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Stay-Rod Is All Business For Yankees

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 21, 2008

Updated: 02/21/2008 12:11 am

TAMPA - Alex Rodriguez categorically stated he had never used steroids or human growth hormone. He categorically stated that if he had a daughter (he does) he'd want her to marry Andy Pettitte. He seemed categorically unworried about steroids claims by former Ku Klux Kloser John Rocker, or that Jose Canseco, who covers the waterfront, is apparently going to make Rodriguez allegations in a new Jose book to be published as soon as the crayon dries.

Best of all, for him at least, the greatest player in baseball thinks he has categorically proven he wants to be a Yankee for life, even if Octobers are included.

Call him Stay-Rod.

"Wearing this uniform for the rest of my career was very important, and I have some unfinished business in New York," Rodriguez said. "Obviously winning a world championship is front and center of that and the only thing I really care about."

The Yankees third baseman, reigning AL MVP and cabbage king greeted media with a grin as he took a seat in the first-base dugout at Legends Field for his fifth annual State of the A-Rod Address.

"A lot of controversy, and I'm not involved," he said.

It's early.

A Sense Of Urgency

There's no way around A-Rod. He astounded with 54 home runs and 156 RBIs last season, then signed a record 10-year, $275 million contract to stay in pinstripes, which seemed like prison stripes as he pressed and folded in a succession of doomed Yankees postseasons.

There's no way around A-Rod's image problem, which is mostly his own creation. Mind you, a four-homer World Series and championship ring would make it disappear. People are forgiving that way.

If A-Rod wasn't A-Rod, we would be talking about the most talented player ever, or how he'll rescue us from Barry Bonds' evil home-run record, or how A-Rod struck an A-Blow for humanity by going around Darth Agent, Scott Boras, to re-up with the Yankees.

But A-Rod is A-Rod, and he always gets in the way. If it's not the playoffs, it's his head, or his mouth, or that stripper he was spotted with last season, followed closely by the New York tabloid headline, "Stray-Rod."

Even his decision to stay a Yankee was botched. Boras announced, during a World Series game (you see, A-Rod did make the Series) that Rodriguez was opting out of the Yankees.

That was then.

"I looked at things, and I could have easily gone somewhere else and run away from it," Rodriguez said. "... I've never run away from anything, and I love New York and I'm glad I'm here."

"I think there's a sense of urgency for Alex," said rookie Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "Alex has talked about why he came to New York and what he wants to accomplish in New York."

Girardi added, "There's no better year than the present, right?"

Back to A-Rod.

On his support for teammate Andy Pettitte, who has admitted using HGH:

"Andy's one of the greatest human beings I've ever met."

On former Texas teammate John Rocker's claim that doctors once told A-Rod, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Rocker how to use steroids:

"No, that did not happen."

On possible accusations from Canseco:

"I think right now the game is in a very non-trusting situation with our public, with our fans. Some of the things I've accomplished, and potentially some of the things people think I can accomplish, my name has come up and will probably come up again in the future.

"... I would say that last year I got tested 9-10 times. We have a very strict policy, and I think the game is making tremendous strides."

Did he say 9-10 times?

Later in the day A-Rod issued a statement through the Yankees:

"My quote from earlier today was taken literally. I was not tested nine or 10 times last year. I was just using exaggeration to make a point."

You see what me mean?

The Skin Game

The one thing we know for sure is Alex Rodriguez is wearing the same uniform as last season and is on the same mission as every season.

He thinks he finally learned last season to fly in New York's pressurized cabin.

"I think not overreacting, I think restricting is very important," Rodriguez said. "I think sometimes if you read something or hear something, you feel like you want to defend yourself or explain yourself, and you figure out that it really doesn't matter. You've got to go out and play. You've got to be happy within your own skin and not worry too much, not try to overexplain or explain anything."

That explains that. We think.

Stay-Rod has spoken.

On with the urgency!

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