With his home run last night, A-Rod set the record for most home runs in a year by a right hander. From the article at MLB.com:

"Joe DiMaggio is such an icon, he's almost like a cartoon character," Rodriguez said. "I have so much respect for him. When it's all said and done, it's something you can look back on and say that you're proud to be mentioned in the same sentence as Joe." ...

Back in the late 1990s, Rodriguez belonged to the same Miami Beach club as DiMaggio. One week, A-Rod spotted DiMaggio on five consecutive days, though he never introduced himself to the Hall of Famer.

"I kept trying to build up the courage to walk up to him, but I never did," Rodriguez said. "He was always in a suit, he looked very serious. It's one of my biggest regrets. I'm Joe D.'s biggest fan."

"... almost like a cartoon character." Not sure how people will take that one. But, I'm sure he meant nothing bad.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if anyone deserved/deserves that contract, it was/it's A-Rod. Consistent performance. Looking at his numbers this year, if his batting average finishes where it is now (.319), that'll be his highest batting average in a season. Same for his OBA (.421). His OPS (1.031) would be his second highest. Last year was great, this year is incredible. He has delivered and then some.