A-Rod, The Aftermath

The Yankees' first full-squad workout will begin within the hour, and on the surface it'll be one of those classic scenes. The sky here in Tampa is blue, they're watering the infield, the crazy Yankee fans are milling about outside Steinbrenner Field, and Alex Rodriguez is no doubt feeling much as he did yesterday - wistful.

"The last 15 months have been very, very tough," Rodriguez said yesterday during his news conference, in which he addressed his use of performance-enhancing drugs. "I've been through a divorce. I've been through tabloids, you name it. I miss playing baseball, and I miss simply being a baseball player. I think this is a tremendous opportunity for me to look in the mirror and be a better teammate to my guys over there."

The most carefully watched "guy over there" would be shortstop Derek Jeter, whose complicated relationship with the man who plays all of 30 feet to his right in the field is well-documented.

Jeter is due to speak with the media for the first time this spring after this morning's workout. The Yankees' captain is known for never making a public mis-step, but his words - however bland they are - carry weight in the New York media and in the Yankee clubhouse.

"I can't believe the stuff he needs to deal with," outfielder Johnny Damon told me this morning. "I know I couldn't do it."

Time at Yankee spring training is marked differently than it is in the real world. Yesterday, it was "an hour till A-Rod." Previously, it was "a day before Teixeira" or "Sabathia - now!" So as the sun shines down here, we wait for Derek Jeter to offer his thoughts, regardless of their vanilla-ness, on one Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez.

By Barry Svrluga |  February 18, 2009; 10:05 AM ET
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