K-Rod loses again

That game-ending missle Francisco Rodriguez allowed in the playoffs last season to the Boston Red Sox's Manny Ramirez might have gone a long way to costing the Angels' closer an extra $2.5 million in salary. Rodriguez lost his arbitration hearing to the Angels on Friday so instead of getting the $12.5 million he requested, he will make the Angels' requested salary of $10 million.

Hard to call a $10 million-man a loser, but when it comes to missing out on another $2.5 million, that's a big hit. The last time Rodriguez was in a big-league game, Ramirez hit a dramatic walk-off home run to snap a 3-3 tie as the Red Sox grabbed control of the ALDS. That is not the impression you want to leave when heading into an arbitration hearing. Rodriguez's representatives were no doubt saying that their client is one of the best in the business at closing out victories for his team. But if any of those arbitration judges are only casual baseball fans or even non-baseball fans, Rodriguez's reps will find it hard to explain how it was no big deal that he lost a game in such dramatic fashion, and a game in the playoffs to boot.

One likely Angels argument: if the team advanced in the playoffs they could have made the extra $2.5 million and then some to help pay Rodriguez, but he was part of the reason why they failed to garner any more income in the postseason. Look at it this way: If Rodriguez helps the Angels win Game 2 in the ALDS then they get to host at least one more playoff game. Assuming an average of $50 for each ticket to an ALDS game, the Angels could have made nearly $2.3 million in ticket sales alone if they got a chance to play host to a Game 4. That could have been K-Rod's money. If it wasn't for that costly home run by Ramirez.