Alex Rodriguez News: Pro Sports Daily

Online bidder pays $103,579 for A-Rod's historic 500th homer ball

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February 5

New York Daily News

"A-Rod's 500th home run ball is going, going, gone! The ball smashed by the Yankee slugger on Aug. 4, 2007, to reach the historic milestone fetched $103,579 in an online auction that ended Thursday night. The sum, paid by an unknown bidder, is just a fraction of what was previously doled out for dingers hit before the rampant use of steroids by baseball players became widely known."

Last spring A-Rod thought career could be over

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January 29

New York Post

"Bo knew athletic stardom -- and early retirement. Last spring, Alex Rodriguez thought he would be this millennium's Bo Jackson. In an interview that aired last night on YES, the Yankees third baseman said he thought his career was over last March when he was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his hip that forced subsequent surgery. Jackson had a similar injury, curtailing his football and baseball careers. "Staring at retirement right in the face, kind of like Bo Jackson, that is the first thing I thought of," said Rodriguez, 34. "Then having [Dr.] Marc Phillippon just doing an amazing intermediate surgery as we called it, it was a commitment I wanted to do for the team. "It was very scary, ..."

Rodriguez, other Yankees, star at baseball Awards dinner

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January 24

MLB.com

"At a typical Baseball Writers' Association of America awards dinner, the "oohs" and "ahhs" are reserved for the most spectacular guests -- the Most Valuable Players and the Cy Young Award winners and the like.But Saturday's dinner was no typical BBWAA dinner. Saturday's dinner was the 87th for the New York chapter, with a numerical theme and a clear tone. On a night in which the city's baseball writers celebrated the number 27 -- as in 27 World Series titles -- the fans in attendance celebrated their Yankees.It was a New York state of mind, indeed.Kings of it all were the Core Four, that quartet of Yankees who were around back in 1996 and who, two and a half months after celebrating their ..."

A-Rod delivers again as NY Yankees celebrate at BBWAA awards

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January 24

Newark Star-Ledger

"As I tweeted on Saturday night, Yankees star Alex Rodriguez came up big with another clutch moment, delivering perhaps the funniest line of the 87th annual BBWAA awards. This year, the writers awarded Rodriguez won the Babe Ruth Award, in recognition of the postseason heroics that had mostly eluded him until he raised his game for the Yankees World Series run. "What's next?" Rodriguez quipped. "The good guy award?" Here's an overview of the awards dinner. Star-Ledger Mets writer Brian Costa has a few moments too. He points out what I thought: there were moments where this thing could have been renamed the "New York Mets Celebrity Roast." Not gonna lie: party of me was waiting for Bergen ..."

Always in the Spotlight, for Good and Ill

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December 27

New York Times

"The dominant story lines in baseball this decade revolved around one player. Wherever he went and whatever he did, Alex Rodriguez found himself, for better or worse, at the center of it all. In the 2000s, Rodriguez signed the heftiest contract in history (twice) and intensified the best and fiercest rivalry. He suffered after the most memorable series (the epic 2004 American League Championship Series) and rejoiced at being the centerpiece of the biggest trade. He switched allegiances in the World Baseball Classic and acknowledged his role in the steroids scandal, baseball's largest blemish."

A-Rod avoids surgery, cleared for workouts

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December 18

New York Post

"Alex Rodriguez is done sweating -- so now he can begin sweating. The Yankees third baseman nervously awaited the results of an MRI exam earlier this week that revealed no need for further surgery on his right hip. Rodriguez is clear to begin a rigorous offseason workout program and expects to arrive at spring training ready to roll. Dr. Marc Philippon performed surgery last March to repair a torn labrum in Rodriguez's right hip, forcing the slugger to miss the Yankees' first 28 games. Rodriguez was examined by Philippon in Vail, Colo., on Sunday and received the clean bill of a health a day later. "I probably would have ended up having surgery [yesterday] at 9 a.m. if the results were not ..."

