The Threesome of A-Rod, Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow Ride in a Helicopter Over New York City

Hours after hitting his 600^th career home run on Wednesday afternoon, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took a helicopter tour over Manhattan with girlfriend Cameron Diaz and her friend actress Gwyneth Paltrow as the sun went down behind the Manhattan skyline. The threesome was spotted getting into the helicopter in midtown Manhattan by a local newspaper.

A-Rod is no stranger to high profile celebrity romances, as he dated Madonna towards the end of his marriage to his now ex wife Cynthia and last year actress Kate Hudson was seen at nearly every post-season Yankees game in the front row cheering her then boyfriend on.

The flight around Manhattan with the two sexy blonde celebrities is merely symbolic of how much more at ease A-Rod seems to be both with himself and with New York City in general. His early years with the Yankees seemed uncomfortable and awkward for him. Despite two Most Valuable Player awards, A-Rod was at times an albatross to the Yankees in clutch situation, most remarkably during the postseason.

Last year, though, A-Rod performed brilliantly in the playoffs and reasonably well in the World Series. Ironically, his new comfort with himself and his situation in New York City seem to be coming at a time when his on field performance may be starting to show signs of slowing down.

This year, A-Rod is hitting .267 with 17 home runs and 87 runs batted in, heading into this weekend's four game series with the Boston Red Sox. Those are fine numbers for an average cleanup hitter, but hardly A-Rod like. But, the Yankees are widely acknowledged as one of the two best teams, if not the best team, in all of baseball as they are neck and neck with the Tampa Bay Rays as the season enters its final third.

But judging at least from his public persona and body language on the field, A-Rod seems much more content to be one of a number of contributing players; he seems to realize that he does not have to be The Guy all the time. The Yankees, with their large payroll and balanced approach, provide plenty of cover for everybody and if A-Rod finishes up with 25 home runs and 110 runs batted in, and the Yankees go at least deep into the postseason, he and Yankee fans will likely consider it a successful year.

In the meantime, off the field A-Rod seems to be having fun. Who wouldn't as part of a threesome including Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, in a helicopter above New York City?

Source: Corky Siemaszko, "Alex Rodriguez flies out with stunning blond duo: Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz, nydailynews.com