“Don’t Have to Convince Him..”: When Frenemies Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter Addressed a Bizarre Test From Yankees’ Incumbent GM

While talking about players’ rivalries in Major League Baseball, no one can forget about the two athletes who went from being best friends to ones who could not be left alone in a room. Those two would be the now-retired legends of baseball, Derek Jeter and Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez. There was a time when they got teased about being boyfriends. But then their friendship was ruined and in a dramatic turnaround, they ended up playing together for the Bronx Bombers. 

However, when Jeter and A-Rod did end up as teammates, they needed to figure out a way not to let their rivalry overcome their aim as athletes. Therefore, General Manager Brian Cashman found a way for Jeter to do a self-test over his conflict with Alex. 

What did Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez say about the self-test?

Derek, Cashman, and Alex spoke about this self-test in Derek Jeter’s latest documentary, The Captain. While talking about giving the test to Jeter, Cashman said that he wasn’t putting the blame on either of them. But “If there is a rift, let’s try to smooth them out.”

Read More: “What Kind of S**t Is That?”: When Derek Jeter Took a Shot at His Beloved New York Yankees for a Poor Tactic

In the end, that’s exactly what they did. A-Rod spoke about listening to Cashman say how they “don’t have to convince him we’re friends”. Rather, he wanted the two athletes to “be vanilla as possible.” However when Captain Clutch got the chance to speak, he said the words nobody could have thought of. In one of the episodes of the docuseries, Jeter said, “He put up numbers every single year he was with us, won MVP awards right? They wanted me to embrace him more.”

And that’s exactly what A-Rod and Jeter did. They embraced each other. They did so to the point where they tried their best to not let their personal opinions affect the team’s goals. 

How did Jeter and A-Rod’s rivalry start?

Back in the late 1990s both Alex and Derek were emerging as the future stars of baseball. Hence, A-Rod signed the biggest contract in MLB history with the Texas Rangers. As he did so, he made sure to tell the reporters that any of the baseball players could get as big a contract as him but not Jeter. 

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After that, it was one stone over the other. One thing led to another, bizarre things were said. And the once-alleged boyfriends became something like enemies. Today though, it seems like their relationship is finally on the mend!