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Hal Steinbrenner may consider honoring Alex Rodriguez in Monument Park

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner may consider honoring retiring slugger Alex Rodriguez in Monument Park.  
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Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner may consider honoring retiring slugger Alex Rodriguez in Monument Park, he said Monday.

When asked on ESPN Radio’s “The Michael Kay Show” if Rodriguez would receive a plaque out in centerfield next to the likes of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter, Steinbrenner wouldn’t rule it out.

“That is a bridge to cross when I come to it,” he said. “But he has done a lot for this organization and it hasn’t just been on the field. I’m talking about players way back, like [Robinson] Cano. He was a mentor, too. He has done a lot for this organization on the field, but also off the field that a lot of people don’t know about. He has been a great leader and he’s been a great mentor.”

The Yankees announced on Sunday that Rodriguez would play his final major-league game on Friday, and become a team adviser and instructor through Dec. 31, 2017. He will report directly to Steinbrenner.

Alex Rodriguez was a legend and it wasn't due to PEDs

Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season after he was found to be using performance-enhancing drugs in the Biogenisis scandal. There is, however, precedent for the team honoring a PED user such as Rodriguez; the Yankees gave Andy Pettitte, who admitted to HGH use, a plaque last season.

The 41-year-old enters his final week with 796 career home runs, which ranks fourth all-time. He is in his 12th season with the Yankees, and helped lead the team to a World Series title in 2009.

– Kenny Ducey