Kobe to slumping A-Rod: You’re the best to ever do it
File this under friendships forged in Boston fan’s nightmares: Lakers star Kobe Bryant reached out to his friend Alex Rodriguez recently to offer some words of encouragement during the Yankee third baseman’s slump.
According to ESPN, Bryant made the call “a couple of days ago”, and says he reminded A-Rod of his pedigree.
“‘You’re Alex Rodriguez. You’re A-Rod. You’re one of the best to ever do it,'” said Bryant. “I think he kind of forgets that and wants to try to do the right thing all the time. Which is the right team attitude to have. But other times you really have to put your head down and say, ‘Hell with it’ and just do your thing.”
Of course, it’s fair to question how much insight Bryant really has into this situation considering he’s never been benched for a key playoff run. In fact, he’s never really been benched, period.
But Bryant made a self-deprecating reference to his more-than-healthy ego, saying, “I think really the difference is, sometimes he forgets he’s the best…Where, I don’t.”
Bryant and Rodriguez became friendly on the set of a commercial a couple of years ago, and Bryant reportedly considers Rodriguez a close friend.
The Yankees dropped Game 3 of the ALCS to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night, putting them just one loss away from elimination. CC Sabathia will take the mound for New York on Wednesday to try and avoid the sweep. He will face off against the Tigers’ Max Scherzer.
