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Ex-MLB catcher calls Alex Rodriguez 'one of the fakest people' during blistering rant

Since retiring from baseball and moving to the broadcast booth in 2016, Alex Rodriguez has seen his popularity rise to previously unimaginable levels.

Some have even called his evolution from a hated PED-user to an accepted and even respected personality, one of the most incredible redemption stories in sports.

Then there are people like Paul Lo Duca.

The ex-MLB catcher said he’s not buying Rodriguez’s new image for a second during a blistering rant that aired Monday on WFAN radio.

Rodriguez ‘one of the fakest people ever’

Lo Duca’s comments centered around Rodriguez’s sincerity, or his perceived lack thereof. The four-time All-Star believes Rodriguez has tricked people into putting him on a pedestal.

From WFAN:

People know, I’m not a fan and I’m sorry.

Never will be a fan. I just think he’s one of the fakest people out there. The way he gets put on a pedestal now is beyond me.

Lo Duca traced his bad blood back to the Mitchell Report, which was originally published on Dec. 13, 2007.

The Mitchell Report, which documented illegal steroid use in baseball, identified both Lo Duca and Rodriguez as users. But Lo Duca is adamant that he owned up to his PED use while A-Rod continued lying for years until the Biogenesis scandal that ultimately got him suspended and perhaps ruined his Hall of Fame chances.

I was in the Mitchell Report, something I’ll never be proud of and something that was a mistake of mine a long time ago.

But I owned up to it. I didn’t lie. Owned up to it immediately, it was over with, and people can judge me the way they want to judge me. I could care less. But when you completely lie about it for years after years after years after years, you cash in 260 million and people are like, ‘Well, he’s successful,’ well, hell yeah, he’s successful. He got paid over 500 million in his career, I would hope he has some money where he could do whatever he wants with it. So now his relationship with J.Lo has taken him to a level that he’s a saint, give me a break!

Lo Duca’s 11-year MLB career ended one year after the Mitchell Report was released. As for A-Rod, he enjoyed eight more seasons in MLB, reaching 696 career home runs despite being suspended for the entire 2014 season.

Ex-MLB catcher Paul Lo Duca goes on blistering rant against Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Ex-MLB catcher Paul Lo Duca goes on blistering rant against Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Jab at J.Lo

Not even A-Rod’s fiancée, Jennifer Lopez, was off limits in Lo Duca’s rant.

And by the way, she did commercials for Fiat. I’ll never forgive her for Fiat. ‘Cause if J.Lo ever sat that nice, little butt in a Fiat, I’m a 10-foot Indian.

The entire rant was a bit much if we’re being honest. We got the message right away. He doesn’t like A-Rod. To then drag Lopez into the rant for a tasteless comment doesn’t make his claim stronger.

Of course, Lo Duca’s credibility and character have also been called into question before. In October, he was sued by veteran MLB umpire Joe West for defamation of character over claims Lo Duca made about West accepting bribes. That matter has not yet been resolved and should probably be a more pressing issue than A-Rod’s image.

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