NOV. 5, 2011
THIRD BASEMAN STUNS
BASEBALL WORLD BY RETIRING
TWO CONSECUTIVE 40-PLUS HR SEASONS NOT ENOUGH TO EASE DAILY GRIND
BOSTON - DON'T FEIGN SURPRISE IN 2012 IF THE "B" ON THE HATS OF RED SOX PLAYERS IS REPLACED BY "?"
AS IN WHO WILL REPLACE FUTURE HALL-OF-FAMER ALEX RODRIGUEZ, WHO ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT FOUR DAYS AFTER THE ANGELS TOPPED THE DODGERS FOUR GAMES TO THREE IN THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE NAIL-BITING WORLD SERIES THAT HAS RE-ENERGIZED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.
"IT SIMPLY WAS TIME," SAID THE 36-YEAR-OLD RODRIGUEZ, WHO BYPASSES THE REMAINING SIX YEARS OF A CONTRACT THAT WOULD END UP PAYING HIM A WHOPPING $140 MILLION. "I LOVED IT HERE IN BOSTON - AS I KNEW I WOULD - DESPITE COMING OVER FROM THOSE 'DREADED' YANKEES."
IN THE 2010 MLB FANTASY DRAFT, THE RED SOX BECAME WIDELY KNOWN AS THE BOSTON YANKEES AFTER PICKING EX-NEW YORKERS RODRIGUEZ, DEREK JETER, MARIANO RIVERA AND JORGE POSADA WEITH FOUR OF ITS FIRST FIVE PICKS.
FORMER GENERAL MANAGER TED ESPINOSA SAID AT THE TIME, "IT JUST WORKED OUT THAT WAY - WE DRAFTED THE BEST AVAILABLE PLAYERS AT KEY POSITIONS. IT JUST SO HAPPENED THEY WERE YANKEES.
BUT AROD WAS THE ONLY REMAINING DRAFT CHOICE AFTER THE OTHERS WERE DEALT IN 2010.
BOSTON USED AN 18-11 RECORD IN AUGUST TO SPRINGBOARD THEMSELVES BACK INTO CONTENTION FOR THE 2011 AL EAST CROWN, BUT A MID-SEPTEMBER SWOON FOUND BOSTON RELEGATED TO LAST PLACE.
"MOST PLAYERS WILL TELL YOU THAT THE DAILY GRIND CAN GET TO YOU MENTALLY AS WELL AS PHYSICALLY," AROD SAID. "IT'S MY TIME TO GO A NEW DIRECTION."
RODRIGUEZ WOULD GIVE NO CLUES AS TO HIS FUTURE PLANS - AND WAS GIVEN A STANDING OVATION BY THE PRESS AS HE LEFT THE PODIUM.
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