ARLINGTON, Texas-There were no birthday cakes in the Yankees clubhouse in honor of Alex Rodriguez’s 40th birthday on Monday, no party hats or streamers.
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New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez smiles at the dugout as he rounds third on his way home after hitting a solo home run off of Texas Rangers’ Matt Harrison in the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2015, in Arlington, Texas.
Standing at his locker Monday afternoon, Rodriguez was asked what the 40-year-old Rodriguez would tell the 20- or 30-year-old Rodriguez. He didn’t specifically mention his season-long suspension last year for violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract. He said he’s doing it the right way this time: “I’m going to continue to work out and go through my regimen, but it’s also a nice reminder that if you play clean and you play hard, that good things can happen”.
“You talk more about 35, coming into your mid-30s”.
“It was a good time for me to pause and just get a full understanding of making smart choices and surrounding myself with good people”, Rodriguez said Sunday, “and really appreciating everything that baseball and life has to offer”. He now has 24 on the season, his most since 2010. “Overall, I’m happy and healthy and in a good place”.
Alex is now enjoying his best offensive season since 2009 where he posted a triple slash of.286/.402/.532 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI.
A reflective Rodriguez looked back on his career Monday and pondered the advice he might have given to the younger version of himself.
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Monday is A-Rod’s 40th birthday. “But he is still being extremely productive at that age”, Joe Girardi said. I figured that if I hit more home runs, it would justify whatever behavior I had off the field. Just before spring training that year he was traded by Texas only three seasons into the $252 million, 10-year contract he signed after starting his career with Seattle from 1994-2000. I was 25 years old. “I did the best I could”.
