ST. PETERSBURG – The difference between a road opener at Tropicana Field and a home opener at Yankee Stadium is the difference between an Extra Value Meal and a seven-course meal.
However, Alex Rodriguez said he’d savor the cheeseburgers before digging in for the lobster.
With his much-anticipated debut in The Bronx slated for tomorrow afternoon, the new Yankees third baseman professed his current attention was on the team’s two-game set in St. Pete.
“The biggest temptation is to look forward to Thursday,” A-Rod said yesterday afternoon. “But we’ve got a pretty good pitcher we’re facing [Victor Zambrano], and we’ve got two games before Thursday.
“I’m just trying to stay in the present tense.”
Since the Yanks and Devil Rays already opened the season in Japan, last night’s and today’s games were expected to underwhelm. Yet A-Rod was channeling Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who once sang, “It makes much more sense to be living in the present tense.”
Rodriguez is a baseball historian well aware his first game at Yankee Stadium will turn into a timeless part of the sport’s lore. Still, his focus is on playing to his capabilities, no matter where the games are.
“My philosophy as a player my whole life is you get in trouble when you try to catch up . . . or hit a grand slam with nobody on base . . . try to do 162 [games] in one,” Rodriguez said. “You’re not going to do that.”
Rodriguez said he’s had more visitors and guests in the Tampa/St. Pete area than he’ll have in New York. Although born in the city, he was raised around Miami.
“Surprisingly, I’m from New York, but I don’t know a lot of people in New York,” he said half-jokingly.