A-Rod says he won't need another operation on surgically-repaired hip

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December 18

New York Daily News

"He was as calm and relaxed this past season as he'd ever been, but Alex Rodriguez can finally stop worrying his surgically repaired right hip. In the Bronx Thursday to attend the Curtis Granderson press conference and Yankees' annual food drive, A-Rod revealed that he won't need another operation. It's a prognosis that was first speculated in October, and confirmed earlier this week by Dr. Marc Philippon, the Colorado-based surgeon who began treating Rodriguez in March for a torn labrum. "I got the wonderful news on Monday morning," said A-Rod, who was cleared following a final MRI exam. "There's been some nervousness â€¦ now I get a chance to really look forward to and enjoy 2010." ..."

Alex Rodriguez will not need surgery

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December 17

Newark Star-Ledger

"As expected, Rodriguez said he will not need a second surgery on his right hip. After being re-examined by his hip specialist, Dr. Marc Philippon, Rodriguez learned Monday that no further surgery would be needed. "You can never say never, but I think he is saying for the immediate future, the next two or three years," Rodriguez said. A-Rod said he will not need to see Philippon again this offseason and has been cleared to begin his usual offseason workouts."

In Dominican Republic, Yankees' Alex Rodriguez parties like a champ

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December 6

New York Daily News

"Just over a month after winning his first World Series ring - when he buried both his postseason demons of the past and the tumultuous beginning of his 2009 season - Alex Rodriguez is still speechless when it comes to reflecting on life as a champion. "It's still hard to put into words what we accomplished as a team. We just believe in Joe's (Girardi) message, which is team, team, team. I'm still enjoying it," A-Rod told the Daily News Saturday night. Dropping by to support his good friend David Ortiz at the Red Sox slugger's charity golf weekend, Rodriguez made a brief but memorable appearance at the Cap Cana resort. It was the latest stop of Rodriguez's unofficial World Series champion ..."

Honor should be A-Rod's

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December 1

New York Post

columnist Joel Sherman

"Fourteen years into the existence of the Turn 2 Foundation, Derek Jeter finally received the Roberto Clemente Award for community service on Oct. 29. Two days later, he was handed the Hank Aaron Award as the American League's top hitter. Why now for the Clemente Award or why not, say, Barry Zito, who initiated Strikeout for Troops and recruited more than 60 players to help wounded vets being treated at military hospitals? Why now for the Aaron Award? Jeter was not even the Yankees' best offensive player, much less better than Minnesota's Joe Mauer. And now Jeter was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Why should he even win the Yankee version of that award over, say, Mariano ..."

Since steroid confession, Alex Rodriguez has turned into Series hero, while Yuri Sucart's now a zero

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November 22

New York Daily News

"An entire baseball season has passed since Alex Rodriguez acknowledged using steroids at that awkward spring training press conference in February, and the Yankees' $275 million man has rebounded quite nicely, going from steroid zero to World Series hero in just nine months. Rodriguez was a beleaguered man after Sports Illustrated reported that he had tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003, but he recovered from both his steroid scandal and hip surgery to help the Yankees run away with the American League East. He silenced the critics who said he couldn't perform in the clutch by hitting .365 in the playoffs and driving in 18 runs in 13 games. He won his first World Series ring ..."

A-Rod caps rocky year in, um, style

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November 7

New York Post

"A season that began with an embarrassing press conference for Alex Rodriguez ended with a triumphant trip up Broadway. Rodriguez captured his first championship, and in the process answered all the questions about his postseason capabilities, batting .365 and driving in 18 runs in 13 games. The only thing his critics could rip him for yesterday was the black fedora he wore. "For me, it's an opportunity to reflect on the year '09, which we all know didn't start very well for me," Rodriguez said. Spring training began with a Sports Illustrated report that Rodriguez used steroids in 2003. He followed that with a public admission. Hip surgery delayed the start of his regular season, but when ..."

Canseco has fighting words for Rodriguez

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November 7

New York Post

"Former baseball player and current celebrity boxer Jose Canseco said he would like to fight Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. Speaking Thursday at a weigh-in for his upcoming fight in Massachusetts, Canseco was asked which current player he most would like to box?"

