Alex Rodriguez Was 'A Mess' After Dropping Daughter Natasha Off At College
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00:00 A-Rod in the building.
00:01 You're looking incredible, first of all.
00:03 - Thank you.
00:04 - Absolutely, let's get right into it.
00:06 I mean, 30 pounds, you've dropped it.
00:08 You credit your girlfriend, Jack,
00:09 to a lot of that success.
00:11 Talk to me about it.
00:11 - No, Jack's been incredible.
00:12 She was a nurse for over 10 years,
00:15 and then during the pandemic,
00:16 she shifted her career to helping people with their life.
00:19 And she comes at it from a nursing point of view,
00:22 which is kind of very proactive.
00:24 And some of the changes,
00:25 I've just gone into some intermittent fasting,
00:27 some great night walks,
00:30 been consistent with my lifting and my cardio.
00:32 But I think the biggest thing is,
00:33 I used to eat steak about seven days a week.
00:36 I was crazy.
00:37 And now I'm eating like once every 10 days,
00:39 and that's been a big adjustment.
00:40 - Do you miss it?
00:41 Because I love steak, and so I'm missing it for you.
00:44 - Good steak with some fries.
00:46 - Yeah, what level, medium?
00:48 - Medium, medium, with a big bone.
00:50 And I can just hammer that thing.
00:52 - I don't mean to trigger you.
00:53 You might go get a steak right after.
00:55 - You might, I think you have.
00:56 - Stand down, stand down.
00:58 Okay, so cutting back on the red meat,
01:00 a more active lifestyle.
01:01 Are you feeling as good from the inside out now
01:03 because of that?
01:04 - Totally, totally.
01:05 The benefits is you lose weight,
01:07 and you feel better in your clothes,
01:08 and confidence, all that stuff, right?
01:10 Because mental health, it's so important, all of it.
01:15 And I think it starts from the inside out.
01:18 But I feel more energetic, more optimistic,
01:21 just more excited to just tackle the day.
01:23 - I love to hear that.
01:24 Okay, now when it comes to you getting fit,
01:26 what were some of the keys to that?
01:27 What sort of activities were you doing?
01:29 What sort of lifestyle changes did you implement?
01:32 - You know what I did?
01:33 - What?
01:33 - You know, I was living out in LA and in Miami,
01:36 and I was running two companies,
01:37 and that took a toll on me.
01:39 So during the pandemic, I made a shift.
01:41 And I said, you know what?
01:43 I gotta start focusing on my health.
01:45 I have two young daughters, and life is too precious, right?
01:49 So now, the biggest adjustment,
01:51 instead of being in the office at eight in the morning,
01:53 I take from eight to noon, and that's my time.
01:55 So I do my lifting, I do my cardio,
01:57 some sauna, some steam, some meditating.
02:01 And then I'm in the office every day at noon to six.
02:04 I have my dinner, and then I always do a night walk.
02:06 And that's been really helpful.
02:07 - Okay, got it.
02:08 - It's just consistency.
02:09 - Consistency is key, that's what they say.
02:11 Now, you talked about the fact that about two years ago,
02:13 you were at a low point in your life, health-wise.
02:16 Your family came in and supported you.
02:18 Talk to me about that chapter.
02:19 What was that like, and how did they sort of come in
02:21 to have that heart-to-heart with you?
02:23 - Yeah, you know, Cynthia, my ex-wife,
02:25 we were married for almost 15 years.
02:27 She's one of my greatest friends,
02:30 and she sat me down and said,
02:31 "Alex, I don't like what I'm seeing.
02:33 "You don't look healthy, your coloring's not good,
02:36 "you look bloated."
02:37 Things you don't wanna hear,
02:38 but that's what real friends do, right?
02:40 - Yes, they do.
02:41 - And that's why she's my homemate, right?
02:42 She's one of my dearest friends.
02:44 So it was that moment that I started saying,
02:46 "Okay, I gotta start getting into this."
02:47 And then shortly after that, I met Jack,
02:49 and then she really kind of put Turbo Charge into a plan,
02:52 and away we went.
