A-Rod won't fire back at Braden

BOSTON - An amused Alex Rodriguez took the high road Friday, refusing to get drawn into a continued war of words with Dallas Braden after learning of the Oakland pitcher's latest broadside against his character.

"I just don't want to extend this any further," Rodriguez said before the Yankees played the Red Sox at Fenway Park. "I'm glad we're here in Boston playing this series."

A-Rod took only one slight swipe at Braden, saying, "I really don't want to extend his 15 minutes of fame."

Braden's time in the spotlight began April 22 when he took umbrage at Rodriguez's running across the pitcher's mound on his way back to first base after a foul ball. The pitcher thought it was a violation of an unwritten rule of baseball.

The two traded barbs that day and the matter seemed to fizzle. But Braden took aim at A-Rod again Wednesday in a television interview.

Asked if he and A-Rod would have to "settle [things] with their knuckles," Braden said: "There's things that are going to have to happen. Out of respect to my teammates, out of respect to the game."

Rodriguez, who said he learned of "the newest and the latest" comments when he arrived at the ballpark Friday, said, "I think Major League Baseball and Bob Watson read the same articles we do."

Watson, baseball's dean of discipline, told Newsday on Friday: "I'm not going to go there. We've already taken steps to handle this. It's under control."

Watson would not elaborate on what steps had been taken, nor did he answer any further questions about the matter.

A source familiar with MLB's thinking said the Athletics got a call warning Braden to stop talking about Rodriguez and to make sure nothing happens on the field when the teams meet next, or he will face a suspension. The Yankees and A's will play July 5-7 in Oakland. The A's only visit to Yankee Stadium will be Aug. 30-Sept. 1.

Braden, a 26-year-old lefthander, is 3-2 with a 4.14 ERA in six starts, has a good chance of starting against the Yankees in each series. But A-Rod said he doesn't have the dates circled on his calendar and isn't going to spend any time thinking about this.

"Two months to think about what?" he said. "There's absolutely nothing to think about . . . It's all good."

Among Braden's other shots at Rodriguez on Wednesday:

"I think he's probably garnered a new respect for the unwritten rules and people who hold them close to their game."

Asked about A-Rod's April 22 comments on Braden's lack of experience in the majors: "There's two ways that I can comment on that, and I'll give you both of them. One, I was always told if you give a fool enough rope, he'll hang himself, and with those comments, he had all the rope he needed. Two, I didn't know that there was a criteria in order to compete against A-Rod.''

I didn't know that. For him to feel that someone needs to reach a certain level of success in order to be able to compete against him, I think he should probably check that."

"He's an individualistic player . . . He plays for the name on the back of the jersey, not the front.''