“You Don’t Hold Up Grudges Anymore”- Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez Squash Over Decade-Long Beef on Live Television; Recall Growing Up Together as Teens

Derek Jeter and Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez are two of the most iconic baseball players to have ever played the sport. They once famously played as teammates for the New York Yankees. They both played significant roles in the Yankees’ 2009 World Series victory. However, their friendship has traveled through rocky terrains. 

Jeter played his entire 20-year-long MLB career as the New York Yankees shortstop, winning five World Series trophies, while ‘A-Rod’ joined the Yankees as a third baseman in 2004. Earlier, ‘A-Rod’ played for the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, respectively. They both have played in MLB All-Star games on 14 editions each.

Being Yankees teammates for a decade, Jeter and ‘A-Rod’ were good friends too. Though they have remained close associates for a long time, the sailing wasn’t smooth between them. Some disappointing comments from ‘A-Rod’ on Jeter caused the tension between the two. It took some considerable time for Jeter to move on from there, but they sure got over it now. 

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez: Leaving the feud behind 

Derek Jeter and Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez featured as guests on the podcast titled, ‘KayRod Cast’. Hosted by popular American sports broadcaster Michael Kay, many world-renowned sports personalities grace the talk show. Jeter and ‘A-Rod’ revisited their past in the episode, even touching upon the most controversial chapter of their friendship. 

Speaking on the matter, ‘A-Rod’ began by saying, “One of my biggest regrets and a lot of it is because of my craziness and all the…. You know, mistakes I made on and off the field. My regret is I wish we were as close as we were when we were teenagers in Seattle. When we played, and I guess 2009 will still be the highlight. But that’s one of my regrets.” 

Jeter followed up in a friendly tone, “Things happen in life. You know, I’ve gone through personal things and I lost one of my best friends in Gerald Williams. And you realize life’s short and you don’t hold up grudges anymore. You move off. First of all, Phil, you’re doing a great job. This is like very therapeutic. Right?” 

Kay reacted in a funny tone saying, “I mean, give me Oprah, Phil hasn’t been on TV forever.” Jeter added, “A lot of times when athletes say they’re gonna retire, they anticipate they’re just gonna sit at home and play golf. Right? It lasts for a week or two. Unless you’re Pasada. You know, Pasada and Cece are the only two.” 

Read More – ‘I Would Never Do It To a Friend’- Derek Jeter Finally Confirms Beef With ‘Not True Friend’ Alex Rodriguez; Reveals Comments From 2001 ‘Bothered Him’

Kay then jokingly asked, “So how about ‘DJ KayRod’ next year?” Continuing in the same funny tone, Jeter said, “Yeah! No! No chance!” 

The original cause behind the rift 

As per reports, the cracks in their friendship appeared when ‘A-Rod’ passed some negative comments that bothered Jeter. That happened in an interview conducted with ‘A-Rod’ by Esquire back in 2001. Anyway, a lot of water has flown down the bridge since then. So Jeter decided to forgive ‘A-Rod’ and move on with life. 

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How do you feel seeing Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez getting along like the old times?