02:54 - Yeah, now am I getting this right,
02:57 that Cynthia and Jack were working out together also?
02:59 For Cynthia to get in shape?
03:01 - No, Jack, yes.
03:01 - Or these two helping you get in shape?
03:03 - Both, all of it is accurate.
03:04 - Either way, it's a team effort, I love it.
03:06 - It's like 2023, we're all like a blended family, right?
03:09 It's kind of cool.
03:10 And we all travel together, we do.
03:11 But Cynthia, as a result, has also gotten in tremendous shape
03:14 and she's helped out my daughters.
03:16 And you know, when something good comes into your life,
03:18 it affects everyone in a good way.
03:20 - Yeah, I mean, it's safe to say
03:21 that you two have mastered co-parenting
03:24 in an incredible way.
03:25 I mean, was it always that easy?
03:26 What was the key to working that out?
03:28 - Yeah, I mean, look, there's always a little bit
03:29 of growing pains, but you know,
03:31 I've known Cynthia since I was 20 years old.
03:34 I've known her almost 30 years.
03:36 And she's a phenomenal woman.
03:38 She has her, you know, master's in psychology,
03:41 so she's been very helpful to the entire family.
03:43 And she's a rock.
03:45 And yeah, it's been, thank God.
03:47 Co-parenting, we do well together
03:50 and that's the most important thing in our life.
03:52 - What advice would you give to the folks at home
03:54 watching this who are maybe navigating
03:56 their own co-parenting situation?
03:58 - I think it's like, you gotta like, check the ego.
04:00 Like, you gotta just, you know, every morning,
04:04 I pray when I wake up in the morning,
04:06 it wasn't always this way,
04:08 where I try to diminish the ego
04:10 and create and have enhanced my self-awareness, right?
04:15 And I think, thinking about long-term,
04:17 what's best for the kids,
04:19 it's such a healthy way to go about it
04:21 'cause the opposite is not good.
04:22 - Yes, amen to that, amen.
04:24 And you mentioned health, of course.
04:25 I mean, holistically, it seems like
04:27 you're in a very healthy place, so healthy.
04:29 You're talking about gum health.
04:31 I mean, that's something that's important
04:32 that a lot of us don't think about.
04:34 Why is it so important for you
04:35 to be raising awareness around gum health?
04:38 And what exactly does that mean for us?
04:40 What should we be thinking about?
04:41 - You know, when we think about health,
04:42 it's the overall health.
04:43 It's not just the way you look or, excuse me,
04:46 or working out.
04:46 I mean, I'm so excited about this partnership
04:48 with Orafarma.
04:49 I will always go to the dentist twice a year,
04:52 going back to my Yankee days.
04:54 And recently, I went to my dentist
04:55 and I discovered that I had gum disease.
04:58 And the good news was, I didn't realize
05:01 that there was over 60 million Americans
05:04 that have this gum disease.
05:06 And more so in communities black and brown like mine.
05:10 So the good news is now,
05:13 I'm getting treatment four times a year.
05:15 I go every three months.
05:16 And you need a little bit more than dental flossing
05:20 and brushing your teeth.
05:21 And even if you have nice looking teeth,
05:23 you may still have the gum disease.
05:25 So it's been a good journey.
05:27 I'm so happy that I got ahold of it and controlling it.
05:30 And we're treating it in the best way possible.
05:32 - Okay.
05:33 I mean, and look at these pearly whites, y'all.
05:35 I mean, come on.
05:36 How do we control gum disease or maybe prevent it?
05:39 Because you said it's more than flossing and teeth brushing.
05:42 So I'm ashamed to say that I don't know what else
05:44 I should be doing.
05:45 - It's just think about it.
05:46 Like if you have strep throat, right?
05:48 You take some, you know, medication
05:50 and you go to the doctor.
05:51 Same thing with this.
05:52 You have to go to your local dentist is what I've done.
05:55 And he's recommended this treatment
05:58 and I'm going at about it.
