to win today and thats all that matters.-----CHILE 3-1 URUGUAYUruguay scored first against Chile, through South American qualifiers top goalscorer Edinson Cavani, at 16 minutes.But Chile, the Copa Ameri

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguezs time with the New York Yankees will be remembered for one World Series title, two MVP awards and countless controversies.And for him not being Derek Jeter.When Im amongst Yankee fans and the conversation turns to him, hes not held with great fondness, said Marty Appel, author of Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss.There was just something about the way he related to people over the years that fell short of a warm embrace, whether it was body language or dating celebrities, said Appel, a former Yankees media relations director and television producer. The rank-and-file lunch-box-carrying people just never really took to him.Perhaps the most talented and notorious player of his era, Rodriguez is set to play his final game for the Yankees on Friday night at home against Tampa Bay. New York plans to release A-Rod after the game, even though the team must pay him about $7 million for the rest of this season and $20 million more next year.I think its going to be a crazy, electric stadium. I think there will be plenty of applause and there will be plenty of boos because people love to hate him, said Bald Vinny Milano of the Yankee Stadium Bleacher Creatures, who became an A-Rod fan after meeting him at a charity event. There are always going to be Yankees fans who hate the guy, no matter what his on-field accomplishments were, no matter how great of a player he was on the field. Outside influences affect their opinion of the guy -- whether theyre right, wrong or indifferent. They attack his personality or his attitude. But if you look at baseball only, theres no way you cant say hes one of the best who ever played the game.Mariano Rivera got a sendoff tour, leaving the Yankee Stadium mound for the final time in tears when Jeter and Andy Pettitte removed him three years ago, setting off a thunderous 4-minute ovation.Jeter, like Rivera a five-time World Series champion, got another round-the-league farewell and hit a game-winning single versus Baltimore on his final swing at Yankee Stadium in September 2014, raising both arms in triumph.Mark Teixeira is still starting and will remain with the team until the end of the season after announcing this will be the final season.Rodriguez, usually Yin to Jeters Yang, has been told pretty much to hit the road quickly with his .203 average as the Yankees turn to youth. He is being given a position as an adviser to mentor prospects next year, and his goodbye takes place with an undertone of good riddance.My job description does not entail a farewell tour, manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday, explaining Rodriguezs disappearance from the lineup.A-Rod, who turned 41 last month, has hit .284 with 351 homers and 1,011 RBI for the Yankees, helping them win their 27th Series title in 2009 but often failing in other postseasons.But for some fans, he will never be in the same category as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Jeter.A-Rods career was tainted by his 2009 admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs while with Texas from 2001-03 and his season-long suspension in 2014 for violations of baseballs drug agreement and labor contract. Fans at ballparks on the road held up signs deriding him as A-Roid and Cheater.Before the World Series title, he was considered an automatic October out, his stature diminished by an 8-for-59 (.136) postseason funk from 2004-07 that included 18 consecutive hitless at-bats with runners in scoring position. And he leaves with just six postseason RBI in his last 79 at-bats.Still, he did hit .365 with six homers and 18 RBI in the 2009 postseason. He did have 13 consecutive seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBI, seven of those years with the Yankees. And 1,578 of his 3,114 hits and a majority of his 696 home runs have been for New York.He was on the field for spring training workouts at sunrise, the hardest worker on a team of professionals. He became a 14-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove shortstop and the 1996 AL batting champion. He trails only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in home runs, and his 2,084 RBI are second to Aarons 2,297 since RBI became an official statistic.But Rodriguez was never just about baseball.He made tabloid headlines for his divorce; dating Madonna, Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz and Torrie Wilson; for sunbathing shirtless in Central Park; walking through a Toronto hotel lobby with a blond stripper; participating in high-stakes celebrity poker games; selling his Miami house for $30 million; and living in a Manhattan condominium with tax abatement.There were the lawsuits, later dropped, against Major League Baseball; the Major League Baseball Players Association, Yankees head team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.Who brought more shame to the franchise? How many Yankee immortals sued the team doctor? The players association? Baseball itself? said broadcaster and baseball historian Keith Olbermann, whose family had Yankees season tickets from 1972-2012. Reggie (Jackson) got to three World Series in five seasons. Billy Martin? Seven in 15, right? Alexs era with the Yankees is one of the most barren in franchise history. There will be no reason for the fans to recall him fondly or even positively.Even before Rodriguez was dealt to the Yankees by Texas in February 2004, he often was in the center of a storm. His record $252 million, 10-year contract with the Rangers in December 2000 put A-Rod in a permanent spotlight. In the April 2001 issue of Esquire, he transformed from Jeters friend to frenemy.Jeters been blessed with great talent around him. Hes never had to lead, Rodriguez was quoted as saying. You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie (Williams) and (Paul) ONeill. You never say, `Dont let Derek beat you. Hes never your concern.Former manager Joe Torres 2009 book with Tom Verducci said some teammates referred to Rodriguez as A-Fraud and compared A-Rods supposed obsession with Jeter to the movie Single White Female. That same year, Details magazine ran a photo of Rodriguez kissing his reflection in a mirror. Always concerned about his appearance, Rodriguez always emerged from the showers fully clothed in the clubhouse at new Yankee Stadium, never wanting to be seen getting dressed.A-Rod famously was called out for interference when he swatted at Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyos glove and knocked the ball loose during the 2004 AL Championship Series, three months after Arroyo hit Rodriguez with a pitch, causing A-Rod and catcher Jason Varitek to spark a brawl.Rodriguezs decision to opt out of his $252 million contract became public during the final game of Bostons 2007 World Series victory. His record $275 million, 10-year deal to stay with the Yankees was finalized on the same day the Mitchell Report on drugs in baseball was released.With A-Rods body broken down from six trips to the disabled list since 2008 and his skills diminished, the Yankees have no use for him.In making his announcement last weekend, Rodriguez admitted hes been to hell and back, and made every mistake in the book.His place in history will be a permanent debate.If he had any kind of personal epiphany at the end it came, like any Shakespearean tragic hero, too late, Olbermann said. Macbeth was still a villain. This guy, too. Cheap Bulls Jerseys . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Chicago Bulls Pro Shop . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. https://www.cheapbulls.com/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Custom Chicago Bulls Jerseys . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Wholesale Bulls Jerseys .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. SAO PAULO -- The return of Lionel Messi to an under-pressure Argentina team has finally paid off.After a lackluster performance last week against Brazil last week, the five-time FIFA player of the year winner inspired a 3-0 victory over Colombia for the South American World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday. He scored the first with a breathtaking free kick, gave two assists, dribbled through Colombias defense several times and coordinated his teammates on the pitch.Argentina is now in fifth position with 19 points after 12 games, with six games to go. Colombia dropped to sixth with 18 points.The first four in South American qualifiers have automatic qualifying positions for the next World Cup and the fifth will be in an international playoff for a spot.The home victory eased some of the pressure on coach Edgardo Bauza, who received the dreaded vote of support from Argentinas football association during the week.In Santiago, Alexis Sanchez scored twice after returning from injury to give Chile a 3-1 win over Uruguay.Chile is now fourth, with 20 points, and Uruguay remained second with 23.Later on Tuesday leaders Brazil will play eighth place Peru.Elsewhere, third-placed Ecuador beat bottom-of-the -roup Venezuela 3-0 at home and now has 20 points. Venezuela was stuck on five.Ninth-placed Bolivia had a 1-0 victory over seventh place Paraguay and now has seven points. Paraguay is on 15.The 13th round of South American World Cup qualifiers will be played in March 2017.ARGENTINA 3-0 COLOMBIAMessi opened the score with a perfect free kick to the left of Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, on 9 minutes.Only 13 minutes later, Messi managed to dribble through the Colombian defense and cross to striker Lucas Pratto, a contentious choice by coach Bauza ahead of Juventus targetman Gonzalo Higuain.Argentina could have scored many more goals in the second half, with Messi still leading the efforts. The third only came at 83 minutes after the Barcelona star began a play with a backheel kick. Seconds later he stole the ball from aa Colombia defender, cut into the penalty area and put in a smooth low cross he found Angel Di Maria, who effortlessly scored.ddddddddddddColombias coach Jose Pekerman said his team clearly felt the absence of two key defenders: suspended Oscar Murillo and injured Yerry Mina.After the defeat against Brazil, Messi openly said he was disappointed with Argentinas performance, and used an expletive to say the team needed to improve to qualify for Russia 2018. On Tuesday he led by example rather than words, with an increased box-to-box awareness throughout the match. Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero barely had to move during the entire match.We found our game style, Romero said after the match. It was key to win today and thats all that matters.-----CHILE 3-1 URUGUAYUruguay scored first against Chile, through South American qualifiers top goalscorer Edinson Cavani, at 16 minutes.But Chile, the Copa America champions, responded to pull one of their best wins in the tournament so far. That was largely thanks to a superb performance by Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez, who returned from injury, scored a brace and is now just one goal short of Marcelo Salas as the top goalscorer ever for La Roja.The beginning of the turnaround began with striker Eduardo Vargas nodding a cross from the left to level the score in the dying moments of the first half. At 60 minutes Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera failed to save a powerful shot by Sanchez from the edge of the box. At 75, Sanchez scored again, in a smooth finish in front of Muslera.Uruguay had a chance to make it 3-2, but Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo stopped a penalty taken by striker Luis Suarez.Chile and Uruguay will each carry a major problem for their next match in South American qualifiers, which could be critical to both. Chile will not have midfielder Arturo Vidal against Argentina and Uruguay will miss Suarez against Brazil. ' ' '