If you’re not paying any attention to the sports news these days, then you’re probably totally in the dark about Alex Rodriguez. Through his first 15 games, A-Rod has hit 12 home runs, which ties him for being the fastest to a dozen dingers with Mike Schmidt, who also did it in 15 back in 1976. Rodriguez is on pace to hit 130 homeruns in 2007. I’ve gone ahead and added an A-Rod’s Pace section to my site here. Check the right side of this page, right underneath my picture. The formula is easy: Take the number of home runs, divided by the number of games, and then multiply by a full season schedule. Currently that is: 12/15 = 0.8 * 162 = 129.6 (rounded up to 130). There are a few reasons why his pace is significan:

1. I’m a huge Yankee fan, and i’ve never relinquished the faith in Alex. People everywhere, including the media have basically called for A-Rod’s head, and have recommended that he’ll need to be traded away from New York to have any impact on any team. His current tear should show the world he’s the best out there, and is finally going to show us all what he’s made of.
2. How sweet would it be for Alex to break Barry’s single-season homerun record (which he took from Mark McGwire). Barry Bonds is an asshole, and I’ve long suspected him of being a steroid-using cheater. Based on what I saw from McGwire during the Senate hearings, he might have cheated to. A-Rod is a hard-working ballplayer who’s never played outside of the rules. For Alex to take the single season record this year, would reinstall the value of the record. I’m pulling for him, and I hope you are too.
3. His excellent play so far this season confirms for me that A-Rod has changed his attitude about baseball, the beat writers and the fans. I believe his 252 million dollar, 10 year contract - still the wealthiest in sports history - made him believe he has to live up to the expectations of everyone around him. He felt like he needed to earn his money by meeting their standards. I think this off season, what A-Rod realized was that he needed to stop worrying about what everyone else thought of him and just play ball. He’s more relaxed. He feels confident, and he’s swining better than I’ve ever seen him swing. His attitude adjustment is evident in the post-game interviews I’ve seen. He says he’s not trying to drive the ball. He’s just trying to hit it hard, and put it in play. This isn’t the normal attitude of a home run hitter.

I’ll keep tally of his work at the plate, and you can check here for the up-to-the-game pace A-Rod is hitting.