Only Alex Rodriguez could be called a hero after going 1-for-6 in game two of the ALCS.

Now, that one hit he got against the Angels was a game-tying home run that barely cleared the fence, but it was in the 11th inning and it gave a huge boost to the Yankees, who now lead the Angels 2-0 in the series.

The illustrious Yankees third baseman has been called his fair share of names like A-Roid, A-Fraud, A-Hole, A-dulterer (I’ll take credit for that one) and “Bitch Tits” (thanks Selena Roberts), but what people seem to forget is his continuous playoff failures over his entire career.

Before the ALDS started two weeks ago, Yankee fans were undoubtedly scared, even horrified at the idea of seeing Rodriguez, a player who hit .267 in the 2007 ALDS and an abysmal .071 in the 2006 ALDS, hitting cleanup for the Bombers.

Don’t forget Yankees ace CC Sabathia wasn’t exactly the best playoff pitcher either, as I’m sure most Milwaukee Brewers fans can still recall.

But regardless, seeing the reception of A-Rod in New York is an astonishing sight. After years of playoff boos and postseason failures, Rodriguez might actually be getting a hang of the whole clutch thing.

Right now, even after his 1-for-6 performance in game two, Rodriguez is batting .368 with three home runs and eight RBIs — all tops on the Yankees for batters who have had at least 16 at bats.

He’s been able to do exactly what Manny Ramirez should be doing right now — cut off the steroid tag from his name and the cheating mentality that’s associated with it. Now with his newfound success in the postseason, A-Rod might also be able to wash away the sheer stupidity that was displayed in his exclusive interview with ESPN, during which he admitted the unfortunate news of his steroid usage.

But even though I hate the Yankees and dislike A-Rod just as much, it’s difficult to be disappointed with the way the playoffs are panning out, at least on an individual basis.

Rodriguez, despite his past, has turned this postseason into a sort of retribution period for the 16-year veteran. He hasn’t batted over .300 in an entire postseason since batting .320 in 2004, his first year on the Yankees.

Frankly, I’m happy to see Yankee fans not upset. For once.

It seems like every year, the New York fan base finds a way to blame its best hitter for the team’s postseason (and sometimes regular season) mishaps. While the Yankees have Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and a whole plethora of role players to back up A-Rod, it has never been good enough for Yankee fans.

And that is somewhat acceptable.

I understand the Yankees objective is to win a World Series — if they come up short, their season is viewed as a failure. What is troubling about their current situation is they are nowhere near a World Series victory, yet the A-Rod love is already in full effect.

Yeah, it’s fun and all right now, but let’s just say A-Rod goes 0-for-4 in game one of the World Series (assuming the Yankees get that far). What will be the fans’ reaction then?

And then he goes 1-for-5 with no RBIs in game two. What then?

I’m not trying to play devil’s advocate or anything, but there’s one thing that stands out to me when I see people eat up everything A-Rod is doing. Yeah, his home runs are there and he started hitting with runners in scoring position, but there is one huge thing missing over his 16 seasons in the MLB — a World Series ring.

We’re talking about a guy who, while often performing fairly well in the division series (.279 career average), has never played a World Series game, and hasn’t hit over .300 in an ALCS since 2000, when he was still with the Seattle Mariners.

Even after Saturday night’s heroics, A-Rod is only batting .250 (2-for-8) through the first two games, so it’s not like he’s really tearing up the Angels’ pitching staff.

Simply put, Yankee baseball is fun to watch right now. The not-so-full Yankee Stadium gets pretty loud and supports its star players who have been performing so well. The less fun part starts when A-Rod and Co. start to struggle. As of now, that hasn’t happened yet, and for all we know, it might not happen at all.

But if it does, all of the Alex “the hero” Rodriguez talk will be forgotten like every other suppressed Yankee memory.

Chances are New York fans aren’t thinking much of having to boo A-Rod in the near future. After the steroid debacle, the Madonna thing and the ugly divorce with his ex-wife, all the Yankees want A-Rod to do is perform well under the huge pressure of postseason baseball.

If Rodriguez starts to struggle, those cheers might turn back to boos. But while that might hurt A-Rod’s ego, fans would forgive him if the Yankees still won the World Series. For Rodriguez, it wouldn’t be bad to hope for the best of both worlds.

Jonah is a junior majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies. What are your thoughts on the Yankees fans’ perception of A-Rod? Send your thoughts to [email protected].