Jeter Says Teammates will Support Rodriguez

Derek Jeter, the Yankees’ captain, said Alex Rodriguez has the support of his teammates and defended his former manager, Joe Torre, for controversial statements in his new book, “The Yankee Years.”

On Wednesday, Jeter said the former bullpen catcher Mike Borzello, in a kidding manner with Rodriguez, sometimes called him A-Fraud, a nickname Torre discusses in the book. “I’ve never heard someone on the team say that,” Jeter said after working out at the team’s minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.

“Knowing Mr. Torre, he’s never going to intentionally try to hurt somebody,” Jeter said. “He’s like a second father to me. Everyone knows how close we are. He’s not going to intentionally go out and do harm to somebody. That’s not the kind of person he is.”

But Jeter acknowledged that the fallout from the book was unfortunate for the team. “The only thing that you’d like to see, going into spring training, is you’d like to see everyone talking about the excitement of the season and getting ready for the season,” he said. “That’s the unfortunate thing.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/sports/baseball/05sportsbriefs-JETERSAYSTEA_BRF.html