DETROIT -- Yankees GM Brian Cashman had a remarkable 14-minute meeting with the media this afternoon to talk a little about Derek Jeter's surgery and a lot about the continued benching of Alex Rodriguez, who is again out of tonight's lineup.
"We will go forward. Alex will go forward," Cashman said. "... When you're going through the tough times, it doesn't have to be the end all and be all. Opportunities will exist to continue to get back off that mat and get back in the ring and battle. And Alex is going to wait for that opportunity. Right now it looks like in theory we'll do that against left handed pitching, right now, in this particular time, in this particular moment.
"That doesn't mean that he's done; that he's finished; that he is not capable. He is still a big threat, but for whatever reason right now we are adjusting to what we are seeing."
There's plenty of reports out there that the Yankees understandably want out of A-Rod's contract. Cashman said "100 percent false" when asked if there's been any talk with the Miami Marlins, like ESPNNY.com is reporting.
Manager Joe Girardi was quick to defend A-Rod when YES Network play-by-play man Michael Kay pointedly asked him if A-Rod was a "shot player."
"I don't think he is a shot player," Girardi said. "I think he's a guy that's going through some struggles, similar to what Grandy has went through the last month and a half or whatever. And there's some things that you have to try to fix and get him going, and we'll continue to do that with both of them."
What does A-Rod think of all this?
"Bottom line is any time I'm in any lineup, I think that lineup is better and it has a better chance to win," he said before the game. "So, we'll disagree there today. And I like Joe [Girardi], I support Joe."
---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington
