A-ROD SHIELDED FROM FLAK

Even David Letterman is unwittingly providing Alex Rodriguez with cover.

With the tabloids focused on another New York City megamillionaire’s lecherous love affairs, there was hardly any time this week to notice that the suddenly boring A-Rod was heading into the playoffs. Throw in the fact that ESPN employees apparently felt contractually obligated to turn Monday night’s Brett Bowl into the most overtalked regular season game in sports history and, well, A-Rod should consider himself a very lucky man.

This marked the first time Rodriguez didn’t enter a Yankees playoff series as one of the biggest stories in sports. And he responded in Game 1 against the Twins. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and snapped an 0-for-29 streak with runners on in the postseason.

Forget the biggest story in the city, A-Rod is no longer even the most ridiculously overanalyzed guy on his own team — say hello Joba Chamberlain!

It’s all coming together for A-Rod. Of course, it also helps that he plays with the most talented Yankees team of his Bronx tenure. It’s also immensely beneficial that he gets the stat-building bonus of facing the Twins.

It cannot hurt that everyone’s stealing headlines from Rodriguez, too.

A-Rod as World Series MVP? Sure, why not? And when he receives the trophy, all anyone will want to talk about is Derek Jeter.  

– Chris Baldwin covers the sports media.

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