It took Alex Rodriguez 216 words to utter three meaningful words: I am sorry.
Last week Rodriguez passed on a press conference, passed on hiring a public relations crisis management firm, passed on social media and passed on a network television interview. Instead he used the old school pen and paper format to apologize to baseball fans. That was enough for Yankees manager Joe Girardi who said:
I think a person’s approach is the way they feel most comfortable doing it. You want the person to feel comfortable in the way they do it, or else it comes off as sometimes insincere. I think he apologized to the game.
Girardi is in the minority. Rodriguez exhausted all his “I’m sorry” passes years ago. The fact is, he can’t be trusted.
Yankees broadcaster Suzyn Waldman told the New York Daily News:
Alex Rodriguez has been a distraction since the day he walked in a major-league clubhouse. But I find him impossible to dislike. I’m not defending him. I think what he did was stupid more than anything else. I know he’s lied. He’s made every wrong decision. He says things and does things and you just want to say ‘Why?’ I also know you can’t go wrong for dumping on Alex. This is what it’s become. What’s he supposed to do?
Since those comments — one week ago — Rodriguez made a point to arrive early to spring training, which upset the Yankees. He addressed the media, and spit out an expletive. Alex Rodriguez appears to be his own worst enemy.
He is 39 years old. He hasn’t seen major league pitching since August 2013. Suppose March gives way to April and A-Rod is batting .175 and can’t get around on a fastball? He has three years and $61 million remaining on his contract. Would the Yankees consider eating the money to get rid of the circus?
In the latest edition of Voices: The Podcast, I spoke with Karen Given, reporter for NPR’s Only A Game about A-Rod’s return to baseball.
You can listen to the podcast here: