Alex Rodriguez Dishes on Life After Baseball

Only “Extra's” Charissa Thompson was with former Yankees heavy hitter Alex Rodriguez on the set of FOX Sports, where he opened up about his private life after retiring from baseball.

The $300-million Yankee slugger made headlines for his all-star highs and controversial lows during his career, but he's enjoying being on the other side as a broadcaster. He shared, “I'm liking it a lot.”

Asked if he feels his public image has gone through a shift since he retired, Rodriguez replied, “I think so, and for the better. One of the things at FOX has been when you get to speak to America basically every night they realize that you don't take yourself so seriously.”

As for what he thinks is the biggest misconception about himself, the 41-year-old answered, “Look, I've made tons of mistakes, those are all on me and I think I've grown a lot… But overall, I was very shy and didn't really understand or have an appreciation for the media's job. I always looked at them as they were our opponent.”

Since Rodriguez is now covering sports, he confirms he has a newfound appreciation for the media, sharing, “Yes I do, appreciation and respect.” The retired athlete is still getting a warm reception on the streets of NYC, which he calls “very positive.”

Though retired, Alex admitted that he misses the game, pointing out, “I miss my four at-bats every night; I did that for 22 years. I miss the clubhouse and the boys… and you miss the fans.”

Aside from playing baseball, he also misses his two daughters, Ella, 8, and Natasha, 11, who are back home in Miami while he is in L.A. filming for FOX Sports. When home, Alex co-parents with his ex-wife, revealing, “I'm very fortunate to have an extremely good relationship with my ex, Cynthia, who's a great mother and has her master's in psychology so she deals with all three of us, so it works well.”

Alex and Cynthia live only blocks apart. He commented, “Everybody talks about 50/50, we have them 100%. We really get to enjoy the girls almost every day together.” Of his two girls, he gushed, “It's been the greatest gift any man can ever ask for.”