Update: Yankees haven’t given A-Rod permission to skip Astros series

by 24 Comments

An agenda for the final four games of 2013
Girardi says he's "absolutely" considering letting Rivera play center field

3:58pm: Both Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi have shot down the report. A-Rod does not have permission to skip the Houston trip and will apparently be with the team for the final series of the year this weekend.

2:52pm: Via NYDN: The Yankees have given Alex Rodriguez permission to skip this weekend’s series with the Astros in Houston so he and his legal team can prepare for his upcoming appeals hearing. The hearing is scheduled to start on Monday and is expected to last several sessions. A ruling may not come down until November or December. The Yankees were eliminated from postseason contention last night, so these last four games don’t mean anything. Tonight will be A-Rod’s final game of the year and, possibly, his career.

An agenda for the final four games of 2013
Girardi says he's "absolutely" considering letting Rivera play center field
  • Gonzo

    That last sentence was weird to read.

    • forensic

      Weird, and sucky.

  • forensic

    That’s just the cover story. The real reason is that he’s going to start his campaign to be named the successor to Selig.

    https://twitter.com/NYDNSportsITeam/status/383286387765563393

  • Coolerking101

    Good thing. A-Rod will need at least a day or two to memorize his side of events that have been prepared by his counsel. He will then spend hours taking part in recorded, mock cross-examinations. Afterwards, he will then sit in a room for hours with testimony experts as they watch the video of the mock cross-examination and discuss how he can appear to be “more convincing.” Welcome to the rich man’s legal system.

    • Jerome S.

      …dude.

      • the dude

        what?

  • Robinson Tilapia

    ….or, as we like to call it, a head start on 2015.

    • I’m One

      Or, the Yankees holding the door open for Alex as he leaves and saying “And don’t come back!”.

  • Dale Mohorcic

    Shouldn’t they make him play so that he can be as unprepared as possible?

  • David Brown

    The probability that this will be the end of Alex Rodriguez’s career will be the same as me going out with Ali Landry ( wishful thinking). I am predicting Rodriguez will get 50 Games at most, and we will be stuck with this moron until 2017 ( unless the Organization decides to bite the bullet and release him first).

  • Vern Sneaker

    I can’t stand A-Rod BUT for 2014 he’s better than Nunez or Reynolds or — God forbid! — Nix, or anyone else we’ll probably come up with.(Jeter’s just a DH, everyone says.) So I’m rooting for 50 games and trying not to cough my cookies.

    • entonces

      Don’t look now but last nite the Yankee lineup had two hitters with BA’s of .260 or better. The Whipping Boy also known as E. Nunez was one of them.

      • vicki

        if you can’t do better than batting average (and citing a .260 ba as a positive, no less) you should maybe just refrain from discussing baseball.

        • forensic

          Well, to be fair, it’s not like there are a lot of high walk guys on the team that he’s selectively eliminating that way.

          AL league average OBP is .321 and the Yankees only have two active players above that (A-Rod and Cano) and one player tied with that (Granderson). Even Soriano with his historic run and only counting his Yankee time is still below that.

          They actually have more players above the AL league average BA (.256) than OBP (Cano, Ichiro, Nunez above and Soriano tied).

          • vicki

            there are many reasons our guys will be working on their short games this october. you’ve referred some of them.

  • Captain

    man the NYDN just trolled the baseball blogging/media world:

    UPDATE: General manager Brian Cashman denied the New York Daily News report linked below, calling it “not accurate” and telling Andy McCullough of the Newark Star Ledger that Rodriguez has not asked to skip the final road trip.

    UPDATE #2: Joe Girardi also chimed in, saying he expects Rodriguez to be in Houston because “he does not have permission to not be there.”

  • EndlessJose

    A-Rod is 39 with two bad knees and can’t stay healthy.He is not our best option third. Reynolds is a average defense guys who can he 20 homeruns in this park.

    Getting a Hunter Pence or McCann would be perfect.They both will be hitting more homeruns in tis park and bring in youthful energy.

  • Tyrone Sharpton

    Here’s hoping Girardi let him pitch the 8th to set up Mo.