Post by raven on Apr 2, 2015 20:14:35 GMT
Come late Friday afternoon, Alex Rodriguez’s Grapefruit League statistics will vanish and, like the rest of his ball-playing fraternity, he will start fresh next week when the games count.
What won’t go away is an accomplishment that, seven weeks ago, seemed just as unlikely as A-Rod making himself so viable in the Yankees’ plans.
For now, at least, Rodriguez’s employers no longer view him as a pariah. The 39-year-old has scored major points with his good behavior at spring training, so much so that Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees general partner and co-chairperson, has welcomed Rodriguez’s participation in an upcoming golf charity event.
“Personally, I’m very pleased [with Rodriguez],” Steinbrenner told The Post on Wednesday, at the ballpark named after his father, George. “I’m proud of him right now.”
Steinbrenner stressed he was speaking only for himself, not the Yankees organization, but his take on A-Rod hardly stands out among his crowd. Steinbrenner’s brother Hal, the Yankees’ managing general partner, spoke of Rodriguez last week in an interview with WFAN.
“I think he’s done a great job,” Hal Steinbrenner said. “He’s been positive. He’s out here working hard. He’s playing well. He’s been great with the fans.”
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, asked about Rodriguez last Sunday, told reporters, “I thought he’s handled himself, both on the field and obviously in the clubhouse and in his interviews with you guys extremely well. It’s been about baseball, and he’s done really well on that level, too.”
These words represent the long path traveled since Feb. 10, when A-Rod and his attorney Jim Sharp met with his bosses at Yankee Stadium and expressed contrition for his behavior in 2013 — when, you surely recall, he waged a two-front battle against the Yankees and Major League Baseball in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to appeal a lengthy suspension for illegal performance-enhancing drug usage.
The Yankees acknowledged the apology, yet privately, they regarded this truce as uneasy, vulnerable to the ugliest of breakups. Though any veteran of Life With A-Rod knows peace accords can unravel quickly, it’s a surprise this current era of good feelings came together so smoothly and swiftly.
What won’t go away is an accomplishment that, seven weeks ago, seemed just as unlikely as A-Rod making himself so viable in the Yankees’ plans.
For now, at least, Rodriguez’s employers no longer view him as a pariah. The 39-year-old has scored major points with his good behavior at spring training, so much so that Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees general partner and co-chairperson, has welcomed Rodriguez’s participation in an upcoming golf charity event.
“Personally, I’m very pleased [with Rodriguez],” Steinbrenner told The Post on Wednesday, at the ballpark named after his father, George. “I’m proud of him right now.”
Steinbrenner stressed he was speaking only for himself, not the Yankees organization, but his take on A-Rod hardly stands out among his crowd. Steinbrenner’s brother Hal, the Yankees’ managing general partner, spoke of Rodriguez last week in an interview with WFAN.
“I think he’s done a great job,” Hal Steinbrenner said. “He’s been positive. He’s out here working hard. He’s playing well. He’s been great with the fans.”
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, asked about Rodriguez last Sunday, told reporters, “I thought he’s handled himself, both on the field and obviously in the clubhouse and in his interviews with you guys extremely well. It’s been about baseball, and he’s done really well on that level, too.”
These words represent the long path traveled since Feb. 10, when A-Rod and his attorney Jim Sharp met with his bosses at Yankee Stadium and expressed contrition for his behavior in 2013 — when, you surely recall, he waged a two-front battle against the Yankees and Major League Baseball in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to appeal a lengthy suspension for illegal performance-enhancing drug usage.
The Yankees acknowledged the apology, yet privately, they regarded this truce as uneasy, vulnerable to the ugliest of breakups. Though any veteran of Life With A-Rod knows peace accords can unravel quickly, it’s a surprise this current era of good feelings came together so smoothly and swiftly.
www.prosportsdaily.com/Headlines/ExternalArticle?articleId=349361
