ttle bit. Whooda known? (Said like a cartoon character.)Colli

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez returned to the infield, hugged a reception line of teammates and was handed the final ball from his final game with the New York Yankees. He walked to the area behind third base, leaned down and grabbed a handful of dirt.Baseballs most notorious star of the last two decades then headed back to the dugout after a Yankee Stadium finale Friday night that included a pregame ceremony punctuated by thunder cracks and cut short by a downpour, a first-inning RBI double and a surprising ninth-inning return to third base.A sellout crowd of 46,459 gave him standing ovations and chanted his name, admiration and perhaps even affection coming out after more than a decade of trouble and tension.Ive given these fans a lot of headaches over the years and Ive disappointed a lot of people, he said after the 6-3 victory over Tampa Bay, his voice sounding hoarse over the public-address system in one of baseballs most unusual farewells. But like Ive always said, you dont have to be defined by your mistakes. How you come back matters, too, and thats what New Yorks all about.He will be cut Saturday by a Yankees team pivoting to youth. The 41-year-old designated hitter isnt sure whether he will play again.A-Rod drove a 96 mph fastball from Chris Archer into the right-center field gap in the first inning, ending an 0-for-11 slide. Rodriguez then grounded out, struck out and bounced out again on the first pitch in his last at-bat. The 1-for-4 night left him with a .200 average, nine homers and 31 RBI in his 12th and final Yankees season.With the sellout crowd of 46,459 chanting We want A-Rod! Yankees manager Joe Girardi sent him to third base for the first time in 15 months at the start of the ninth inning as the organist played Thanks for Memory.Rodriguez had criticized Girardi for benching him for most of the past month.If this is the last time he plays, Girardi said softly, pausing for 10 seconds and sniffling as his voice cracked and his eyes teared, I wanted it to be something he never forgot.Girardi offered to leave him in the field for two outs, but Rodriguez opted to leave after Mikie Mahtooks leadoff strikeout. Fans applauded, many of whom never warmed to a player who in 2009 admitted using performance-enhancing drugs, then served a yearlong drug suspension in 2014.Rodriguez raised his cap and an arm before walking into the dugout, sitting down and holding a white towel to his face as he tried to hold back tears.`With all that Ive been through, and for them to show up on a night like tonight and show me that type love is something that Ill never forget. It was overwhelming, he said during a news conference, perfectly coifed in a gray suit and silver necktie.Dark clouds rolled in from the northwest as his ceremony began. Rodriguezs family was on the field and public address announcer Paul Olden said: Alex, you spent 12 of your 22 seasons with the Yankees when a loud thunder crack shook the ballpark, as if ordered by a film director.Rain started to fall during a video message from Lou Piniella, Rodriguezs first big league manager, and the festivities ended awkwardly after 10 minutes when a downpour began.Ten minutes later, the clouds started to clear, symbolic of A-Rods time in New York, and a rainbow came out shortly before the first pitch.It was certainly like Biblical. Did you hear the thunder crackle? he said. You cant make that up. I guess we went out with a bang.With the Bleacher Creatures chanting his name during the traditional roll call and the rest of the fans joining in, Rodriguez raised his cap toward them from the dugout.Fans gave him a 30-second ovation when he walked up to the plate in the bottom half and stood and took photos and videos during his at-bats. Rodriguez clapped as he came out of the batters box and pumped both arms in triumph as he reached second base without a throw.Take it easy on the old man, Rodriguez told the 27-year-old Archer before the game.Starlin Castro had four RBI for the Yankees, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the sixth off Archer (6-16) that gave CC Sabathia (7-9) his second win since mid-June.Rodriguez had slept late, ate his egg whites, stretched and took one final trip to the ballpark as a New York player.The last time I drive up Broadway and through Harlem and through the neighborhoods that have brought so much comfort to me, he said.In a 4-for-47 funk, Rodriguez started for just the third time in 19 games, the 2,784th and perhaps final regular-season appearance in a career that started with Seattle in 1994, moved on to Texas in 2001 and then New York three years later. Admitting to plenty of errors in a life that has included the 2009 World Series title, a divorce, celebrity girlfriends, high-stakes poker games and what seemed to be as many photos on tabloid fronts as backs, he leaves without establishing his own era. Rodriguez was a supporting actor in the Derek Jeter-Mariano Rivera epoch, and when the stars left the cast he could not carry the show.He has 696 home runs, fourth on the career list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). But owner Hal Steinbrenner told him on Aug. 3 the end was at hand, and Rodriguez said last Sunday he had accepted an offer to play one final home game and then become a team adviser