that mimics strokes.Im sick to my stomach because I ha

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguezs Yankees career ended the way it began a dozen years ago, with a game against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he went 1-for-4 with a double.The evening began with a violent thunderstorm that descended on the Bronx just as a ceremony commemorating A-Rods years in pinstripes was about to begin. The storm forced the participants, who included Reggie Jackson, Mariano Rivera and Hal Steinbrenner, to scramble for cover from the lightning and torrential rains barely five minutes after the festivities had begun.Friday nights 6-3 Yankees victory ended with the most unlikely sight: Rodriguez heading out for the ninth inning with a fielders glove on his left hand, sent out to play one final inning at third base, a position he had not started at in a game since April 27, 2015.Ive given these fans a lot of headaches over the years and Ive disappointed a lot of people, Rodriguez said, his voice sounding hoarse over the public-address system in one of baseballs most unusual farewells. But like Ive always said, you dont have to be defined by your mistakes. How you come back matters, too, and thats what New Yorks all about.The sellout crowd of 46,459 was predictably wild for A-Rod all night, and they were never louder than when chanting his name for its traditional roll call in the first inning, an honor usually reserved for position players, not designated hitters.But the crowd also rose to its feet for all four of his at-bats, erupting wildly when he stroked a 2-2 fastball from Rays starter Chris Archer into the right-center gap in his first at-bat for an RBI double that tied the game at 1. He clapped his hands and shouted into the muggy Bronx air in celebration as he reached second base. It was Rodriguezs first extra-base hit since a home run against the Baltimore Orioles on July 18 at Yankee Stadium.Rodriguezs ensuing at-bats were increasingly anticlimactic -- a groundout in the fourth, a swinging strikeout in the fifth and a final groundout to shortstop on the first pitch he saw from reliever Ryan Garton in the eighth.As A-Rod headed back to the dugout, the crowd began a chant of We want A-Rod! The chant grew in intensity as the Yankees batted in the bottom of the eighth. YES Network television cameras caught Rodriguez having a dugout conversation with manager Joe Girardi before dashing into the clubhouse, presumably to grab a glove.Rodriguez had criticized Girardi for benching him for most of the past month.If this is the last time he plays, Girardi said softly, pausing for 10 seconds and sniffling as his voice cracked and his eyes teared, I wanted it to be something he never forgot.When Rodriguez sprinted out to third base at the start of the ninth inning, the crowd erupted once again. On a night of drama, this might have been the most dramatic moment of all. On the big video screen in center field, Rodriguez could be seen breathing heavily as if even he were exhilarated, and perhaps unnerved, by the moment.The moment, however, lasted just one batter. After?Dellin Betances?struck out Mikie Mahtook, Girardi sent Ronald Torreyes out to replace Rodriguez, allowing the 41-year-old superstar to bask in one more ovation as the crowd chanted Thank you, A-Rod!Rodriguez accepted hugs from all his teammates, waved his cap to the crowd and entered the dugout, where Girardi was waiting for him on the top step. And then he was gone -- 12 seasons, 351 home runs and 1,096 RBIs after it all began -- as the crowd chanted his name. Many of them then headed for the exits before Betances could nail down the final out of the game. They had seen what they came to see. The rest was just bookkeeping.With all that Ive been through, and for them to show up on a night like tonight and show me that type of love is something that Ill never forget. It was overwhelming, Rodriguez said during a news conference, looking perfectly put together in a gray suit and silver necktie.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Air Max 97 Ingrosso . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Air Max 97 Italia . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. http://www.scontatescarpeairmax97.it/ . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Air Max 97 Scontate . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. Air Max 97 Saldi . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display.SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers eased a lot of pain with their 21-13 victory over the Denver Broncos.Philip Rivers threw for 178 yards and one touchdown, passing Hall of Famer Dan Fouts to become San Diegos career passing leader, and the Chargers held off the Broncos.The victory may have saved embattled coach Mike McCoys job and it snapped a streak of 10 straight losses in the AFC West dating to 2014.Most importantly, the Chargers figured out how to finish a game in which they had a late lead.There is nothing like winning, a misty-eyed McCoy said. Especially beating a good football team in front of our home fans. It was great.Of course, these being the Chargers (2-4), they still extended nervous time right down to the final gun.Denvers Brandon McManus kicked a 46-yard field goal with 27 seconds left, and Denver recovered the onside kick at its 46. It got to the San Diego 45 with 8 seconds to go before Trevor Siemians desperation pass was batted down by Dexter McCoil.You cant take winning for granted in this league, defensive end Corey Liuget said. When I saw it said 0:00 and that guy didnt catch that ball, I was happy. I got on my knee and said, `Thank you, Lord. Its over now.Here are some takeaways from the Chargers victory against the Broncos:RIVERBOAT MIKE: McCoy has been under fire for his conservative approach, particularly late in games, and clock-management issues.He went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Denver 20 early in the second half, with Melvin Gordon going over the top for a 1-yard gain. Rivers misfired on two straight passes and was flushed on third down, forcing the Chargers to settle for Josh Lambos 37-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.McCoy improved to 25-31 overall in four seasons.The Chargers were coming off a mistake-filled loss at Oakland, and earlier in the season lost three games in which they led at the 2-minute warning. The Chargers are trying to convince voters to approve a $1.1 billion public handout for a new downtown stadium in the form of an increase in the hotel occupancy tax.The victory meant a ton for Mike, Rivers said. It wasnt talked about a lot on the team but veteran players ... I felt it. Not that I expected it if it didnt go weell.dddddddddddd I had no idea but you also you are not playing dumb. We knew we had to get this thing going in a hurry.FINALLY FINISHING: What changed from those brutal losses, when the Chargers blew late leads? It was a mindset for us to go out there and finish, and everyone knew we were going to finish this game, Liuget said.They need to keep it up. Their next two games are at Atlanta and at Denver. San Diego has lost 10 of its last 11 road games.BRONCOS BOSS: The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos were coached by special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis after head coach Gary Kubiak was ordered by doctors to sit this one out because of a migraine condition that mimics strokes.Im sick to my stomach because I hate to lose, DeCamillis said. Weve got a lot of grit and determination. Well bounce back.ROLLING RIVERS: Rivers, in his 13th season with the Chargers and 11th as starter, has 43,094 career yards passing. Fouts threw for 43,040 yards in 15 seasons with San Diego.This was one was definitely special, Rivers said about passing Fouts. Making it even more special was wearing the uniforms we had. That color blue was what they wore back in that era when Dan was playing.Rivers threw a 5-yard scoring pass to rookie tight end Hunter Henry to cap the games first possession. Rivers finished 18 of 29.Otherwise, the Chargers had to settle for Lambos career-high four field goals of 37, 21, 31 and 32 yards, plus a safety.LATE-FIRING: The five-time defending AFC West champion Broncos (4-2) were mostly sluggish behind Siemian, who was back at quarterback after rookie Paxton Lynch struggled in a loss to Atlanta. They lost their second straight game and had their NFL-record 15 straight divisional road victories snapped.We didnt make the most of our opportunities, especially early in the game, but we showed a lot of resilience at the end. It was too little, too late, said Siemian, who was 30 of 50 for 230 yards, with a 5-yard scoring pass to Bennie Fowler midway through the fourth quarter.---Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '