Yankees fans Bid A-Dieu to A-Rod
Alex Rodriguez didn't get a farewell tour, gifts or leaguewide admiration. Even Yankees fans were divided. Here's how some of them recall his controversial tenure in New York.
fter 12 tumultuous years in the Bronx, Alex Emmanuel Rodriguez played his final game in pinstripes on Friday, having helped slug the New York Yankees to one World Series title -- and helped whiff them out of eight other Octobers.
Along the way, A-Rod won two American League MVP Awards and was handed a historic 211-game ban from baseball for his role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal. In an appeals process that ultimately reduced his suspension to 162 games -- the entirety of the 2014 season -- his battle with Major League Baseball and the Yankees turned bitter.
Since then, he has worked to repair the damage with his team -- which now employs him as a special adviser after serving him with his unconditional release -- and with his team's fans, who seem to root for and revile him in equal measure.
With one final chance to say goodbye, ESPN.com spoke to fans on the night of A-Rod's Yankee Stadium farewell. Their words painted a picture of a love-hate relationship between the tainted but talented slugger and those who followed him, both on and off the field.
"I came here tonight because I've been an Alex Rodriguez fan since 1997, and I could not miss his final major league baseball game." -- Nicole Baade, Seattle
"A-Rod, he's just another player that will soon be forgotten. I think in a few years, he'll be forgotten. Won't even be talked about." -- Junior Pagan, New York
"A lot of the hate he gets he brought upon himself, but as a fan, I root for players that face adversity." -- Louis DiLullo, Providence, Rhode Island
"The way he's retiring is just ... it's sad because the guy had such a great career, and so many MVPs, and so many playoff appearances, I don't understand. Bringing in a new era is good, but you only have a little bit left of the season to finish out." -- Anthony Criscione, New York
"I was never really an A-Rod fan, to be honest. He's been with the team for 12 years, he's given us one championship for $300 million -- I figured he'd do a little bit more ... without all the drama." -- Brian Schaeffer, New York
"He's still a Yankee. A-Rod is A-Rod, There's only one like him, whether they say it's because of steroids, whatever the case may be, he still did his thing for the Bronx and the Yankees. I support him no matter what. He's a Bronx Bomber." -- Bee, New York
"I mean, hands down, he's one of our favorite players, and it's crazy that he's retiring tonight." -- Aidan Sheehan, also pictured Liam Sheehan, Middletown, New Jersey
"I hope he retires! He can't come back -- everybody would hate him if he came back. He needs to be done. He's made enough money." -- Nicole Santilli, Orlando
"I think it's really, like, for a Yankee fan, it's a typical love-hate relationship. He catapulted the Yankees into winning the World Series, and also he's been a Yankee for [12] years. How do you not accept what he's been to us?" -- David Rodriguez, New York
"I think A-Rod's great, I have nothing against the man; I think he's been unfairly singled out. I think he's fantastic." -- James "Jimmy" Cunniff, New York
"It's very heartbreaking seeing him retire now. I felt like he's still got more left in him. It almost feels like he's being forced to retire, but I'm one of his No. 1 fans and it's just really tough to see." -- Joel Carrasco, New York
"Honestly, his last game is something that I've looked forward to for a long time." -- David and Katie Finale, Carlstadt, New Jersey
"I feel like he should've played third baseman tonight. His last game ever, you're really not gonna let him play the field? It hurts, it hurts." -- Brian Anderson, New York
"I'm an A-Rod fan because he's part of the Yankees. But as an individual, I think he's a talented player, but I'm not an A-Rod fan, per se. Since he's gotten to the Yankees, the one ring in 2009 -- I had higher hopes for him." -- Alexis Pacheo, also pictured Daniel Pacheo and Felix Torres, New York
"He has, over the last two years, grown on me. And my guess is he'll end up in the Marlins organization at one point as a coach or part-owner or whatever, I kind of see him down there." -- Ellen Katz, Greenburgh, New York
"I don't know any Yankee fan who's ever come in here, over 16 years old, who said A-Rod was their favorite player." -- Michael Rendino, New York
"You get a lot of hate for being an A-Rod fan, I think, from just the last few years. But when you're a true A-Rod fan, you stick with him." -- Jordan Baade, Wahoo, Nebraska
"I'm very old-fashioned. I liked when Babe Ruth was doing everything on hot dogs and beer." -- Jason Polito, New York
