The first hurricane of the season is blowing into Florida -- and his name is Alex! Thank you Mark Didtler of the Associated Press.
Yes, the press conference to end all press conferences is Tuesday. And it's not just a New York story -- it's a national one. There are 105 seats set up in the big tent at Steinbrenner Field.
They need 250 seats and they'd be better off if this was a circus, not a spring-training facility.
It's all about Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees, who admitted recently to using performance-enhancing drugs while playing in Texas from 2001 to 2003.
Here's my suggestion to A-Rod and his team of publicists, advisers, agents and friends: Don't lie!
A-Rod can minimize the damage in the court of public opinion by being conciliatory and contrite. Admit your mistake, Alex. Ask for forgiveness. Don't get adversarial with these journalists. You won't win.
There is a huge buzz here in Tampa. This will dwarf the press conferences which were held on these same grounds by Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte.
And remember this -- the expectations are low. No one thinks A-Rod will do well. Everyone thinks he is going to mess up. So if he comes off even half-decent, the day will be a rousing success for the best player in baseball.
I have been here for all of nine hours. And no one has talked about anything but A-Rod.
Only in Tampa. Only with the Yankees.
