Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have a history that reads almost like a novel—a rather dramatic one. Starting with a close friendship and ending with a rivalry! Who saw that coming, right?
The two baseball stars met at a college baseball game, and they just clicked. They both shared the same goal – heading to majors. Well, evidently, it happened and their friendship only grew stronger. One of Jeter’s teammates in fact joked when they were about to face the Rodriguez Mariners, “Are you going to your boyfriend’s house?” No wonder they were tight. But call it the evil eye or what, things fell apart.
A-Rod had signed a massive $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, being the highest-paid player in baseball back then. But that wasn’t the deal-breaker; it was his comments that broke it off. In a 2001 Esquire interview, Rodriguez claimed that Jeter “never had to lead.” Ouch! Obviously, that stung Jeter, and he did mention it to the People magazine later.
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But what’s with all the déjà vu? Well, they were seen together in a recent FOX broadcast, raising questions—did they bury the hatchet? Apparently all that is just for show!
Former MLB executive David Samson is someone who doesn’t mince words. And he revealed that their relationship is anything but mended. “Remember that A-Rod and Jeter are mortal enemies, no matter that they sit next to each other on the FOX broadcast. Believe me, there is no love, no like, no nothing—just competition.”
And if that’s true, kudos to them because keeping it all together and professional, at least on camera, is not easy. They were seen to be cordial and friendly, almost at Old-Timers Day. Believe it or not, they even shared some laughs about how A-Rod still wears his jersey at home. On the World Series, too, they were goofing around on set with David Ortiz.
But we might not want to bet on their relationship getting fixed yet.
Remember the response Derek Jeter gave to A-Rod’s comments via the People? “You can say whatever you want about me as a player. That’s fine. But then it goes back to the trust, the loyalty. This is how the guy feels. He’s not a true friend is how I felt. Because I wouldn’t do it to a friend.” And well, such betrayal in friendship is really not easy to forget!
Competition seemed to be the root cause of evil between them. And even in retirement, the battle is on this time in the business world.
Alex Rodriguez vs. Derek Jeter: the rivalry beyond the ballpark
Both Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have led high-profile lives. They have thrived both on and off the field. After they hung their clients, both ventured to the next step—being team owners. But according to MLB analyst David Samson, only one of them had this portion truly figured out.
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During the latest episode of Nothing Personal with David Samson, he didn’t hold back in comparing their financial moves. He mentioned that Derek Jeter’s time as a part-time owner of the Miami Marlins was an “unmitigated disaster.” He pointed out that this 5X World Series champ with the New York Yankees had recouped his $25 million investment through salary before being ousted by the majority owner of the team, Bruce Sherman. Meanwhile, he compared A-Rod and how he played the cards well.
Talking about Alex Rodriguez’s $1.5 billion buy-in with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Samson pointed out, “A-Rod is going to do this way smarter.” Samson talked about how it has already increased in value. On the other side, the Marlins are still not worth what Sherman had paid. “So, A-Rod wins in the finance game.”
Also, when it comes to managing their teams, Samson thinks the results speak for themselves. The Marlins just end up losing money, and the Timberwolves are growing and making profits. Well, whether it’s baseball or business, it seems the rivalry sees no finish line.
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Do YOU also think these friendly talks were just whitewashing? Join the conversation.