Alex Rodriguez Speaks: "Everyone Has Distractions"

"The Insider's" Pat O' Brien went one-on-one with the headline-making Yankee, Alex Rodriguez at his All-Star Game party at club 40/40 in New York.

With the recent media frenzy surrounding the All-Star's personal trials, O'Brien asked the All-Star about how his fans stuck with him. Rodriguez responded, "New York's been great, times are a bit difficult, they are challenging times, but I'll get through them, the support of the New York fans have been incredible."

As Madonna's music played in the background Rodriguez also told Pat that he has not read any press related materials about him, saying "None of it. Zero, Zero. Thank you."

Meanwhile, at an All-Star media event in New York, A-Rod graciously answered the questions of hungry journalists saying, "You have to take the good with the bad and not take yourself too seriously," reports the New York Post.

Rodriguez added, "Look everyone has distractions. ... Everyone goes through personal issues. Mine are on the front page of the papers. I'm fine with it. You have to deal with that, challenging times."

"I've learned to put whatever issues are on the front the page in one small box over here, (gesturing an imaginary container). ... And baseball has been a great vehicle for me to keep my mind on what I love to do most, to play baseball."

Comments

[snesich]

02:46 AM on 07/16/2008

Alex Rodriguez is such a fraud. He's like a little kid: stars in his eyes, neither of his feet on the ground. Disloyal to his spouse. Bad father to his children. Only interested in his money and his "glory". No close friends on any of the teams he's played for. He obviously was biding his time in Seattle, lusting for the bright lights of NYC and all of the money he could stuff into his pockets. He cares nothing for human connection­s. He cares nothing for genuine, real friendship­. He cares nothing for loyalty. He's a sad statement. And not a very good person.

[RobinSeattle]

06:50 PM on 07/15/2008

The problem with A-Rod is that he is a man without a personalit­y. He really has no idea who he is. At least Wade Boggs, another great hitter without a real discernibl­e soul, had his chicken dinner supersttit­ion to be defined in the media with before his affair was found out. A-Rod will just be known as a garden variety philanderi­ng athlete. There is nothing endearing about him at all.

[trollsbwild]

12:48 PM on 07/15/2008

Serial cheater on his wife, the mother of his children.
Serial cheater in baseball? C'mon- he isn't a juicer? He's probably paying big bucks to a doc who is giving him roids that do not show up in blood and urine tests.
BTW-hope he has not come up as small in the bedroom as he has in the post season.

[sher2x4]

10:23 AM on 07/15/2008

Who are these people that think this man and his issues are important to the population­?
Dead weight perhaps.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

09:56 AM on 07/15/2008

A-Rod has no core sense of who he is and what he stands for.
When he's not swinging a bat, he is a lost soul.

C-Rod understood that. (Recall articles about two years back about her supporting him while he was receiving treatment for depression­.)

The rivalry with Jeter -- on field and off -- has not helped.

A-Rod may be a sweet, vulnerable­, pained, man-child. But he clearly cannot control his "distracti­ons."

Unfortunat­ely, at some point, you have to rescue yourself.

[Nommo]

10:47 AM on 07/15/2008

There's no real rivalry, except perhaps in his own head. This is Jeter town, simple as that. He knew that coming in.