Alex Rodriguez’s two daughters, Natasha and Ella, got vulnerable about their respective relationships with the Yankees legend in the new HBO documentary miniseries, “Alex vs. ARod.”
During episode 2 of the three-part event — which explores the dualities of Rodriguez on and off the field across 22 seasons — Natasha says she and her dad are “social butterflies,” while Ella explains that life in the spotlight has been “weird” for her.
“I dont like calling myself ‘A-Rod’s daughter,’” Ella, 17, says. “I actually hate that. Growing up people have always been like, ‘Your dad is A-Rod? A-Rod’s going to be here?’
“Then I just hear that and I’m like, ‘Guys, he has a name — it’s Alex. He’s a real human.’
“I don’t know, it’s always just been a little bit weird for me… I think I’m very ambitious because of him. When he really sets his mind there is no telling him otherwise. All three of us are like that. A lot of the discipline that I have is from him.”
Natasha, who’s enrolled at the University of Michigan, goes on to explain that she and her dad are “carbon copies” of each other.
“My dad and I are kind of like twin flames in work ethic, in passion, in drive [and] ambition,” Natasha, 20, said. “We’re social butterflies but our circles are very small. So we’re kind of carbon copies of each other.
“… Alex is the best, but your ego thrives off of your achievements and all the things you can list that you do, which is something that I do all the time… And A-Rod has a lot of those.”
Part 2 of “Alex vs. ARod” also features commentary from the girls’ mother and Rodriguez’s ex-wife, Cynthia Scurtis, who didn’t sugarcoat what life was like during his Yankees tenure.
“It was exciting but it was also really hard,” Cynthia says. “… You’re on a baseball schedule. And I’m not going to pretend that it was wonderful. It was not wonderful.
“… It was a different level of notoriety, different amounts of people watching, it was just different, it was New York.”
Rodriguez, now 50, embraced the spotlight while in New York.
The Fox Sports analyst and Cynthia — who married in 2002 and divorced in 2008 — are close friends and co-parents.
“He wanted to have kids like right after we got married and I was the one that wasn’t ready to have kids,” Cynthia says. “He wasn’t going to be able to contribute much with his schedule so I knew the majority of it was going to land on my shoulders. But he’s very convincing. When he wants something, he’s very convincing.”
Rodriguez adds that his daughters are the most rewarding part of his life.
“I always wanted to provide what my father couldn’t do for our family, a safe place,” he says. “It has been the most rewarding part of my life watching them grow up and being a part of their life, by far.”
The ex-couple and their daughters attended the red carpet premiere of “Alex vs. ARod” on Monday in New York.
Rodriguez’s girlfriend, Jaclyn Cordeiro was there, as well as retired quarterback Tom Brady.
Episode 1 of “Alex vs. ARod” premieres Thursday, Nov. 6, followed by Ep. 2 on Nov. 13, and the finale on Nov. 20.
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