A-Rod's first half

After the fourth inning of today's game:

.319 Avg.
30 HRs
86 RBIs
and 1.084 OPS

Will he opt-out of his contract at the end of the year? I have no idea. Reggie Jackson thinks his awareness of baseball history and the power of the franchise will bring him back.

Rodriguez, should he not opt out after this season, can be tied to that history. He can be one of the final names called on Old-Timers Day, make a run at Monument Park and earn that distinction as a "great Yankee," feeling the love he so badly has wanted to feel in The Bronx. Should that sway him, especially with the money out there? When I quoted $30 million a year, Reggie Jackson scoffed and said, "I think you are on the short side." He quoted $30 million-$40 million annually.

"He's got enough money," Darryl Strawberry said. "That is not the answer. He needs to honestly answer, 'What do I want my legacy to be?' He's done Seattle. He's done Texas. Now, what, he can do L.A.? Do you want your legacy to be one of those places or do you want to be part of New York forever? He has a chance to make a mark in a Yankee uniform. He has to think what this franchise means."

Jackson said Rodriguez does know that, insisting, "There is no bigger student of the game than [Rodriguez]. He knows the history better than anyone."

I dunno. Sometimes money talks and history walks. But I think even the loudest "A-Fraud" voices out there would find it hard to see him leave after watching him show he's the best player in baseball this year.