Being an Alex Rodriguez Apologist can be exhausting work.
He is baseball's preeminent goober, a title he's held for many years. As an A-Rod defender, I'm often tasked with rationalizing the various shenanigans the All-Star gets himself into.
This leads to me saying stuff like, "Listen bro, when you have a chance to bag Madonna in her post-menopausal, veiny-arm phase, you gotta do it!" and "Hey man, if someone presented me with a 10-foot mural of myself as half man, half beast, I'm hanging it in my foyer, too."
So when your idiot college buddy from Boston sends you an email with the subject heading: "Alex Rodriguez being handled by Gaylord," you kind of assume a lurid McGreevey-style affair is the next chapter in the A-Rod saga.
Not so, as it turns out. The link went to a bio of Rodriguez, whose marketing is now being handled by Steve Loy at Gaylord Sports Management.
Cameron Diaz, you needn't worry. Fellow A-Rod apologists, don't get too comfortable. Something else will come up soon enough.
On to the links ...
- The back end of the Yankees rotation remains a dank and murky place, which means a proven veteran like Kevin Millwood has value. The right-hander had his scheduled start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rained out Friday night; he'll now start the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. Millwood can opt out of his contract if he’s not in the big leagues by May 1.
- A Yonkers woman is suing the Yankees, claiming her uncle created the team's top hat logo but never got paid for his work. Good luck with that one, sweetheart.
- If Jim Leyland can get behind the idea of playoff expansion, so can I. The guy smokes cigarettes the way the rest us of us breathe air. He obviously knows something we don't.
- To all my fellow Donnie Baseball disciples, I stumbled across this MLB.com video of the Hitman giving a tour of his native Evansville. I've heard the story of the big tree that forced him to learn how to hit the ball to the opposite field a million times, and here you get to see it. Cool stuff.
- Speaking of iconic Yankee first basemen, here's Brandon C.'s great piece on Lou Gehrig from yesterday. I inadvertently buried it with my game preview and thread.
- If you're wondering where the five miles-per-hour went from Phil Hughes' fastball, I think it's time to ask Aroldis Chapman some hard questions. The Reds know this guy's arm is going to explode within 12 months, right?
- Happy birthday to Yankees fourth outfielder Andruw Jones, who turns 34 today. It's my birthday, too, but I didn't hit two home runs in the World Series when I was a teenager, so no one cares.
- Well, the Red Sox don't suck so much anymore. It was fun while it lasted.
- DVR alert: Apparently there's something called the National Geographic Channel, and apparently they're airing a special about the demolition of Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. Check your local listings. (I've always wanted to say that.)
Until next time, hang onto the roof ...
Dan Hanzus is a writer for Pinstripe Alley. He can be reached at dhanzus@gmail or on Twitter @danhanzus.