ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — Several first-time attendees were on hand for Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, but only Alex Rodriguez had his relationship with the Yankees deteriorate to the point where he wondered if he would ever be welcomed to the annual celebration.
“I was actually surprised that I got an invitation,” Rodríguez said during a press conference alongside other members of the Yankees’ 2009 championship team, which was commemorated on its 15th anniversary. “Honored. Very happy.”
Rodriguez spoke sitting between Derek Jeter and A.J. Burnett on a dais. Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi, the 2009 team’s manager, were seated on the ends. They shared memories of the 2009 club, the last one to win a World Series for the franchise. They offered their thoughts on Aaron Judge and winning. Jeter cracked a few jokes.
They all wore Yankees home jerseys. For Rodríguez, that was especially noteworthy: The last time he donned the pinstripes was on August 12, 2016 — the day of his last game as a major leaguer.
“He wears it at home all the time,” Jeter quipped.
Said Rodriguez: “I’ve been back broadcasting for FOX and some of my work with ESPN, but I think just back in the fold with the uniform on, I think is pretty unique. And it’s my first time back and I’m excited to be back. I’m very proud of my time in New York and I’m very proud to be part of a champion team. So, happy to be back.”
Now the question is whether the Yankees will one day honor Rodriguez with a plaque at Monument Park.
“I’ve thought about it,” said Rodriguez, who turned 49 last month. “I would love to be in, but obviously that’s not my decision. But I honor everything about the New York Yankees, and it would be an honor.”
In a vacuum, Rodriguez’s production in New York warrants a spot. His Yankees tenure, which began in 2004, included two AL MVP Awards, seven All-Star nods, 351 home runs, and that 2009 title over 12 seasons. He collected his 3,000th career hit and passed Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list as a Yankee.
The tenure, however, is just as remembered for its off-the-field drama. Among the lowlights: He admitted in 2009 to taking steroids over a three-year period while with the Texas Rangers and in 2013 was levied a 211-game suspension. for his ties to the Biogenesis clinic. He served the ban, which was reduced to 162 games, for the entire 2014 season.
In June 2013, general manager Brian Cashman, when informed that Rodriguez had announced he was ready to return from hip surgery, told a reporter, “Alex should just shut the f– up.” Rodriguez filed three separate lawsuits that involved the Yankees, Major League Baseball, commissioner Bud Selig, and the MLB Players Association. All three were dropped before he returned to the team in 2015 upon serving his suspension.
Rodriguez’s standing with the organization was illustrated five years after his retirement: While the Yankees have waited an extended period to give a retired star’s number to another player — if it’s ever passed on at all — the Yankees waited just four seasons before giving Rodriguez’s No. 13 to Joey Gallo in 2021. Jazz Chisholm, acquired last month, now wears the number.
On Saturday, all that was forgotten. More than eight years since hearing his name announced in the Bronx, Rodríguez was introduced to cheers for Saturday’s pregame ceremony. Former teammates cited Rodriguez’s performance during the 2009 postseason, after having previous October struggles haunt him, as essential for their championship run.
Rodriguez, back in pinstripes, soaked it all in.
“It’s my first time back in a long time,” Rodriguez said. “I love being a Yankee. It’s a great family.”
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has offensive help on the way with a freshman receiver who just might make a difference against No. 9 Texas on Saturday.
Dallas Wilson is practicing for the first time since injuring his left foot in training camp and is scheduled to make his collegiate debut against the Longhorns, coach Billy Napier said Monday.
Napier called Wilson’s availability “a big deal.”
“Three good days of work last week, and I thought he handled the load well,” Napier said. “He feels really good. So far, so good.”
Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 213-pound newcomer from Tampa, was the star of Florida’s spring game in April. He caught 10 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, and all indications in fall practice pointed to it not being a fluke.
But Wilson injured his foot late in camp, spent weeks in a protective boot and watched from afar as the Gators (1-3, 0-1 SEC) struggled to move the ball and find the end zone. Florida scored 16, 10 and 7 points, respectively, in consecutive losses to South Florida, LSU and Miami, raising speculation about Napier’s future in Gainesville.
Quarterback DJ Lagway has been the focus of the team’s offensive woes. The sophomore who went 6-1 as a starter last season missed most of the year dealing with injuries and looked rusty when the season began.
Although Lagway’s mechanics seemed improved in the team’s 26-7 setback at Miami on Sept. 20, his offensive line got manhandled and allowed way too much pressure for anyone to notice. Lagway completed 12 of 23 passes for 61 yards against the Hurricanes.