through 2017, tasked with mentoring young players.With all my screw-ups and how badly I acted, the fact that Im walking out the door, Hal wants me as part of the family, thats hitting 800 home runs for me, Rodriguez said.New York will owe him $7,103,825 for the rest of this year and $20 million for next, the final season of his $275 million, 10-year contract.Having seen his lights go down on Broadway, is Miami 2017 in his future?He has not said he is retiring.Im going to need a long nap and recover and I want to see where life takes me, he said, but right now I think I value wearing this uniform, and for me the Yankees pinstripes is enough.A 14-time All-Star and three-time AL MVP, A-Rod has a .295 batting average, 3,115 hits and his 2,086 RBI, second to Aarons 2,297 since RBI became an official statistic. Earlier this week in Boston, as A-Rod watched the offensive exploits of 23-year-old teammate Gary Sanchez, a realization dawned.I cant do that anymore, Rodriguez remembered telling him. And I was happy about it. Im at peace.UP NEXTRHP Masahiro Tanaka (8-4) starts Saturday for the Yankees, who hold a reunion of their 1996 champions, and RHP Matt Andriese (6-3) for the Rays. Damian Lillard Blazers Jersey . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Damian Lillard Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Clyde-Drexler-Blazers-Jersey/ .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Bill Walton Jersey . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Brandon Roy Jersey . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Its the final major of the year for caddies as well as players. The heat is the story in Round 1. It became so hot that the PGA of America ended up having to syringe some greens with water to keep them alive. Our guest caddie today is a smart aleck, which is one of the reasons I love the guy.Hes also honest, which is why youll love him. Enjoy!Collins: What was the toughest part of Round 1? Caddie: Keeping my mans palms dry (said a bit tongue in cheek because everyone in the caddie area was sweating profusely). Collins: On the PGA Tour heat scale, where does this rank? Caddie: Ive never been to Malaysia so I cant compare there but ... its (the PGA Championship) No. 1. The only other thing I can compare it to is Congressional (in 2012). Remember that year when we got that big giant storm, when Coop (caddie Don Cooper) went down (with heat stroke)? Its just as hot as that.Collins: What hole was the hardest to caddie? Caddie: Hmmm. There werent really any hard holes to caddie. No, wait. Maybe 9. Yeah, probably 9. Collins: What made it difficult? Caddie: Right pin on a right tee; I work for a guy who hits a draw. That was the hardest hole for me.Collins: There was zero wind today. Does that change how you caddie or approach the round? Caddie: No, I dont think so. Its still a major. Same mindset. Collins: The talk around the clubhouse was about this course giving up a 62 or 63 with no wind. Caddie: (Laughing like a madman) Thats pretty funny. Collins: Ill take that as a no chance.Collins: Whats the one thing on this golf course you must avoid at all costs? Caddie: The port-a-potties! Theyre way too hot. Collins: For golf shots? Caddie: The one thing you must avoid at all costs? I dont know if there is one, to tell you the truth. Miss on the right side, if youre out of position. Miss on the right side. Collins: So dont short-side yourself. Caddie: (Laughs) Yeah, easier said than done.Collins: Which was the toughest green on the coourse? Caddie: Theyre all hard to read for some reason.dddddddddddd They are hard to read. Collins: Why? Caddie: I think theres just a lot of subtleties. A lot of putts dont look like they (break) a lot, but youre trying to find something. Make sense? Youre trying to find something. Collins: Ive heard the rule of thumb is, since the clubhouse sits on top of the hill, everything breaks away from the clubhouse. That hold true? Caddie: For the most part, yes. Except, and I learned the hard way, except on the middle right pin on 15 if youre dead below it or dead behind it. Then its schneaky (yes, he pronounced it like that). It almost pulls back into the hill a little bit. Whooda known? (Said like a cartoon character.)Collins: Now that youve seen the golf course in major condition, what should people know about it? Caddie: That its long. Its long. (He fades off saying it again.) Maybe four of the toughest par-3s that we see all year long. Yeah, theres no letup on these par-3s. Collins: What makes them so tough? Caddie: I think distance and the size of the greens. Theres no letup. Its like every (par-3) is between 200 and 230 (yards). ... And theyre small greens! F---, (No.) 9 is tiny! (And) 16 is tiny! (And) 4s got a bunch of H2O in front of it! Theyre kinda spooky. (said with a high-pitched kids voice)Collins: Whats it like for the caddie to finish with two par-5s? Caddie: (Sarcastically) Not good for this one today! (He laughs hysterically. OK, so did I.) It means theres always a light at the end of the tunnel when theres two par-5s at the end. Its obviously different, but its pretty cool. Even though 17 isnt really hittable (in two). Anything can happen on 18, though, cant it? You could be 3 (shots) back and still get it done on 18, I would think. Or youre gonna have a mathematical chance at it. Its pretty cool. I enjoy it. ' ' '