Report: Yankees reject 'clear the air' meeting with Alex Rodriguez
As Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reported early Saturday, embattled Yankees star Alex Rodriguez took his "rehabilitation tour" directly to MLB headquarters on Wednesday for a "clear the air" meeting with new baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. Details of how that meeting played out were scarce at the time, but it immediately led to speculation about when a similar meeting might take place with New York Yankees executives.
Well, according to a New York Daily News report late Saturday night, A-Rod had taken that step with some urging from Manfred, but apparently that ship has already sailed. The Yankees not only rejected Rodriguez's request according to the report, they essentially slammed the door in his face, telling him it can wait until spring training.
The Yankees have answered Alex Rodriguez’s attempts to apologize for his season-long steroid suspension and the scorched-earth tactics he used to fight the ban with a Bronx cheer.
The disgraced superstar offered to meet face-to-face with team executives to apologize for his role in the Biogenesis scandal and clear the air before players report to Tampa next month, the Daily News has learned, but the Yankee brass declined the invitation, telling Rodriguez, “We’ll see you in spring training.”
Away we go.
Rodriguez, who's set to return from his year-long suspension when spring training opens in three weeks, cut a path of destruction so wide and so deep before accepting his ban that he had to realize some wounds wouldn't heal with one phone call or one extension of the olive branch. Perhaps it's an effort he should have made sooner. Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered given how deep the wounds are, but with such a short time left to clear the air, it's obvious those wounds will still be open in Tampa.
On the plus side for A-Rod, it appears he's made significant progress with Manfred thanks to a series of meetings that predated Wednesday's encounter.
Here's more from the Daily News:
The first face-to-face meeting, however, occurred about six months later when Rodriguez and Manfred met in late summer last year at MLB’s Park Avenue offices. About a week after his DEA confession, which was spurred by his agreement to cooperate with the U.S. Attorneys prosecuting Bosch and other Biogenesis defendants, Rodriguez also abandoned lawsuits against MLB, then-commissioner Bud Selig and the Players Association.
Rodriguez met Manfred again on Wednesday of last week. The meetings were at MLB’s offices and were attended by Manfred and other MLB executives.
According to a source, Manfred told Rodriguez in the final meeting that he will now have to deal with the Yankees. “You’re done here,” A-Rod was told regarding their meetings, according to the source. “You’re a Yankee and you have to work things out now with them.”
That's not a five-star endorsement, but it's obviously Manfred's way of telling Rodriguez he's heard all he needs to hear and he's ready to move on. That's a notable and perhaps even noble stance given their history. In fact, the Daily News story provides extensive details of the havoc A-Rod and his people created for Manfred not only behind closed doors, but even as he attempted to enjoy leisure time.
In one incident at a charity event at the Manhattan Woods Golf Club in Pearl River, N.Y., Manfred’s caddy was approached by an investigator allegedly working for Rodriguez demanding to know what Manfred had been discussing during his golf round.
Yeah, those are the lengths A-Rod and his team were willing to go to muddy the waters. Now we might find out the lengths he's willing and capable of going on his way to mend fences. It appears he has one hurdle behind him with the league. Now comes the battle with the Yankees, which could remain ugly. Then comes the battle he'll never win, and that's winning back the majority of baseball's fans. There are some who forgive and others who will forget, but not many willing to do both.
Lots of luck, Mr. Rodriguez.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
- - - - - - -
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