Napier used the off week to get Lagway more live-action reps in hopes of getting him “caught up.” But he also reiterated the need to “play better around him.”
“Each position group needs to step up,” Napier said. “More detail, eliminate errors, eliminate penalties, whatever the case may be. I just think more detail and better overall play around him. And, obviously, he needs to continue to get back closer to being himself.”
Dallas Wilson has been unable to help — until now. The Gators are confident he will change the narrative against the No. 1 scoring defense in the SEC.
“Just having him out is going to be amazing for us,” Lagway said. “His ability to go deep, his ability to make plays underneath and be able to make miraculous plays with the ball in his hands, it’s going to be great to have him back.”
SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said Monday that he would consider leaving ESPN to run for the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama.
The 70-year-old Finebaum said during a recent interview with Outkick that he’d run as a Republican to fill the seat vacated by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who has said he’ll run for Alabama governor in the 2026 elections. Tuberville’s current Senate term ends in 2027.
The qualifying deadline to run for Senate is Jan. 26, 2026. Finebaum said he would likely have to leave his hosting and analyst duties if he decided to run. He told Outkick he’d make a decision within the next 30-45 days.
Finebaum said he hadn’t seriously considered politics, but the assassination of Charlie Kirk was the impetus to give a run at politics further thought. He noted that he had received a “text” from “one or two people in Washington” gauging his interest in politics.
“[It was] something I never thought about before,” Finebaum told Outkick.
Finebaum is currently registered as a Republican in North Carolina, where he works for the SEC Network. He told Outkick he recently moved to Alabama, where he hosted a radio show for years, and would re-register there.
Finebaum hosted radio shows in Alabama for almost 30 years before joining ESPN and the SEC Network. He started his media career as a newspaper writer and columnist.
“Alabama has always been the place I’ve felt the most welcome, that I’ve cared the most about the people,” he said. “I’ve spoken to people from Alabama for 35 years, and I feel there is a connection that is hard to explain.”
Bobby Petrino has fired three defensive assistants just one day after being named interim head coach at Arkansas as part of an overhaul of the Razorbacks’ coaching staff.
Petrino dismissed defensive coordinator Travis Williams, defensive line coach Deke Adams and defensive assistant Marcus Woodson in the latest moves after being appointed interim coach for the rest of the season to replace Sam Pittman, who was fired Sunday following five-plus seasons as Arkansas’ head coach.
“I just felt like how we performed on Saturday gave me an indication that maybe Sam had lost the team a little bit because they generally had played really hard for him throughout his tenure,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said of the move, which came on the heels of a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame.
Petrino, 64, returned to Arkansas in 2023 as offensive coordinator after serving in a number of jobs. In four years as the Razorbacks’ head coach, he went 34-17, including consecutive seasons with double-digit victories in 2010 and 2011.
“Coach Petrino, as we met yesterday, he accepted this opportunity with the understanding that he also wanted an opportunity to formally be a candidate for our head coaching position, and he will have that opportunity, but we’ll also subsequently run a search for our next head coach at the same time,” Yurachek said.
Pittman’s dismissal, Petrino’s temporary promotion and the defensive assistant dismissals weren’t the only changes. Chris Wilson was named the team’s interim defensive coordinator.
Petrino had high praise for Wilson, who was in his first year with the Razorbacks as an assistant defensive line coach.
“My experience [with Wilson] goes way back to having to battle against him when he had all the great defensive linemen at Mississippi State,” Petrino said. “Very, very impressed with what he’s done throughout his career. Guy’s got a Super Bowl ring. He brings a lot of credibility into the room.”
Several defensive players posted cryptic messages on social media following the firing of Williams, who had served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2023. Yurachek and Petrino encouraged players to welcome change amid a 2-3 start to the season.
“The No. 1 thing is, you have to get used to change. You know, your whole life there’s going to be change. So how we handle that, our attitude on how we handle that, will determine how quickly we improve,” Petrino said.
Petrino was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in April 2012 that left him with four broken ribs. At first, he said he was riding alone, but a police report revealed a woman was riding with him. The woman turned out to be a former Arkansas athlete who was in a romantic relationship with the married Petrino. The coach had given her a job in the football program and a $20,000 gift.
Petrino was fired by then-athletic director Jeff Long for misleading his bosses about what happened with the accident and his relationship with the football staffer.
Pittman, 63, went 32-34 with the Razorbacks.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.