Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Alex Rodriguez Interview

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

On Episode 32 of "Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour," NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick sits down with World Series Champion Alex Rodriguez for an engaging and insightful conversation about the world of professional baseball. Tune in for an exclusive look at Alex's illustrious career, filled with success, record-breaking achievements, and his journey to becoming one of the greatest players in the game. The discussion also explores his life beyond baseball, including his business ventures and family. The interview kicks off with a discussion about Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the United States, set to host a Negro League tribute game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024, on FOX. Alex explains the significance of this game and it’s importance for Major League Baseball. Alex also shares how he balances his numerous responsibilities with his family and personal life, and discusses his transition from the baseball field to the broadcast booth for FOX. Get ready for an interview packed with fascinating conversations, blending the worlds of baseball and racing! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Big fan of yours, but here's a deal. We should do a little bit of a trade in where you and I play catch and I hope you had to throw better. And I get in a car with you and you teach me a little bit about car racing. I would love that. I'm good with that. I'm good with that. I'm good with my job's getting ready to end.

So we can arrange that. Welcome to Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour, presented by NASCAR on Fox. We encourage all of our closers to subscribe on YouTube or to Harvick HappyPod anywhere you're on social media. Today we have a very unique guest. in Alex Rodriguez, 1993. Now we're starting to get into the age bracket that fits my time frame. 1993, number one overall draft pick, three-time MVP, and 14-time All-Star.

All right, Alex, thanks for joining us today. I know that we're going to get right to it with the work that you guys have going in baseball here over the next few weeks. You're going to Rick Woodfield to start off with a game between the, the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, June 20th on Fox. Can you just describe the significance of this game and the importance of everything that's happened with the Negro League and Major League Baseball? Well, you really can't say enough about the job that MOUB baseball under Rob Manfred's

leadership and what they're doing, I mean, bringing this type of awareness to a great, rich history of baseball and some of the greats. It's really a phenomenal time. And I'm so excited that it is San Luis and San Francisco, two who have very rich history thinking about the Bob Gibson of the world. And in San Francisco, obviously, you have McCovee and Willie Mays, Lou Brock on the San Luis side. So very, very exciting. And proud of Major League Baseball. I'm proud to be doing it with Fox.

Yeah. And then you go, you're going to do that. But we're going to lead right in this Saturday. You'll be in New York for the Yankees and Dodgers game, which is part of Fox's is super Saturday. So you're going to be headed back up to New York to do a little television this week and big few weeks for Major League Baseball. But what's it like going back up there to be part of Super Saturday? It's going to be phenomenal. I mean, and just to think about it, Kevin, to do it with my colleague Derek Jeter, obviously former teammate, Big Poppy, my brother, but also my arch rival with the Boston Red Sox.

And of course, Kevin Burkhardt, who's our quarterback. And to do it in Yankee Stadium is going to be very special. And when you think about a super Saturday is a jumbo super Saturday because we're going to be covering London, baseball with the Mets, we have the races, and we have Yankee Stadium. So a little bit of a triple threat and it's going to be so exciting to cover. Yeah, it's going to be a fun weekend to be a sports fan. But I guess I need to go back to your broadcast partners there. That's got to be something that do you guys talk about that Yankees Red Sox rivalry as you break out of being a competitor? what was that what was that like to be able to be not only be a part of those rivalries through

the years but now have to work with some of the guys that that you competed against on some of those teams yeah i mean kevin i'm actually surprised that i have any hair left after seeing big poppy with all his dramatic home runs against us and so many tough nights that he sent us home but it's quite a thrill to be sitting there with three of my better friends talking about baseball, the history of baseball, and then forecasting what's going to happen in All-Star Games, obviously the playoffs and the World Series, and to really just be a huge advocate of all the great things

that's happening in the game today. When you go back and you look at, you know, the transition from, and I guess I'm kind of asking because I'm in the middle of my first, getting ready to start my first offseason from going from, you know, professional sport, going through the broadcasting section. I'm getting ready to enjoy the perks of the TV side of the world to not have anything to do on Sundays. What was that like for you as you went from playing to the broadcast booth, but managing your time outside of what you thought your schedule was supposed to be to what it became in today's world for you?

