The Beastie Boys just released an album titled “To The 5 Boroughs.” As far as Alex Rodriguez is concerned, that could be the subtitle for the Subway Series.
At his core, A-Rod is a baseball fan. As such, he realizes the next six games between the Yankees and Mets will mean a lot in the hearts and minds of New Yorkers.
“I know that for the fans, it’s a huge deal,” he said last night before the series opener was rained out and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader tomorrow. “It kind of celebrates baseball in NYC,” added A-Rod. “It’s first and foremost for the fans.
“And as players, we just want to go out and keep collecting victories.”
A-Rod’s acquisition by the Bombers no doubt rankled Mets fans everywhere, who took it as another perfect demonstration of George Steinbrenner’s out-of-control spending habits and the Yankees’ strong gravitational pull on the baseball universe. In that sense, there’s probably some dread over the next two weekends.
But consider this sidebar: Texas has vastly improved its club following the trade of its captain. The Rangers (40-29) led the AL West by one game entering their game last night against the Astros.
That said, the Yankees weren’t shafted in the deal. A-Rod appears perfectly comfortable in pinstripes and at his new spot at third base. Joe Torre has opined that he’s already become a Gold Glove-level defender.
Offensively, he’s nearly up to speed after an April slump. He’s homered three times in the last three games, following a poor series in Los Angeles with a power surge in Baltimore.
Taking up residence in the third spot in the order, A-Rod entered the series with a .290 average and team-highs in homers (19) and RBIs (46).
There was plenty of controversy during spring training about whether A-Rod and Derek Jeter could co-exist on the same team. But the teammates, who often joke around in the clubhouse and on the field, appear to have built a warm rapport.
Of course, A-Rod could’ve been a Met. After the 2000 season, he showed interest in his boyhood team. Rodriguez, a native New Yorker who moved to Florida as a child, recently told The Post about how he used to run around his house wearing a Mets cap and jersey.
A-Rod said Keith Hernandez was his favorite baseball player during his childhood, other than Cal Ripken Jr.