Given his history, Alex Rodriguez’s attempts at sincerity can, and should, be greeted with skepticism, even if in heart and mind he is indeed sincere.
For instance: When he unfailingly calls reporters by their first name every few sentences during a Zoom to discuss his role at ESPN and the new baseball season, is it genuine informality, or an old public relations trick to imply a connection that doesn’t actually exist?
His pal [checks the name identification on the Zoom window] Chad here is not sure. But there is one aspect of the A-Rod enigma that I believe to be fully authentic.