A bittersweet climb to the top

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November 6

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"Alex Rodriguez didn't want to celebrate prematurely, he knows better, but he couldn't help himself, couldn't keep his arms from flying in the air and his mouth from opening wide, couldn't keep the roar from spilling out of his heart and through his tongue and into the frosty New York night. Not now. He watched the baseball bound along on the ground toward second base, saw Robinson Cano scoop it up, flip it to first baseman Mark Teixeira, and now it was OK to act however he pleased. He'd seen this final act on television many times before, but it always had been someone else's party, someone else's celebration. And now it was his. Now it was theirs. Now it was time for the New York Yankees ..."

A-Rod finally gets validation

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November 6

Miami Herald

columnist Linda Robertson

"Alex Rodriguez began the year in shame. He stammered, red-eyed and red-faced, as he gave his forced confession to using steroids in 2001-2003. His teammates listened with arms crossed, looking none too sympathetic. A-Rod was ripped as A-Fraud in Joe Torre's book. The tabloids continued to find him a treasure trove of juicy news on his divorce and romantic entanglements. Then there was the hip surgery. It looked to be another difficult year for Rodriguez, another year of trying too hard to be the best, to be accepted as a Yankee and to overcome his unlovable image. Look how it turned out. Not with another choke in the playoffs but with a World Series title, the 27th in Yankees' history, the ..."

Alex Rodriguez gains respect along with title

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November 6

Chicago Tribune

columnist Phil Rogers

"Alex Rodriguez couldn't stop smiling. He was holding the World Series Commissioner's Trophy in his hands after the Yankees' Game 6 clincher Wednesday night. He rubbed it, he kissed it, he practically caressed it. There were real, honest tears in his eyes and nothing phony about his feelings for his teammates, from Derek Jeter to Jerry Hairston Jr. A gajillionaire who has moved through dozens of relationships had found a lasting bond. His season, one that had started as badly as possible with an admission of steroid use that clouds his standing as a future Hall of Famer, had ended with him earning respect along with a championship. "There have been a lot of ups and downs," Rodriguez said. ..."

Crown was a long time coming for A-Rod

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November 5

New York Post

"Now that Alex Rodriguez has his first championship, Brian Cashman says A-Rod can just play to further his own legend. "I think the rest of his career now he can just write history," Cashman said after last night's World Series championship. "He doesn't have anything that he has to answer for anymore. He obviously has to produce, there's no doubt about that. But he doesn't have to be told he can't do anything. He's done everything now. "And so now, he can sit back, and his work ethic and his play will take him just wherever it'll take him." Rodriguez's seasons had always ended too early. He never took home the championship. He never even came close with the Yankees. This postseason, ..."

Alex Rodriguez goes from 'A-Roid' steroid scandal to World Series champion with New York Yankees

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November 5

New York Daily News

"His season began with a steroid scandal and took a detour with hip surgery but will end with a championship parade. Alex Rodriguez, the great player whose resume was pockmarked by his recent postseason failure, played a huge role in the Yankees' 27th world championship and celebrated Wednesday night with what seemed like part joy, part relief. "Look, a lot of people were running the other way and my teammates and coaches and organization stood by me and now we're together as world champs and I couldn't be prouder and happier," Rodriguez said in the clubhouse. "It was all about the team. I just thanked A.J. (Burnett) and CC (Sabathia) and (Andy) Pettitte and (Nick) Swisher. We needed help ..."

Alex Rodriguez is A-money player for New York Yankees in this World Series

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November 3

New York Daily News

columnist Bill Madden

"History has shown the World Series can be a humbling experience for the greatest of players as well as a forum for unlikely heroism by those who were not-so-great. In this respect, Alex Rodriguez, who until this year came to dread the postseason, can take solace in the fact that, in his first World Series, he's already accomplished more than such immortals as Ted Williams and Willie Mays. Ever since he fessed up about the 'roids, A-Rod allowed the truth to set him free and he has become an October-November terror. Just when you wondered if that 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in the first two games of the Series was a sign that the old A-Rod was back, he homered in Game 3 to spark the Yankees' ..."

