Ivan Rodriguez was the steady hand for the Florida Marlins when they won the 2003 World Series. A year later, he was the spark that helped turn around the Detroit franchise when nobody wanted to be a Tiger.

The New York Yankees hope he can be a little of both during their push to the playoffs.

The Yankees acquired the 14-time All-Star from the Tigers on Wednesday in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Kyle Farnsworth, a trade that filled glaring holes for both contenders.

“Honestly, I was shocked by this, but that’s baseball,” Rodriguez said. “Now, I’m just looking forward to playing for the Yankees and maybe I will play against Detroit again in the playoffs.”

In the option year of a $50 million deal he signed with the Tigers in February 2004, Rodriguez will step into the hole in the Yankees’ lineup created by Jorge Posada’s shoulder injury. Posada had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and is out for the season.

Full Article from Yahoo HERE.

The Angels have knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs twice in the past seven years, and now they might just keep the Yanks from the postseason altogether.

That is one byproduct of the Angels' acquisition yesterday of Mark Teixeira. The Yanks have more games left against the Angels (10) than any other opponent, beginning with a four-game set that opens tomorrow at the Stadium.

And the Yanks have long had trouble beating the Angels despite Los Angeles' lack of lefty power and adequate protection for Vladimir Guerrero. The only AL team that Joe Torre had a losing record against in his 12 years as Yankee manager was the Angels, and that does not even include the 2002 and 2005 Division Series in which the Angels ousted the Yankees.

Now the Joe Girardi Yankees have to cope with a quirk in the schedule that has them playing so many late-season games against a team not from their division, including two separate three-game stops in Anaheim. The Yanks are going to finally uncover a way to beat their AL West nemesis or else their road to October is going to become that much more treacherous.

What is fascinating is that the Angels essentially are the team most assured of making the playoffs this season, since they went into last night with an 111/2-game lead in the AL West. As one AL executive said, "The Angels are making this deal to get 11 wins in October. They already know they have won the division."

Jorge Posada will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, ending his attempt to return to the lineup for New York’s postseason push.

Posada has struggled with shoulder pain most of the season, weakening his throws and limiting his playing time behind the plate.

On the disabled list for the second time this year, Posada was trying to rehabilitate his shoulder enough to come back as a DH or first baseman this season. But after the Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady in a trade with Pittsburgh on Saturday, they determined it was best for Posada to have surgery now, general manager Brian Cashman said Monday.

“It’s just the obvious way to go,” Cashman explained.

Posada is expected to be sidelined at least six months and it’s not certain that he’ll be ready for the start of spring training in February, Cashman said.

“As difficult as it is, I can focus on coming back 100 percent for next season instead of coming back at less than that now,” Posada said in a statement. “Until then, I still plan on being a teammate and friend to the guys I share this room with. I may not be playing, but I want to be a part of this team and the run that we’re on.”

The Seattle Mariners’ Jarrod Washburn is privately enthusiastic about a possible trade to the Yankees. But he started as scheduled Sunday in Toronto, allowing one run in eight innings for a victory.

Washburn has a 2.82 earned run average in his last 11 starts, and his next one may come for the Yankees. But for that to happen, General Manager Brian Cashman must decide that he really wants Washburn, and he has not made that determination. Ownership has told Cashman it would pay for the $14 million or so remaining on Washburn’s contract through next season.

From the New York Times

For more than two decades, Rich "Goose" Gossage unnerved batters as one of baseball's most menacing and dominating relief pitchers. On Sunday, it was his turn for the jitters.

"This experience is overwhelming, over the top. I can't put in words what this means," Gossage told a decidedly New York Yankees crowd during the National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony that capped his 22-year career.

Gossage had to pause twice to collect his thoughts -- including once when he was moved to tears talking about now dead teammates Thurman Munson and Bobby Murcer.

"I'm like a kid going on his first ride at Disney World and not getting off for 22 years," said Gossage, whose speech was interspersed with choruses of "Goose" from the crowd.

Dick Williams -- one of Gossage's former managers -- also was inducted Sunday. Williams managed six teams in 21-year career, winning the World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1972 and 1973. He also won league pennants with the Boston Red Sox in 1967 and San Diego Padres in 1984.

Full Article from ESPN HERE.

Xavier Nady scored a run. Damaso Marte struck out David Ortiz in a key situation. And the Yankees won again.

New York finalized the trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, and Nady and Marte made their Yankees debuts in a 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The former Pirates went from a team that was 48-55 and 12 games behind in the NL Central to one that is 58-45 with eight straight wins and a solid shot in the tight AL East race.

