Projo Sports Blog

By Arthur Staple
Newsday

JUPITER, Fla. - Even when Alex Rodriguez tries to be positive, things seem to turn out wrong.

A-Rod paid Mets shortstop Jose Reyes a high compliment on Tuesday after the Dominican Republic's first exhibition game before the World Baseball Classic, but it unintentionally came off as a slight of at least one Yankees teammate and possibly even Derek Jeter, Rodriguez's old friend/nemesis.

"I wish he was leading off on our team, playing on our team," Rodriguez said of Reyes, who hustled to take an extra base in the fifth inning, then stole third and scored in the Dominican team's 10-1 win over the Marlins.

"That's fun to watch. Anytime you have that type of speed ... I mean, we have a guy in (Brett) Gardner that'll be fun. That's probably the most you can have, watching those guys run."

Rodriguez might have forgotten who plays shortstop for the Yankees, but he quickly remembered once his brief news conference was over. A Dominican team spokesman said the compliment of Reyes was not intended as a shot at Jeter, who has remained somewhat distant since A-Rod's steroid admission.

Besides the PR gaffe, Rodriguez has a hip problem. He will be examined on Wednesday in Vail, Colo., and is likely to skip the WBC.

The comment about Reyes was just the latest curiosity in the A-Rod sideshow. When the Dominican team assembled here Monday, the third baseman had a very public family moment with his former wife, Cynthia, and their two daughters.

On Tuesday, just after he praised Dominican teammate David Ortiz as "a true friend," Rodriguez seemed to show the disconnect between himself and Jeter by citing Reyes' hustle.

Reyes hopped around in pain after stealing third but stayed in the game, going 2-for-5 with two runs. He and the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez, the sport's elite shortstops, are on the Dominican team. Manager Felipe Alou had Reyes at short and Ramirez as the designated hitter.

"I'll tell you what, I'm jealous of those guys," A-Rod said. "They're talented, both those guys. I'm enormous fans of both of them. They're incredible kids, and baseball's very lucky to have them."

Rodriguez got a very warm ovation from the 3,611 announced fans, many of whom were waving Dominican flags. He hit cleanup and came up with two on and one out in the first against Marlins prospect Frankie De La Cruz, who struck him out.

A-Rod went 1-for-3, with an opposite-field double in the fifth off Ryan Tucker. He scored on a single by Ortiz.

During his short, bilingual news conference, A-Rod was asked in Spanish whether, in the next WBC in 2012 (if there is one), he'd play for the U.S. or the Dominican team. "I've got a lot of mangos on my plate," he said in Spanish, to some laughter.

He may have dropped one on Tuesday.

 Tags  Alex Rodriguez Derek Jeter Jose Reyes New York Yankees World Baseball Classic

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