Just when you think Alex Rodriguez has figured out how to turn around this public relations’ nightmare, he does something ridiculous.
After Rodriguez won over some of the crowd and said all the right things during an interview session, he climbed into a burgundy SUV. As A-Rod approached the vehicle the passenger side window went down and Yuri Sucart was the man behind the wheel.
Sucart is the cousin that allegedly purchased and injected Rodriguez with steroids from 2001-’03. And the cousin that reporters have been searching since Rodriguez’s press conference where he explained some of the details of his steroid use. Rodriguez wouldn’t name the cousin during his press conference last Tuesday, but ESPN uncovered his identity two days later.
During batting practice fans were very supportive, some shouting, “You the man A-Rod.”
“It was nice, just nice to play baseball. That’s what I do, that’s what I get paid for,” Rodriguez said after he was taken out of the game.
But some verbally abused the slugger, who has been steeped in steroid controversy. “Where’s Madonna”, “Hey A-Roid” were just a couple of the things shouted at
the Yankees third baseman. One fan was wearing an A-Fraud t-shirt with an asterisk underneath it, and a “Steroid tested, Yankee approved” slogan.
A-Rod downplayed the insults hurled at him by those in the stands and concentrated on the ones that were supportive.
“Fans were okay, I would like to invite a bunch of them to Fenway Park. They were pretty nice,” Rodriguez said. “Hope this is the start of a successful year for all of us. Thought today was very mild, thought fans were great.”
Before the game, Rodriguez told Yankees’ PR representative Jason Zillo that he was going to hit a home run in his second at-bat. And he did just that.
After walking in his first at-bat against the Blue Jays, Rodriguez blasted a home run over the left-centerfield fence and was greeted by mostly cheers, while rounding the bases. His first time at the plate the boos were 60-40, 50-50 second time and by the third time more fans were cheering than jeering.
But after this dimwitted Rodriguez move, who knows what the reaction will be tomorrow.