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A-Rod, Yankees Come Out Swinging

TBO.com photo by SCOTT BUTHERUS

Grounds crew prepare the field for the Grapefruit League opener at Dunedin Stadium between the Jays and Yankees.

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By SCOTT BUTHERUS | TBO.com

Published: February 25, 2009

DUNEDIN - The big question surrounding Alex Rodriguez this spring and into the season promises to be how he will handle the negative reaction from fans and media as he travels around the country. The fans today, with their various "A-Roid" taunts, didn't seem to faze him much. In fact, they only seemed to make him a little angry.

And you know what happens when Rodriguez gets angry.

He hits a two run laser beam to left field off of Jays reliever Ricky Romero that seemed to be still on the rise when it cleared the fence.

"It was just a fastball I left up and he's a great hitter," Romero said. "He's going to hit mistakes and I made a mistake. I was just trying to be aggressive."

A-Rod got a mixed reaction from the crowd. Not surprising since the crowd was largely Yankee fans and the folks here in Dunedin can hardly be described as mean-spirited. Still, there were some jeers and heckles; surprisingly, the loudest coming from a fan in a Paul O'Neill jersey.

But none of that mattered as the Yankees spoiled the Blue Jay's Grapefruit League opener 6-1 on a beautiful early spring day along Florida's Gulf Coast.

"This is what I do. I know how to play baseball," Rodriguez said. "I just hope that's the start of something really special for this year. I feel really good about our team."

Centerfield prospect Brett Gardner led off the game with a home run off of the third pitch and Todd Linden and Juan Miranda each collected RBI singles in the victory.

None of the runs were more emphatic than the blast by Rodriguez.

"We weren't quite sure what it would be like today. It was a mixture of both," Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said. "We talked a little bit about today. Told him, we're with you the whole way. We're going to be here no matter what happens.

"I can't pretend to know what it's like to be in Alex's shoes. I'm sure some places will be easier than others. Some will be harsher than others. When it's 40, 50,000 fans, the volume is probably going to be a little bit louder one way or the other. "

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