Davidoff: A-Rod, the perfect man of controversy

BOSTON

Jeff Idelson, president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, showed up at Fenway Park. No truth to the rumor he was there to collect Alex Rodriguez's cleats for the new Dallas Braden exhibit.

A-Rod might be reformed, remade and rehabilitated, but the man can still step into you know what better than anyone alive, can't he?

Two days after A-Rod vowed "I really don't want to extend his 15 minutes," his nemesis Braden became the 19th pitcher in the game's modern-day history to throw a perfect game.

Of course he did.

"I've learned in my career that it's always much better to be recognized for some of the great things you do on the field, and good for him," A-Rod said in the Yankees' dugout Sunday. "He threw a perfect game and even better, he beat the Rays."

There are no grand lessons to be learned here. No lectures on humility, or the game's unwritten rules. Just a bow to A-Rod, the human perfect storm, and a laugh.

Seriously: When you get into a bizarre argument with a mediocre, 26-year-old pitcher from a small-market team, you'd think you're on pretty safe ground, right?

And you know that if some player had engaged Derek Jeter in a similar hullabaloo, that player would've been struck by lightning the next day.

Let's make clear: Rodriguez no longer exists as a divisive clubhouse presence. When he returned to the Yankees' active roster last May 8, having been humbled by both his confessions of illegal performance-enhancing drug use and major hip surgery, he vowed to stop caring about his legacy and just focus on wins. He backed up those words with his actions.

So as this "A-Rod running on Braden's mound" saga unfolded over these past few weeks, you noticed how many teammates backed up A-Rod. It marked a striking contrast to, say, the "Ha!" incident with Toronto's Howie Clark back in 2007.

Joe Girardi professed to have never heard of Braden's "code" interpretation. Jeter, who tolerates A-Rod much more nowadays, pointed out that Braden didn't bring his own mound from home. And CC Sabathia told The Bergen Record that Braden was "a clown."

Hence, as word spread Sunday of Braden's run at far more than 15 minutes, a palpable excitement rose in the Yankees' clubhouse. A handful of players (not including A-Rod) reported late to pregame stretching so that they could see Braden finish the accomplishment, and cheered it when it occurred.

They could cheer openly for a fellow player to do something great - against an American League East rival, as A-Rod noted - and not worry how it would be perceived by either A-Rod or the general public. Because they already proved they had A-Rod's back.

A.J. Burnett, last night's starting pitcher, laughed when he saw Braden hug his grandmother. "I love you, Grandma," Burnett shouted, to no one in particular, "but don't cross my mound, ba-bee!"

As it turned out, Braden's grandmother Peggy Lindsey, who helped raise the pitcher after his mother died, raised the stakes by telling reporters, "Stick it, A-Rod." Man, what a combative family!

In the game, A-Rod hit his first home run since April 20, ending a string of 61 homerless at-bats. You knew that he would go deep, after what transpired in Oakland. The only surprise was that he didn't break a rare vase or something while doing so.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, A-Rod. An all-time baseball player. Even better, an all-time, needle-moving, debate-causing phenomenon.