Well, that's just, I mean, you frame that question perfectly, Kevin, because I think everyone, there's a bridge of transition. and some bridges are longer than others. For me, I've always known what I wanted to do post-baseball, and that's, you know, enter the business community with two feet. I always had one foot on, since my early days is that, you know, my mid-20, I started my company here at Arod Corp, and over the last 10 years, we've been able to really scale it in a more institutional way. But, you know, for me, routines, everything,

and for 25 years while playing baseball, you knew everything that was basically, from the time you woke up, the whole day was architected to the time, to the minute, to the second. And that was the toughest part for me post, is you have all this available time. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want. And just to bring some discipline around that, I think finally after year eight of not playing baseball, but I think I have a pretty good, I'm in a pretty good place. So you're a pretty competitive person, obviously. And I think as you talk about the business side of the world,

What have been some of the favorite things that you've got to do outside of baseball from a business aspect, things that you were like, you know, probably shouldn't have gotten involved in that? What are your favorite, some of your favorite things that you've been able to embark on as you've gone down the road as a businessman? Yeah, I mean, if you think about it, Kevin, I was, you know, born in New York City, 1975, raised in Miami, and really, you know, saw my mom collect food stamps at the age of 12. So like I say, I'm playing with the house's money. I feel like I'm one of the luckiest human beings on the planet. I've been able to live out my dream. I've had my two dream jobs is to be a shortstop in a third basement for baseball and to be a leader here at my company, A. Rock Corp and to do it with people that I like, love, and respect.

And, you know, through it all, it's never a straight line. Success is never linear. And there's ups and downs. And for us, we've had a lot of success with our MBA. you know, acquisition of the Minnesota Timberwolves. We had a tremendous year this year. Obviously, been in the real estate world for over 20 years, and that's had its ups and downs,

but over the last 15 years, multifamily has been a very strong sector. And then you get to meet the who's who of, you know, kings, queens, you get to meet all type of business leaders, you know, folks like the Murdox and people that you read about and study for so many years. And now you're having conversations, or you're having dinners or you're sharing coffee.

It's really quite a thrill, and I'm so fortunate to be a part of it. What's been the balance for you? We saw that great treat for you at the basketball game with your girls coming to the game. What's it been like to have that balance with your kids, right? Because I fight this with my kids. It's like, okay, what's too much? What's the balance of teaching them? What's the balance of letting them in the spotlight?

I try to just live like a normal life and do normal. things and make them think that nothing is going on. But now they're getting old enough to understand what you do and what you did. And how has that been for you with you and your family and how you've tried to balance all that? It's hard to balance, to be honest with you. I mean, now I have a 19-year-old that's a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan. And then my youngest one is a rising junior in high school here in Miami. And I think it's pretty clear what the balance is. I never think is enough. And they always think it's too much. So, So we try to find the midpoint a little bit on that.

But they're always my priority. And like you mentioned game four, actually game three of the Western Conference Finals. My other daughter, my youngest daughter, Ella, surprised me with Natasha showing up in the game. And it was, I mean, it shocked the crap out of me, to be honest with you. If you see the video, you see my expression. But those are the things that life's all about. and the fact that they get to, you know, spend that much time and think about surprising daddy. It was pretty cool moment for all of us.

Well, since we're on the subject of kids and, you know, I think with professional sports, we get to see, we've seen a lot of the things that are great about our sports, you know, baseball for you and obviously racing for me. But I think it's hard to explain to parents who haven't been on the, side of being a professional and following all the way through who are new to racing, for example, of what the right path is for their kids. How have you seen that path change for kids trying to come up through playing baseball as a young child, through college, on through to be a professional? And what do you think about that path in today's world with how committed kids and parents are

to just playing one sport? Yeah, I mean, to me it's too much too soon. I mean, I'm maybe a little bit too old school for this question, but I'm a big believer that when you're in, you know, elementary, junior high and even high school, the more sports, the better. I think each sport brings a different dimension of lessons. It builds different part of your character. As an example, football for me, made me tougher, made me stronger. I never thought in hindsight that being a quarterback and being a point guard would help me as a shortstop, whether that's leadership, or the way you look at the game. So for me, the more sports, the better. And it's interesting, 90% of kids today are quitting on the right home with their parents. And as parents, we should be able to look at that data point and say, what are we doing wrong? What can we change? And one of the things is really just changing the conversation is, you know, are you following your passion?