Plunking A-Rod draws warning

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November 2

New York Post

"Was that Joe Blanton or Joe Blatant who drilled Alex Rodriguez in the back last night? There is the old Don Drysdale philosophy -- why waste four pitches when one will do? -- and Blanton may have been guilty of that thinking in the first inning with Johnny Damon at third base and one out. Blanton plunked Rodriguez with the first pitch, bringing a little controversy to Citizens Bank Park just as things were getting warmed up in the Yankees' 7-4 victory over the Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series. Rodriguez stopped on his way to first base and glared at Blanton. Plate umpire Mike Everitt interceded and Rodriguez walked to first. Everitt next huddled with crew chief Gerry Davis and a ..."

Kate's a huge help to Rodriguez

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November 2

New York Post

columnist David Wells

"Does Kate Hudson get voted a half-share or a full share for the World Series? There were so many distractions in Alex Rodriguez's life before this year, but he's got a good woman with him now in Kate, and I think that has sparked his huge postseason. Last night, A-Rod was a hero again, delivering the go-ahead run in the ninth inning with an RBI double against Brad Lidge in the Yankees' 7-4 victory in Game 4 of the World Series. What else is new? I credit Kate. She is the perfect complement to him. I know her a little bit and have talked to her quite a few times. She's just a really down-to-earth chick. She'll go to baseball games and have fun. She's just supportive of him, and that ..."

This fall, this team, is A-Rod's

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November 2

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"It had to boil down to this, didn't it? That's always been Alex Rodriguez's rarest gift, the way the moment seeks him out, stalks him, finds him. That hasn't always been a good thing, but those moments all seem another lifetime ago. In these playoffs, there is nobody better equipped to seize them. And nobody the Yankees would rather see stepping to home plate. "He's the reason why we're sitting here and in Philadelphia right now," Johnny Damon would say later, after everyone could start breathing again. "Without him, who knows where our road may have stopped? He's been huge.""

A-Rod puts Yankees one win from title

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November 2

Washington Times

"Forget about the 49 other guys in uniform. This is Alex Rodriguez's World Series, and everyone else is just a bystander in the long-awaited arrival of baseball's greatest player on its grandest stage. The New York Yankees third baseman has been the center of attention since the regular season ended four weeks ago and the postseason began. And after A-Rod came through yet again in a crucial situation Sunday night, the Yankees now find themselves on the cusp of a World Series title. With a line-drive double to left in the ninth off Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge, Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run that paved the way for New York's 7-4 victory in Game 4. "There's no question, I've ..."

Defining moment for Rodriguez

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November 2

Washington Post

"They stared at each other across 60 feet 6 inches of dirt and grass, Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge and New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, and it was a toss-up as to which player needed something good to happen more. They are their respective teams' most tortured souls -- Lidge a once-great closer who this year suddenly lost his magic, Rodriguez a favorite of armchair psychiatrists everywhere. At the end of their confrontation, one man would sink deeper into his own abyss, while the other would take a huge step toward reclaiming his legacy. That huge step was taken, emphatically and dramatically, by Rodriguez -- who hit the double that broke the tie in the win that put ..."

A-Rod earning his elusive pinstripes

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November 2

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"It had to boil down to this, didn't it? That's always been Alex Rodriguez's rarest gift, the way the moment seeks him out, stalks him, finds him. That hasn't always been a good thing, but those moments all seem another lifetime ago. In these playoffs, in this year, there is nobody better equipped to seize them. And nobody the Yankees would rather see stepping to home plate. "He's the reason why we're sitting here and in Philadelphia right now," Johnny Damon would say later, after everyone could start breathing again. "Without him, who knows where our road may have stopped? He's been huge." Damon was the reason Rodriguez was standing at home plate in the top of the ninth inning, with 46,145 ..."

