In honor of Alex Rodriguez’s suspension being officially over after the completion of the World Series last night, here’s my top 5 favorite ARod moments during his time in pinstripes:
5 – Cameron Diaz feeds ARod popcorn at the Super Bowl
Remember when Cameron Diaz and ARod dated? Alex was on a string of random celebrity girlfriends (Kate Hudson & Madonna), and in February 2011 it was Diaz. This is a classic ARod moment. Really, there is nothing wrong with this and the camera just caught Diaz and ARod at the wrong time, but because it was ARod, it was a big “thing.” Anyone else and this would just be a nice moment.
4 – ARod yells “HA!” in Toronto
On a routine pop-up to third ARod was running behind Blue Jays’ infielder John McDonald and yelled “HA!” (although there is some debate as to what he actually said). McDonald thought it was the shortstop calling him off so he let the pop-up drop and everyone was safe. ARod, of course, got bashed for what he did.
I thought ARod got a bad rap for this one. Was it bushleague? Yes. Does it happen pretty often in baseball? I’m guessing yes. If this were another player – say Jeter – fans would have said it was a savvy move to help his team win. But since it was ARod he got killed for it. Either way, it was funny.
3 – ARod sunbathes in Central Park
Have some self awareness, one time, Alex! There is no reason a half-a-billion-dollar megastar for the Yankees should be sunbathing shirtless in Central Park. He has to know people are going to notice him and it will end up in the tabloids, but he does it any way. I can’t tell if he is just stupid or doesn’t care sometimes. Maybe he’s just looking for attention…
2 – ARod talks with Francesa
ARod decided to show up at WFAN after he stormed out of his hearing with MLB in November 2013. ARod, in the interview with Francesa, kind of talked steroids, and bashed MLB and Bud Selig, but he really didn’t tell everything. Regardless, it was a compelling interview.
1 – ARod leads the Yankees to a World Series Championship
It was big hit after big hit for ARod in the 2009 playoffs. He had 18 total RBIs, and they all seemed to come at a crucial time. In the division series he tied game 2 in the 9th with a two-run shot, and then gave the Yankees a late lead in game 3 with a solo home run. In the ALCS he hit .429 and had 3 HRs, including a game tieing 9th inning homer in game 2. And in the World Series, his 9th inning go-ahead double in game 4 was the turning point of the series. Unfortunately for ARod there have been countless bad (mostly off-field) moments since ’09 that have clouded these memories of him.
Its been a wild 10 years with ARod in New York. Oh, and now that Jeter is retired, he the longest-tenured NYC athlete…which is scary. I’m sure the 2015 season will be just as entertaining as the last decade.