Did you work hard? Did you feel good about your preparation versus did you win? Did you hit a home run? What's your batting average? So as parents, we have an opportunity to spread the good word, but also encourage them more in the process and not so much results and keep it fun. Yeah. Well, I think that's the hardest part is when you're in the moment and trying to have fun with it. But you seem like you seem like a pretty special leader with all the things that you've been able to accomplish in your life. And you've been around, you know, a lot of clubhouses.

and who was the best leader that you played with? Who was the best player that you led, that you felt like, you know, really took charge of the team and in the time that you were playing ball? That's such a great question. You know, I played for close 25 years, Kevin, and I'll give you one from each team.

I played in Seattle, Texas, and the Yankees for the last 15. I would say in my days in Seattle, I would have to go with Edgar Martinez. My days in Texas, I would have to go with Michael Young. And then my time in New York, I would say kind of a split between Mariano Rivera and Andy Padet. And the reason why I say those two guys, they're the ultimate winners. Both of them have five titles each. And they were both, they gave you tough love, but they were supportive.

They were always there. And you felt like these are guys that you want to have in a foxhole with. you. I got, I was fortunate to, um, become good friends with, uh, Gene Monaghan through the years. So I got to, I got to spend a little bit of time in that locker room with, with a lot of the different guys that you just, just mentioned. And I threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, uh, at some point in, in, in 2001. And I'll never forget, uh, Andy Petit walking up to me. And he said, Kevin, I'm going to give you a piece of advice right here. He said, whatever you do, either hit that backstop or hit that.

glove. He says, if you don't, they're going to, they're going to boo you out of this place. And so I was able to hit the glove that night. But my good friend, Gene Monaghan, set me up. And I believe it was, I don't remember the year of 2011 or something when I went back and did it again. And everybody in the dugout said, all you got to do is just nice and easy. Throw the ball over the plate, just get it in the glove. Well, I did exactly what they told me to do. I threw the ball nice and easy, nice little rainbow right into the glove, and I turn around and everybody is laughing hysterically at me in the dugout. And I'm thinking to myself, that was perfect.

Why are they all laughing? They had turned the radar gun on and turned the board up on the backside of the stadium, and it said 32 miles an hour. And I thought to myself, I said, I have never been set up worse in my whole life than that particular situation to be made fun of by a whole Major League Baseball team. What's the worst pitch that you've ever seen? What's the worst first pitch you've ever seen thrown in person? Well, I was going to say 32 miles an hour.

That's pretty humbling when you play another sport. That's now your expertise. That's probably as fast as I drive where I can keep it safe. I've seen probably some type of knuckle bar or something that went behind my head or something. But, you know, in the big leagues, the one good thing about these guys is they throw really hard, but they have great control. also a lot of the craziness, I would say you see it in an amateur baseball or even the minor leagues, but nothing that stands that jumps off the page, you know, at the major league level. Yeah, but what about, what about like the goofballs like me that are out there trying to,

trying to throw a pitch for the first time, like a first pitch fan throw? 50. That was pretty interesting. Yeah, that was pretty much, that was pretty much as bad as, as bad as it gets. I want to go back to the different teams, the different teams that you want. Yeah, that is definitely the Mount Rushmore. Let's go back to the different teams that you played for. You said Seattle, Texas, and New York. Explain to me the difference between Seattle and Texas

compared to what you did in New York. What was that like the difference between those two areas? Yeah, I mean, I would say Seattle and Texas are pretty similar. Two fan bases that love their team. They appreciate, you know, loyalty. They appreciate hard work. Blue-collar approach, head-down. And great cities to live in.

Media markets, obviously in that order, Seattle is the smallest, then Dallas, and obviously, New York's the Mecca. And I would say nothing compares to being a Yankee. And even I think there's a delta between being a New York met and a Yankee. The Yankees is like the Cowboys, like the Lakers. everybody has an opinion. Very rarely do you see a fan say, what do you think about the Yankees? They say nothing.

