BOSTON -- Alex Rodriguez thought his final week as a member of the?New York Yankees was going to be on the field, not the bench.Yankees manager Joe Girardi decided otherwise, prioritizing winning over sentimentality.Girardi said Rodriguez will not start Tuesday and Wednesday, but would be in the lineup Thursday against knuckleballer Steven Wright. A-Rod also will start Friday, his final game with the team.Im disappointed, Rodriguez said Tuesday at Fenway Park. When I heard him say I can actually play in all four games, I was really excited to get some at-bats. I dont know what happened.On Sunday, after the Yankees announced the plan for A-Rod to be released Friday and then take a job as a special adviser, Girardi said he would let A-Rod dictate his playing time for his final week in pinstripes.If he wants to play in every game, Ill find a way, Girardi said. ?Girardi said his comments Sunday were made when he got caught up in the moment, so he is choosing the Yankees pursuit of the wild card over A-Rods farewell.Im an emotional guy, Girardi said. My heart can get tugged at. I think I got caught up in the emotions. Im human. There is a human element to me. There is a human element to Alex. Im not saying he wont play these next two days and that he wont be in there. Im managing to try to win the games. Thats what I have to do. This is a very important series for us. This is one of the teams that we are chasing.A-Rod never made it into Tuesdays game, a 5-3 Yankees loss. Fans at Fenway chanted We Want A-Rod late in the game, hoping hed get in the game.?Rodriguez said he came to the park excited Tuesday, hoping to play in all three games at Fenway. The Yankees started Tuesday 4? games back in the wild card with 51 games remaining.Girardi started Brian McCann at designated hitter against right-hander Rick Porcello. Rodriguez is hitting .204 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 62 games.We started to give the at-bats to other people because of what we saw, Girardi said. Thats hard for me to say, because I believed in Alex. He was a guy that was always so productive for us. I dont know. I dont know if there would be a right situation out there for him. He is going to be 42, and he doesnt really play a position.Rodriguez, who just turned 41, would not totally close the door on Friday being his final game.I dont know that answer right now, Rodriguez said. Im content with how this week has gone down.For now, A-Rod is still a Yankee and stuck on the bench.Said Girardi: My responsibility as the manager -- and we are still in this -- is to win games. Wholesale Jerseys Authentic . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. http://www.wholesalejerseyschinastitched.com/ . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Cheap Jerseys From China . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. TAMPA, Fla. -- Jameis Winston threw a pair of touchdown passes to Mike Evans and Tampa Bays rejuvenated defense shut down Russell Wilson and Seattles sputtering offense to beat the first-place Seahawks 14-5 on Sunday.Evans scored on receptions of 3 and 23 yards in the opening quarter, a grieving Alterraun Verner had one of two interceptions off Wilson, and the Bucs sacked the Seattle quarterback six times.The Bucs (6-5) have won three straight to climb back into contention for a playoff berth. In addition to stopping Seattles three-game winning streak, they remained one game behind first-place Atlanta in the NFC South.Playing two days after the death of his father, Verner picked off Wilson to stop a promising drive in the final minute of the opening half. The reserve cornerback was embraced on the sideline by teammates, who continued to play inspired defense in the second half.Bradley McDougald had the other interception off Wilson, who had thrown two in 335 attempts this season entering Sunday. Lavonte David returned a fumble 53 yards, ending another promising Seattle drive in the fourth quarter.Winston completed 21 of 28 passes for 220 yards and one interception. Evans had eight receptions for 104 yards, and Doug Martin rushed for 87 yards on 23 attempts for the Bucs.Wilson finished 17 of 33 for 151 yards. The Seahawks (7-3-1) were held to 1-yard net passing in the first half, when Wilson was sacked four times for 19 yards in losses.The Seahawks played without Earl Thomas, stoopping a streak of 106 consecutive regular-season starts for the star safety, who had never missed an NFL game.dddddddddddd Starting cornerback DeShawn Snead, who also suffered a hamstring injury during last weeks victory over Philadelphia, also sat out, leaving the Seattle secondary vulnerable.Winston took advantage, leading TD drives of 78 and 62 yards on Tampa Bays first two possessions. Evans first TD catch finished a 7-minute, 26-second march. The second -- over cornerback Richard Sherman -- dumped the Seahawks into an early 14-0 hole.SELECT COMPANYEvans joined Joey Galloway and Vincent Jackson as the only receivers in Bucs history with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He has 73 receptions for 1,020 yards through 11 games. On his second TD pass, Sherman appeared to complain to officials that the 6-foot-5, 231-pound receiver was holding him by the jersey while creating separation to make the catch in the end zone.INJURIESSeahawks: In addition to playing without Thomas and Shead, they lost TE Luke Willson (knee) in the opening quarter. DE Michael Bennett (knee) missed his fifth consecutive game.Buccaneers: G Kevin Pamphile returned to lineup after missing two games with a concussion.UP NEXTSeahawks: Return home to face Carolina.Buccaneers: Travel to San Diego.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL. ' ' '
