DieBruderschaft.com

NEW YORK -- His tribute ended by a storm, Alex Rodriguez began his final game with the New York Yankees by hitting a run-scoring double in the first inning Friday night.Rodriguez drove a 96 mph fastball from Tampa Bays Chris Archer into the right-center field gap, scoring Brett Gardner from first base and ending an 0-for-11 slide.The 41-year-old Rodriguez clapped as he came out of the batters box and pumped both arms in triumph as he reached second base without a throw.Skies darkened just as his pregame ceremony began at Yankee Stadium. With Rodriguezs family on the field, public address announcer Paul Olden said: Alex, you spent 12 of your 22 seasons with the Yankees when a loud thunder crack shook the ballpark, as if ordered by a film director.Rain started to fall during a video message from Lou Piniella, Rodriguezs first big league manager, and the festivities ended awkwardly after 10 minutes when a downpour began. Ten minutes later, the clouds started to clear, somewhat symbolic of A-Rods time in New York, and a rainbow came out shortly before the first pitch.With the Bleacher Creatures chanting his name in the first inning during their roll call and the rest of the fans joining in, Rodriguez raised his cap toward them from the dugout. Fans gave him a 30-second ovation when he walked up to the plate in the bottom half.Rodriguez had slept late, ate his egg whites, stretched and took one final trip to the ballpark Stadium as a New York player.The last time I drive up Broadway and through Harlem and through the neighborhoods that have brought so much comfort to me, he said.Rodriguez received an ovation for about 30 seconds. Reggie Jackson accompanied his mom onto the field, and his daughters were escorted by former closer Mariano Rivera, who drew louder cheers than A-Rod. Yankees co-owner Jenny Steinbrenner Swindal presented a base signed by the team and controlling owner Hal Steinbrenner gave a framed No. 13 jersey when the downpour caused the group to hustle off the field.No farewell tour for A-Rod. The Yankees were letting him go in the middle of a season after one final home game.After sitting on the bench unused for much of the past month, Rodriguez was in the lineup as the designated hitter and batting third for his 2,784th and perhaps final regular-season game as a major league player in a career that started with Seattle in 1994, moved on to Texas in 2001 and then New York three years later.The Yankees distributed accolades from Core Four teammates Derek Jeter, Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, plus Robinson Cano and former manager Joe Torre. But the festivities seemed as much an exile as a celebration.Admitting to plenty of errors in a life that has included a drug suspension, a World Series title, a divorce, celebrity girlfriends, high-stakes poker games and what seemed to be as many photos on tabloid fronts as backs, he leaves without establishing his own era. He was a supporting actor in the Jeter-Rivera epoch, and when the stars left the cast he could not carry the show.Rodriguez has 696 home runs, fourth on the career list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714). But A-Rod is hitting .203 with nine home runs this year, and with the Yankees deciding last month to trade veterans and turn toward youth, there was no place on the field for ol Rodriguez, baseballs last remaining player who experienced a work stoppage.Steinbrenner told him on Aug. 3 the end was at hand, and Rodriguez said last Sunday he had accepted an offer to play one final home game and then become a team adviser through 2017, tasked with mentoring young players.I cant think of anyone else where this has kind of happened, where youve announced on a Sunday that a guy was going to be released on Friday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.Rodriguezs locker still had two photographs of himself with daughters Natasha and Ella and three more of the siblings together. There were six pair of baseball shoes, three black gloves and two caps, one for batting practice and the other for the game.But that stall was hours from being vacated.He entered in a 4-for-47 funk and started for just the third time in 19 games since July 22. His skills clearly had diminished; since turning 40 on July 27 last year, Rodriguez was hitting .203 (86 for 424) with 19 homers and 47 RBI.Girardi refused to play him in all three games at Fenway Park, his final road trip, and A-Rod admitted his relationship with the manager had been awkward and difficult of late. Girardi turned down Rodriguezs request to play third base in his finale.Yet, Rodriguez said he didnt feel the Yankees were giving him the brush off.With all my screw-ups and how badly I acted, the fact that Im walking out the door, Hal wants me as part of the family, thats hitting 800 home runs for me, Rodriguez said.New York will owe him $7,103,825 for the rest of this year and $20 million for next, the final season of his $275 million, 10-year contract. Having seen his lights go down on Broadway, is Miami 2017 in his future?He has not said he is retiring.Im going to need a long nap and recover and I want to see where life takes me, he said, but right now I think I value wearing this uniform, and for me the Yankees pinstripes is enough.Rodriguez made his debut at Fenway Park on July 8, 1994, at 18 the youngest position player to start a big league game since 1978. A-Rod began his final night with .295 batting average, 3,114 hits and his 2,085 RBI, second to Aarons 2,297 since RBI became an official statistic.With no more batting practice to take, he planned to watch the Yankees on television Sunday. But not Saturday,I may have a couple cocktails tonight, so I may not wake up by game time tomorrow, he said. Cheap Ecco Australia . