To the Readers: Alex Rodriguez Is Forever

On Baseball

By TYLER KEPNER

Tents are perfect for the circus. If Alex Rodriguez had used one for his latest apology, he might as well have shown up in grease paint, floppy shoes and a rainbow wig. Rodriguez, the clown prince of baseball, would be setting himself up for laughs.

Nobody does slapstick like Rodriguez, who squandered his legacy in a syringe and apologized for it under the big top at the Yankees’ training camp in 2009. He appealed then to our better angels and said, “The only thing I ask from this group today, and the American people, is to judge me from this day forward.”

Forget the idea of Rodriguez as a distraction. He lives in a different orbit than anyone else, a storm cloud of his own making. The Yankees prepare their players well for dealing with reporters, and the team has handled sideshows before. The buzz around Rodriguez will probably amuse, more than annoy, the other players.

The more important issues at Yankees’ camp, which opens in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, are elsewhere. Can Masahiro Tanaka, C. C. Sabathia and Carlos Beltran stay healthy? Can the Yankees integrate young players like Didi Gregorius and Nathan Eovaldi into an older roster? Can improved infield defense and a stronger bullpen make up for an offense in decline? Can Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira hit the other way?

As for Rodriguez, he has said his apologies. Judgment Day has come and gone. He is here because the Yankees signed him to that endless contract, and they refuse to let him walk away with all that money. Just as Rodriguez must live with his decisions, the Yankees must live with theirs. Play ball.

The New York Times