A-Rod leads home run barrage as New York Yankees pound Phillies in Game 3 of World Series

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November 1

New York Daily News

"Just call them the Broad Street Bombers. The Yankees invaded the hostile environment of Citizens Bank Park and took back home-field advantage in the World Series, handing the Phillies an 8-5 loss in Game 3 last night to leave them two wins from their first championship since 2000. Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui all homered for the Yankees, although it took an instant-replay reversal for A-Rod's shot to count. Andy Pettitte delivered a workmanlike performance, giving up four runs over six innings for the win. Pettitte also helped himself with his bat, singling in the tying run in the fifth inning as part of a three-run rally that gave the Yankees the lead for good. Joba ..."

Upon further review, A-Rod comes through

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November 1

New York Post

columnist Kevin Kernan

"Never forget that Alex Rodriguez loves being the cen taur of attention. The man knows what to do with the spotlight, and the camera. Though A-Rod continues on his path of a mythical postseason, Phillies slugger Ryan Howard continues to be horsemeat. If this keeps going along the same way, the World Series will be over in five games as Jimmy Rollins predicted. Only J-Roll will have had his money on the wrong horse. It's the Yankees, not the Phillies, who are on pace for a five-game victory after their 8-5 win last night at Citizens Bank Park to go up 2-1 in the Series. And now that we all know what kind of paintings A-Rod loves to place over his bed -- the mythical centaur, half-man and ..."

Yanks grab momentum

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November 1

New York Post

columnist Joel Sherman

"For three innings last night, the Yankees got into the Halloween spirit by coming to Game 3 of the World Series as the Kansas City Royals. They appeared jittery and unnerved performing in a Citizens Bank Park that was an inferno of noise. Andy Pettitte, in his record-extending 39th career playoff start, was pitching defensively without his signature cutter. Alex Rodriguez looked unglued at third and Nick Swisher did a Bobby Abreu imitation by refusing to approach the wall on a potentially catchable ball that became a Pedro Feliz double. Meanwhile, Cole Hamels navigated once around the Yankees lineup looking like the guy who won the World Series MVP last year. At that moment, it would have ..."

Yankees get 3 HRs to take 2-1 Series lead

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November 1

New York Post

"Mr. Cool and the Excitable Boy helped carry the Yankees to within two victories of winning the World Series. Andy Pettitte's intense focus allowed him to bounce back from a shaky beginning, and lively Nick Swisher's return from a one-game benching provided the muscle in an 8-5 Game 3 Yankees win over the Phillies in front of 46,061 fans at Citizens Bank Park. The victory gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 Series that resumes tonight when CC Sabathia, on three days' rest, faces Joe Blanton in Game 4. Game 5 is set for tomorrow night. The start of the game was delayed for 80 minutes by rain. Then Pettitte put the Yankees in a 3-0 ditch by allowing three runs in the second inning. ..."

Rodriguez calm despite 0-fer

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October 31

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"Derek Jeter remembers how different it all felt, even to him, even as a rookie, even as early in the game as it was for him in 1996. Jeter already had lived through four hard-fought division series games, and he had survived a five-game grudge match with the Orioles in the ALCS, back when the Orioles were every bit the blood-feud rivals the Red Sox soon became. But then came the Braves, and the World Series, and suddenly everything was different. "Everything was bigger," Jeter said. "Everything seemed louder, and brighter, and there were so many more people everywhere. It was just the World Series, I guess. Everything else was just preliminary. The World Series is just different. It takes ..."

Yanks, A-Rod must step it up

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October 30

New York Post

coulmnist Joel Sherman

"Alex Rodriguez was so mesmerizing in the first two rounds of the playoffs that he distracted attention away from just how unimpressive the rest of the Yankees lineup was. He hit so forcefully and dramatically that it was possible to believe the rest of the lineup could play chorus to his genius. He was breaking out, so who cared if just about everyone else was breaking down. But what the World Series is revealing is that the chorus better be ready to do more than stand in the background. Rodriguez has turned back the clock to his previous Yankees Octobers during the first two games of the Fall Classic. He has plummeted from stand out to struck out. Philadelphia pitchers have not worked ..."

