It has been a season of frustration for Alex Rodriguez, so you’d think a night out with his best friend Derek Jeter would lift A-Rod’s spirits.
“Every time I see him on TV, he never has his [World Series] rings on,” Rodriguez said yesterday. “[Friday] night he was wearing both of them. I couldn’t eat.”
Rodriguez, who reportedly might be interested in joining the Mets next season as a free agent, has been sidelined since April 9 after undergoing athroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. The Washington Heights native said he hopes to play Wednesday in Boston, but the Mariners have a day off Thursday and Rodriguez figures the team will give him the extra day.
So Rodriguez has been reduced to the role of dinner companion and spectator, which in this series means instead of hearing about Jeter’s exploits – from Jeter himself – A-Rod gets to see them firsthand. Friday, he had a bird’s-eye view of Jeter’s 418-foot monster three-run homer that powered the Yanks to 10-1 win over the Mariners in the first game of a three-game series at the Stadium.
Rodriguez knew the ball was gone.
“I nearly broke my neck,” he said as he showed reporters how he turned his head to watch the flight of his friend’s blast. But Rodriguez couldn’t give Jeter that satisfaction.
“I told him I didn’t think he had gotten enough of it,” Rodriguez told Jeter after the game.
Jeter couldn’t wait to join his buddy after the game and brag about his home-run. He showered, adorned himself with his championship rings and left the clubhouse in record time. Time to brag, which Jeter would never do in public but enjoys keeping A-Rod posted on his latest accomplishments.
“We talk at least once a week,” said Rodriguez. “He always calls me after he hits a home run. He’ll say, ‘What’s up? Hope all is well. Make sure you check out SportsCenter. I went 3-for-4.'”
It’s a good-natured ribbing between two of the game’s brightest young stars. Last season Rodriguez, 24, became the first shortstop ever to post a 40-40 season, smacking 42 homers and stealing 46 stolen bases. Jeter, 23, had career highs of 19 homers, 30 stolen bases, and of course, he won his second championship.
A-Rod is Jeter’s biggest supporter for MVP honors this season. Jeter already has seven home runs this season although he’s stolen just one base. On this Yankees’ juggernaut, it’s unlikely that any player will have a 40-40 season.
Numbers and MVPs have never been the stuff that motivated Rodriguez and Jeter. They are both students and historians of the game; both handsome, polite and immensely popular. Yesterday was Derek Jeter Skippy Peanut Butter Growth Chart Day. Rodriguez chuckled, remembering when Jeter was a 135-pound minor leaguer.
Rodriguez recalled a game in 1995, the season in which both he and Jeter were first called up. They sat in their respective dugouts, watching the game and stealing glances at one another.
“We said after the game, ‘I’d give my last dime to play in that game,'” said Rodriguez. “We both love the game. That’s what we talk about. It’s never been about money or contracts.”
