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MAIN Sports Sports Stars Alex Rodriguez

Often
in the news for his performances both on and off the field, Alex
Rodriguez has recently made headlines with
a mention in a controversial book - penned by ex-Yankee manager
Joe Torre - who revealed that one the highest paid sluggers in
major league basebal was reported to have been called "A-Fraud"
by his fellow teammates.
That
nickname was later degraded to "A-Roid" by sports columnists
when more news broke in 2009 regarding
his use of steroids in anonymous testing conducted in 2003.
Since
2003, A-Rod has repeatedly denied his involvment in the baseball
steroids controversy until this year when he apologized to fans
to having used the banned substance, saying that he discontinued
using steroids in 2004.
A-Rod
Bio
Born
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez in New York, New York on July 27,1975,
A-Rod grew up in Miami and there began his early career at Westminster
Christian School, batting .419 with 17 home runs and 90 steals
in 100 games.
He
later became the USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year and the
first high school player to ever try out for Team USA in 1993.
His
professional career began with the Seattle Mariners, before signing
an unprecidented free agent deal with the Texas Rangers. In 2003
he became the youngest player in major league history to reach
300 home runs. Also that year, he was named American League Most
Valuable Player and traded to the New York Yankees three weeks
later - the first MVP to be traded in major league history.
Rodriguez
lived up to the much-publicized hype and $22 million salary in
his first year with the Yankees, hitting .286 with 36 home runs
and 106 runs batted in - in his seventh consecutive season with
at least 100 RBI.
Eventually,
he was moved up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, directly
behind good friend and Yankee captain, Derek
Jeter.
On June 8,
2005 the 29-year-old A-Rod went down in the record books as the
only player in baseball history to hit 400 home runs before reaching
age 30. The historic homer was the second of the night for A-Rod
in a 12-3 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In November,
Rodriguez' star continued to rise as he won the American League
Most Valuable Player award, beating out Red Sox hitter David Ortiz
to win MVP for the second time in three seasons.
In 2006, despite
an otherwise lackluster season, A-Rod reached another milestone
by becoming at age 30 the youngest
player in baseball history to reach 450 homeruns. In
2007, he reached his 500th
home run becoming at 32 years old the youngest player ever
to reach that milestone.
The sports
pages also had a field day in 2007 over rumors that the Yankee
slugger was about to jump
to the Chicago Cubs in a record-breaking deal that could have
been worth as much as $30 million a year for 10 years and included
an ownership stake in the team. Instead, a final Yankee deal with
A-Rod was signed in mid-November worth more than $275 million.
Rodriguez
captured his third American League MVP title following an outstanding
2007 season in which he led the AL in homers, RBI, runs and slugging
percentage (.645). He is now up for a nomination as Best Athlete
in this year's ESPY
Awards airing in July.

Alex Rodriguez and wife
Cynthia on the cover of
Gotham Magazine 2008.
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A-Rod,
A Player Off the Field?
Off the field,
Rodriguez was in the news in 2007 as tabloids dubbed the married
Yankee Slugger "Stray
Rod". after he was spotted with a mystery blonde while
on the road in Toronto.
A-Rod had
also been rumored in the possible divorce proceedings of pop queen
Madonna,
with reports siting their late night dalliances in New York as
the reason for her rumored divorce from Guy Ritchie.
As a result,
A-Rod's wife, Cynthia, filed a multi-million dollar divorce proceeding
reportedly settled peacefully in September 2008.
Rodriguez
and wife Cynthia were married in 2002 and have two daughters,
Natasha (b.2004) and Ella, born on April 21, 2008.
A-Rod around
the Web:
AROD.com
- The slugger's official site with a career timeline, bio, pictures,
video clips, official stats, information on the AROD Family Foundation,
online shop,
Alex
Rodriguez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
- The complete record including vital stats, batting and fielding
records with the Mariners, Rangers and Yankees, plus a complete
salary history.
New
York Yankees - Alex Rodriguez - The official team site
featuring a photo gallery, vital stats, current season standings,
career highlights and biography.
ARod
Central - Online fan site with busy messageboards and
discussions on the Yankee star's life, career and related articles.
Alex
Rodriguez's Unofficial Website - Fan site offering photos
and publicity shots, vital stats and biography, career highlights,
fun facts, quotes.
Alex
Rodriguez - Complete profile detailng A-Rod's early years
with the Seattle Mariners, subsequent moves to the Texas Rangers
& Yankees, plus related stats and salary history, pictures
& related links, from Wikipedia.
also see in
Sports -> World
Series Baseball | New
York Yankees
also
see in Sports Idols -> Jason
Giambi | Ken
Griffey, Jr.
Derek Jeter | Mike
Piazza
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