Seattle loved Alex Rodriguez until a $250 million contract from Texas turned it into beef

It had nothing to do with him having paintings of himself as a centaur or kissing his own reflection… at first.

What’s that expression, “Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned”? Oh, I just looked it up. It’s, “like a woman scorned.” Okay, well, that’s needlessly gendered and now I’m offended.

What I’m trying to say is that Seattle used to really love Alex Rodriguez, and that’s why everything got so beefy when things, and people, went south.

When the Mariners drafted Alex Rodriguez, hopes were as high as they could possibly be. 1996 was his first full season in the majors and there was a lot of hype for a squad that had the wonder-kid, and Ken Griffey Jr., and Randy Johnson. But with injuries and bullpen woes, it didn’t work out and Seattle missed the postseason entirely.

Now there was a silver lining: Alex Rodriguez. The new guy was good. And not just good for someone so youthful, he was good as in nearly-MVP-in-year-one-good. And what have I done with my life? Sorry, not here.

Anyway, jumping ahead, everything went wrong for A-Rod and Seattle. A beef was born, one which endured year after year and still has some heat to it today. How the hell did that happen? Well, just watch the video.