05:59 I would say be proactive when it comes to your oral,
06:03 just like everything else.
06:04 And go from there.
06:05 - Okay, got it.
06:06 Now you posted recently about dropping Natasha off to school.
06:09 Now I'm a daddy's girl.
06:11 I'm the oldest.
06:11 There were tears and they were all his when I went to school.
06:15 So what was that experience like for you?
06:17 I heard you've been texting her nonstop.
06:19 Has she cut you off?
06:20 Did she change the phone number?
06:22 - A little bit of everything.
06:23 Yeah.
06:24 You know, it's funny because I thought I was ready for it.
06:26 And I told Jack, I was with Jack.
06:28 We dropped her off and I said, Jack, I got this.
06:30 There's no big deal.
06:31 Like my girl's going to Michigan.
06:32 We're good.
06:33 Daddy's strong.
06:34 - Ooh, Michigan, I'm a bunk guy.
06:35 - Are you?
06:36 Oh, so is Cynthia.
06:37 - Okay, I love that.
06:38 - We're gonna go this year to the Ohio State Michigan game
06:41 at the big house.
06:42 - Okay.
06:43 - So, you know, when I gave her a hug
06:45 and I dropped her off, she's there for musical theater.
06:48 Gave her a big hug and boy, I started breaking down
06:51 and it was bad.
06:52 And then all the way back to the airport, it was a mess.
06:55 She's doing wonderful.
06:56 I'm a mad mess.
06:58 And of course my little one, Ella,
06:59 who's a sophomore in high school.
07:01 Now we have, you know, the three of us used to have dinner.
07:03 Now it's just the two of us.
07:05 And I say, man, Ella, don't we miss Natasha?
07:07 She goes, nah, we're good.
07:09 - Sounds like siblings.
07:10 - One and one, we're better this way.
07:11 That's normally how it goes.
07:13 Now you mentioned Natasha's focusing on musical theater.
07:16 Was there ever a time that you were hoping
07:17 she might want to go into sports, maybe play pro?
07:20 - You know, no.
07:21 I honestly, in a little bit,
07:24 she played a little volleyball
07:25 and a little bit cross country.
07:26 She wasn't really passionate about it.
07:28 Her passion has always been around musical theater.
07:31 She's gone to the same Broadway play like nine times.
07:34 And I'm like, it reminds me of when I used to go play
07:36 baseball and I fell in love with baseball, right?
07:38 So totally get it.
07:39 And I don't have to worry about the pressure
07:41 of her being daddy's girl and being compared to daddy.
07:44 I can't do anything in musical theater.
07:45 I can't sing, I can't dance, I can't do anything.
07:48 - You know your strengths.
07:48 - That's good, I know my strengths.
07:49 - That's good, okay.
07:50 Well, I love that you support her
07:52 in whatever her journey and her passion is.
07:54 You know, I want to talk a little bit about your childhood,
07:56 you know, specifically growing up in poverty.
07:58 You talked about the fact that you had to move
08:00 every 18 months because your mother couldn't afford the rent.
08:04 You vowed to one day be a landlord.
08:06 So what got you and your family through those tough times,
08:09 particularly when I would imagine things look very dim?
08:12 - Yeah, you know, faith.
08:14 I think, you know, the good Lord, really, honestly.
08:17 When dad left at the age of 10,
08:19 it left my mom back and I, and my two siblings,
08:22 older siblings, we were down in Miami.
08:24 Everybody had to work.
08:26 Our rent was $520 every month,
08:28 and that was a lot of money.
08:30 And I felt the stress of my mom.
08:32 And I remember one day when I was around 12,
08:34 I saw kind of funny money color and it wasn't green.
08:38 And it was food stamps.
08:40 And what I realized was like, oh man, even at 12,
08:42 I said, I got to get focused.
08:44 And I, there's no time to mess around here.
08:46 I got to take care of mama.
08:48 And I made a promise that if I ever had an opportunity,
08:50 I would buy her a house, buy her a car,
08:53 and make sure she never works again.
