After a week of scandal, scrutiny and public humiliation, and with spring training about to get underway, I’m sure that A-Rod would have ideally liked nothing more than to just lay low this weekend.

You know, iron his little blue sweater for next Tuesday’s press conference.  Peruse what’s new in the GNC catalogue.

Unfortunately, when the people at University of Miami picked last night to honor A-Roid for his contribution by renaming their baseball field after him, they couldn’t possibly have anticipated how bad the timing would be.

In his speech-his first public appearance of the week-A-Rod alluded to recent revelations about his use of PEDs by saying he had “made mistakes.” He then went on to say, in what I believe to be an attempt at a joke,  ”And unless you’ve been in a cave under the ocean this last week, you know I’ve made some.”

Good call. Nothing gets a crowd going like a cave under the ocean bit.

The cave crack was one of a couple of attempts that A-Roid made to defuse the awkwardness of the situation with humor.  He gave a shout-out to his friends in the press, saying that he never went anywhere without him.  “Like family…a dysfunctional family.”

Is it just me, or does someone else smell a sitcom in the air?  Something with A-Rod, members of the New York media and a cramped apartment.

A-Rod was well-received by the U of M crowd, which gave him a 45 second ovation.  But, still, after a week of scandal, scrutiny and public humiliation, and with spring training about to get underway, I’m sure that A-Rod would have liked nothing more than to just lay low this weekend.

Like, maybe in a cave-under the ocean.