Since Alex Rodriguez has been out, all I ever hear from the New York Yankees is how much they need for Alex Rodriguez to come back. How they'll be so much better when he comes back.

The Yankees' total payroll is $201,449,189 and they can't win. What, is he carrying your steroid stash? Can't you make it work without him?

Sure, A-Rod is the Yankees best player. I get that. But if the Yankees are paying the rest of them as much as they are, shouldn't they be able to manage? This isn't basketball or football, where the best player draws double-teams or something like that. At the end of the day, you're standing up there alone, swinging a bat. It's not like A-Rod helps swing or provides moral support or anything. And weren't a lot of these guys "the best player" somewhere else before they played with Rodriguez?

Derek Jeter makes $21,600,000 and was the Yankees best player in the days before A-Rod. What, he can't swing a bat without A-Rod giving the opposing team signals in the dugout? Mark Texiera makes $20,625,000 and was the best player for Texas, the Braves, and one of the best for the Angels last season. Are the Yankee pinstripes sewn in with the kryptonite that is your weakness?

I don't understand. What are they paying Jeter or Texiera or Johnny Damon for if they still desperately need Rodriguez?

I understand that games are pitched differently if certain players are in the lineup. But the players on the Yankees roster are supposed to be some of the best players in the world. They are paid by the Yankees to be some of the best players in the world. If I'm George Steinbrenner or his loudmouth kid, I don't want to hear about how my players need Alex Rodriguez. What were you doing before Rodriguez got there?

If Alex Rodriguez goes down, then I expect someone to move up in the batting order and replace him. That's the sort of thing that's suppose to come free with a $201,000,000 payroll, because to some of these guys, it shouldn't matter where you hit. If they're that dependent on him, why not get rid of these guys and start some cheap losers? After all, the heavenly glow of A-Rod's soul will make everything right when he gets back.

Not only that, by most accounts, the rest of the team doesn't even like Rodriguez, and based on those pictures that came out, he does come off as kind of creepy. Shouldn't you want a guy like that to stay gone as long as possible? What if he starts kissing mirrors or touching himself in the clubhouse?

You needed pitching; you got pitching. You've got more offense than most teams would know what to do with. I'm not saying that you're not better with your best player; I'm saying that he should just be the icing on an already great cake.

Stop whining, Yankees. Play the game.