MONEY PLAYER

Barry Bonds captivates the nation, Ichiro Suzuki captivates two nations, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken bid farewell. Alex Rodriguez, this year’s favorite poster boy for mercenary athletes, plays out a season for the ages in virtual obscurity.

It’s almost unfathomable. As the season dawned, Rodriguez smoothly fielded question after question generated by his record-setting contract--$252 million over 10 years. After delivering a superstar summer under a quarter-billion dollars worth of pressure, the shortstop generates scant attention.

The contract is old news. So are his Texas Rangers, buried in May beneath the avalanche that is the Seattle Mariners. It’s football season in Texas, but not without a nod to the man they call A-Rod.

“In Dallas, people are no longer talking about Alex as the highest-paid player in sports. At least around here, he’s tagged as the best player in baseball,” Ranger President Jim Lites said.

“His performance has been outstanding. He’s done everything but mow the grass.”

On the field, the Rangers were rewarded. Never in major league history had a shortstop hit 50 home runs. Never in franchise history had any player hit 50. Rodriguez has 51 home runs and 134 runs batted in.

Off the field, the Rangers were not rewarded with soaring attendance, or with a revenue increase anywhere near the annual expense of paying Rodriguez.

“It certainly didn’t raise our revenues by $25 million,” Lites said, “but we’re certainly better off with Alex than we would be without him.

“Can I quantify it to the dime? No. Am I glad I’m marketing Alex Rodriguez this winter even though I’ve got a team that’s in last place? It’ll be easier with him than it would be without him.”

The Rangers finished last without him last season and appear doomed to finish last with him this season, although Rodriguez surpassed even the lofty expectations that accompany lofty paychecks.

He is the only player in the American League to start every game this season. He leads the league in home runs and runs scored and ranks among the top 10 in runs batted in, batting average (.322) , on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He isn’t above taking one for the team--or, in this case, taking 15 for the team, a club record for times hit by a pitch.

“If I had to pick one guy in the big leagues who was worth that kind of money, there wouldn’t even be a question,” Texas second baseman Michael Young said. “Given his combination of youth and experience and success, if there’s one person deserving of that kind of contract, it’s Alex.”

Rodriguez, 26, joins outfielders Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Ralph Kiner and first baseman Jimmie Foxx--Hall of Famers --in hitting 50 home runs at so young an age.

“At times, I forget how young I am, because I’ve been playing for so long,” Rodriguez said.

He made his major league debut at 18, his All-Star game debut at 20. He is six months younger than Angel rookie David Eckstein, three years younger than the freshest Dodger face, Paul Lo Duca.

“The sad thing for the rest of the league is, he’s only going to get better,” Young said.

“You see a shortstop with the greatest numbers of all time,” Texas Manager Jerry Narron said. “In our clubhouse, I see a guy who’s a better person than he is a player.”

In July, Rodriguez deferred to the man who redefined shortstop as an offensive position, moving to third baseso Ripken could start his final All-Star game at short. Rodriguez stocked up on souvenirs for his teammates and the Rangers’ staff, returning from the All-Star game with a sack of goodies and distributing T-shirts, sweatshirts and caps as if he were Santa.

He watches endless amounts of video, sharing tips freely. He works with the Rangers’ rookie infielders. He often joins the catcher and starting pitcher in pregame meetings. He is the public face of the team and its leader inside the clubhouse, roles a surprising number of superstars hesitate to embrace but roles Rodriguez believes accompany his contract.

“Absolutely,” he said. “There’s a lot of responsibility. I welcome that responsibility.”

For all he can do, he cannot pitch. And so Rodriguez couldn’t save Johnny Oates, who resigned as manager under the pressure of an 11-17 start amid $266 million in free-agent spending.

In addition to Rodriguez, the Rangers imported veteran hitters in Ken Caminiti, Andres Galarraga and Randy Velarde--all gone now--but failed to acquire a starting pitcher. The Rangers posted the worst earned-run average in the major leagues last season and will do so again this season.

