A-Rod at 40: The best and worst from the controversial Yankee slugger
Best – 2001 All-Star Game
By the time the 2001 All-Star Game had rolled around, A-Rod had moved on from Seattle and now made his home with the Texas Rangers, having signed a 10-year, $252 million with the team prior to the season. The contract was nearly double that of any previous professional sports contract and firmly planted the shortstop in a stratosphere of his own.
However, Rodriguez still had an understand of the game around him and his place in it.
Elected to be the starting shortstop for the 2001 All-Star Game, Rodriguez ran out onto the field in the top of the first inning and promptly moved Cal Ripken Jr. from third base to shortstop. This allowed Ripken, who was playing in his final All-Star Game, to set the record for the most starts at shortstop in All-Star history and gave the Orioles’ legend a proper send-off.
It was a fantastic gesture from a player who was being passed the torch of a generation to a retiring Hall of Famer. However, it also showed Rodriguez’s acumen for the moment game and his desire to always be a part of the big. In his 22-years, no player has been more self-aware of his place in the history of the game than Alex Rodriguez and this moment 14 years ago was a prime example of that.
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