Kevin Baker's book is here!

Kevin Baker's book is here!
"... an exemplary sports book..." Kirkus Reviews

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Was last night the final scene of the future A-Rod movie?

It's the stuff of Hollywood: Boy meets sport, boy gets sport, boy loses sport, boy gets sport again. Last night, it unfolded in 3-D, high-rez YES-Mo... right where Mr. Spielberg would want it: Yankee Stadium, June night, full house, Jason Verlander (and, of course, his girlfriend Kate Upton)...

Here's the scene. A-Rod steps in. The crowd, with a million reasons to boo, stands to cheer. The hate-filled owner, up in his sensory-deprivation luxury box, wakes up to shout encouragement. In the stands, Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore - villains from a Redsock movie - join in. Now comes the pitch. Ka-boom! "It's an A-Bomb from A-Rod," the famous Yankee announcer, Vin Scully, cries. "Alexander the Great conquers again!" Cue the credits! Play the Oscar-nominated Celine Dion song: "Love Theme from A-Rod: I Know I'll Hit Again."

Did the closing scene of that future A-Rod movie happen last night?

Does it end with the crowd standing, Hal having a transgender operation, and the evil sportswriter, "Madden" - (played by Sir Ian Lugosi; remember, the year is 2049) - being fired and forced to live out his career writing Tweets for Donald Trump? We'll watch A-Rod - played by Duane Johnson-Gaga - cry, as he's interviewed by Suzyn (Rosie O'Donnell-Cyrus Jr.) Three thousand hits! They said he couldn't do it! He proved everyone wrong!

Or is there yet another act?

Did the A-Rod show end last night, or will there be an autumn finale, the kind that eluded Mariano and the Captain?

Today, foks are comparing Derek Jeter's 3,000th with last night, and it's like the difference between American Pharoah and Francis the Talking Mule. (For example, consider the difference between the fans who caught the balls.) But Jeter surely would have traded that commemorative HR ball for a final October stage. And no matter how he's hitting now, A-Rod's time is running out. Next month, he turns 40. This is his last, best shot to play a meaningful role on a meaningful team.

This is the stuff of Hollywood. That we know. Question: Is it the stuff of Yankee legend?

1 comment:

KD said...

Script ends with a title for the Yanks, a series MVP for the hero, and a comeuppance for Tacopena, a true scumbag. And let us not forget the billionaire owners who were shocked, SHOCKED, by players' PED use while raking in piles of cash generated by their spectacular offense.

on a personal level, I could hardly believe my luck to actually witness the drama and history at the Stadium yesterday evening. I never thought I'd see DiDi hit a home run!