ALEX RODRIGUEZ OPTS OUT--CITES MARIANO, JORGE, & ANDY--AP, NY Times

DENVER (AP) -- "Alex Rodriguez opted out of his $252 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees on Sunday in what appears to be the end of his career with New York.

Rodriguez's decision, announced by agent Scott Boras during Game 4 of the World Series, makes him eligible to become a free agent.

• Boras said during a telephone interview Rodriguez made his choice because he was uncertain whether Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte would return to the Yankees.

• "Alex's decision was one based on not knowing what his closer, his catcher and one of his statured pitchers was going to do," Boras said. "He really didn't want to make any decisions until he knew what they were doing."

AP report, "Alex Rodriguez Opts Out of Contract with Yankees," 10/28/07, published in NY Times

• P.S. This is fine, and the team has jerked around Mariano and Jorge, they did even worse to Andy in 2003. Their planted stories of all the money they're "set" to offer them has of course not happened. A chilling thought noted by a commenter on Lohud Yankees Blog tonight about Arod:

• The Hank Aaron award for hitting excellence in the American League was awarded to Arod tonight. He chose not to show up for the honor. Yet he wasn't so busy that his agent couldn't give his opt-out announcement while the World Series game was still in progress? I'm telling you it's chilling.

Adds Selena Roberts from the NY Times:

• "Couldn’t A-Rod play shortstop for the Fenway fans? He is too disruptive a force for a cohesive team like the Red Sox to risk their inner peace on. It took him three years just to find a formula — or P.R. strategy — to make his Yankees teammates tolerate him.

A-Rod was known as “the cooler” in Texas for turning a hot team tepid with his presence."

• From Selena Roberts NY Times column, 10/29/07, "No Adornment Needed in Boston."

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