Greetings again from the darkness. Over 3000 hits. Almost 700 Home Runs (696). 3 MVP awards. A 14 time All-Star. A World Series champion. There is no debate that Alex Rodriguez was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. It's just that every other aspect of ARod's life is up for animated debate, and that's what this 3-part series from co-directors Gotham Chopra (numerous sports documentaries) and Erik LeDrew attempts to explore.
The three episodes are not clearly defined by time or segments of ARod's life or career, yet by the end, it feels like most every aspect has been covered - although, outside of his marriage to Cynthia Scurtis, his infamous love life is skimmed over (Cameron Diaz, Torre Wilson, Anne Wojcicki, Jennifer Lopez). The focus here is on baseball and, as the title infers, the two personalities of Alex "ARod" Rodriguez. One of the first clips shown is Rodriguez being questioned about his PED (Performance Enhancement Drugs) suspension. He immediately responds by telling the interviewer he will give two answers and to use the one he thinks is best. So, from the opening pitch, we see the two sides of the man.
The first episode relays the good ... the youngest player to 500 home runs ... and the bad ... the record 211 game suspension for PED. His former manager, Lou Pinella (now 82) delivers a brief scouting report recalling the prodigal talent of the number one overall draft pick of the Mariners in 1993. ARod made his major league debut in 1994 at the age of eighteen. We hear from his brother who says Alex was a baseball junkie at an early age and spent a great deal of time talking baseball with their dad. The childhood was unusual in that the family moved from New York to the Dominican Republic when Alex was four and then to Miami a few years later. Dad left the family when Alex was ten, and only ever saw him play four MLB games in person. Instead, it was Mom's 'tough love' that helped raise Alex. In this episode, we also hear from Alex's first wife, Cynthia, and the segment ends with ARod becoming a Free Agent in 2000 and signing a massive $252 million deal thanks to is agent, Scott Boras, and the owner of the Texas Rangers, Tom Hicks.
It's commonplace for celebrities to have a public persona that's a bit different than their private persona, yet in the second episode, Alex's brother claims there are two distinct personalities present ... even Alex admits that 'ARod' took over when the pressure of '$252' got to him. Of course, that pressure jumped quickly when the Rangers traded him to the New York Yankees. Ego comes up frequently when discussing ARod, but he did agree to move from SS to 3B in order to fit in with the Yankees, allowing their captain, Derek Jeter, to remain at his position. The trade took place in 2004, which is also the year Alex's daughter Natasha was born. The personal joy contrasted with the professional challenge of meeting Jeter's relentless playoff mentality and the rivalry against the Red Sox. One of the film's most fascinating segments occurs when Katie Couric recounts her meeting with ARod. She uses the term "Gatsbyesque" when describing him. This second episode also includes the relief ARod felt when the Yanks won the 2009 world series ... justifying his recent $275 million contract extension. His hip surgery is mentioned, and we get the lead into the third episode - an into to the PED report.
Stressed in episode three is ARod's lifelong love of the game. He hit home run number 600 in 2010, two years after his divorce from Cynthia. It's in this episode where his relationship with therapist Dr David Snarch in Colorado and the BioGenesis PED scandal with Tony Bosch becomes clear. Although ARod was an aging player who had been hit with a few injuries, the rules in baseball were clear ... PEDs were not allowed. It's around this time when the nicknames began: A-Droid, A-Fraud, A-Hole, etc. After missing the entire 2014 season, he returned to the field in 2015 ... this time as a full-time DH, and retired after the 2016 season.
Throughout the series, we hear insight from a number of folks, including ARod's brother, former manager Lou Pinella, former teammates Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr., his ex-wife Cynthia, Yankees announcer Michael Kay, and sportswriter Mike Francesa. And Alex Rodriguez sits for multiple interviews as well, bits and pieces of which are included. It should be noted that after all the talk regarding ARod's love of the game, when his playing days ended, he transitioned into a key piece of an Emmy winning sports broadcasting team. There is probably less actual baseball in this series than you'd expect, as it's more of a character study ... of quite a character. As one of the sport's greatest ever players, he remains one of its most polarizing figures .. yet he's also one of the most knowledgeable and experienced. He's described as a Shakespearean figure -one responsible for his own fall from grace.
The Three episodes will air on HBO and then be available for streaming on HBO Max
Episode 1: November 6, 2025 9:00pm ET
Episode 2: November 13, 2025 9:00pm ET
Episode 3: November 20, 2025 9:00pm ET.