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Cheap Ecco Shoes Australia .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. http://www.discounteccoaustralia.com/ . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Wholesale Ecco Australia For Sale . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Cheap Ecco Australia Fast Shipping . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. In the hours after Sunday nights presidential debate, professional athletes rushed to Twitter to denounce Republican nominee Donald Trumps crude illustration of a locker room. Wrote former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, I was in an NFL locker room for eight years, the very definition of the macho, alpha male environment youre so feebly trying to evoke to protect yourself, and not once did anyone approach your breathtaking depths of arrogant imbecility.Locker rooms have been the focus of much attention in the days since The Washington Post released a 2005 recording of Trump bragging about his behavior with women, including grabbing them by their genitals without their consent. In a statement posted several hours after the tape was released, Trump called his words locker room banter, and he echoed that sentiment Sunday night.I dont think you understood what was -- this was locker room talk, Trump said. Im not proud of it. I apologize to my family. I apologize to the American people. Certainly Im not proud of it. But this is locker room talk.It shouldnt be a surprise that Trump rushed to the safety of the locker room to excuse his words. For years players, coaches and media have excused?crude language, hate speech, immorality and even criminal acts in actual locker rooms as toughening-up exercises, harmless hazing or even team bonding.Even as the world around it evolves, the sports sphere is still very much a haven for antiquated ideas, misogynistic beliefs and over-the-top masculinity. By making the locker room a sort of mythologized space where men are free to shed the morality and humanity of the outside world, were, in essence, excusing that behavior.When the Miami Dolphins locker room was splintered by the Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin bullying scandal, former players came out in droves to mansplain how Incognitos actions were just a part of locker room culture. Incognito called his words and actions an indication of the teams closeness and brotherhood.In case youve forgotten, Incognito regularly hurled slurs and threats at Martin, texted with a teammate about rifle scopes that are perfect for shooting black people and directed racial slurs at the Dolphins assistant trainer, who was born in Japan.ddddddddddddThe Dolphins fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and head athletics trainer Kevin ONeill in the fallout after a workplace harassment report was released, but multiple sources reported that Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland told Martins agent that Martin couldve stopped the bullying and avoided disrupting the team had he simply punched Incognito. And that sentiment wasnt just expressed internally, plenty of players-turned-media agreed that Martin shouldve retaliated with his fists.Not surprisingly, the solve it with violence strategy doesnt always produce the best results. A couple of years after the Dolphins incident, Jets quarterback Geno Smith missed two months of football and, ultimately, lost the starting job after getting punched in the face by then-teammate IK Enemkpali. A five-million dollar guy playing the most important position on the field was on the bench because of locker room culture.The locker room, no matter how different it may be from a boardroom, a factory or a cubicle, is still a workplace. Of course, each workplace will have different standards for whats deemed socially acceptable; a bar will have different standards than a kindergarten classroom. But a workplace should always feel safe -- physically, mentally and emotionally -- for all employees. Trump felt secure seeking solace in the notion of a locker room because for years weve made excuses for actions that should be inexcusable in any venue, under the cover of a culture that should have been left behind years ago.Its the same sort of thinking that goes on when schools send girls home to change clothes because their legs, arms, shoulders, collarbones or chest are distracting to boys. Arguing that boys will be boys and they cant be expected to control themselves is as insulting as assuming that grown men are incapable of acting appropriately in a locker room.So while I understand athletes wanting to put distance between themselves and Trumps comments, they -- and we -- should be just as invested in making locker rooms a place people no longer go to hide. ' ' '