For A-rod, grand opening hits home
MIAMI — Alex Rodriguez has experienced many highs and lows throughout his 17-year career, but the quiet, calm moments seemto have been few and far between.
This spring has been one of those rare stretches for A-rod, who was all smiles Sunday as he and the Yankees helped open Marlins Park with the first of two exhibition games in Miami.
With friends and family in the stands — including both of his young daughters — A-rod was a picture of peace Sunday, taking it all in as he played in a brand new ballpark he never could have imagined in the streets of Miami just miles from where he grew up.
“I hate to be cheesy and corny, but coming home is special,” Rodriguez said. “Even though a couple of times we played at Joe Robbie or Pro Player, it’s not quite the same. This is our hood, this is the neighborhood. It’s also spring training, so you don’t have to go out and put your game face on. You get a chance to really enjoy this and take it all in.”
Had the Marlins built this new ballpark a few years back before A-rod was a free agent, might the third baseman have considered playing out the final stretch of his career in teal and orange?
“I really, really love living here,” Rodriguez said. “I love playing in New York.”
A-rod spoke of the days he used to “sneak into the Orange Bowl,” trying to get a glimpse of Dan Marino or Gino Toretta, comparing the atmosphere of that venue to the old Yankee Stadium.
“I used to come to all of the University of Miami football games,” Rodriguez said. “It was fun bargaining with neighbors and trying to say, ‘I’ll pay you $4 for parking,’ and they’d say $8. Then when the game started it came down to $2. It was fun. It reminded me a little bit of the Bronx, just a very special place.”
The happy homecoming was a fitting way to end the spring for A-rod, who faces serious questions this season after playing in only 99 games in 2011 because of knee, shoulder and thumb injuries. Rodriguez is hitting .289 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 18 games this spring, showing no ill effects from his myriad problems from a year ago.
“Numbers are never really what you focus on,” Rodriguez said of his spring. “You focus on, at this point in my career, how my body feels, how I’m reacting, how I’m seeing the baseball. Overall I feel very good. We’re ready to roll.”
Both Rodriguez and Joe Girardi literally knocked on the table in the interview room when asked about the third baseman’s physical condition, neither of them wanting to take any chances of jinxing his health.
“I’ve been happy with his spring, the way he’s swung the bat,” Girardi said. “He’s healthy. Let’s keep him that way.”
Rodriguez won’t predict how many games he’ll play this season, saying only that “the number’s not 99, that’s for sure.” Girardi plans to DH him from time to time and give him a full day off if he thinks he needs it, but the 36-year-old is hoping to be a productive part of the lineup on a daily basis.
“We want to get into playing a lot of games, being productive and being a force in the middle of the lineup,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not going to throw out any numbers; April 1, predicting a big number here isn’t going to do anyone any good. I’m focusing on going out and being productive and helping the team win.”
A-rod’s last taste of competitive baseball came on Oct. 6, when he finished a 2-for-18 series by striking out for the final out in the Yankees’ Game 5 ALDS loss to the Tigers. Combine the dismal playoff series with the frustrating second half in which he played only 19 games and Rodriguez is ready to turn the page and get 2012 started.