Alex Rodriguez Says Today’s MLB Players Get Along Too Well
Hear A-Rod’s full interview with Sebastian Maniscalco one week early on SiriusXM.
Alex Rodriguez is seeing a big difference in today’s MLB players.
The retired MLB star appeared on the latest episode of SiriusXM’s We Got Company with Sebastian Maniscalco and shared one of the biggest differences between today’s league and the one he played in over a decade ago. Listen to the full episode of We Got Company on Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio (Ch. 102) and anytime on the SiriusXM app.
“I marvel at these kids now, everyone just gets along,” A-Rod told Sebastian. “Everyone’s like best friends. You play for the Red Sox, I play for the Yankees. I’m the godfather to your kid. I mean, that’s the way things are today.”
A-Rod—who played in Major League Baseball for 22 seasons before retiring in 2016—said for him to be successful, the rivalry had to be there.
“I liked it more when we didn’t like each other,” he told Sebastian. “I needed that edge. If you play for the Red Sox, I wouldn’t wanna get close to you because I needed that edge and you needed that edge.”
Away from the field, Alex shared that he had no problem connecting with fellow athletes and business leaders for advice, which he shared changed the game when it came to his post-baseball career.
“I never like asking anything from anyone. I will ask for advice though,” he said. I have no problem doing it. But Michael [Jordan], Magic [Johnson], Warren Buffett in business. Jerry Reinsdorf from your White Sox and Bulls. And what you find is these people that are in rare air, I mean, they have enormous platforms and they’re the titans, the giants. People that you and I have been studying and admiring forever. They’re so generous with their time. And when they see somebody that has the hustle and the hunger and the humility, you ask for 10 minutes, you’ll get two hours.”
As for the best advice? Alex said that it came from NBA All-Star-turned-business mogul Magic Johnson.
“He spent about three and a half hours with me,” he shared. “It was supposed to be coffee and ended up being a dinner. I’m forever grateful to magic. And what he basically said is go out and never leave your sport of baseball. So if you can do TV for baseball, that’s your core audience. And that’ll always keep you connected to your core.”
“So I’ve done that with Fox. And then when you go out and do public speaking, it’s basically a free ad for you to go out there and tell your story about your business, which people don’t know about,” he added. “They’re gonna underestimate you. But if you under promise and over deliver and you play the long game, you do just fine.”
With all of the wisdom that’s been imparted on him, Alex admitted that he pays it forward to future athletes and entrepreneurs.
“Slow and steady. Keep the main thing, the main thing, which is your sport. Stay humble, surround yourself with the best people. Find a great lawyer, find a great business manager, and take it slow. And then as you network, because you’re your biggest asset, maybe you’ll be able to get into some deals here and there and, and, and write small checks, right? So if you crash, you don’t burn. Right. And then learn in the process.”
Full video episodes will debut one week later on Sebastian Maniscalco’s YouTube channel. Audio episodes will also be available through The Sebastian Maniscalco Show feed wherever podcasts are available.
