A-Rod: Look at Me, Love Me

Vanity, thy name is A-Rod

It's been relatively quiet on the Alex Rodriguez front since the slugger had hip surgery last Monday. That's good for the Yankees, their fans and anyone else who was tired of the 24/7 A-Rod coverage that had overshadowed everything else in baseball.

The only one who may have actually been unhappy about it was Rodriguez himself -- nothing's worth doing if no one's paying attention after all, so the new issue of Details magazine can't hit newsstands soon enough.

The profile of Rodriguez features photos of the Yankees third baseman gazing at himself in a mirror as he stretches on a mattress, and kissing himself in same mirror. Surely the photographer had some artistic motivation for the picture, but most people will probably go with the New York Post's take on the spread. "I'm Such a Pretty Boy! A-Rod Madly in Love With His Mirror," blares the headline.

Quotes pulled from the Details article speak to Rodriguez's intense need for the love and attention of the masses. He tells writer Jason Gay that he rides the subway to games on Fridays, wearing a hooded sweatshirt to remain inconspicuous but, shock of shocks, New Yorkers recognize him anyway.

"I get a kick out of it," he said. "We talk about who's pitching tonight, and what we need to do. It's like being on sports radio."

Clearly, A-Rod doesn't listen to much sports radio, unless he gets a kick out of being called names, told that he sucks in the clutch and how people wished they were riding the subway with Scott Brosius.

There's no reason not to take the subway to Yankee Stadium, nor any reason to doubt Rodriguez does it, but A-Rod's effort comes off much more as a "check out what a man of the people I am" move than genuinely caring about the easiest way to get to the ballpark. 

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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