Alex Rodriguez’s ‘like you’re punching a little person’ KayRod Cast line sparked controversy

Alex Rodriguez has been involved in plenty of controversies over the years. His latest came on the KayRod Cast alternate Sunday Night Baseball broadcast with Michael Kay for the New York Mets-Boston Red Sox game Sunday, where he chose a rather unusual analogy to explain a swing:

"Posture up and right down… like you're punching a little person."- A-Rod pic.twitter.com/6E5NuQE54J

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 24, 2023

There, Rodriguez says “Posture up and [swing] right down, I’m going to get in trouble, it’s like you’re punching a little person. With your right hand and that knee down, boom, right there. Now you’re on top of the baseball.”

Part of what’s interesting about this is that Rodriguez even recognizes “I’m going to get in trouble,” but continues with his analogy anyway. And it seems like a curious and unnecessary analogy; even if he wanted to use the punch reference, why would he not just say “It’s like you’re punching someone in the stomach.” Instead, Rodriguez chose to go with “punching a little person,” and that was not well received by many.

Yet another awful ARod blunder trying to be so creative and descriptive . He makes everyone so uncomfortable. Always with the overdone , pre-scripted lines thinking he’s so articulate and cool

— MARK GIANGRECO (@mark_giangreco) July 24, 2023

This was a brilliant 5 minutes and he ruined it in 10 seconds.

— Matt Straub (@Mattatthebank) July 24, 2023

Guys can apologize for stuff like this all day but my question will always be…how was that the first thing that popped in your head https://t.co/1PDNU6ZpTX

— Caleb Johnson (@ATLjohnson18) July 24, 2023

Every time that A-Rod talks he says stuff that only A-Rod would say. He is one of a kind. https://t.co/yYPxTDemRJ

— Nate Weiser (@nweiser09) July 24, 2023

There’s not necessarily any discipline for Rodriguez coming from this, but it did certainly spark a less-than-positive social media conversation around him. It’s far from the first time that’s happened in Rodriguez’s broadcasting career, though, to say nothing of his controversy–filled playing career. The infamous glove slap even got referenced in one reply here:

Or trying to daintily slap the ball out of a fielders glove

— Jay Kelly (@JayKelly040713) July 24, 2023

Now that would have been a funny and self-aware analogy for Rodriguez to use. But self-awareness does not seem to be his particular strength.

[Awful Announcing on Twitter]