Embattled slugger Alex Rodriguez arrived to spring training three days ahead of schedule, and that even seemed to upset New York Yankees officials. During a time when it seems he can't do anything right, a baseball legend is supporting the 39-year-old.
Hall of Famer Hank Aaron is that supporter. Although Rodriguez cheated twice en route to pursuing Aaron's mark of 755 home runs - which is regarded as the legitimate all-time record because of Barry Bonds' steroid allegations - he is wishing the best for the Yankees' third baseman heading into the 2015 season.
"I am rooting for him," Aaron told Steven Marcus of Newsday. "Despite all of the things that people say he had been involved in, I'm rooting for him to come back and have a great year. I am very much anxious to see what he's going to do."
However, that doesn't mean he's expecting Rodriguez to succeed.
"I wish him well, but I just don't know," he added. "When you're [away] from playing the game the whole year and go out and then have to face kids that are throwing 90 miles an hour, it's a tough thing."
Aaron has seemingly been mum on the steroid issue and never openly criticized anyone because of their association with performance-enhancing drugs. Last year Bonds admitted to using steroids during his MLB career, however he said it was unknowingly because he was misled into believing he was taking flax seed oil and arthritis cream. Bonds holds the all-time home run record with 762 and he passed Aaron as the home run king back in August of 2007.
"I've always said this: Records are made to be broken," Aaron added. "And I'm not sitting here saying the reason that a lot of these guys are breaking records are because of steroids. I can't say that because I'm not God. I don't know [if] they've been in steroids, I can't say that. The only thing I can say is I wish them well and that they do the best they can. They have to live and meet their own maker, not me."
Rodriguez sits at 654 (5th all time) and is six homers shy of tying Willie Mays' mark. His next milestone would be Babe Ruth's mark of 714, followed by Aaron's 755 and finally Bonds' 762. At 39 years old and having played in only 265 games since 2011, Rodriguez may not have enough in the tank to do much damage on that list.
