Don Larsen's Cousin & A-rod's Grand Slam

Don Larsen had a cousin, Phillip Hoose, and while everyone knows about Larsen's perfect WS game, the dismal season he was having prior to this is usually forgotten. But Phillip Hoose remembered his cousin's slump well, because it caused him a great deal of ridicule and problems at school. I guess little Phillip was sort of a dork at school, and the fact that he was obsessed with the Yankees didn't bode well for him. So when Larsen pitched his famous game, it helped out his cuz BIG TIME in terms of status at school. Everyone wanted to be friends with him, he was popular, self-confident, the works. And of course, what meant more to Hoose than all these celebrity perks, was the fact that he was so immensely proud that his cousin did something amazing.

Now scale that story down about 300 times, and that's how I feel about A-rod right now. I'm partly thrilled that my staunch defense of him hasn't been for naught, and partly thrilled that he's coming out in full force. Yeah, he's gotten htis and RBIs here and there so far, but this game is impossible to ignore. And no, it's not a big game, it wasn't a clutch situation, but A-rod's earning his paycheck. And along with that paycheck, earning the right to position himself among the game's best.

It's just one game. But every Yankee fan knows that every player needs that ONE GAME where a player earns his stripes. A-rod's got his. If there was ever any doubt that he belongs on that long-balling club, it's already evaporated into april air.

And it's only the 6th inning.