13 reasons why you should like Alex Rodriguez

Published Mar. 17, 2015 2:30 p.m. ET

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Brett Smiley

Alex Rodriguez is one of the most detested athletes in all of professional sports. He's been called a liar, a cheater, a sociopath, egotistical, arrogant, vain, his own worst enemy and many more colorful things -- and many of those descriptions are fair and accurate.

But A-Rod is not all bad. He's passionate about baseball, has a sense of humor and he's a lightning rod who gives the media loads of material to talk about (hiyoo!); he's shared his wealth with charities and with young teammates during rehab assignments; there's evidence that he's been gracious to fans, and he even saved a kid once from getting hit by a truck.

Rodriguez doesn't deserve your sympathy or admiration, nor am I arguing that the litigious DH/third-baseman is an all-around great guy. But he does have some redeeming qualities. To wit, here's 13 reasons why you should --- or at least theoretically, could -- like Alex Rodriguez.

1. Really, he saved a kid from getting hit by a truck in 2005

About 10 years ago in downtown Boston, A-Rod saw an 8-year-old boy beginning to walk onto a street into the path of an oncoming truck when he reached out and grabbed the boy, nearly getting himself hit, too. "The kid was going to get run over," Rodriguez told The Associated Press. "I just kind of put my arm out and stopped him."

"This guy just put his hand in front of me and stopped me," said the boy, named Patrick McCarthy, a Yankees fan. "He said, 'Whoa, watch out, buddy. I was like, 'Wow!' Like I was shocked, because he's my favorite player on the Yankees."

Getting rescued by his favorite player? That's a story McCarthy can tell for a lifetime.

2. Rodriguez is, undeniably, pretty entertaining

By virtue of his mega-contract for 10 years and $252 million and subsequent move to New York, A-Rod invited a life inside a media crucible. Granted, he's played the part, but his life is like a soap opera. In the latest episode of "Days of our A-Rod," the Yankees just completely ignored the guy's spring training home run.

Remember the “Ha” shouting incident in 2007?

And the time then-girlfriend Cameron Diaz fed him popcorn in a scene captured on television during Super Bowl XLV?

Most importantly, however self-indulgent, who else has centaur paintings of himself in his bedroom?! (Art by Faith & Fear In Flushing's Jason Fry.)

3. He possesses a relentless work ethic

Rodriguez cares deeply about winning and busts his tail every single day, which is more than some baseball players can say.

“His work ethic is legendary,” said Jim Fannin, A-Rod’s performance coach from 1996 to 2010. “He’ll work out for 1.5 to 2 hours before a game and then analyze the film of his at-bats after a game so he can make adjustments.”

Former Yankees pitcher David Cone recently described A-Rod as “a cage rat.”

Said Lee Elia, A-Rod’s first hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners in 1994: "I can't remember anybody who had a better work ethic than Alex Rodriguez. The guy didn't miss a day and he didn't miss a minute, and he was open to suggestions."

Here’s one more -- a story from Wayne Stewart’s 2007 biography of Rodriguez, in which longtime Texas Rangers broadcaster Tom Grieve recalls Rodriguez’s first year in Texas in 2001.

“The one anecdote that might give you a little bit of an idea about the kind of player he is -- the first year he was here [in Texas], we were in last place and the last three games of the year were in Anaheim. On the last day of the season there was no more batting practice -- basically it was, ‘Show up, play the game, and let’s go home.’ Bucky Dent was our infield coach, and probably 45 minutes before the game -- the Angels weren’t going to take batting practice -- Alex comes out on the field with Mark Teixeira, Michael Young, and Hank Blalock, all young players early in their careers, and they went through infield practice -- when it meant nothing. It was Alex’s idea; his thought was these kids are going to be a big part of our future and let’s start right now getting ready for next year with the way we’re going to do things. And that was a pretty impressive thing to watch.”  

4. He’s shown appreciation for his fans

Read this account posted by Reddit user KeyzerSoze96:

"After all this talk putting him down I'd like to share a nice story about A-Rod for a change.

"I was visiting my little cousin in New York, this was a couple years ago in 2011. We walked into get something to eat at some restaurant, my aunt was with us at the time. About half into the meal I spotted A-Rod sitting across the restaurant with what looked like to be his friends [all guys]. My cousin [12 at the time] was wearing a Yankees 2009 World Champions shirt. During the end of our meal we were waiting for the check and A-Rod's table was just about to leave. His friends left and he didn't leave with them, instead he stayed behind and quietly asked the front desk for a piece of paper and a pen. As he was leaving he came over to our table (across the other side of the restaurant like I said before) and gave my cousin his autograph. He sat down and talked with us for a few minutes before leaving, and seemed like an incredibly awesome guy.

