According to Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger, no more than 10 feet separated Alex Rodriguez from Dodgers manager Joe Torre before Friday’s game, however the third baseman kept his back turned as the former Yankees skipper was greeted by some of his former players around the batting cage, including Derek Jeter, Joba Chamberlain, Robinson Cano, Joe Girardi and Jorge Posada. Burn.
“I didn’t see him,” said Rodriguez, who before the game, kept his back
turned away as Torre exchanged hugs and handshakes. “But I’m sure we’ll
get a chance to meet up.”
Many believe that Rodriguez still holds a grudge after Torre batted him eighth during the 2006 playoffs and painted him in a negative light in his book “The Yankee Years,” co-written with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci. Still, Torre isn’t bothered by the alleged “snub.”
“I don’t look at it as disrespect,” Torre said. “I don’t know what to
say but I don’t want to dump on Alex… If we had come close enough, we
certainly would have shaken hands.”
Pressed on the matter, Rodriguez said he intends to greet Torre before the end of the series.
“We’re going to be here for three days,” he said. “There’s no rush. I
don’t really have anything to say. If he wants to talk I’m more than
welcome to talk to him.”
You know that whole matter about tired storylines in nationally-televised games? Well, you might want to stay away from your television this weekend, as FOX will carry Saturday’s game and ESPN will be in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
For those of you interested in the actual game, the Yankees won Friday’s series opener 2-1 thanks to a go-ahead solo home run by Rodriguez in the sixth inning and Mariano Rivera striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
