A-Rod: doing good deeds, having his praises sung by a notable Yankees figure and soon to meet with an eager Yankees brass!
A-Rod has asked and been granted a meeting with the Yankees, GM Brian Cashman confirmed.
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) February 6, 2015
Brian Cashman said earlier reports that the Yankees had turned down a clear-the-air-meeting with A-Rod were not true.
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) February 6, 2015
Cashman said yesterday was the first time A-Rod requested a meeting and “we’re more than happy to meet with him.”
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) February 6, 2015
Hmm. That certainly doesn’t jibe with the narrative. Nor does this, from John Sterling, the Yankees announcer:
“We talked right after the fire. Alex felt terrible about it,” Sterling told me over the telephone. “He offered me his place in Manhattan to stay in when this happened. I guess he was in Florida.”
Sterling, while realistic about the chances for A-Rod to contribute as a player has nothing but good things to say about him. But, this being a story in the Daily News, it is important that the author immediately note that A-Rod is, indeed, hated:
“I’m rooting for Alex,” Sterling said emphatically. “He’s a friend.”
Having absolutely no knowledge of how each member of the Yankees organization feels about Rodriguez, it’s a safe bet they are not on the same page as Sterling. A-Rod does not have many allies.
The very next paragraph explains how the team’s manager, Joe Girardi, is an A-Rod ally. And then the stuff above from Cashman. And earlier in the week Yankees reliever Dellin Betances talked about liking A-Rod and looking forward to seeing him in camp. And there have been a lot of stories about his good relationship with Latin players in pinstripes over the years.
None of which makes A-Rod a great guy. The fact about him are the facts. But it’s almost as if the extent to which he is a monster no one likes has been overblown by the press. Shocking, I know.