5. He was a pretty cool dude when he rehabbed with the Charleston RiverDogs

It’s not hard to win friends by picking up dinner tabs for consecutive nights:

That said, members of the Yankees' Class-A affiliate appear to have genuinely enjoyed getting to play alongside one of MLB’s greatest and soak in his experiences in the bigs.

“Nobody’s saying too much out loud,” center fielder Jake Cave said in July 2013 when they learned that A-Rod would be suiting up with them. “Nobody wants to be the guy who is too excited.”

"It was a great experience to talk to someone of his stature in the game, one of the all-time greats to ever play baseball," RiverDogs first baseman Greg Bird said. "What he's gone through is a great experience for us. He taught us the consistency of a routine, how it starts the night before a game, all of the way to what he eats for breakfast, lunch, and gets ready for a game."

"It was just a great experience being able to play with one of the greatest baseball players ever," Bird said. "We all got to shake his hand and say, 'Thanks.' We'd love to have him come back."

6. He's got a sense of humor

On whether Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster should be suspended after intentionally hitting him:

7. He’s been very generous to charities with his finances and his time

"He's been supporting us for at least 15 years," said Alex Rodriguez-Roig (unrelated to A-Rod), executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade where the ballplayer spent a lot of time as a youngster. "He has donated millions of dollars to us and he continues to be one of our top supporters."

Rodriguez has helped organize fundraisers for Miami’s Boys & Girls Club, and he’s written checks, but he’s also put in lots of quality time.

"He spends a lot of time with the kids here, and you can't put a dollar figure on that," Rodriguez-Roig said. "He mentors the kids and it makes a big difference in their lives. He helps families that have no money for Christmas gifts. He shows up with presents and starts handing them out. And any time he wins an award that comes with a cash bonus, he gives the money to the Boys & Girls Clubs. He's a big supporter."

A-Rod has also donated large sums to a scholarship program at the University of Miami and he’s given big checks to the Children’s Aid Society and UNICEF.

At Christmastime in 2004 at the Boys & Girls Club, 11-year-old Anuar Campo was asked whether he would rather meet Santa Claus or A-Rod.

“That’s easy,” Campo said. “It’s Alex Rodriguez. I’ve met him before. He comes here all the time. He always comes here, and he always sees the kids. “

8. He wrote two children’s books with uplifting messages

In the books, Rodriguez extolls the virtues of hard work and determination (and no, he does not get into the dangers of steroid use). In the 1998 book "Hit a Grand Slam," he related a challenging experience from his childhood. Rodriguez talks about the pain of losing his father who abandoned his family when Rodriguez was nine years old.

"Whatever his true reasons for leaving and not staying in touch, I can forgive him," he wrote. "I have to let go of that anger to move forward. The problem is, I can't forget what he did."  

9. He’s got a childlike spirit in him

Check out the look on his face when he met WWE’s John Cena at WrestleMania 28 in Miami:

10. He's a good-looking guy

Sure, it’s vain, but no one covets the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the articles.  

11. There is a chance that you will go to a game and sit next to whatever famous blonde he is dating  

12. He takes the tabloids for his teammates

Though the team may choose to ignore him, Alex “Lightning” Rod-riguez is still the most recognizable Yankee and with Derek Jeter retired, he’s actually one of the longest-tenured professional athletes in New York. A-Rod arrived in Feb. 2004 before Eli Manning became a New York Giant.

Former A-Rod girlfriend Kate Hudson.

Former A-Rod girlfriend Cameron Diaz.

Former A-Rod girlfriend Torrie Wilson.

It’s not necessarily a virtue to be a familiar face, but because he attracts so much attention -- negative or otherwise -- there’s fewer New York Post and New York Daily News back pages for caricatures and ridicule of the other Yankees. That’s worth something.

“A-Rod, ladies and gentleman, is the most interesting and entertaining thing about these 2015 Yankees on and off the field,” wrote CBS’s Jon Heyman, “and it isn't even close.”

13. To wit, the New York Daily News rips the guy so much that he’s almost a sympathetic figure

Follow The Buzzer on Facebook, and check out my colleague Jimmy Traina’s opposing piece about 9 non-PED reasons to dislike A-Rod.

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