A-Rod not bothered by 0-fers

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October 30

New York Post

"When it's 12 or 15 or 20 at-bats, maybe then Alex Rodriguez will worry about it. But not through two games. And not through eight at-bats. After Alex Rodriguez's blistering ALDS and ALCS, the Yankees slugger has been not just cooled off but basically frozen through the first two games of the World Series. A-Rod went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 1, then went 0-for-4 with three more strikeouts last night in the Yankees' 3-1 Game 2 win over the Phillies. He struck out just five times combined in the first two rounds. "It's eight at-bats -- I'm not concerned at all," he said after last night stinker. "Guys picked me up today, we're 1-1. There's a lot of baseball left.""

Lee dumps ice on A-Rod hot streak

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October 29

New York Post

"Alex Rodriguez has been talking about how he's trying to keep it simple, and he chuckled when asked about that last night. "I did keep it simple today," Rodriguez said after suffering through easily his worst postseason game this October. "[Cliff Lee] kept it even more simple." The scorching Rodriguez was extinguished last night, the Phillies' superb left-hander harnessed A-Rod in the Yankees' 6-1 World Series Game 1 loss. Rodriguez went 0-for-4 (his first hitless game this postseason) and struck out three times. That's the first time in the playoffs this year that he's fanned more than once in a game. A-Rod had been brilliant this postseason, and he entered last night having hit in all ..."

What 'A' change

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October 28

New York Post

columnist Kevin Kernan

"In the end it wasn't about home runs, Madonna, Kate Hudson or anything else. It was about trust. Along the way, Alex Rodriguez learned to trust himself on and off the field, and that has made all the difference. "The biggest difference for me is to be able to trust all my teammates," Rodriguez said on the eve of his first World Series, "to know that if they walk me, more likely than not, I'm going to score a run." He has scored 10 of them so far in the postseason, the most on the club. If he keeps scoring runs, the Yankees will beat the Phillies to win their 27th World Championship. "My dream has always been to win a championship and help bring a championship back to the Steinbrenner ..."

Alex Rodriguez a long way from steroid mess

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October 28

New York Daily News

"Alex Rodriguez sat at a table in the Great Hall at Yankee Stadium Tuesday, microphones and cameras trying to record his every word, breath and movement as he prepared for his first World Series. But as he looked at the table, which was covered by a white fabric, A-Rod couldn't help thinking about another press conference he participated in more than eight months ago. "Sitting here reminds me of being in spring training with my press conference," Rodriguez said, referring to the Feb. 17 gathering under the big tent at Steinbrenner Field in which he detailed his use of performance-enhancing drugs. "Having all my teammates in the organization sit behind me, literally sit right there when a ..."

Alex Rodriguez and Phillies' Ryan Howard turn playoffs into their own personal showcases

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October 28

New York Daily News

"By the time Ryan Howard was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round in June 2001, Alex Rodriguez was two months into his record $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, already a bona fide star withÂ several playoff trips under his belt with the Mariners. When the lefty-hitting Howard made his major league debut at home against the Braves three years later - Sept. 1, 2004 - it was an inauspicious outing. Pinch-hitting for pitcher Vicente Padilla, Howard struck out looking against Jaret Wright. Rodriguez was by then five months into his debut season in pinstripes, the star Yankee third baseman on a team littered with All-Stars. A-Rod already had one MVP award (2003), and was en ..."

Worst, best of times for Rodriguez

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October 28

Camden Courier-Post

"His season began with a steroid admission and hip surgery. He wasn't in the Opening Day lineup for the first time in 14 years. No All-Star Game for the first time in 10 years. This seemed to be the worst of Alex Rodriguez. It might become the best for Alex Rodriguez. No longer haunted by the ghosts of playoffs past, Rodriguez is once again the best hitter in baseball. He's been worth the hype. Worth the money. Worth the wait. "I will say that in other postseasons I failed, and sometimes failed miserably," Rodriguez said. "It certainly feels good to come through for my team and help the team win." CC Sabathia was the American League Championship Series MVP, but there has been no more ..."

