Congratulations to the New York Yankees, who have exemplified nothing but class during what now is their ninth-straight AL East title run. They, unlike the Mets, who have clinched the NL East division, did not act like they won the World Series just by clinching. After parading around the field with a sign and a cigar in his mouth on Monday, is David Wright planning on doing cartwheels and running up and down every aisle high-fiving fans after their next big win?

But let’s switch back to my beloved Yanks, who despite all of their success this season, have taken another hit in the media. The topic last Wednesday was not about the low-key and somewhat pathetic champagne celebration in Toronto following their loss, but of another subject matter. It appears Alex Rodriguez is not only publicly criticized by the media and the fans, but now his own team is taking shots at him — this time it’s Jason Giambi, who told Joe Torre to stop coddling A-Rod in a Sports Illustrated article.

“When people write [bad things] about me, I don’t know if it’s [because] I’m good-looking, I’m biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team …” Rodriguez said in the article that has stirred up the Yankees’ clubhouse.

I’m sorry, but admitting that you’re good-looking only makes you less attractive, A-Rod. Don’t flatter yourself. And just because your overall numbers are attractive doesn’t mean you are, and it doesn’t mean we can’t see through your failure to get the big hit.

But maybe he does have a point.

“Mussina doesn’t get hammered at all,” Rodriguez said to SI. “He’s making a boatload of money. Giambi’s making [$20.4 million], which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass.”

It’s not like Giambi or Mussina have earned their Yankee pinstripes, since their fingers seem to be bare of World Series rings. So why do we all seem to attack A-Rod?

Maybe it’s because he makes $25 million a year to hit .242 in late-inning pressure situations, and .265 with runners on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth. Derek Jeter, on the other hand, is hitting .343 and .394 in those situations, respectively. If you don’t watch A-Rod play every day, you can be fooled. You look at the numbers and say, sure, the guy is an MVP, look at that .300 average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. But most good Yankees fans have watched A-Rod day in and day out, and have seen him continuously fail when the game is on the line; these fans know better.

His AL MVP win last year was completely negated by his poor post-season showing; the fans won’t remember what he did during the 2005 regular season, only that he choked when it counted. But as easily as he went from hero to goat last year, he can reverse his fortunes this post-season. All he has to do is get a few big hits or make a dazzling Jeter-like play and he will have earned some respect in New York. Otherwise his time spent here will be forever marked by his big ego, his big salary and his small contributions when the Yankees and their fans needed him.