Oh, Just Shut Up and Play

The good folks at Sports Frog have the best take:

"With Rodriguez, this cannot be written off to mere stupidity. He's no dummy. He's a savvy veteran who knows how this will play. There had been zero news. None whatsoever about the A-Rod/Jeter rift this season. Bernie Williams decided not to accept a minor-league contract and it has been manufactured into headline news for a week. Starved for news, you know the New York media is going to ask the obligatory question this time of year. But there was no need whatsoever to say anything but "No comment." It may not be easy, but Eddie Murray did it for years. On this one issue, at least, why not just clam up and play the game?

Because he cannot resist. Maybe he didn't want to say the part about lying. After all, he loves his squeaky-clean image. But the rest? Let there be no doubt that this was intentional. Not only does he love the camera, but this is a power move for him. Hey Derek, you're gonna freeze me out? This is how it's going to work this season."