Yankees to honor A-Rod in final game by giving him a t-shirt, as long as he is among first 15,000 in stadium

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees announced today that they will honor one of the greatest players in the history of the sport by giving him a free Yankees t-shirt, presented by WB Mason, as long as Alex Rodrigues is one of the first 15,000 people in the park on Friday night.

“I know Alex’s departure from the Yankees over the past week has felt a bit rushed to some people,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. “Some have said a player of his stature deserves more. Well, Friday night he’s getting a very nice shirt. It’s 100-percent cotton.”

Manager Joe Girardi, who has refused to play the three-time MVP and 14-time All-Star in his final week in the majors save for one pinch hit at-bat on Wendesday night, said he feels Rodriguez deserves the shirt.

“Of course, to get it, he’ll have to pay for a ticket and sit in the stands with everyone else,” said Girardi. “Unfortunately, that means he won’t be able to play Friday night because fans aren’t allowed to play in Major League Baseball. But he’ll have a really sharp-looking t-shirt with the Yankees log on the front and a WB Mason logo on the a back. I hope that’s a good compromise. You can’t ever have too many t-shirts.”

Rodriguez said he will accept the shirt.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “The Yankees are a obviously a first-class organization and I’ll be proud to use this shirt to wipe dirt off my cleats next year when I play for the Marlins.”