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02/20/2008 7:18 PM ET
A-Rod sticking to same formula as 2007
Reigning MVP hopes accolades lead to success in postseason
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com





TAMPA, Fla. -- It was here that Alex Rodriguez's memorable 2007 season first took hold -- the Yankees' third baseman reported to camp with a new mental outlook and a stronger dedication to personal excellence.
A change in A-Rod was readily apparent, even from across the diamond at Legends Field. Former teammate Gary Sheffield confidently and correctly predicted that Rodriguez would terrorize American League pitchers all summer, even when his only basis could have been a clearer conscience and assorted batting practice hacks.

Returning to the Yankees after running away with another AL Most Valuable Player Award, Rodriguez is insistent that he won't change a thing in his formula for '08. Back-to-back MVPs on his mantel wouldn't be too bad, but A-Rod obviously covets some measure of postseason success the most.

"I've still got a lot of work to do," Rodriguez said. "Being part of a world championship team is my biggest goal. I get paid a lot of money and I understand my responsibilities. The last four years haven't been easy at times, and it's been very rewarding at times.

"For me, that's why I signed up for 10 more years, because I enjoy the challenge."

The next decade of Yankees baseball is Rodriguez's. Time will tell which players can form the club's chemistry down the road, but A-Rod stands alone as the only Yankee under contract past the 2011 season.

With expectations being astronomical, manager Joe Girardi said that he feels there is now a sense of urgency for Rodriguez to win a World Series title, even though he theoretically should have 10 more shots at it with the Yankees.

"Alex has talked about why he came to New York and what he wants to accomplish," Girardi said. "He's in great shape like he always is. I think he's very comfortable and he just wants to build off of last year."

Regardless of how Rodriguez found the mental clarity to power 54 home runs and drive in 156 runs, he assures one thing: He did it clean. Former Rangers teammates John Rocker and Jose Canseco have raised questions of performance-enhancing drug use in Rodriguez's past, but A-Rod said he took multiple random tests in '07 and passed them all.

Provided an opportunity to state his innocence, Rodriguez said he categorically denied ever using any kind of performance-enhancing drug. He's also hoping that baseball continues to get cleaner.

"The game is in a very non-trusting situation with our fans," Rodriguez said. "Some of the things that I've accomplished, people didn't think I could accomplish. My name has come up and it'll probably come up again.

"I think the game is making tremendous strides. If anyone is thinking of anything, when you see what Andy [Pettitte] and Roger [Clemens] have been dragged through, I think the point is well taken by everybody. The game is not in a good place yet, but with time, it's going to be perfect."

The Yankees could have showcased a drastically different roster this spring, some four months after falling to the Indians in an unremarkable AL Division Series. Rodriguez's anticipated departure would have been the most prominent change of a roster that reported largely unaltered this week.

But the Yankees' 2007 story is a tale of two seasons. Without A-Rod's hot April, the Yankees would have fallen even farther out of playoff contention, waiting until mid-summer for players like Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu to come around. New York wound up being baseball's best team in the second half when young talent like Joba Chamberlain and Shelley Duncan arrived on the scene.

"If you look at how we played the second half of the year, there was a new roster, with Joba and Duncan and some of the new kids," Rodriguez said. "I like the roster. It's a flexible roster and I think, with keeping our young pitching, we have a team that's ready to win now and in the future."

Speculated upon for months -- even taking center stage at a January book signing in Manhattan -- A-Rod's opt-out was a celebrated news event and provided a constant distraction from Spring Training on, as Derek Jeter said Wednesday.

Not only did the topic come up frequently during games at Yankee Stadium, but in every new road city the Yankees visited, hometown scribes would seek out Rodriguez for their own take.

"I don't really know how he did it," Jeter said. "The entire season, it seemed like every day there were more questions. That was the story. I'm sure it has to ease his mind not to have to answer those questions. Now, we don't have to answer those questions as well."

Girardi said that the extra attention lavished upon Rodriguez will continue no matter what.

"When you're as good as Alex, you're going to be scrutinized more," Girardi said. "People are always watching. When you're a great player, people never take their eyes off you. Everything that you do is under a microscope, and he's doing it at the highest level in New York."

While Rodriguez still retains Scott Boras as his baseball representative, he said that he has not spoken to the agent since the snafu. Rodriguez returned to the Yankees with a $275 million pact after contacting senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner personally.

The deal is one that does not include an opt-out, meaning that at least Rodriguez will be freed of that circus when the 2018 season rolls around. After four up-and-down seasons in New York, Rodriguez said that he is ready to embrace the reality of playing out the rest of his career wearing Yankees pinstripes.

"New York is a challenging place," Rodriguez said. "It's not easy to play here. I understand that. I enjoy the challenge and working hard through some of the lowest points in my career in New York. I struggled big time with my game and I've done some pretty good things.

"But at the end of the day, it's not about what I do, it's about what our team does. I want to be a big part and one of the leaders to help this team win a World Series."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.