A crowd of 2,500 watches Alex Rodriguez’s first workout with the Yankees.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Even for people who forecast a stormy relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, this picture was just too perfect.

All smiles, Rodriguez was relaxing after his first full workout with the New York Yankees. Surrounded by All-Star players and adoring fans, it had been a wonderful day.

That’s when Jeter joined him Tuesday at a picnic area right outside Legends Field to answer questions from reporters. And within a minute or so of them sitting together, the fair skies suddenly turned foul, the wind whipped and a wicked rain started to fall.

Coincidence or correlation? Who knows?

“I’m sure you’ll make it a good story,” Jeter said.

Oh, add this to the mix: It had been pretty sunny in this part of Florida for quite a while.

“We’re all agreeing that this is the most severe weather we’ve had this winter,” said Ron Morales of the Tampa Bay-area National Weather Service. “This just blew in.”

So on a day full of events – George Steinbrenner referred to Red Sox owner John Henry as “the Scarecrow,” manager Joe Torre had to leave because his father-in-law broke his wrist in a fall and the Yankees reached agreement with free agent Travis Lee – the symbolism was startling.

Thankfully for Jeter and Rodriguez, they were sitting under a tent when the storm hit. They quickly broke off the press session and dashed 25 yards through the rain to make it back inside the ballpark.

Talk of the Jeter-Rodriguez relationship had been in the news for a few days, with both players doing their best to say a rift back in 2001 was behind them. They sure looked fine during the first practice for position players.

Before warming up, Rodriguez tossed one of his two gloves to Jeter for inspection. They played catch together, then Jeter went to shortstop and Rodriguez took his new position at third base.

Later, Jeter hit a grounder to the left of Rodriguez, and the ball skipped off his mitt. About 2,500 fans watched – that’s more than some teams draw for their exhibition games.

“That’s the largest crowd I’ve ever practiced in front of at spring training, and this is my 10th year,” Rodriguez said. “Yankee Nation follows you around.”

Rodriguez went through a pair of workouts at the minor league complex last weekend, but minus the likes of Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Jeter.

This time, all the big names were present.

“I just enjoyed being out there for the first time,” Rodriguez said. “I often ask myself, ‘Where are we?”‘

While Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove shortstop, gets accustomed to playing third, Jeter will spend a month getting familiar with the new guy over on his right.

How’d it go on the first day?

“It’s awkward,” Jeter said. “It’s going to be awkward for a while.”

Not that Yankees rooters seemed to mind. In what fast turned into baseball’s version of American Idol, fans took turns shouting each time Jeter and Rodriguez batted.

Steinbrenner, meanwhile, cautioned against too much Jeter-Rodriguez buildup.

“I wish you guys would have left them alone and let them play,” he said. “You’re making too much out of it.”

Steinbrenner was more playful when it came to the rival Boston Red Sox and their owner. After a recent spat developed, Henry said he was amused by Steinbrenner’s remarks and likened the Boss to Don Rickles.

A fan of “The Wizard of Oz,” Steinbrenner has now taken to calling Henry “the Scarecrow” and “the strawman.” Just joking, of course.

All in all, just another day in Yankeeland.

“I don’t think anything ever surprises me,” Jeter said.

AP-ES-02-24-04 2005EST