Although it's been more than four months since his incident with Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez, and even though Dallas Braden has patched things up with A-Rod himself, it doesn't mean Yankees fans will forgive the A's hurler for his early-season spat with their beloved star.
Braden is set to start in Thursday night's matchup with the Yankees at Yankee Stadium and is preparing for what New Yorkers do best: be incredibly annoying.
"You guys wouldn't be New Yorkers, right, if that wasn't the case?" Braden told the New York Post when asked if he believed he would really hear it from the crowd. "That's part of the excitement. They've had a while to think of some good stuff, so don't disappoint."
It was back on April 22 when A-Rod ran over Braden's mound in Oakland. That act prompted the pitcher to bark at the All-Star to "get off my mound" — the first of many verbal warning shots Braden sent the Yankee third baseman's way.
T-shirts were made, bad words were exchanged and tempers flared but never boiled over, as Braden and Rodriguez squashed their beef. In fact, just last month, Braden gave A-Rod a "perfect game" poster and game ball as presents, and Rodriguez signed 10 "Get Off My Mound" shirts for charity.
Rodriguez won't be playing on Thursday, as he's still on the disabled list, but still, Yankee fans most likely won't be as kind as Braden. On Thursday, they'll be ready to let Braden know who he was messing with.
