Twenty-two seasons after entering baseball as a teenage prodigy, Alex Rodriguez will leave the game as one of its most polarizing legends. The Yankees will release the 41-year-old following the clubs matchup Friday against Tampa Bay, signaling the end of the sluggers days playing as a Yankee, A-Rod and the team announced Sunday.Heres a sampling of how some current and former major league players reacted to the news.Henri Richard Canadiens Jersey . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Alexei Kovalev Canadiens Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-mats-naslund-canadiens-jersey/ . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Doug Harvey Canadiens Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Larry Robinson Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night.HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Paul Miller had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Khy Kabellis scored 12 points, and North Dakota State beat High Point 70-44 on Sunday in the finale of the High Point Classic.North Dakota State scored 15 straight points to go up 17-5 and the Bison closed the half on an 8-0 run for a 36-24 lead. NDSU opened the second half on a 17-2 run to extend its lead to 53-26 and the Bison had a 33-point lead before High Point closed the game on a 14-6 spurt.Carlin Dupree addedd 11 points for North Dakota State (4-1).ddddddddddddHigh Point (3-2) was held to 28.8 percent shooting (15 of 52) and turned it over 15 times. Sophomore Andre Fox had a team-high eight points and Miles Bowman Jr. grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds.It was the lowest field-goal percentage for HPU since a 28.6 performance at Wofford on December 30, 2013. ' ' '