He thanked the Steinbrenner family for the opportunity to stay in baseball.
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“It was not an ultimatum, it was an option, ” Steinbrenner said. “. (There were plans to call up) guys that really deserved a chance to be here”. I gave him some time to think about it and he did and he thought it was best for him. “That was not discussed, either, ” Steinbrenner said.
“We all want to keep playing forever”, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez went on to win three MVPs, and he finally shook off his postseason troubles by leading the Yankees offensively during their 2009 World Series run. Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters that if Rodriguez wanted to play in Boston, he would find a way to get him in the lineup.2. Why not let Rodriguez finish out the year without the disappointment of being released? “There’s no white flag as far as I’m concerned”. “If you wear the pinstripes and you come to Fenway Park, you’re getting booed”.
“You won’t see a standing ovation”. A-Rod will assume the role as a special adviser to young players.
The Yankees are trying to compete, but they’re also running a business. Rodriquez needs four more home runs to reach 700 milestones for his career. Rodriguez mentioned his daughters this spring when he told ESPN he planned to retire following the 2017 season.
Rodriguez recently sounded at peace with being cut, saying he would go home to Miami to spend more time with his daughters. That’s a huge contract to simply dismiss, but it’s an easier pill to swallow because of Rodrgiuez’s agreement to stay involved as an advisor and mentor. As much as I hate to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed his tenure as part of Fox Sports studio analysis last fall for the American League Championship series. “But he’s going to be contributing in every way he can and I think it’s going to be significant”. “And he’s going to have an impact that is both lasting and very significant”.
Another thing to point out is that at no point during A-Rod’s press conference did he use the word “retire”. “Hopefully we can send him off with a thank you for a great career”. While A-Rod might not have quite that level of a sendoff, it seems clear the Yankees will do something to recognize him and his career in pinstripes. As baseball fans, and given that our national pastime has been soiled by steroid user players, we feel that A-Rod has to join Barry Bonds and other PED users in an infamous Hall of Shame.
Rodriguez instead wound up in the Bronx and instantly became a Boston villain. Two of the three pitching matchups are somewhat favorable: one lefty and one knuckleball pitcher. That deal runs through December 31, 2017, the team said.
“That was just a logical date because that’s his (playing) contract”, Steinbrenner said.
NY manager Joe Girardi said he’d talk to Rodriguez about possibly playing this week in Boston before the team returns home. Would he be open to putting A-Rod in Monument Park? “I love this game and I love this team”, he said, often choking up. He’s done a lot for this organization on the field through the years, but also off the field that people don’t know about.
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How does Rodriguez’s history with performance-enhancing drugs impact his legacy with the Yankees? “It was an idea that I thought had a lot of merit”. The Olympics are on as well, so talk about that stuff or anything else right here.
