Emotional clubhouse farewell for Soriano after loss to Arizona

Alfonso Soriano talks about his Cub years.

PHOENIX--With everything done but the paperwork on his trade to the Yankees, Alfonso Soriano said goodbye to his teammates after Thursday's 3-1 loss to Arizona and grabbed a red-eye to New York.

On Friday morning, Soriano will officially be a Yankee again.

 "I don't know what the Cubs got, but I'm happy and I think they're happy too," Soriano said. "I'm happy to go back to New York where I started my career."

Soriano spoke to his agent Thursday night and was told it was "99 percent" done, though no announcement will be made before Friday.

"It's a little uncomfortable, but this is baseball," he said. "Sometimes you have to do what's best for the team and best for me. I've been traded before and I was happy. Now I have to keep moving and do my job in New York."

Soriano said he loved playing in Chicago, even when the fans didn't always reciprocate. He never blamed the fans who booed him, never ducked the media after a bad game, and never disrespected the Cubs' uniform.

"I always respect the fans, always play hard for the fans, because I know they love the team and like to see the team doing well," he said. "I always tried to do my best playing for the Cubs and tried to be a champion here. It didn't happen, so I hope it happens in the future. Now I have to think about my new team."

The $136 million contract was sometimes an albatross for Soriano, who was expected to be a superstar every day. That didn't happen, but he was always the same person, in good times or bad.

"I always said the money is not the issue," he said. "Money can make you happy. You can buy anything, but the most important thing is to be a human being. Before I had the money, I was a human. I love the game, and I think I got that kind of money because the game gave it to me. I always said, don't worry about the money. Play hard….

"I'm not perfect. I can't have 162 perfect games. I always say if I have a bad week, hopefully I can (then) have a good month."

Manager Dale Sveum said Soriano's trade "impacted a lot of people on that field," though he didn't blame the loss on those emotions.

"It's emotional for all of us," he said. "You don't usually gather teams together that often when people get traded to say your goodbyes. That just shows what kind of person he is."

Soriano said it was "sad' saying good-bye to his teammates, and believes the Cubs are going in the right direction.

"I think they're (making) the right decisions," he said. "They have a lot of young talent, and I hope that talent progresses and helps them become a champion. The front office is very smart and I think they know what they're doing."

Carlos Villanueva, who got the loss, said "everyone loves him here, obviously, and a lot of guys got very emotional, and for good reason."

Villanueva said he was impressed that Soriano "cares so much, and keeps the young guys in check," unlike many superstars who fake it.

"I guess they don't have to care, and a lot of them don't," Villanueva said. "A lot of them, it's more of a mirage. But knowing him and seeing how he is, he's a guy who genuinely cares, and he's going to be missed."

In his early days in New York, Soriano said he "learned how to treat people" the right way, respecting everyone. 

"Not just playing baseball, but a lot as a person," he said. "Those veteran guys like Mariano (Rivera) and (Derek) Jeter and Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez and Bernie Williams, they helped me a lot. I was a rookie, and those guys treated me well. That's what I learned and that's what I tried to be wherever I go."

Now he's gone, and hopefully the teammates he left behind learn the same lessons.

psullivan@tribune.com

Source:http://hubungansehat.blogspot.com/2013/07/emotional-clubhouse-farewell-for.html

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