Alex Rodriguez affectionately known as A-Rod to his team mates and fans is the third base man for the New York Yankees. Alex was born in Washington Heights New York City where the family lived until he was four. The family then moved back to their native Dominican Republic, they lived there a short time before returning to the states to live in Miami Florida. Alex's father would soon abandon the family to return to New Jersey.
In Miami Rodriguez would begin his baseball career playing for his high school team. It was here that Alex would go All-American his senior year and be the first high school player to ever to try out for Team America.
He signed a letter of intent to join the University of Miami baseball team after finishing high school. However Rodriguez instead opted to forgo the scholarship and instead enter the amateur draft.
He was quickly picked up by the Seattle Mariners, where he played as the third 18 year old short stop since the turn of the century. His star was rising, but the season was cut short due to the Major League strike of 1994.
As a result, it wasn't until 1996 that5 Rodriguez really came into his own. In this season, he batted a very impressive .358, scoring 36 home runs and 123 RBIs, the highest average for any right hand batter in the AL since Joe Di Maggio. This was also the 3rd highest batting average for a short stop in any league - Rodriguez would finish out the season with the Major League's highest total of hits, runs, doubles and extra base hits, earning him the Major League Player of the Year title.
Rodriguez played with the Texas Rangers briefly before signing with the New York Yankees in 2004. As a Yankee, Rodriguez continued to be a record-setting player, winning MVP in 2005 and 2007. Despite his performance on the field, Rodriguez has often been criticized by fans for failing to deliver under pressure. Rodriguez is unrattled by the criticism, saying: "I could care less. In my career, I've been hearing it for a long time. It will never stop until you win five or six World Series in a row, and hit a Joe Carter home run. I've done a lot of special things in this game, and for none of that to be considered clutch, it's an injustice." No matter what some fans may think, Rodriguez is highly valued by his team, signing a 10-year contact in 2007 with the Yankees for $275 million - with the prospect of more should Rodriguez manage to break the home run record.
A-Rod's personal life is also controversial; he has been seen with another woman and his marriage is reputed to be on the rocks. There have also been rumors that Rodriguez has had an affair with Madonna, something lent more credence by the singer's own troubled marriage to filmmaker Guy Ritchie.
In Miami Rodriguez would begin his baseball career playing for his high school team. It was here that Alex would go All-American his senior year and be the first high school player to ever to try out for Team America.
He signed a letter of intent to join the University of Miami baseball team after finishing high school. However Rodriguez instead opted to forgo the scholarship and instead enter the amateur draft.
He was quickly picked up by the Seattle Mariners, where he played as the third 18 year old short stop since the turn of the century. His star was rising, but the season was cut short due to the Major League strike of 1994.
As a result, it wasn't until 1996 that5 Rodriguez really came into his own. In this season, he batted a very impressive .358, scoring 36 home runs and 123 RBIs, the highest average for any right hand batter in the AL since Joe Di Maggio. This was also the 3rd highest batting average for a short stop in any league - Rodriguez would finish out the season with the Major League's highest total of hits, runs, doubles and extra base hits, earning him the Major League Player of the Year title.
Rodriguez played with the Texas Rangers briefly before signing with the New York Yankees in 2004. As a Yankee, Rodriguez continued to be a record-setting player, winning MVP in 2005 and 2007. Despite his performance on the field, Rodriguez has often been criticized by fans for failing to deliver under pressure. Rodriguez is unrattled by the criticism, saying: "I could care less. In my career, I've been hearing it for a long time. It will never stop until you win five or six World Series in a row, and hit a Joe Carter home run. I've done a lot of special things in this game, and for none of that to be considered clutch, it's an injustice." No matter what some fans may think, Rodriguez is highly valued by his team, signing a 10-year contact in 2007 with the Yankees for $275 million - with the prospect of more should Rodriguez manage to break the home run record.
A-Rod's personal life is also controversial; he has been seen with another woman and his marriage is reputed to be on the rocks. There have also been rumors that Rodriguez has had an affair with Madonna, something lent more credence by the singer's own troubled marriage to filmmaker Guy Ritchie.
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