08:56 And that's the first thing I did
08:57 when I signed a professional contract at 17.
08:59 I bought her a house, I bought her a car,
09:02 and she's never worked a day.
09:04 And she's 87 now.
09:05 - I love that.
09:06 - Hi mom.
09:07 She'll kill me if I say she's 87.
09:08 - Hi mama.
09:09 - But she is a force of nature.
09:11 She's doing wonderful and she's a rock.
09:14 - I love that at 87, she's like, don't say my age.
09:16 - She will kill me.
09:17 Sorry, mom, but I'm so proud.
09:19 - We apologize.
09:20 You look great, driving.
09:22 Of all of the gestures and gifts
09:24 that maybe you've given your mother through the years,
09:25 which one do you think means the most to her?
09:27 What was maybe the most special for you?
09:28 - Honestly, it's just time.
09:30 You know, she just likes hanging out.
09:31 She's always, you know, I wore a light blue jacket.
09:35 She texts me, she goes, what the hell are you wearing?
09:37 She goes, I want to come see you.
09:38 You know?
09:39 No, it's just time.
09:40 I think it's only three of us, right?
09:42 It's three siblings, one mom.
09:45 And again, dad left when I was 10.
09:47 So we're a small group, but we're very bonded together
09:50 and she's something else.
09:51 - That's incredible.
09:52 Thinking about how far you've come,
09:54 where you are now when you look at your life,
09:56 does it make it all the sweeter?
09:57 What do you appreciate most outside of obviously
10:00 your beautiful family about the life
10:02 you've created for yourself?
10:03 - No, honestly, I mean, just to think about that,
10:06 I'm so grateful.
10:08 I've had some ups and downs in my life,
10:09 both personally and professionally,
10:11 but you know, somehow find the strength to get back up,
10:14 learn from my mistakes.
10:15 But to think that a kid with brown skin
10:17 that grew up in Miami, seeing her mother with two jobs,
10:21 seeing that funny money, that food stamps,
10:25 that one day can own an NBA team,
10:28 playing to make big leagues for 25 years.
10:31 And what a great league that the NBA allows, you know,
10:35 people like you and I to be owners and they're progressive
10:38 and they give people opportunity.
10:39 And now I sit on boards and I'm doing
10:41 all these amazing things.
10:42 And my responsibility is not just to be the only person
10:45 of color in that room, but to leave that door wide open
10:48 and bring others with me.
10:49 And then my message to the next generation is,
10:52 look, I made big mistakes.
10:53 I served a year suspension.
10:55 And how can you learn from my lessons and my mistakes?
10:59 And I'm excited to continue to, you know,
11:01 sing that message loud and clear.
11:03 - There's so much grit, so much determination,
11:05 so much accomplishment.
11:06 What don't we know about A-Rod yet?
11:08 What is there left to know?
11:09 What haven't you told us yet, Alex?
11:10 - Well, I told you off air,
11:12 I'm a terrible singer and dancer.
11:14 My daughter's in music or theater.
11:15 My other one loves drama and dancing.
11:18 So I have zero skills there.
11:19 I guess I know what I know, but more importantly,
11:21 I know what I don't know.
11:22 - Okay, okay, all right.
11:23 - I stick to my strengths.
11:24 - Fair, fair.
11:25 Okay, to wrap things up, quick, rapid fire confessions game.
11:28 Okay, here we go.
11:28 First up, what is your guilty pleasure TV show?
11:32 - Ooh, I love "Scandal."
11:35 - Oh, okay, "Olivia Pope."
11:38 - You know what?
11:38 I love the David Beckham documentary.
11:40 - Oh, did you watch Beckham?
11:41 - Three of four.
11:43 - Okay.
11:44 - I'm saving maybe the fourth for tonight.
11:45 - Incredible.
11:46 - But I love David and he just comes across so genuine.
11:48 - Yeah, do you see any similarities between the two of you?
11:50 Anything that resonated?
11:51 - A lot. - I would imagine, yeah.
11:52 - We're the same age.
