t was perhaps the most awkward public speaking moment of his life.
As Alex Rodriguez stepped up to a microphone on the field being renamed in his honor, a crowd of about 500 University of Miami players, coaches, alumni and supporters stood and cheered.
Behind them, several dozen media members sat and watched, interested not in Rodriguez's generosity but in his indiscretions.
So Rodriguez did what any savvy speaker would do.
He opened with a joke.
''As you all know, it's been a pretty quiet week for me,'' Rodriguez said. ``So it's good to get out on a Friday night.''
Rodriguez, a Miami native and resident, was honored at UM's preseason baseball banquet Friday, his first public appearance since he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
The school's stadium was formally renamed Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field after Rodriguez donated $3.9 million to help fund recently completed renovations -- the largest gift in program history.
But that was overshadowed last week when news broke that he had tested positive for banned substances in 2003 as a member of the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez, now the third baseman for the New York Yankees, did not spend much time addressing the controversy. But he alluded to it a few times during an eight-minute speech.
''I have been so fortunate to have received so much from a game I love so much,'' Rodriguez said. ``But I have a responsibility to give back -- or, better, to pay it forward.
``Now, that doesn't mean I haven't made mistakes. And unless you've been in a cave under the ocean this past week, you know that I've made some.
``What it does mean is I understand that only in America can you dream big, work hard and be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.''
After the most tumultuous week of Rodriguez's career, Friday went about as well as his publicists could have scripted it.
Much of the public focus remains on his performance-enhancing drug use, but the focus of the banquet was on A-Rod's generosity.
UM coach Jim Morris said the school never considered altering its plans to honor Rodriguez. The only question was whether A-Rod still would attend.
Morris said he heard some complaints from alumni about UM going ahead with the dedication as planned, but most were supportive.
''We're getting a really, really nice facility,'' Morris said. ``And without Alex, we wouldn't have that.''
Gary Nalepa, the father of junior pitcher Anthony Nalepa, said most players and their families were not bothered by Rodriguez's admission.
''They caught him lying, and that's not good,'' Gary Nalepa said. ``But it ain't like they caught him yesterday. It was a long time ago. Why don't we just let it go?''
That was difficult to do Friday, with at least six TV satellite vans parked outside the stadium and more than two dozen cameramen and photographers perched on a platform in center field. Rodriguez called the horde his ``dysfunctional family.''
Outside the stadium, a man wearing a Rodriguez jersey proudly showed off photos of Rodriguez working out this week on his digital camera.
''I'm paparazzi,'' said the man, who declined to give his name. ``These are going to be in all the major magazines.''
Accompanied by several friends and family members, Rodriguez entered and exited quietly through a side entrance and did not take questions from reporters. But before stepping down from a podium behind the mound, he offered this advice to UM players:
''There will be adversity along the way,'' he said. ``But regardless of the challenges that lie ahead, move forward, address your errors and right your path.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/colleges/um/story/903689.html
