BALTIMORE — Rick Dempsey’s name stretches for three stories — vertically, in neon — on the warehouse beyond right field at Camden Yards. Dempsey, who has a restaurant here, batted .233 in the majors but was the most valuable player in the World Series the last time the Baltimore Orioles won it. Fans beg for his autograph every day, and he happily obliges.
It is tempting to think that Alex Rodriguez will never experience this kind of post-career adulation, despite mind-bending statistics that inspire more awe, or incredulity, almost every day. But Rodriguez keeps defying expectations.