Rodriguez out of spotlight
NEW YORK -- The first question of his second season on the premises was about Seattle and what it was like there when a man named Johnson took the ball on Opening Day. "It was electric," Alex Rodriguez said last night, as he and his pinstriped teammates prepared to take on the Red Sox inside a sodden Yankee Stadium with the whole country watching, just as it was last October.
The difference between then and now, between the last Opening Day and this one, is that A-Rod was a lesser story line this time. There was the Evil Empire and the Rebel Alliance (or are the Yankees the rebels now?). There was David Wells, wearing carmine hose, coming back to the Bronx. And there was Randy Johnson, loping through the home clubhouse and trying not to bump his head on the ceiling.
"I think he'll love New York," Rodriguez said before going 2 for 6 with an RBI in the Yankees' 9-2 victory. "He's here by choice. That's why all of us are here. He's in a great situation, and he's lucky to be with a franchise like this."
In the old days, when Joe DiMaggio played, the Good Lord made you a Yankee. Now, George Steinbrenner handles the arrangements, and he brought in Johnson for the same reason that he brought in Rodriguez -- to help put rings back on fingers that have expected to wear them since Babe Ruth built this house with his own lumber.
There were times last summer when Rodriguez wondered about the choice he'd made, when expectation seemed to squeeze him by both shoulders. The squeeze began on Opening Day, when there was but one story line and it was A-Rod. Would he be worth the money? Could he become a Yankee?
Now, those questions are being posed about Johnson and Rodriguez is just another veteran with a modest gathering around his cubicle. "Much different," he said. "It's a lot more relaxed. I know what to expect now. It feels good to be one of the guys."
Yet Rodriguez never will be merely one of the guys here and there are 25 million reasons why. "He makes a lot of money, and he's certainly one of the most talented players in the game," said New York manager Joe Torre. "It's tough for him to be anonymous, just like it's tough for the Big Unit to walk down the street in Manhattan without being noticed."
Rodriguez has achieved too much elsewhere and was paid too much to come here to ever be considered just another veteran. "He's a special athlete," said Torre. "We admired him from across the field. It's tough for him to sort of blend in with the woodwork."
Johnson will appear only every fifth day. Rodriguez mans third every day and bats second behind captain Derek Jeter. He may have hit .348 in spring training, but his numbers read the same as everyone else's before last night's game -- .000, 0, 0. If they aren't reading a whole lot higher by the time spring turns to summer, eight million people will want to know why.
Rodriguez understood what the deal was when he signed, the same deal Johnson undertakes. "I'm right there with him," A-Rod said, while Johnson was pulling on his stockings. The biggest Opening Day of his career, Rodriguez said, was last year's. "Just because of my situation," he said.
Last night, it was Johnson's situation (he allowed one run in six innings) and Rodriguez was just as happy to concede the spotlight. "It's a great relief," he admitted. "It gives me an opportunity to do what I do and let everyone else worry about collecting Ws."
One reason Rodriguez came here, besides the implied promise of the ring that has been part of this franchise for eight decades, was that there would be others to share the squeeze.
"A-Rod's been with other ballclubs where his level was up here," Torre said, elevating his hand, "and everybody else's level was down here. But he came into this clubhouse and he looked everyone in the eye. He can fit in with this group, but it's tough for him to hide from everyone else."
It became easier in this town yesterday when a lefthander who's considerably above eye level loped in from the home bullpen and took the ball. Alex Rodriguez was happy to talk all about him.
