How close 'friends' are Madonna and A-Rod?
NEW YORK (AP) - July 3, 2008 Reports that Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez and Madonna have
become close just as their marriages are disintegrating have both
the celebrity gossip industry and the sporting world - each a
chatty bunch - buzzing with questions about the two "friends."
A third boldface name was added to the saga when Rodriguez's
wife fled from New York to the Paris home of rocker Lenny Kravitz,
who denied anything improper had happened with the slugger's wife.
Rodriguez remained mum. He signed a couple of autographs before
Thursday night's game at Yankee Stadium against Boston, but didn't
take questions from a pack of reporters.
The whole story began last week amid tabloid stories that
Madonna, who is married to the British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, had
consulted a high-profile London divorce attorney. On Tuesday her
publicist issued a statement saying Madonna's marriage was not in
jeopardy. Then Us Weekly magazine reported that Rodriguez, 32, has
been making late-night visits to the Manhattan apartment of
Madonna, 49.
Janice Min, editor-in-chief of Us Weekly, said the magazine was
"100 percent" confident in its story, which she said was based on
multiple sources.
Min said Us Weekly has been careful not to overstate what's
known of the relationship, which the latest issue labels a "hot
new friendship."
"The facts are that he comes to her apartment late at night,
that they have a friendship, that she had never been photographed
at a Yankees game until she was photographed in A-Rod's seats,"
Min said. "I think from those facts we put forth, a lot of people
would infer that something more is going on."
Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, acknowledged the two know
each other after meeting at a charity event, but denied any
romance. Rodriguez has refused to even address the topic when
questioned by reporters, leading some to wonder if he could indeed
be involved in the biggest Yankee romance since Joe DiMaggio and
Marilyn Monroe.
On Thursday, the New York Daily News reported that Rodriguez and
wife Cynthia have separated, citing an anonymous source. They were
married in 2002 and have two children, Natasha Alexander and Ella
Alexander. Then came news that Cynthia visited Kravitz in Paris.
"Cynthia is a friend ... she came here to escape from
everything happening in New York City," Kravitz said in a
statement. "I opened my home to her as a friend and I find it
extremely hurtful that I am now being referred to as an
adulterer."
Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner said the reports would not
faze the club.
"It's no distraction to the team," Steinbrenner said Thursday
at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla. "Whether it is to Alex I
don't know. But from what I'm hearing, no, it's not."
Coverage of the private lives of Yankees is not new,
particularly in an era in which professional athletes are
increasingly scrutinized off the field.
Earlier this year, it was reported that former Yankee pitcher
Roger Clemens had an affair with country music singer Mindy
McCready. Derek Jeter's string of girlfriends also have received
considerable press, most notably a relationship with another
mega-selling singer, Mariah Carey.
Rodriguez, however, has found himself in the tabloids more than
any other Yankee since arriving in New York in 2004. Last year, he
was labeled "Stray-Rod" on the front page of the New York Post
after being photographed out at night with a former Vegas stripper.
"I think for Alex, he's been through this before, he knows how
to handle it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm sure there
are times he wishes he could just fit in. That's the price you
pay."
"Obviously, everyone likes to keep their life private.
Unfortunately, in this world, that doesn't happen."
A copy of a local tabloid with a front-cover headline of
"Split!" was on a table in the middle of the Boston clubhouse.
"New York, it's like Us Weekly meets the fun bunch," Red Sox
first baseman Sean Casey said.
On Thursday, sports talk radio in New York was dominated by
larger concerns: mainly the dim playoff prospects for both the
Yankees and Mets.
The sports blog Deadspin wondered Thursday how Rodriguez would
be greeted by fans at Yankee Stadium in the team's upcoming series
against the Red Sox: "Will there be any cone bras in the stands?
Sean Penn masks? The theme from `Evita' being sung by a heavenly
choir of visiting Red Sox fans?"
There were, as usual, a lot of fans wearing pinstripe jerseys
with his No. 13 on the back for the series opener. One of them,
Shawn Richards, said he and nine pals came from western Canada to
cheer for Rodriguez.
"A-Rod's the man!" Richards said. "He can do whatever he
wants. It's New York."
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AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker in New York and AP freelance
writer Mark Didtler in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report.