All the episodes of the series! The last 30 years of baseball, as told through the lens of our favorite player….
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 1): Pure Talent
Listen now (55 mins) | The Lefty Specialists are back with Chapter 1 of a new mini-series, The A-Rod Chronicles. As you can possibly guess, it’s about Alex Rodriguez. But, more than that, it’s about what his story can teach us about the last three decades of baseball. Check it out!
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 2): The Crest of a Wave
Listen now (48 mins) | It’s time to talk about late ‘90s shortstops! In Chapter Two of The A-Rod Chronicles, the Lefty Specialists talk about the shortstop renaissance of the 1990s, the massive influx Latin American players into the game, and a brief history of MLB free agency. Check it out!
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 3): Champagne Problems
Listen now (57 mins) | So you’ve signed a $252 million contract…. now what? In Chapter 3 of The A-Rod Chronicles, John and James dive into Alex’s time in Texas, including the massive backlash to baseball’s biggest contract, MLB’s labor disputes in 2002, and A-Rod’s fallout with his friend Derek Jeter. Check it out, like, subscribe, leave a review, all that stuff…
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 4): Cursed
Listen now (63 mins) | Alas, it is time to talk about 2004…. In Chapter 4 of The A-Rod Chronicles, we dive deep into how the Yankees built their dynasty, their rivalry with the Red Sox, and the end of the Curse of the Bambino. This is also, admittedly, our least objective episode, as it deals with a major personal trauma for both of us: the 2004 ALCS.
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 5): No True Yankee
Listen now (59 mins) | What did it mean for Alex Rodriguez when baseball entered its post-Moneyball era? In Chapter 5 of The A-Rod Chronicles, James and John examine how baseball’s statistical revolution impacted its highest paid player, how A-Rod got caught between an old-school that valued “intangibles” he lacked and a new wave of analytics designed specifically to avoid con…
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 6): Steroids and Alex
Listen now (62 mins) | Yes, it’s that time… In Chapter 6 of The A-Rod Chronicles, James and John dive deep into baseball’s “Steroids Era” before getting to the news of Alex Rodriguez’s failed 2003 test, which first broke in 2009. This is a big one… Listen, like, share, subscribe, and just generally have a good time!
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 7): A New Man
Listen now (55 mins) | Is there any coming back from steroids? For Alex Rodriguez, there was… at least, for a little while. In Chapter 7 of The A-Rod Chronicles, we delve into his brief, fleeting redemption in the 2009 postseason, which turned him from a villain to a hero. Then we talk about the years that followed, and how he gradually turned back…
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 8): Fool Me Twice
Listen now (65 mins) | Who do you believe about steroids in baseball? In Chapter 8 of The A-Rod Chronicles, we try to wade through the sea of lies — from the league, from “Dr. Bosch,” from Alex Rodriguez — that make up the Biogenesis scandal. At the heart, though, this scandal was really about who was going to be held responsible for baseball’s Steroid Era. And while A-Rod was…
The A-Rod Chronicles (Chapter 9): Class Traitor
Listen now (81 mins) | How do you end such a strange and historic career? In the supersized final episode of The A-Rod Chronicles, James and John look at Alex Rodriguez’s last days as a player, and then the start of his post-playing career. As A-Rod went from player to “advisor” to announcer to business mogul, he gradually left behind the working class. But could that class as…