alex-rodriguez-snl

Since retiring from Major League Baseball amid the disgrace of PED scandal and the New York Yankees desperately wanting to unload him and his massive contract from their roster, Alex Rodriguez has undergone quite the reinvention in media and pop culture.

Let’s not call it a redemption, OK? It’s more of a renaissance. An… A-Rodnaissance?

Most recently, A-Rod was named as the new analyst for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, splitting his baseball insight between ESPN and Fox Sports (where he’d drawn acclaim for his studio work during the postseason). Additionally, Rodriguez also has a recurring role on Shark Tank as a recurring guest investor.

It’s only a matter of time before A-Rod hosts Saturday Night Live, right? Are New York sports fans — and Yankees fans — ready for Rodriguez to entertain and amuse him? We might not quite be there yet, but A-Rod dipped a toe in the water with an appearance on SNL, playing himself in a sketch with Charles Barkley.

A-Rod and Barkley were guests on “The Champions,” sitting on a panel along with “legendary” Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, “D.C. Timmons,” played by Kenan Thompson. Which of their sports was the most dangerous to play? Take a look:

As usual, Rodriguez was very smooth — almost too smooth. If he was reading off cue cards, he sure didn’t look like it. Maybe A-Rod rehearsed for a few hours in his dressing room before taking the stage at Studio 8H. He’s very good at this, very polished.

Maybe A-Rod laughed a little bit too much at some of Timmons’s more outlandish declarations such as 100 yards being 100 feet. But he even made that look good, not like he was breaking in the middle of a sketch as hosts like Ryan Gosling or cast members such as Jimmy Fallon have done. Maybe next time, the writers can give him some jokes.

If this sketch made one thing apparent, it’s that a show with Barkley and A-Rod talking sports would be pretty entertaining. Even if they talked about their playing careers and took predictable shots at baseball’s slow pace or Barkley’s physical condition, it might be more entertaining than most shows with ex-jocks providing analysis. Maybe Turner and ESPN (and Fox) can somehow make that happen once a year?

Bring D.C. Timmons along for the ride too. Just make sure he gets the No. 3 with fries and a Diet Coke.

About Ian Casselberry

Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.