A former MLB star did not hold back when talking about Alex Rodriguez. While appearing on the Foul Territory podcast, Doug Mientkiewicz sounded off on Rodriguez who was a hit teammate when they both played for the New York Yankees in 2007. Mientkiewicz took offense to Rodriguez seemingly shutting out his former teammates from Westminster Christian High School in Miami.ย
“I’ve always said this, he’s going to die a lonely man,” Mientkiewicz said, per Sports Illustrated. “This whole ‘father of the year’ stuff, God bless him with his daughters, because it’s got to come a long way. But it’s like, ‘You’re just trying to get into heaven now.’ I’m still friends with my high school team. We still text often, not as often as we should, but we still text, group thread, constantly badgering each other. He’s just distant from it. I don’t care how good or how great you become and how far your career goes, you never forget your high school dudes.”
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Mientkiewicz also blasted Rodriguez for his PED suspension in 2014. “It’s painful,” Mientkiewicz said. “It’s like, wait a minute, do you [forget] you got suspended 200 games? It’s like, ‘Come on, man. Stop it.’ I get it. I played a power position and didn’t have any. Did it cross my mind? Of course. You thought about it. But I was like, ‘You know what, I want to be able to walk when I’m 50.”
Rodriguez responded to Mientkiewicz’s attack on him while speaking to Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today. “That was actually strange ’cause I’ve always considered Doug a friend,” Rodriguez said, per Sports Illustrated. “I was shocked and surprised. My daughter sent me the articles, my mom, my brother, all people that really like Doug. I was really close with his mom and dad. But, look, at the end of the day, one thing I’ll never do is speak poorly about any of my teammates, especially a high school teammate. I wish him well.”
Mientkiewicz played in the majors from 1998-2009 and won World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. The former first baseman won a Gold Glove while playing for the Minnesota Twins in 2001. He also won a gold medal as a member of the USA baseball team in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.ย