Despite his side gig as a Yankees special advisor, new ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst Alex Rodriguez said he will remain fair and balanced _ and is available to Hal Steinbrenner "24/7."
A-Rod also referred to the Yankees' young players as "our" before catching himself in his attempt to separate his two jobs simultaneously working for the team and covering it.
Wasting no time addressing the issue in the broadcast booth Thursday afternoon, A-Rod said his work for the Yankees and ESPN shouldn't present a conflict.
In the first inning of Yankees-Twins, the Sunday Night Baseball crew that also includes Jessica Mendoza, Matt Vasgersian and Buster Olney, got right down to business. Vasgersian set up A-Rod with the burning question, asking about his presence in Yankees camp recently and his role with the team.
"I've been there since 2004 and this is my second year as a special advisor to Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman," Rodriguez said. "You know, my role is interesting. It's a big brother/mentor role to a lot of our _ a lot of the young players here with the Yankees. Gary Sanchez, for one, I took a special interest last year spending a little time, trying to mentor him a little bit, just some of my experiences, the ups, the downs, and my role will be exactly the same this year.
"My job, as I work here for ESPN, is to tell you the what and the why, same thing as Jessica (Mendoza)," Rodriguez said. "My job is to do it objectively and fairly."
"What if we're in Houston doing a Rangers-Astros game and Hal calls and says, 'I need to you talk to Gary Sanchez today?' " Vasgersian said.
"Any time Hal calls, I'm available 24/7."
A-Rod is no stranger to TV and being in an awkward position analyzing the same team that employs him. His work for Fox the last few years has been roundly praised. As usual, Rodriguez was polished and loose and insightful, all of the same qualities that make him attractive for the Yankees to keep around.
His maiden ESPN broadcast started with a big-picture look at new Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who A-Rod ironically replaced on Sunday Night Baseball:
"Everyone in New York wants to know if Aaron Boone is the right man to bring No. 28 _ championship back to New York City," Rodriguez said. "In order to do that, he's going to have to deal with his abundance of talent that Brian Cashman has curated, deal with the big two monuments in Stanton and Judge, and handle the New York media and spotlight every single day."