You either love the Yankees or you hate the Yankees. And I feel like I was right in the middle of that incredible rivalries all over the place for 15 years, and it was a lot of fun. Well, it's been 15 years since that last World Series win. What was that last World Series like? What was it like leading into the moments of finally knowing that you guys were going win the game and everything that that led up to to that last world series. Well, to me, you got to go back, Kevin.

We're not telling the full story unless we talk about what happened just five years prior to that in 2004 when we had a 3-0 lead and we gave it up to Boston. That was certainly one of the, by far, the toughest defeat of my career and probably most of my teammates because it hadn't been done ever before. And obviously then the curse and all of that, it was. pretty miserable time. And then five years later, the payoff is we're able to, you know, play really, really well in October. We had an incredible team. We go up against the defending champions, Philadelphia Phillies, and we beat them in six games at home under the lefty, number 46,

Andy Pettick pitches a gem. And then, of course, the great Mariana Rivera closes. And just the explosion, the euphoric feeling of doing it in New York, the parade is something that I'll never forget. And my parade was my entire family, Jay-Z, and it was just an extraordinary time. There is something very, very special about being a champion with pinstripes in the Bronx. Yeah, there's people that thrive under that pressure and people that love that pressure. But there is nothing better than those moments when you're, you know, the crowd standing on its feet and cheering for you. And there's guys that cave and there's guys that thrive. and you guys always seem to be able to thrive in those particular moments.

When you go back to, for me, I mean, I've been a Yankees fan for a long time and been fortunate to, you know, kind of have some firsthand experiences with all the things that happened, especially through those heydays. But when you experience those moments in that original Yankee Stadium, what was a difference like? I know for me when I went as a fan, when I went as a fan to the original Yankee Stadium and then you go to the new Yankee Stadium, for me it was just different. I mean, there's just that history and that mystique about every time that you walked into the park. And as a player, how did you feel like that? I know you guys like, I mean, everybody likes the amenities and everything that goes with a new stadium and everything that comes with that. But were the players okay with kind of the old mystique that went with that stadium and took pride in that? Or is that something that you guys were like, I'm glad I don't have to go into that locker room anymore? Well, I think you had split parties.

I mean, I think if I was, and I don't want to speak for all my colleague and teammates and former teammates, but I think everybody welcomed the new amenities in New Yankee Stadium, obviously for the fans, for the players, for the lockers. We had incredible hydro. Anything you needed, it was like a five-star hotel. But I'm a little bit of a sucker for classic and old things. and there's really, in my opinion, no experience like a World Series game at the old Yankee Stadium with 56,000 people there shoulder to shoulder going crazy.

Amenities weren't great, not a lot of bathrooms, not a lot of fancy restaurants, but it was good old hard school baseball that it was really unforgettable, I'm sure, to watch and also to play. Yeah, we were able to go to the last All-Star game there in 2008. I don't remember. I think it went like 15, 16 innings, and, you know, I don't think one person left the stadium. But that's just those New York fans are just a, they're a different breed. And especially when things are going your way, it is a backing like no other.

But as you talk about cars and you talk, you know, we talk about cars and racing and all the things that we do on a weekly basis. Do you like cars? Do you like to drive fast? Have you ever, have you ever been to a racetrack and driven any of those cars? Where are you out as a car guy? I mean, I like the cars, but I'm not necessarily a great driver. My first car was a 1986 323 Mazda blue that my older brother handed down to me, which I was very grateful for. And then when I signed my first professional contract to the Seattle Mariners in 1993,

I bought myself a black Cherokee with gold lining. and I thought that was a pretty cool car. But generally, I like cars. I don't understand much about racing. But like your sport, I mean, you talk about Yankee Stadium. What makes Yankee fans so special is the generations and generations that come before and this history about following your favorite teams and your favorite players, your sport's no different where you have people that have, you know,

second, third generation, four generations of fans. and I love in your sport how you have this father-son thing. We have the same thing with, if you think about Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. And others, it's really neat when you start seeing, you know, Aaron Boone, Brad Boone. Those are pretty cool when you're seeing parents, grandparents, and grandkids all playing the big leagues in one big generation. Where'd that Mazda go? Do you know what happened to it? Did you sell it?

