Sports Confession: I'm Suddenly A Fan Of Alex Rodriguez
BOSTON (CBS) -- In sports, as in life, there are some things that just don't quite feel right, uncomfortable changes that can lead someone to question the very foundation of everything he believes in.
I'm dealing with such a situation at the moment, and so I have to get something off my chest.
I think I've grown to like Alex Rodriguez.
I like A-Rod.
This is a problem.
For years -- since I was but a young boy bounding around the streets of a lovely Boston suburb -- I have been genetically conditioned to dislike A-Rod. It started when he signed his 10-year, $252 million deal in Texas. The money-grubbing loser! All he cares about is money, not winning. Then, there was the brief moment in 2003 when he was coming to the Red Sox. I hated it. We're going to lose Manny and Nomar for that boob? What the hell kind of deal is that?
And then of course, the dislike quickly morphed into disgust and hatred when Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in 2004.
A-Rod was, universally and irrefutably, the worst person on the planet. When he slapped Bronson Arroyo's arm, only to get called on his buffoonery and getting shooed off the field by Orlando Cabrera, it was a truly great moment. The fraud had been exposed. Huzzah.
And really, for A-Rod, he only made it worse for himself. He tried to hijack the moment of the Red Sox winning the 2007 World Series by announcing in the late innings of the Sox' clinching Game 4 that he'd be opting out of his contract. Only a narcissist who kisses himself in the mirror would be such a massive donkey, but that's exactly what A-Rod was. A donkey. A giant, stupid donkey.
The 2009 calendar year was an up-and-down one for Mr. Rod, as he was forced to admit that he took steroids during his time in Texas. Unfortunately, later that year, he dropped the "choker" tag that worked so well for him, as he batted .365 with six homers and 18 RBIs in 15 playoff games, leading the Yankees to a World Series victory. It was the worst. Life was more fun when A-Rod spent every October puking on his cleats. (This came three years after Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl, leaving those of us in Boston without any ultimate losers left to laugh at. This was very tough for us.)
And then, a few years later, A-Rod's career appeared to come to a pathetic end. He got caught up in the Biogenesis scandal, and it turned out he had been pumping his body with testosterone and HGH and then allegedly tried to interfere with MLB's investigation. He put the cherry on top by paying people money to protest MLB and hold signs to support him as he entered and exited his suspension hearing -- a fitting move for the ultimate phony.
He was suspended for the entire 2014 season, and considering he'd be turning 40 in 2015, the odds of him being able to continue playing baseball after a year off the field were slim to none.
Ding-dong, A-Rod was dead (sports-wise). What a fitting way to go out.
But for whatever reason (likely the $60 million left on his contract), The Rod was determined to prove he could still play in the majors. This was a laughable thought, and it could almost make you feel bad for the guy. Aw, look at that old man still trying to play in the majors! Poor fella!
And when the 2015 season began and A-Rod played first base and looked like a man who never once before ever wore a leather glove on his hand, the A-Rod saga grew even more hilarious. He can't catch a simple throw! This. Is. Great.
But somehow, some way, somewhere along the line, Rodriguez became a sympathetic figure for the first time in his life. Call it the LeBron Effect -- when the hate directed toward an athlete for everything he says and does reaches a breaking point of irrationality that a sports fan's opinion can actually reverse overnight.
And so, as A-Rod did the impossible by actually performing, I became entertained -- impressed, even. He hit five home runs in April, and from May through July, he batted .295 with a .944 OPS. He now leads the Yankees with 33 homers, his highest total since 2008, and he ranks 14th in the AL with an .849 OPS.
Of course, given that he's presumably tested by MLB between every inning and during every pitching change, he can't pump that synthetic fuel into his system anymore. As a result, his production dipped in the dog days of August, but he's rallied nicely with a seven-homer month of September.
It's actually quite incredible. And even the most fervent A-Rod hater has to admit that.
What's more, and this might be the hardest thing to admit, is that Rodriguez has seemingly become somewhat self-aware. In the same way that James Franco making fun of his own pretentiousness for two straight hours in "This Is The End" made the actor infinitely more likable, A-Rod has seemingly been somewhat aware of the cartoon character that he had become. And he confirmed this theory by mocking himself on Instagram after clinching the playoffs.
The man has gone from literally smooching his own reflection in a photo shoot to posting hilariously unflattering photos of himself on social media. I mean ... how can you hate that?
He also shared a photo earlier this year of him plugging his own nose while doing the Ice Bucket Challenge.
And he posted a photo of him rolling around in the dirt like an elderly man who had fallen and could not get up.
It's hard to wrap my head around it, but life moves in mysterious ways.
I like Alex Rodriguez.
Go ... Yankees?
(OK, we don't have to go that far.)
Read more from Michael Hurley by clicking here. You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.