Alex Rodríguez: “I'll stay in New York, I was born here…”

There is no guarantee that Alex Rodriguez won't opt out of his contract in November, but he voiced his strongest statement yet on the subject.

Looking from the Yankees' dugout before a 6-4 loss to the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field, the game's hottest hitter was asked about his contract.

“I want to stay in New York, no matter what, I was born here and I love this city,” said Rodriguez, who can become a free agent following this season and leave $81 million behind in The Bronx.

Until yesterday, Rodriguez's stock answer to contract questions was, “I want to help the Yankees win a World Series in New York.”

Now, in the middle of possibly the hottest streak in baseball history, Rodriguez's love of New York, always strong, is at its zenith. Despite going 0-for-3 last night to snap his 23-game hitting streak, the way he has hit through 19 games, Rodriguez would probably love the North Pole.

“He is like the big kid in Little League,” said Jason Giambi, who from the on-deck circle has the best view of Rodriguez.

“Last year when it got ugly, I kept saying I loved New York,” said Rodriguez, whose 14 homers and 33 RBIs were tops in the majors, and his .400 average was tied for the top spot with Joe Mauer and Matt Holliday. “I kept saying it this winter. I love New York. It's the greatest place for me to play.”

When the Yankees' season ended in disappointment last year in Detroit in the first round, Yankees fans wanted Rodriguez as far away from The Bronx as he could get. He was the face of the Yankees' October blues, starting with Game 4 of the 2004 meltdown in the ALCS against the Red Sox and the following first-round outs the next two seasons.

Now, the same people who were calling for Rodriguez's scalp are begging him to stay. They know without his sizzling bat, the Yankees would likely be closer to 6-12 than the 8-10 they were last night.

Working for those who now want Rodriguez to stay is his wife, Cynthia Rodriguez, who is very high on Manhattan.

“My wife loves New York," Rodriguez said. "Our daughter [Natasha] is in music classes and [Cynthia] loves Central Park. She wants to be there for a long time.”

When Rodriguez was going bad last year everybody was booing from the beginning of the game. Everybody had a theory why Rodriguez “struggled” through a season in which he batted .290 with 35 homers and 121 runs. Still, Rodriguez insisted then New York was the place to play.

“I have always thought that, even when I was [horse spit],” Rodriguez said. “I have never been a guy who runs away from bad things.”

Now, the only running he is doing is toward the record book. It's five months away, but Rodriguez is on a pace to break Barry Bonds' single-season home-run record of 73.
“That's a much better question late in August,” said Rodriguez, who didn't scoff at the topic. “Right now, it's much too early.”

Joe Torre, who doesn't have a contract beyond this season, figures the Yankees would want Rodriguez back.

“Ability-wise, we would want him here,” Torre said. “I would like to think he would be back.”