The truth is, Alex Rodriguez has not been set free

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October 27

Miami Herald

columnist Dan Le Batard

"At the bottom, soaked in a shame and scorn that was international, the best athlete in South Florida's history said something that might have gotten lost in all the noise. Maybe America was too busy laughing and yelling and ridiculing to absorb it between the dramatic pauses and apologies, questioning his sincerity even during the most revealing cheating confessional in the long history of our most historic game. But Alex Rodriguez draped his story in foreshadowing this spring when he promised, in words as old and eternal as the Bible, that ``the truth shall set you free.'' Truth is, he always has cared too much. About being liked. About being accepted. About us, and what we think of him. ..."

After steroid scandal and surgery, A-Rod faced rock bottom to turn in peak performance for Yankees

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October 27

New York Daily News

"While CC Sabathia was named MVP following Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, Alex Rodriguez was bestowed perhaps an even greater honor late Sunday night. Asked about A-Rod's performance this postseason, Jorge Posada stood in the middle of the Yankees' clubhouse, smiled as the celebration went on around him, and said: "After going through surgery, and after going through all the tough times, he proved himself. Now he doesn't have to prove anything. He's the best player in baseball." Rodriguez's ALCS numbers were worthy of MVP consideration. He hit .429 (9-for-21) with two doubles, three homers and six RBI. He also walked eight times, with three intentional passes, all of ..."

OK, world, get ready for a real Fall Classic

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October 27

New York Post

"You can understand why many precincts in Queens will ignore a World Series between the Phillies and Yankees, and why a sizeable amount of Indians fans might not want to indulge in a Game 1 featuring their last two aces, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia. But the rest of you, America, this is your World Series: 1. Because Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez will be playing anything you can do, I can hit farther. They have been voted most likely to be pitched around in the Fall Classic. Their October stats are Little League outrageous, and now they have the biggest stage in small parks. It could be two-city Home Run Derby. 2. Because -- forgive me, Cleveland -- the last two AL Cy Young winners are ..."

The truth is, Alex Rodriguez has not been set free

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October 26

Miami Herald

columnist Dan Le Batard

"At the bottom, soaked in a shame and scorn that was international, the best athlete in South Florida's history said something that might have gotten lost in all the noise. Maybe America was too busy laughing and yelling and ridiculing to absorb it between the dramatic pauses and apologies, questioning his sincerity even during the most revealing cheating confessional in the long history of our most historic game. But Alex Rodriguez draped his story in foreshadowing this spring when he promised, in words as old and eternal as the Bible, that ``the truth shall set you free.'' Truth is, he always has cared too much. About being liked. About being accepted. About us, and what we think of him. ..."

Monkey now off A-Rod's back after finally reaching first World Series

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October 26

New York Daily News

columnist John Harper

"Soaked from head to toe with champagne, Alex Rodriguez retreated from the madness in the clubhouse for just a moment and found Mark Teixeira toweling off in a back room as well. They both had the same thought in mind. "We made it," A-Rod said. They both came to the Yankees for this, for the chance to play in the World Series, but surely A-Rod had more appreciation for the moment after all of his trials and tribulations since coming over in 2004. Finally, A-Rod is going to the World Series, and going in a manner he probably never even allowed himself to dream after his past failures in October. He carried the Yankees there with his bat, on fire right to the end of this ALCS, going 2-for-2 ..."

A-Rod doing it all this October

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October 26

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"Maybe for his next trick, in the World Series, Alex Rodriguez can throw a couple of innings of relief, too. Maybe he can make a few pitching changes, hit a few pregame fungos, pitch some batting practice, moonlight as the bullpen catcher. Maybe he can line the field, water the infield, cut the grass. Maybe he can spell Ken Rosenthal as the Fox sideline reporter for a few innings, share an inning of play-by-play with John Sterling in the radio booth, help George King out by running a few quotes, gab about it for a couple of hours every day on talk radio. Maybe then he can prove just how valuable he's been this October. For now, he will have to settle for a pending date with the World ..."