11:54 He went through his controversy in '03, '04.
11:56 That's when I got to the Yankees.
11:57 He's got, you know, he's a family man.
11:59 He's got young kids.
12:00 I think Posh and his parents came across beautifully
12:03 and gracefully and humble, and that was inspiring.
12:05 And I thought I knew David,
12:06 but I know him so much better now.
12:08 And I wrote him a note.
12:09 I was like, "I'm so proud of you."
12:10 - That's beautiful.
12:11 All right, what do you like on your stadium hot dog?
12:13 - Ooh, just mustard.
12:15 - Just mustard?
12:16 - But I like a Dodger dog.
12:18 - Okay.
12:19 - Just a very simple Dodger dog.
12:19 - 'Cause that's just the really long one, right?
12:21 - Yeah.
12:22 - Just, no ketchup?
12:23 - Keep it simple.
12:24 Yeah, a little ketchup.
12:24 - A little ketchup. - Yeah, ketchup.
12:25 Yeah, yeah.
12:26 - Are you withholding ingredients from me right now?
12:27 'Cause you just said mustard. - Nah.
12:28 You give me some french fries and some hot sauce
12:31 and I'm good.
12:31 - Wait, now you're throwing in hot sauce.
12:33 - Yeah.
12:33 - 'Cause they're hot sauce, ketchup, and mustard.
12:35 - Yeah.
12:35 - Okay, there we go.
12:36 Who was the first person to ever call you A-Rod?
12:39 - Believe it or not, it was a famous Hall of Fame announcer
12:42 from the Seattle Mariners, Dave Niehaus,
12:46 who's in the Hall of Fame.
12:47 And I was 18 years old when I got to Seattle
12:49 as a young lad, rookie.
12:51 And he said it one night,
12:52 and the next day he came to me and said,
12:54 "Alex, do you mind if I call you A-Rod?"
12:56 It kinda, it's got a stick to it.
12:58 - Yeah.
12:59 - I said, "Yeah, I kinda like A-Rod."
13:00 And it's been 30 years. - There we are.
13:02 There it is.
13:04 Was there a close second nickname for you?
13:05 Was there ever anything else people called you?
13:07 - Well, when I go to Fenway and play in Boston
13:09 with that crowd, there's other nicknames
13:11 that I'd rather not--
13:12 - You can only imagine.
13:13 We'll save that for a different show.
13:15 - And you know what?
13:16 And the grandma and the kids were the loudest
13:18 and the meanest.
13:19 - Whoa!
13:20 You know what?
13:21 It's those grandmas, they'll get you every time.
13:22 - They're great fans in Boston.
13:23 - Okay, I love it.
13:24 Who cried more at college drop-off, you or Natasha?
13:27 - Oh, that's not even, you know the answer to that.
13:29 That was a mess. - It's rhetorical.
13:30 - That was a mess.
13:31 - Daddy's a wonder girl. - All the way back
13:32 to the airport, that was a mess.
13:34 I was not ready for that.
13:35 - Not ready.
13:36 - So parents, especially fathers with their daughters,
13:38 it's not as easy as it looks.
13:39 - Brace.
13:40 Brace yourselves. - Brace yourselves, baby.
13:41 - All right, lastly, what is your favorite cheat meal?
13:44 No steak, no steak.
13:45 - Easy, chips.
13:46 - Chips!
13:46 - Yeah, I'm not a sugar guy, although I can kill.
13:48 I can crush some chocolate chip cookies
13:51 and ice cream and all that.
13:52 But you give me some good chips and I'm there.
13:55 - Sour cream cheddar, pate, plain.
13:56 - You give me any type of chips,
13:58 and I also go like Mexican food,
13:59 I like a little bit of chips and salsa.
14:01 - All right. - Guac.
14:02 - Yeah, done.
14:03 - Margarita.
14:04 - Okay, all right, I'm sold.
14:06 - Yeah, yeah, I'm in.
14:07 - Chips and mar.
14:08 I'm inspired, I've got my plans tonight now.
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