Amid swirling rumors of Alex Rodriguez's plot to deem himself medically unable to play and retiring before Major League Baseball can suspend him for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug peddling scandal, the Yankees' third baseman seems truly eager to play.
In an interview with USA Today A-Rod said, "I know people think I'm nuts. I know most people wouldn't want the confrontation. Most people would say, 'Get me out of here. Trade me. Do anything. But I'm the [expletive] crazy man who goes, 'I want to compete. I want to stay in New York. I refuse to quit. Maybe it's stupidity, I don't know, but I'm wired to compete and give my best. I have a responsibility to be ready to play as soon as I can."
While most fans around the league, and even a vocal segment of fans who root for the Yankees revile Rodriguez, he looms as a necessary piece for a struggling offense getting next to nothing out of their third basemen. He also represents something lacking from the lineup entirely-right-handed power. The Yankees top hitters this year, Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner and Travis Hafner are all left-handed, leaving New York vulnerable to power outages against lefty pitching.
A-Rod has insisted that the vitriol hurled his way hasn't affected his desire to don the Pinstripes and atone for his past failures, including last postseason when he couldn't buy a hit and was benched several times.
"You hear all of the doubters," he said, "and that just fuels me. They don't know me. I'm not giving up. I never will. I'm not wired that way."
Rodriguez also discussed his battle to recover from hip surgery. "This is the hardest fight I've ever had. There have been days, like, 'Holy [expletive], how am I going to get through this day?' But you keep getting after it, keep pushing."
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