Alex Rodriguez spent the majority of his career with the New York Yankees. During that time, he developed special memories over the years. Having won the long-awaited World Series for the Yanks, he developed some good relationships with not only players but also with none other than the then Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

George Steinbrenner was a polarising character, but a lot of players remember him fondly. This is due to his direct nature and insatiable desire to win. Although A-Rod’s relationship with Steinbrenner may not be as close as Derek Jeter’s was, Rodriguez remembers ‘The Boss’ fondly.

Alex Rodriguez praises George Steinbrenner

Although his tenure with the Yankees did not end on the best note, Alex Rodriguez has always been respective for the Yanks. Most recently, he appeared on ‘The Craig Kilborn Podcast’, to talk about his career, amongst other topics. During the episode, which took place in late May, A-Rod opened up about Steinbrenner and had nothing but praise for him.

While on the podcast, Rodriguez said, “It depends which kind of George you got, right? George was, in my opinion, one of the greatest owners of all time. He was so competitive, so committed. He expected so much from us, but he also provided an incredible amount of great people and resources. We had the best coaches. He cared about his fanbase more than anybody. When we come up short, he apologized to the fanbase.” 

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This was a heavy compliment from the legendary baseball player as he remembered the iconic Steinbrenner. Derek Jeter and A-Rod had both paid tribute to the father figure shortly after his demise in 2010. Both were shaken up by the loss, as they respected the Yankees’ owner and had a special bond with him. 

A-Rod remembered a special story from his career

Later in the same podcast, Alex Rodriguez remembered a special moment with George Steinbrenner. He said that shortly after joining the Yankees; he was struggling and off to a slow start. It was a change, and he was getting used to the surrounding lineup filled with winners. When he went to his locker one day, and there was a note on it with Steinbrenner’s initials. In the note, the then-owner encouraged A-Rod while saying that he was happy he traded for the star infielder. This moment helped Rodriguez turn things around and had a great year. He has the note framed up in his office even today. 

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From these two accounts, it is clear that Alex Rodriguez had a special relationship with George Steinbrenner. What do you think of the words that he shared about the Yankees’ former owner?