The Rangers sold Rodriguez as the ticket to a pennant race, not the foundation of a rebuilding program, not with sluggers Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez also on hand. While Lites said “our expectations were quite high,” Alex Rodriguez said the Rangers could have competed only “if everybody got out to a sizzling start offensively,” which did not happen.

In Seattle, with Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner surrounding Rodriguez in the lineup, the Mariners prospered but never advanced to the World Series.

“I was in a place where we tried to outslug people for five or six years,” Rodriguez said. “With that background, I knew that, out of the 10 years [of his contract], this was going to be my toughest. I knew that going in. I still thought we underachieved. I thought .500 was more realistic.

“I think next year is going to be a lot better. We can win next year if we can keep developing our young pitchers and obtain two or three good pitchers.”

Said Scott Boras, the agent for Rodriguez: “They knew they were going to have to do phase one, getting the marquee there. Phases two and three are getting the players to go with it, getting the pitching, and that’s what they’re going to do.”

Not necessarily, at least not in free agency. The Rangers are willing to spend on offensive players, and maybe on relief pitchers, but Lites suggests veteran starters will not hit the jackpot in Arlington.

“I’m not enamored with older free-agent pitchers in general, unless they’re Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson,” he said. “High-priced older pitchers have not done well. You can look across the city [at the Dodgers’ Kevin Brown, on the disabled list three times this season].

“You can add a long reliever here and there, but going out there and giving $15 million a year on a five-year deal is crazy. That’s a bad use of revenues, in my opinion.”

No team with the highest-paid player in the majors has advanced to the playoffs since Gary Carter and the New York Mets won the World Series in 1986, according to Dallas Morning News research.

“Everyone says that model doesn’t work,” Boras said. “But you can’t gauge the model until you have what else A-Rod brings to a team, other than his individual performance. He brings a marquee that attracts players. He brings a marquee that allows an identity for that team.”

When the Rangers signed Rodriguez, and after the gasps dissipated --how many hundreds of millions?--Texas owner Tom Hicks insisted the acquisition reflected sound business principles, not simply the whim of a rich guy eager to win. While Lites declined to evaluate the financial merit of a 10-year deal after the first year, sports business consultant David Carter said the Rodriguez deal has yet to pay off for the Rangers.

“Not yet. Not even close,” Carter said. “And it isn’t because of anything he hasn’t done. He has lived up to his end of the bargain, if you will.”

The Rangers barely sold more season tickets--about 19,000 this season and 18,500 last season, Lites said. They barely sold more tickets--2,831,111 this season and 2,800,137 last season. In fact, because the Rangers played one more home game this season, their average attendance declined slightly.

So there’s no huge jump in ticket revenue. And, without a spike in attendance, there’s no huge jump in revenues from parking, merchandise and food and drinks.

The Rangers anticipated making millions from the development of 270 acres Hicks owns surrounding their stadium, and millions more from selling naming rights to The Ballpark in Arlington. But development has yet to begin, naming rights have yet to be sold, and the uncertain economic climate could dampen potential profits in both areas, as well as in corporate sponsorships and renewals for luxury seating.

“He had the marketing bump after signing the A-Rod deal. Now the bump has been lost, and the marketing climate has softened,” Carter said.

On naming rights alone, the Rangers might receive $2 to $3 million per year, said Envision President Jeff Knapple, who negotiated the $116-million naming rights agreement for Staples Center. So, over the duration of Rodriguez’s 10-year contract, revenue from naming rights might pay off one year of that contract.

The Rangers, flush with new television deals more lucrative than those of any team except the two New York teams, the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs, are not crying poverty.

And Rodriguez ought to be enormously useful this winter. After winning three division championships in four years, the Rangers could limp into last place, again. This season, they sank 20 games out of first place by May 30. But, hey, fans, how ‘bout A-Rod?

“My goal is that, after 10 years, it will have been a great business decision for Mr. Hicks,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a couple championships along the way.”

Hopefully? Isn’t it all but necessary?

“I think so,” he said, softly. “I think so.”

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Awesome A-Rod

A look at how Alex Rodriguez’s numbers this season with the Texas Rangers compare to his seasonal average as a Seattle Mariner: