Sidekicks

What Robin is to Batman. What Marvin Harrison is to Peyton Manning. A John Stockton to a Karl Malone. This is what defines a sidekick in sports; a talented individual that makes a more talented individual better. These relationships are crucial for things like winning championships and catching diabolical villains. Do you think Malone could have beat Michael Jordan for 2 MVPs without the play-making and passing of Stockton? Could Manning have earned the 7th spot all-time in passing yards without having Harrison to constantly connect to? Would Batman have defeated Joker and Penguin without the help of Robin? This concept does apply to baseball. Hitters in the 3, 4, or 5 spot in the lineup usually do better when they have a better hitter behind them. The pitcher doesn’t want to face the tough hitter behind them with a man on, so they end up throwing a lot of hittable strikes to avoid a walk. Mark Teixeira and David Ortiz are perfect examples of this theory. Teixeira started this year hitting .198 with 5 home runs and 15 RBI’s in the first few months without Alex Rodriguez in the lineup. Due to the fact that pitchers fear A-Rod so much, you would think that Teixeira would get more pitches because they don’t want him to get on. After A-Rod returned on May 8, that’s just what happened. And it resulted in far improved numbers for Tex. Mark is hitting over .300 with 6 homers and 16 RBIs since A-Rod’s return less than 2 weeks ago. Having Rodriguez hitting behind him has boosted the play of Teixeira, and for once in his life, A-Rod seems to be the sidekicks giving the helping hand instead of vice-versa. Ortiz has been one of the most feared hitters in the game for the Red Sox, bashing homer after homer with plenty of runs batted in. Big Papi has hit 209 home runs from 2003 to 2007 with Manny batting behind him. Manny, a probable Hall of Famer, had been a great sidekick to Ortiz, and obviously helped him get better pitches with the fear he instilled into pitchers. After Manny left the Red Sox for the Dodgers in 2008, Ortiz has struggled mightily. Just three years after hitting 54 homers in 558 at-bats, Big Papi has just one homer in 138 at-bats this year. Going back to last season, Ortiz went 149 at-bats without a homer. He ended this unexpected streak with a homer May 20, and received a curtain call from the Red Sox faithful in Fenway. This just goes to show how much Manny meant to Big Papi, what A-Rod meant to Tex, what Robin meant to Batman, and what sidekicks mean to heroes, whether they get recognized or not.

A-Rod has brought the city of New York plenty of drama with his attitude, his poor playoff performances, and his use of performance-enhancing drugs. He has continued to bring us lots of drama after returning from a hip injury. But this time, New Yorkers are cheering instead of booing. It was easy for Yankees fans to get excited about his return when he hit a home run in his first at-bat off of the DL against Baltimore. Then, a day after receiving a warm welcome in his first game in the new Yankee Stadium, A-Rod hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the Twins. This was the second straight walk-off win for the Bronx Bombers; a night after Melky Cabrera hit a game-winning single to beat the Twins in the first game of the series. Despite facing good starting pitching and a great effort from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, the Yankees managed to record a third straight walk-off victory. Johnny Damon hit a game-winning bomb in the bottom of the 10th to give the Yankees their 5th straight win. A-Rod hit another key homer that ignited the 7th inning Yankee rally that tied the game at 2. All these dramatic finishes have overshadowed phenomenal starts by CC Sabathia, Joba Chamberlain, and A.J. Burnett. Burnett has added another flair to these thrilling finishes with his trademark pie-in the face. He nailed both A-Rod and Damon with pies during interviews after their game-winning homers. This just goes to show that the Yanks are not only winning, but also enjoying the game. They are playing as a team and expressing great team chemistry. Maybe A-Rod can overcome all of the adversity surrounding him and return to greatness to help the Yankees reach the playoffs. But the bigger question is, how can Damon get back at Burnett? Perhaps Johnny could dump Gatorade over A. J. if he throws a no-hitter. The way the Yankees are playing, you don’t know what could happen next.