A-Rod slim, comfortable and in a groove

TAMPA, Fla.

In 1970, the season he turned 36, Hank Aaron hit 37 home runs.

In 2000, the season he turned 36, Barry Bonds hit 46 home runs.

Stop your chortling. Whatever he did, he played under the same rules as everyone else.

Alex Rodriguez turns 36 on July 27. He is coming off the worst statistical season of his career, with 30 home runs to go with a .341 on-base percentage and .506 slugging percentage.

Maybe it's folly to suggest that A-Rod can put up the same sort of numbers as his fellow greats. Yet if you've seen the way that the slimmed-down Rodriguez has looked, played and behaved in spring training, you'd probably be more willing to suspend that disbelief.

"He looks great, offensively and defensively,'' Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "He looks like he's primed for a big year.''

"I honestly feel that this is the prime of my career,'' Rodriguez told Newsday in an interview Friday. "Some of the names you mentioned back up that statement. For me, feeling as healthy as I've felt, I feel like I'm back to being 30, 31 again.''

Such a feeling would forecast some serious numbers. In 2005, when he turned 30, A-Rod slammed 48 homers and had a .421 on-base percentage and .610 slugging percentage, winning his second American League Most Valuable Player award. He won his third two years later, going deep 54 times with a .422 OBP and .645 SLG.

In Grapefruit League action, after going 1-for-2 with an RBI double Saturday, Rodriguez has four homers, a .459 OBP and a .912 SLG. He has 14 hits and 10 RBIs in 34 at-bats.

Yet he insisted, "I don't really get into whether I can match what I can do. I just know that Kevin [Long, the Yankees' hitting coach] and I are very happy with our work. In spring training, I never worry about the game. I worry about pre- and post-games. That's going really well.''

You probably know by now that A-Rod has a much better feel for public relations nowadays than he once did. The same goes for private relations.

On Friday, while the Yankees played the Blue Jays in nearby Dunedin, Rodriguez stayed back at Steinbrenner Field with fellow infielders Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. As they took grounders, worked on fielding bunt plays and hit, you could see the comfort level A-Rod felt with his teammates -- yes, even Jeter.

He scores points by acting like one of the guys, and also by acknowledging who he is. When the "Late Show With David Letterman'' crew made its annual pilgrimage to camp, preparing a comedy segment that usually runs sometime around Opening Day, A-Rod filmed a bit in which he eats popcorn while holding a long conversation -- a nod to his much-discussed popcorn action shot with girlfriend Cameron Diaz at the Super Bowl.

"It's good to make fun of yourself,'' Rodriguez said. "You can't take yourself too seriously. I think that energy is working with my teammates.''

It's working even though, while A-Rod has dialed down the noise considerably since his 2009 confession (to past illegal PED usage) and hip surgery, he isn't exactly a hermit. He is, after all, dating a well-known actress. By moderating all of his other activities, however, he has turned the starlet-association thing from a distraction into a value-add. Just like Jeter.

"I'm happy. I'm comfortable in my own skin,'' Rodriguez said. "When you have that, it hopefully translates into better playing on the field.''

On his own, Rodriguez lost 10 pounds and shed 3 percent of his body fat over the winter. "That was not on my agenda," Cashman said, "but I'm glad he did it." A-Rod seems much more nimble, particularly on defense and on the bases, than he did the past two seasons.

Barring a catastrophic injury, Rodriguez (613 career homers) will pass Aaron (755) and Bonds (762) on the all-time list. But if he puts together the sort of colossal run Aaron and Bonds did, he won't merely pass the duo. He'll leave them in his dust.

"My goal is always to reach my potential," he said. "Whatever that potential is is up to you guys. I'm excited about this year, because it's as healthy as I've felt in two or three years."

We're getting to prime time for baseball. A-Rod, having refined both his baseball and comedy skills, seems ready.