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Wisconsin town strips A-Rod’s name from youth baseball field

Well, that didn't take long. Within a matter of hours of Alex Rodriguez's official suspension from Major League Baseball, the youth baseball field in the town in which A-Rod began his lone minor league season was no longer named Alex Rodriguez Field.

Alex Rodriguez Field will soon be known by a different name — The Victory Formation via Appleton Post-Crescent
Alex Rodriguez Field will soon be known by a different name — The Victory Formation via Appleton Post-Crescent

As reported by the Appleton Post-Crescent, and brought to Prep Rally's attention by The Victory Formation, USA Youth Sports Complex announced on Monday that it would officially be removing Rodriguez's name from the organization's baseball field. The baseball facility was originally named Alex Rodriguez Field in honor of the 64 games the third baseman (then a shortstop) played for the Appleton Foxes in 1994.

The youth field was re-named for Rodriguez in 2003. Now, 10 years later, the board of USA Youth has moved rapidly to remove any references to the star from the facility.

"It won't be called Alex Rodriguez Field, effective immediately," USA Youth board president Matt TenHaken told the Post-Crescent. "It is what it is. I really don’t know if it’s disappointing. Just have to accept what’s happened and move forward."

The Sports Authority, the sporting goods chain, will reportedly pay to remove all mentions of Rodriguez from the field, allowing USA Youth to regain the rights to name the facility, opening up the possibility of a relatively small (but still potentially lucrative) naming rights deal for the park.

As for those who Rodriguez left behind, officials insisted that the star had let down those he had initially convinced that he was a true role model.

"Of course we’re disappointed," [Fox Cities Sports Authority Director Emeritus Stan] Baehman said. "You try to do something positive for the community. We’re giving up the naming rights and giving it to USA Sports."

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