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A-Rod singles in first spring training at-bat and seems pleased with himself

An MLB star's first spring training at-bat is 100 percent meaningless. If there's anybody in spring training this year whose first at-bat means more than most, it's Alex Rodriguez, who is returning from a yearlong PED suspension. So A-Rod's first spring training at-bat, which happened Wednesday as the DH for the New York Yankees, was just 99 percent meaningless.

But it's A-Rod, so we simply can't look away — not after all the drama, not after 18 months without playing in a game. So A-Rod stepped to the plate Wednesday, against veteran pitcher Kevin Slowey, who is trying to catch on with the Philadelphia Phillies, and knocked an 0-2 pitch into left field for a single.

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He at least looked pretty happy afterward. (That's what Happy A-Rod looks like, right?)

A-Rod getting a single is somewhat interesting. You might tell someone, "Hey, did you hear A-Rod got a hit in his first spring training at-bat?" Then you might follow that up with "That guy still sucks, though." Or, "I think he's going to be better than they're saying."

That's the point, really. All of us who have an opinion on A-Rod had that opinion before his single and will have it no matter what else he did in Wednesday's game (he grounded out in his second at-bat), what he does in Thursday's game and what he does this weekend. Nor will one hit today, one strikeout tomorrow or a homer the day after mean A-Rod is good, bad or anything else.

We'll wait until the real games start, until A-Rod has enough at-bats to judge, before making that assessment. Because one spring single isn't proving anything, for better or worse.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!