Radio host Dan Patrick recounts time when Alex Rodriguez wanted to fight over an interview he aired about Derek Jeter
Radio host Dan Patrick recently opened about an altercation with Alex Rodriguez that almost boiled over into a fight. The pair's brief meet up in a locker room got heated when Rodriguez charged Patrick over an interview regarding Derek Jeter's contract.
During his recent appearance on "Pardon My Take," a podcast by Barstool Sports, Patrick narrated the incident in detail. Back in the day when Rodriguez was on Patrick's show, he talked down Jeter's contract out in the open, assuming that the broadcast was off air.
But later, the former MVP found out that his words were on record and were used by the media to stir the pot between him and Jeter. Everyone knew about the longstanding rivalry between the legends.
The pair were close in the early 1990s. They met each other in a minor league game and, after their MLB debuts, established themselves as the best players in the league. They remained friends until Rodriguez's infamous Esquire interview in 2001 soured the relationship.
In this context, Rodriguez's remarks against Jeter's contract were blown out of proportion. When Patrick had asked him for another interview, Rodriguez ignored his invitation and a quarrel ensued in the locker room.
A-Rod was furious at Patrick for making his comments public, and as per Patrick, was almost close to hitting him:
“I thought he was going to punch me, because he started yelling at me. I said, ‘Alex, it was on the record. You know it was on the record.’ I had [former MLB pitcher] Rob Dibble with me at the time, I said, ‘If he hits me,’ he goes, ‘I got your back. I’ll take him out.'"
Derek Jeter stopped trusting Alex Rodriguez after comments about his contract
The former Yankees captain recently opened up in his documentary "The Captain" as to how the relationship between him and A-Rod got stretched beyond repair:
“In my mind, he got his contract, so you’re trying to diminish what I’m doing, maybe to justify why you got paid. When you talk about statistics, mine never compared to Alex’s. I’m not blind. I understand that. But, we won! You can say whatever you want about me as a player. That’s fine.
“But then it goes back to the trust, the loyalty. This is how the guy feels. He’s not a true friend, is how I felt. Because I wouldn’t do it to a friend.”
The two have since buried the hatchet and have been involved in various public apperances together, signaling the the end of the rivalry.