Alex Rodriguez and Bud Selig found themselves in the same New Jersey building Sunday morning, but the two men never crossed paths. This setting was not one for such petty matters as that silliness, anyway.
The Yankees’ beleaguered third baseman, baseball’s commissioner and many, many other of the game’s dignitaries convened to pay their respects at the funeral of Michael Weiner, the executive director of the Players Association who succumbed to brain cancer Thursday at age 51.
A-Rod and Selig spent the past week at the forefront of the former’s arbitration hearing against Major League Baseball. When independent arbitrator Fredric Horowitz ruled Selig didn’t have to testify, A-Rod left the hearing, and his defense team called no more witnesses. It’s clear A-Rod has designs on fighting his 211-game suspension at the federal or state court (or both levels).
On Sunday, though, the focus was on Weiner, who drew respect from all corners of the baseball world. While A-Rod appeared to be the only active player at the funeral, which was held at Robert Schoem’s Menorah Chapel in Paramus, former players such as David Cone, Al Leiter, C.J. Nitkowski and Hall of Famer Dave Winfield attended, as well as alumni who now work for the union such as Bobby Bonilla, Mike Myers and Weiner’s successor Tony Clark.
Virtually every prominent player representative attended, and team officials included Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and assistant general manager John Ricco; Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria; and former Mets GM Omar Minaya, who is now with the Padres.
Following the funeral, A-Rod — whose attorney Jim McCarroll also attended the service — stopped briefly at La Marina restaurant in Upper Manhattan, where he took part in an event that helped impoverished neighborhood senior citizens. Upon his departure, Rodriguez declined to stop to speak with reporters.