TRENTON, N.J. — Alex Rodriguez showed up to what could be the last games of his career this weekend much the same way he has in the past.
He chatted with his Double-A Trenton teammates, took swings in the cage and fielded grounders before crushing a two-run homer in the third inning of a 6-2 win over Reading at Arm & Hammer Park.
But the fans reminded Rodriguez of his reality: He could be suspended by MLB as soon as tomorrow in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. He received more boos than cheers from the sellout crowd of 8,080 and saw "Cheater" signs along with other, less polite ones.
NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg
SIGN A BIG DEAL: "A-Roid 250 Games" was one of the hostile posters visible as Alex Rodriguez — expected to be hit with a lengthy MLB suspension — took the field last night with Double-A Trenton.
He tried to chalk it up to being in somewhat hostile territory, with a fair share of Phillies fans in attendance.
"They probably don't have a lot of good memories from me," Rodriguez said. "That's part of it. When you're on the road — and this is a little bit of a road game for us — there's not a bigger compliment than being booed on the road and there's probably nothing worse than being booed at home."
There's no guarantee Rodriguez will ever play at Yankee Stadium again, so he may never get a chance to find out.
But Rodriguez was able to provide a brief glimpse of the slugger he used to be when he blasted a 2-0 pitch from Phillies left-handed prospect Jesse Biddle over the high wall in left-center.
"A lot of people cheered when I hit that home run," Rodriguez said with a chuckle.
That home run gave Rodriguez — rehabbing a Grade 1 strain of his left quad — more confidence he could play for the Yankees soon.
"The last 10 games or so, with the way my body is reacting, I feel like I can play for a long time and be very productive," Rodriguez said.
Trenton manager Tony Franklin said he thought Rodriguez would be focused on the game despite the soap opera going on around him.
"I've never known Alex not to play hard or give you everything he's got," Franklin said. "I think he's a consummate professional when it comes to playing the game. The game means everything to him."
But Franklin did acknowledge the obvious.
"I don't think there's any distraction," he said of Rodriguez's presence. "I think we understand the circumstances surrounding this, but it's all about baseball. It's a safe haven when things aren't going your way."
Rodriguez went through his typical pregame routine. As has often been the case throughout the rehab tour that brought him from Tampa to Charleston, S.C., to Reading, Pa. to Moosic, Pa., and now Trenton, he made small talk with players and reporters.
"He's a regular guy," Franklin said. "When guys get here, they make themselves available to our guys and pass on information. Why wouldn't you listen?"
Franklin compared Rodriguez's presence to that of Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson, who also have played for Trenton on rehab assignments this season.
None of them, though, have been in the midst of a landmark investigation like Rodriguez.
"He hasn't given any indication that this is weighing heavy on him at all," Franklin said. "Just go to work, go on the field and play the game. That's what this is all about."
Rodriguez would no doubt like that to be the case.
dan.martin@nypost.com
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Boos abound as A-Rod circus hits Trenton
Dengan url
http://susuvirus.blogspot.com/2013/08/boos-abound-as-rod-circus-hits-trenton.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Boos abound as A-Rod circus hits Trenton
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Boos abound as A-Rod circus hits Trenton
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar