Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner yesterday called DH and prior legal adversary Alex Rodriguez “a great asset” and praised his demeanor and work ethic on and off the field so far this season. Steinbrenner declined to discuss in detail Rodriguez’ $6M marketing bonus for tying Baseball HOFer Willie Mays for fourth all time in home runs, a sum GM Brian Cashman has previously said he believes the club no longer owes due to Rodriguez’ issues with PEDs. But Steinbrenner did say the club will fulfill all its confirmed responsibilities. He said, “If there’s any contractual obligations on our end, we’re going to meet them" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). In N.Y., Roger Rubin notes should Rodriguez "file a grievance -- he has until the end of the month to do so -- the matter will be decided in arbitration." Asked if he anticipated a conflict over the $6M, Steinbrenner replied, “We’ll see. As you can suspect, I don’t want to get into it too much” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/21). SI's Michael Rosenberg writes the "simple resolution to this debate" is for the Yankees to donate the $6M -- and any future home run bonuses -- "to charity." That way the Yankees "would pay what they owe, but they wouldn't have to pay Rodriguez." The team is the "most valuable in American sports, and Rodriguez has been paid more by teams than any athlete in American history." Rosenberg: "Why pay a bunch of lawyers to settle this dispute when you could actually use the money to help people?" (SI, 5/25 issue).
