Summary from our friends at WABC....
Alex Rodriguez said he was supposed to testify Friday at his grievance hearing, after MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was to testify Thursday. He said he “lost my mind” today after learning Selig would not testify.
His attorney said a decision will be made tonight as to whether his lawyers will return to the hearing tomorrow. It sounds like Rodriguez will not return unless Selig testifies, although Rodriguez said he is too “pissed” right now to make a decision.
He repeatedly denied in the 30 minute plus interview that he did anything wrong. "Did you do any PEDs?" No. Rodriguez denied many other allegations made against him in the past, including the report that he leaked names of other PED users to the media. He even claimed he never gave an autographed ball with his phone number on it to an attractive female fan during the 2012 playoffs.
"I feel like I should be there opening day. That is what I am working hard for.
When Rob Manfred, our COO, who is a very smart guy. he says to me in the courtroom 'this wasn't my decision, this was Bud Selig's decision.' I said, 'great, we are going to get him on Thursday, and I will speak on Friday, this is the way it should end.' and then we hear he’s not coming. I know you don’t like New York, but you got to come and face me. this is my whole life, my whole legacy. I’m part of history. so if you are going to try and destroy all of that, I’m saying no, you tell me why I should face one inning. because you are retiring next year. That’s not fair mike.
If i gave Bosh $5 million, he would say whatever i wanted to. ... and making a mockery not only of major league baseball and Yankees and me, and all of this could have been avoided. i reached out to Selig several times and said I will fly up to you in January, February, i will come see you at your house. we can have coffee, or brunch, in your house in Milwaukee or in a Starbucks. and anything you want to ask me, I will go without an attorney ... (Attorney friend told me) you should probably but take an attorney, I said I am not taking an attorney, I am going myself, man to man. And I made the same offer to rob Manfred. And they said we don't want to see you, we want to see you at the end.
if it wasn’t for my attorneys holding me back, I would have love to talk to my fan base, my daughters, my kids. ... there are a lot of people who don’t like me. I get it, mike I get it. people in the streets tell me I hate your guts, you are getting railroaded.
leaked players names -- That's laughable. Absolutely not. That’s disgusting.
PEDs -- No.
Obstruct a witness -- What does that mean ... When it’s not about the money mike, it’s always about the money. That’s what it’s about.
Yankees future – I’m taking one fight at a time. right now its baseball. ... I’ve played for the city of New York. I love the fans, I love the city. my girls grew up here. this will be part of my life for the next 50 years. This is the city. I have never gotten more love walking around this city. I thought people would be banging me over the head. I’ve never been welcomed
angry at the Yankees -- yeah. Yeah, I am. I do have a responsibility. I am the third baseman of the Yankees. My goal is to get back on board. I saw what the red sox did. There is no reason why we can’t do the same thing in 2014. And I think we can do that.
I don't think I am going back.
regret this morning -- i have no regrets. I did the right thing, and I did it again. the bottom line is I’ve worked for 20 years, I’ve dedicated more than half to baseball. whether you like me or not, what’s wrong is wrong. and the system is wrong. whether you are in federal court or state court or kangaroo court that we are in today, players need protection. if I appeal, the union has already told me that if i go on Friday and they think i lied, they can give me another hundred games. now I’m at 311. now I appeal that and I’m at 411. and that could go on for seven or eight years. how can a player, the next 18 years old years, be sufficient under that kind of system.
Think about what I’ve been through. If you are any one of the 13 players, with what I’ve been through, do you think anyone is going to fight major league baseball.
These guys are very powerful, they have unlimited resources. And today we found they have no recourse. Think about that combination.
The one question I would have for the fans of baseball. This has been a disgusting process, and I am more embarrassed than anyone to be on the front pages, in the news. This is the game I love more than everything. This is what I have my PHD in, baseball. ... This is what I do, I live it. If I had one more year at $12 million, would someone throw 211 games at me.
We've been there for 12 days and we haven’t heard one thing that is credible. We said open the transcripts for everyone.
I’m so pissed off at the system. I’ve been here every day, I’ve been respectful. I can’t believe that someone would have the courage to make a historical decision on my life, on my daughters life, I have to explain this to my daughters. And the guy who rob Manfred said it’s his decision and his decision only ... He doesn’t have the nerve to face me face to face.
I am going home to see my daughters.
I am so heated up right now and so pissed off that I cannot think straight right now. That’s why I have many lawyers. I’m going to reid smith, we are going to huddle up. and ultimately we will make the final decision.
100% i am ready for opening day. and for the first time in a long time i feel like i will have a full off season to prepare. ... there’s hope. I feel like we are going to come back and have a good year. and i feel like i am going to be right in the middle of it.
i was just in NJ celebrating Mariano Rivera. I have a lot of close friends on that team. and I think that’s the misconception. I love my manager, I have a great relationship with joe. great relationship with Jeter, very close with Texeiria. Pettitte and mo are leaving, the responsibility is on us to win a championship. very close in the clubhouse.
signed baseball controversy -- i never signed any baseball, no. I never saw a signed baseball. ... i did not. ... it’s sad we even have to talk about that. 20 years of my career i have never done that. in this day and age there are probably 27 cameras on the YES network. you cannot get away with that. not me, not a bat boy, not a manager, not a coach. no one can get away with that.
I put my head down and play baseball. I get too much attention as it is. I know there are a lot of people who don’t like me and a lot of people who are supporters. in an ironic way what happened over the last six months has been the best thing that has happened in my career. it has humanized me, people are coming to my defense, and people who have said, I hate your guts, what MLB is doing is flat out disgusting.
the most emotional day was the day i got hit and then the home run ...
i reached out to seven or eight owners that are friends. they basically all said the same things, my hands are tied, i cant help you. i tried to do this early on, i wanted to go meet somebody face to face. ... I think they wanted this big spectacle and they got it.
Selig relationship -- I know you don’t like New York. come to New York and face the music. ... He hates my guts. ... I don’t think they like big salaries. ... One hundred percent this is personal. I think this is about my legacy and i think this is about my legacy. he is trying to destroy me, and by the way he is retiring in 2014. and to put me on his big mantle on the way out, that’s a hell of a trophy.
testifying? -- I can’t make any decisions right now, I am way too hot. I am going to back with my lawyers and huddle up. and I will go back and make the final decision.
What happened today -- I exploded much worse than Paul O'Neill with any of his explosions with the coolers.
