Though I no longer think of 40 as being “old,” let’s face it, it’s up there for a professional athlete. Alex Rodriguez, the man who has lived no ordinary life and led no ordinary career, turns 40 today, and is playing his best ball in at least half a decade. Way to go, slugger.<\/p>\n
Even though he plays for my beloved New York Yankees, I haven’t felt the need to root for A-Rod the past few seasons. Especially last season, when the guy didn’t even play, sitting out the year on a PED-related suspension. I’ll admit I pretty much thought A-Rod was done, and didn’t care whether he ever appeared in pinstripes or any other uniform again. Then there he was at spring training this year. Clean? Yup. Repentant? Perhaps. A team player? Seems so. Feared hitter in the Yankee lineup? As the season has rolled on… yes.<\/p>\n
This past Saturday’s performance–three home runs to lead the team to victory–was no\u00a0Babe Ruth Story<\/em> fluke. He’s having a great season. Indeed, between the way he and teammate Mark Teixeira are hitting this year, you’d think it was 2009 or something.<\/p>\n Author’s note: 2009 has been the only year this century (counting 2000 as the old century) the Yankees have won the World Series. A repeat performance of that season would be quite the 40th birthday present, would it not be? Just sayin’.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Though I no longer think of 40 as being “old,” let’s face it, it’s up there for a professional athlete. Alex Rodriguez, the man who has lived no ordinary life and led no ordinary career, turns 40 today, and is … Continue reading