Did you wreck it? It's probably an antique shop somewhere right now. in 1986. Actually, I don't even remember. It probably just broke down enough where it had no value. Yeah. I always have to ask that question

because I asked Dion Sanders or Michael Irvin that question one day and he told us a story about his girlfriend at the time, soon to be wife. He had a rusted out floorboard and her shoe fell out of the floorboard and they had to go back and get it on their first date. So you never know where that answer is going to leave.

So have you been to have you been to any F1 races or anything on the racing side? I know they have the big F1 Grand Prix down there. You're a Florida guy. Have you been to any of those races? Yeah, I went to one. Honestly, I didn't know what I was watching. I may need to sit next to you, Kevin, so you're going to give me a little play-by-play. But I know this.

I know a lot of my friends, a lot of my girlfriends. They love, love this F-1 Netflix. And because of that, they became incredible consumers and fans. And now, I mean, recently I had one of my friends pay like, $65,000 for a weekend pass. And I said, are you going to what's happening here? So they're printing money here and the business is wildly popular. We're here in Miami, the gateway of, you know, South America and people coming in and, I mean,

and buses to attend that entire week, which is pretty awesome. Well, before I let you go, I want to ask you, tell me what the biggest progression of the sport that you like and dislike from the baseball side of things? What are what are some of the things that you have seen that have progressed since you retired that you like? I have a lot of opinions on my sport as to what I like and don't like. Tell me what you like that has happened in the sport of baseball and some of the things that you don't really like as that have changed since you retired. I know you kind of seem old school like I am as far as being a little bit of a snob, you know, liking the things of your sport that you'd

liked in your heyday. Yeah, I think our game has made some incredible progressions. I am an old school guy. And when I broke in in 1994, my first year in the big leagues as an 18-year-old, I would say that it was art and science, and it was probably 90-10 art versus science. And I think today that's opposite. Today, I think, is 90% science and 10% art. I'd love to get it back to 50-50 because there's still an art about how to play the

baseball. There's a grace about it. There's fundamentals that I think in many ways are lacking. I love to see, you know, and teams are doing this in a much better way. The Yankees are a perfect example of getting baseball players, not just people that do well with computers or grade well in analytics. They've also done a tremendous job the Yankees have putting great people in the dugout to help coach these baseball players. And if you have a combination of art and science and you make it 50-50. You see what the Yankees and the Dodgers are doing. And we're going to get a great preview of that Saturday on Fox on Super Saturday. And I'm excited to see really the two best teams when you include the Phillies as well as the three best teams in baseball right now. So it's going to be very

exciting on Fox. Who's the best player in baseball right now? I think the best hitter in baseball is Juan Soto. I think the best combination in baseball is Judge Soto. It reminds me of Morris and mantle back in the 60s. And I think the biggest freak of all of sports is Otani. Gosh, what a freak he is. Well, Alex, I appreciate the

time today. Good luck with everything that you guys have going on in baseball right now. You guys have a, it's going to be a huge week for Fox this weekend and over the next couple weeks. So thanks for taking the time today. We appreciate you joining us. Kevin, if I may end with saying

that thank you for having me on. a big fan of yours, but here's a deal. We should do a little bit of a trade in where you and I play catch and I hope you had to throw better. And I get in a car with you and you teach me a little bit about car racing. I would love that. I'm good with that. I'm good with that. I'm getting ready to end. So we can arrange that. So that is absolutely no problem. I will tell you this, my baseball career ended by a ground ball and practice that hit me in the mouth. I threw my glove down and said, I don't, that hurt too bad. I'm out of here. So I did, I did quit on baseball, but I guess it worked out okay on the racing side. It sure did. I want to thank Alex for taking the

time today. It's a huge week of baseball coming up on Fox and over the summer. So we appreciate his time putting us on our schedule. So we encourage everybody to subscribe and follow us, whether it's on YouTube or anywhere else on social media. Thanks for following. We'll see you next week.