PHOENIX (AP) -Mike Borzello, the former Yankees bullpen catcher who kidded pal Alex Rodriguez by tagging him “A-Fraud,” believes A-Rod eventually will overcome the backlash caused by his admission that he used banned substances.
“This is a very forgiving country,” Borzello said Monday. “He’s going to find that out. I know Alex is going to overcome this situation and prove to everybody that while we all make mistakes, it’s what you do after that and what you learn from those mistakes that make you who you are and what you’re going to be.
“And he’s going to achieve that.”
Borzello, who’s working for Joe Torre again as the Dodgers’ bullpen catcher, thinks Rodriguez will be able to deal with what figures to be a tough time for the Yankees slugger.
“Of course, it’s going to be difficult. But he’s resilient and he’s taken on a lot of stuff over the years and he’s going to overcome,” Borzello told The Associated Press at the Dodgers’ spring camp. “He’s tougher than people think. He’s going to prove to people how good he is.”
iting the “A-Fraud” nickname as an example. That was included in the book about Torre’s experiences with the Yankees and perceived by some as having a negative connotation.
“I guess I was surprised at the way it was taken,” Borzello said “Alex is one of my closest friends in the game and he’s also a great sport in the clubhouse, with the status he has as a player, allowing himself to be teased at times, all in good nature.
“He thinks that it’s good for the team that he allows himself to laughed at in certain situations and be one of the guys. And he’s obviously one of, if not, the biggest superstar in the game. If you can joke with him, I think everyone feels like you can joke with anybody.”
Borzello said he was unaware of Rodriguez using any banned substances before Sports Illustrated’s Feb. 7 report. Rodriguez said he stopped using them in 2003, before he joined the Yankees.
Rodriguez has the natural talent and work ethic to be the best without needing to use any performance-enhancing drugs, Borzello said.
“I still think that no matter what anyone wants to think, or some people try to explain the thought process of the fans, this guy’s the best player in the game,” he said. “His peers say it.”
He added that everything Rodriguez does obviously is magnified.
‘ Borzello said. “You have a lot of responsibility and I don’t know if anyone can live up to all those responsibilities that come with being today’s megastar.”
Borzello said his opinion of Rodriguez remains the same despite the revelations: “It’s not something that has weighed on the way I feel about him as a friend, a person – or as a player.”
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