NOW OR NEVER?

Fresh off one of most spectacular seasons in baseball history, Rodriguez turns attention to playoff demons

Fresh off one of most spectacular seasons in baseball history, Rodriguez turns attention to playoff demons

NEW YORK — The Yankees' community is taking a deep breath this week, the kind that practically bursts the lungs. Therapists recommend it as a way of coping with anxiety or worry, or even nagging doubt, which is precisely how the Yankees feel about Alex Rodriguez as they embark on the most crucial postseason of the Joe Torre era.

Coming off one of the greatest regular-season hitting performances of the last 50 years, will A-Rod finally defeat his October demons? To a man, the Yankees say yes or as Jason Giambi so succinctly put it, "Just watch, Alex is going to be unreal."

Giambi didn't have to finish the thought: As Rodriguez goes, so do the Yankees. If he destroys the Indians' starters in the division series, the Yankees could be looking at a clear, unfettered path to the league championship series and beyond.

But we've been here before, haven't we, dissecting A-Rod's psyche, trying to understand what makes October so much more challenging for him. Rodriguez is 0-for-his-last-15 in the postseason with runners in scoring position.

You could practically see the machinery of self-doubt at work. Those exact, exaggerated deep breaths, the way Rodriguez gripped the bat too tightly, how flat and mechanical his swing would become. Not only were the American League's best pitchers dominating him, even the mediocre ones were winning at-bats.

How was this possible? How could A-Rod have looked so bad when the pressure was on? Since Game 4 of the 2004 division series against the Twins, Rodriguez has been invisible hitting a mere .095 (4-for-42) with no RBI. In that span, the Yankees were 3-10.

But Rodriguez insists 2007 has brought a new perspective. He's happier, less self-conscious, less self-absorbed. A-Rod has won Derek Jeter's approval, if not his friendship, by finally directing his energy outward. Finally, A-Rod has stopped worrying about how he sounds, how he looks, how he's being perceived by those around him, especially the media.

In the man's-man culture that pervades the Yankee clubhouse, A-Rod is part of the inner circle no small achievement, considering it took him four years to get there. He's even forged a healthy relationship with Torre, a year after the manager batted Rodriguez in the No. 8 spot in the doomed Game 4 division series loss to the Tigers.

"Talk about full circle," Rodriguez said. "I had a barbecue at my house this year (on Labor Day), and four hours later (Torre) is still there and I had to push him out of the house. I really was touched by that. That kind of just tells you how we've" come in the relationship.

Players sense Rodriguez's ease this year, particularly on the field, where he's headed to his third AL Most Valuable Player award. In fact, if you ask the Yankees if they're worried about A-Rod's past failures, they point to his 2007 success as the sign that his demons have all been exorcised.

"I just hope he takes the same approach as he did all year," said Andy Pettitte. "He's been unbelievable in pressure situations all year long."

A-Rod led the major leagues in home runs and RBIs. He started slow (.235 in April) but finished strong (.362 in September). He was a force with runners in scoring position (.333) and when the game was on the line (.357 in situations considered close and late).

What more could the Yankees have asked for?

Better question: What juicier scenario could Rodriguez have imagined as he approached his opt-out clause?

It's seems like a perfect marriage between this 22nd-century hitter and baseball's wealthiest franchise. Still, it's hard to imagine any Scott Boras client not maximizing his economic leverage, even as happy as Rodriguez seems to be in pinstripes.

No one, not even Rodriguez himself, professes to know where the slugger will play in 2008. Torre said Tuesday, "This is the most comfortable I've seen Alex — he's had more fun this year — but I honestly don't know the answer to that question."

In the best-case scenario, Rodriguez devours opposing pitchers all month, the Yankees cruise to their first championship since 2000 and both sides come to terms in November.

One major league executive says, "I can definitely see (Rodriguez) staying with the Yankees. I could even see him not opting out. But you know Boras is going to make the Yankees pay for that. He knows they've got money and they're desperate to keep him. It's a dangerous combination."

But a different equation awaits if Rodriguez melts down as he did against the Tigers in the '06 division series, when he was 1-for-14 with no RBI. If he and the Yankees flounder against the Indians, A-Rod's legacy in pinstripes could be irreparably damaged; he'll be known as the regular-season myth who was unable to deliver the Yankees to the promised land.

But friends say it would take an apocalyptic failure for Rodriguez to walk away from the Yankees. "If he leaves, it'll be because of money, not because he couldn't hack it. He'll never admit to that," said the friend.

Indeed, Rodriguez wants to be remembered by baseball's historians as a modern-day Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. He wants a monument in center field, just like the ones honoring the Yankee legends. Rodriguez knows he'll never get that respect by finishing his career with the Angels or Giants or the Red Sox.

That's why this next 30 days will mean everything to Rodriguez. Together, he and the Yankees are looking to take ownership of October and beyond.

Breathe deep. One way or another, it'll be a memorable ride.