post recently interviewed the beloved Met.
Swoboda’s love for baseball remains pure. But the steroid scandal and the escapades of Alex Rodriguez disgust him.
“He is a tremendous athlete, but for what he gets paid, his game breaks down in a bunch of different ways too often when it really matters,” Swoboda said. “Like Joe Torre said, he puts a lot of pressure on himself and he’s so aware of every move he makes sometimes you can just see him cracking because the play’s too easy. The guy can’t catch a popup, can’t make a simple throw, can’t get a big hit when it really matters.
“If you had eight A-Rods out there I doubt you would be a winning team. He isn’t about winning. He may think he is, but he isn’t about winning. He’s about building those numbers and some day being called the greatest player that ever played. That’s fine and dandy, but in my humble opinion, he is way overpaid for what he contributes to winning.”
“I’m not a quarter of the player that he is, but in every way his presence is at times bigger than the game and nobody is bigger than the game.
“The game is so self purifying. It has a way of overcoming everything from lunatic owners to cheaters whose egos have hit the stratosphere.”
