Is A-Rod in . . . The Best Shape of His Life?
A source close to Rodriguez told The News Wednesday that the former AL MVP has been working out “like a fiend,” hitting several days a week at the University of Miami among other places . . .“If anything, this is just making him more determined,” said the source, who saw A-Rod working out in Miami last weekend. “He just wants to prove everybody wrong.”
“This” being the latest furor we discussed this morning.
I still have no idea if a 39-year-old can play effectively after a year layoff. It’s possible he can’t. And it’s possible (probable) that this story is a function of people close to A-Rod trying to focus the story back to baseball on the day news hit about him. Which, heck, is an improvement over A-Rod’s past p.r. efforts, which were akin to dumping kerosene on a flame.
But I really do think that people’s heads will ‘asplode - maybe even literally -- if Rodriguez shows up to spring training in great shape and can actually be a useful ballplayer next year. I’m not sure anyone will know quite how to process it.