Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are two of the greatest stars and most prominent names of their generation. Because of their on-again, off-again friendship – they will inevitably always be linked in history.
In recent months, the pair’s hot-and-cold connection has been the subject of a lot of scrutiny. Part of that has to do with the release of a recent Jeter-focused documentary where he memorably revealed the one moment that ended his friendship with Rodriguez for good.
This week, Jeter decided to appear alongside Rodriguez on ESPN2’s Kay-Rod Cast of Sunday’s Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees game.
While there, one particularly awkward moment occurred. It involved a ‘controversial’ photo of Jeter, Rodriguez, Rey Ordonez, and Edgar Renteria that was taken for a 1997 Sports Illustrated shoot.
The moment speaks for itself:
Kudos to #KayRod producer Joe McCoy for not letting Derek Jeter bully him into not showing the infamous shirtless shortstops photo. pic.twitter.com/61KMdXZfZd
— Ian Casselberry (@iancass) August 15, 2022
Yikes. Chilly stuff.
Big picture, this all feels like part of the Jeter rebuilding tour. He struggled in brutal form as the CEO of the Miami Marlins and eventually had to make his exit in February. Not long after, the real case of his departure leaked.
Meanwhile, against all odds, Rodriguez has been thriving in his post-playing career. He is living his best life with his new hot girlfriend and is a rising star as an MLB analyst.
Clearly Jeter is trying to get that magic Rodriguez rub right now, even if it does seem to pain him to some degree.
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 14, 2022
Will we get more weird Rodriguez and Jeter moments as the latter continues to try and prop himself up as a legitimate baseball personality in his post-playing career? Maybe.
But if would help Jeter out a lot if he stopped coming off so stiff.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
