On Bended Knee: A-Rod Asks for Forgiveness

With Derek Jeter and other Yankees by his side, on Tuesday in Tampa, Alex Rodriguez will admit his wrongs to the public and take the first step to heal the wounds he created in his fans' hearts.

A little over a week after Alex Rodriguez's was accused of and subsequently admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs while in Texas in 2001-2003, he will face a grand stage as he walks into his first day of spring training.

Since Day One, all Alex has wanted in life is to be accepted.  Abandoned by his father and raised by his single mom, life wasn't easy, but he made it work.

Baseball was his escape from the everyday grind of life and a breath of fresh air.

For 15 seasons, baseball fans have witnessed nothing but greatness from Alex Rodriguez, but we soon found out that some of his legacy is tarnished by a decision that I will never understand.

Peer Pressure?  Stupidity?

We all make mistakes, but we all don't admit to them, even after we are caught, and for that, I still respect my favorite player.

However, I am still hurt by this and crushed to the point of no return. But I am not going to sit back and let the player I have backed all these years slip away, no matter what happened.  I am going to support him and hope the rest of his career is full of memories that can help wash away the ones he created in Texas.

I wish I could be there to support him on Tuesday, but I can't make it down.  However, I will be attending a spring training game on February 28 against the Minnesota Twins.  I hope he hasn't departed already for the World Baseball Classic because I would like to have the chance to give him some support heading into the season.

I wasn't the only hurt by this, as the game of baseball was hurt by this, too.  Can the trust of the fans be regained? Only time will tell, but it will take a lot of dedication from baseball and its players to prove everyone that the game is clean again, will be just that from now on.

The good thing for Rodriguez is that he is surrounded by great teammates and staff who care about him and want him to succeed as the Yankees' third basemen.  They can't and don't want to win it all without him.

"He's not on an island, you know," said newly-acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira. "A lot of people think that this is going to tear the team apart. I think it's going to bring the team together. It's a family in here, and we're just going to be there for our friend."

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi, among other Yankees, will also be attending the Alex Rodriguez press conference at Steinbrenner Field.

"I think guys are just showing their support for Alex, how important he is for us, how important his life is to us," Girardi said. "When you spend this many days together, it's more than baseball.

"There's things that happen that you have to get through and get to the other side. Guys are just rallying behind Alex on their own; this is what they're choosing to do. I think it's a wonderful thing."

Tuesday is only the beginning to a very long season and another year (among many left) in Alex's career, but one thing is for sure—we haven't seen the last of an "A-Bomb from A-Rod."

Quotes from MLB.com