Skate TV: Why P-Rod is better than A-Rod

Last night the Orioles lost a heartbreaker to the Yankees. I'd be a hypocrite considering all my trashtalking against the "Aaerican Pastime" should I call them "my Orioles" though in the last few weeks I've been cheering the birds and watching baseball like I haven't in a decade. I mean, it's great to watch a ragtag group of no-names fight tooth and nail against the evil empire. It's like "Occupy Baseball". And growing up in Baltimore I was an O's fan and a MAJOR LEAGUE fan which both seem to have come together this year. And as such this whole playoff run has dredged up all sorts of baseball love of yore I thought I didn't have.

The irony is that A-Rod, NY juicer and all around d-bag, helped his team win by sucking so bad that they benched him in the 9th for Raul Ibanez, who drilled two out of the park in, what, 3 pitches? 

So, cause and effect, by sucking so bad that he got benched A-Rod continues contributing to his team proving that, in life, the Bad News Bears really have no chance, it's all about the CREAM. I mean, homeboy's been roided up for his whole career including no doubt the 2009 Yankee Championships and he gets to continue playing while Lance Armstrong lost a nut and the Tour de France took away his 7 titles? Bullshit.

But anyway, if A-Rod's washed up and, for all intents and purposes, not somebody a kid should look up to, then P-Rod's the exact opposite. And by P-Rod I'm talking to mindblowing skater Paul Rodriguez Jr.

He's considered by many to be one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, street skater ever (and for those of you who like stats, he's won 6 X-Games street medals, including 4 golds, the record for that event). But he's also apparently a family man, a good grandson, a good son to comedian Paul Rodriguez Sr., Good husband to Rainbow and good father to Heaven - just in general a good person. Check out the trailer for his new series, "Life", set to launch on Network A on October 23:

Now that's a man to look up to. Good family man. One of the greatest in his sport without using anything even slightly resembling performance enhancers. And he's still killing it - none of which can be said about Alex Rodriguez.

Go O's.

- Ryan