The truth is, Alex Rodriguez has not been set free

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October 25

Miami Herald

columnist Dan Le Batard

"At the bottom, soaked in a shame and scorn that was international, the best athlete in South Florida's history said something that might have gotten lost in all the noise. Maybe America was too busy laughing and yelling and ridiculing to absorb it between the dramatic pauses and apologies, questioning his sincerity even during the most revealing cheating confessional in the long history of our most historic game. But Alex Rodriguez draped his story in foreshadowing this spring when he promised, in words as old and eternal as the Bible, that ``the truth shall set you free.'' Truth is, he always has cared too much. About being liked. About being accepted. About us, and what we think of him. ..."

Girardi stands by decision to sub A-Rod

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October 24

New York Post

"Imagine this: Extra innings of Game 5 in the ALCS, tie game, and Alex Rodriguez's spot in the lineup is due up. But instead of the slugging All-Star A-Rod stepping to the plate, it's light-hitting speedster Freddy Guzman. Had the Yankees managed to tie Thursday night's game in the ninth inning, manager Joe Girardi might have encountered just such a disaster. Down 7-6 in the ninth, Angels closer Brian Fuentes issued a two-out, intentional walk to Rodriguez. Girardi wanted to ensure the Yankees would score on an extra-base hit, so he sent in the speedy Guzman to pinch-run for Rodriguez -- focusing on the immediate dilemma at the expense of a future crisis. It was a decision the manager ..."

Angels closer Fuentes: I wanted to pitch to A-Rod

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October 23

L.A. Daily News

"Nobody seemed to second-guess the Angels' move to put the tying run on base in the ninth inning. After all, that tying run was in the form of the hottest hitter of the playoffs in Alex Rodriguez. Angels reliever Brian Fuentes, of all people, should have applauded manager Mike Scioscia's decision to walk Rodriguez. It wasn't that long ago that he was burned by the boyfriend of actress Kate Hudson. Fuentes had other ideas, though. Did he really want to face Rodriguez? "I did," Fuentes said. "I felt I could be careful with him and pitch around and try to get him to chase a bad pitch.""

Five years after collapse, A-Rod one win from leading New York Yankees to World Series

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October 22

New York Daily News

"SOMEHOW, five years from when Alex Rodriguez was one win away from his first World Series, when it was his first year in New York and he was that close and the Yankees were that close, here he is again. It is different this time, of course, partly because it didn't happen that time, because it wasn't as easy as we all thought it was going to be for him at Yankee Stadium. It is different this time because for these two weeks in October of 2009, Rodriguez hits the way Bernard King did for the Knicks in the old days, when every night in the playoffs he went for 50 a game, when you started to believe he was never going to miss. You want a baseball comparison? All of a sudden he is the Yankee ..."

Steriod use mars A-Rod's success

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October 22

Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Baseball's autumn tournament seems to be about the redemption of Alex Rodriguez. He has gone from playoff choker to clutch performer. Pariah to messiah. The way all these Yankees are changing their pinstripes, it's a good thing October belongs to Reggie Jackson in perpetuity or somebody would make A-Rod the man of the month. Some transformations are easily explained. CC Sabathia lost the reputation he had in Cleveland for letting the big moments get the better of him. That's because the Indians never scored runs for him in the playoffs the way the Yankees have. Other turnarounds take a little more convincing. Rodriguez had it all except the ring: the biggest contract; a future so bright ..."

Playing like the big kid

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October 22

Toronto Sun

columnist Bob Elliot

"Remember the tall kid at the Little League park? The talented one who looked like he belonged on another diamond playing with an older age group? The dominant slugger who hit the ball over the fence and glided around the bases smugly? That's Alex Rodriguez. It is his league, his post-season and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are playing in it. The Angels, like the Minnesota Twins, are trying to get someone from the commissioner's office to check his birth certificate. He had a night like the big kids on the sandlots have on Tuesday, when the New York Yankees beat the Angels 10-1 in Game 4 to move within a win of the World Series. Rodriguez walked and stole a base, singled, ..."