A-Rod challenges Jeff Francoeur’s arm, loses by notable margin

If you had March 28 as the first day we'd truly question something Alex Rodriguez did on or off the field this spring, you'd be rolling in a lot of money. Things have been going very smoothly for A-Rod on basically every level, and they've gone especially well for him on the field. Well enough, in fact, that he may have the inside track to become the Yankees full-time designated hitter . That's a decision that will ultimately come down to manager Joe Girardi, with perhaps some influence from general manager Brian Cashman and others in the Yankees front office. Unfortunately, none of the above had any say over A-Rod's decision to challenge the cannon that long-time major league outfielder Jeff Francoeur possesses for a right arm during Friday's game in Clearwater. If only A-Rod was ten years younger and ten years healthier, that would have been far less embarrassing. He still would have been out, possibliy with a cringe-worthy and potentially injury-inducing slide, so it's probably a good thing he's actually not ten years younger. [ Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today! ] A quick glance on the scouting report wouldn't have hurt either. This wasn't...