Yankees News: Joe Girardi says it will be amazing when A-Rod ties Willie Mays

Although it seems destined that the New York Yankees as an organization choose to ignore Alex Rodriguez‘s 660th home run, which will tie him with Willie Mays for fourth all-time, manager Joe Girardi has seemingly sided with his player over his bosses:

"It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.  Six hundred sixty home runs, man.  That’s a lot of home runs.  And obviously you hope it comes tomorrow and you hope there’s a couple of guys on when he hits it.  That’s what you hope for.  But he’s been a big part of our offense this first month and we need it to continue.  You think of a guy that really hasn’t played a lot in two years and is 39 1/2.  You’re not sure what you’re going to get.  Two hip surgeries.  Obviously he’s been a great player for a long time.  You get to that age and what he’s been through, you’re not sure what you’re going to get.  I felt good about what I saw in Spring Training and expected it to carry over and it has.  But I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect because of what he had been through."

While Girardi has taken plenty of heat from fans since he took over for Joe Torre, he has always shown that he will stand by his players, and now he has shown a willingness to do so even when it involves his bosses. 

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Girardi surely won’t say that the Yankees should pay A-Rod, but he feels that the home run a milestone, steroids or not.  Rodriguez has been one of the Yankees best hitters, and he is still capable of putting fans in seats.

While the Yankees won’t make what they could have if steroids weren’t an issue, they still have surely profited some of the home run chase.  Rodriguez is one of the only players in sports that mostly every fan has a strong opinion of, whether they love or hate him.

Steroids were a part of baseball, and when the Yankees signed the marketing contract, they knew that most players had suspicion.  While Rodriguez had yet to admit past usage, Jose Canseco did implicate him in his book Vindicated, the followup to the infamous Juiced.

Whether the Yankees acknowledge it or not, Rodriguez’s next home run will be a milestone simply because the record books will always have his name above that of Mays.

Alex Rodriguez was given a day off on Tuesday, and will likely make his next appearance on Wednesday at 1:05 pm, which is ironically the last game the Yankees play at home before going on a seven game road trip. Can Alex do it at home? We’ll have to wait and see.

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