Alex Rodriguez's former Yankees and high school teammate, Doug Mientkiewicz, ripped into him during a podcast appearance and burned their relationship to the ground.
Former New York Yankees controversial star Alex Rodriguez has long divided baseball fans for his steroid usage. One of his old high school teammates, Doug Mientkiewicz, knows exactly where he stands with A-Rod, though.
Rodriguez and Mientkiewicz played baseball together at Westminster Christian School in Florida before taking separate paths in the MLB. A-Rod spent stints on the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees while Mientkiewicz starred on the Minnesota Twins and a handful of other teams late in his career.
The two reunited very briefly in 2007 on the Yankees, at which time Rodriguez was still arguably in his prime and Mientkiewicz was petering out.
A decade and a half later, Mientkiewicz reflected on his time spent with his high school buddy, and it's safe to say they are not close — at all.
Mientkiewicz said on the "Foul Territory" podcast:
"I always said he's going to die a lonely man, because 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.'
Alex Rodriguez gets shafted by former teammate Doug Mientkiewicz
Rodriguez was suspended for the 2014 season for using performing-enhancing drugs, and Mientkiewicz definitely had something to say about that, too:
"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."
Mientkiewicz, who was part of the Red Sox's 2004 World Series-winning roster, continued to spit-roast Rodriguez for not being close with his high school clique anymore.
"Like, your high school and your college teammates are brothers till the end. We still talk. We still shoot the s***, but he's just nowhere to be found, even when we do high school stuff for our coach. Like I said, I have a picture of him sleeping at the table in his Timberwolves shirt. I'm like, 'Are you serious? Go Wolves. No wonder they suck.'"
Ever since getting caught for using steroids, Rodriguez has taken a steep tumble down the pedestal. He currently works as an analyst for ESPN and hasn't made the headlines for any terrible reasons lately. But Mientkiewicz speaks about him with such rage and hatred — "he's going to die a lonely man" — that one has to wonder what happened between the two former teammates.
Did something break their years-old bond? Is Mientkiewicz just jealous of A-Rod's fame and resentful that the 14-time All-Star has distanced himself from his high school friend group?
Whatever may or may not have happened between them, it should all be water under the bridge now. Rodriguez remains partially in spotlight with his media gigs, and Mientkiewicz has since dabbled in managing minor league teams. To each his own path.