“To be able to play for the Yankees is a big surprise for me,” said Marte, one of the top left-handed relievers in baseball. “It’s exciting to be a Yankee. It’s unbelievable.”

Nady was hitting .330 with Pittsburgh when he was pulled after the first inning of Friday night’s game against San Diego.

“It’s a crazy industry,” he said Saturday. “I heard my name, rumblings the last couple of weeks. I was ready to walk out (on deck) and the manager called me back. He was on his cell phone. It’s not often you see the manager on his cell phone during the game.”

The Pirates got four minor leaguers in the deal: top outfield prospect Jose Tabata and right-handers Dan McCutchen, Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf.

“It was hard to give up the players we did. I like those players,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said before Saturday’s game. “The players we got back—Marte and Nady—both will hopefully contribute to the 2008 season and we have them for ‘09.”

Cashman said he had been talking about Marte for a few days and Nady’s name came up during his drive to Boston on Friday afternoon, with discussions heating up during batting practice Friday and carrying late into the night.

“I wouldn’t have done it if it was rented for a few months,” Cashman said.

Nady batted seventh and played left field against Boston. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and scored a run. He also was hit by a pitch.

With New York leading 7-3 in the seventh, Marte entered with runners at first and second and one out and struck out Ortiz, the only batter he faced.

“That’s why we got him. He’s not uncomfortable against left-handers,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I wasn’t going to put him in a situation where it didn’t mean anything.”

To make room, the Yankees optioned outfielder Brett Gardner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and designated reliever LaTroy Hawkins for assignment.

“I think it’s a very good move for us,” Girardi said. “Xavier is having a very good year. He’s a guy that can play left field for us and another right-handed bat. And then we get Marte, who has been very good against left-handed hitters—and right-handers, too.”

The teams agreed to a deal Friday, pending physicals for the players involved. The Yankees confirmed the trade was completed early Saturday afternoon.

It was initially thought New York’s package would include minor league pitchers Phil Coke and George Kontos rather than McCutchen and Karstens. But when the Pirates made their final selections Saturday from a list of players the Yankees offered, Pittsburgh chose a group that included McCutchen and Karstens, according to a person familiar with the trade who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details of the talks were not disclosed.

The Yankees, with Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada on the disabled list and possibly lost for the year, needed another right-handed bat for their lefty loaded lineup.

“If I didn’t have the injuries to Matsui or Posada, I may not have been looking for a hitter,” Cashman said.

Nady had 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in 88 games with Pittsburgh, and Marte was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46 2-3 innings for the Pirates.

Ohlendorf was 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA in 25 games with the Yankees this season. He was demoted June 27 and had a 1-1 record with a 4.03 ERA in five starts with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tabata was batting .248 with three homers and 36 RBIs with Double-A Trenton entering play Friday.

The Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday reportedly have traded outfielder Xavier Nady and lefthander Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees for righthander Ross Ohlendorf and three minor leaguers - outfielder Jose Tabata, righthander George Kontos and lefthander Phil Coke.

Nady was removed from Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres in the second inning for undisclosed reasons and was replaced in left field by Jason Michaels.

The deal reportedly is pending medical reports on all the players involved.

Nady was one of the most sought-after names on the trade market due to a career year that has him fifth in the National League with a .330 batting average to go along with 13 homers and 57 RBI. He will add a righthanded bat to New York’s lineup, which generally features just three other righthanded hitters.

Nady’s exit presumably opens the door for top prospect Andrew McCutchen, who is batting .280 with nine homers and 26 stolen bases at Class AAA Indianapolis this season and is considered Pittsburgh’s center fielder of the future.

Marte, who has been filling in as the Pirates’ closer with Matt Capps on the disabled list, is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA this season and will slot nicely into a Yankees bullpen that currently is without a lefthander. He has held lefthanded hitters to a .198 average in his career, though that mark is up to .255 this season.

Marte briefly was property of the Yankees in 2001 but never appeared in a major league game for the franchise before being traded to the Pirates in exchange for Enrique Wilson.

The jewel of the crop going back to the Pirates is Tabata, who has been one of the Yankees’ top prospects since being signed out of Venezuela in 2005. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 3 prospect in New York’s system entering this season due to his ability to make solid, hard contact and his power potential.

However, Tabata’s stock has fallen this season due to his struggles both as a hitter and a teammate as a 19-year-old at Class AA. He was pulled from a contest in June and suspended three games in April for disciplinary reasons.

Tabata has been sidelined since July 1 with an injury.

Ohlendorf has struggled as a rookie in the bullpen for New York this season, going 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA. A starter in the minors, the righthander could provide immediate help to the Pirates, either in the bullpen or the rotation.

Kontos has struggled at Class AA Trenton this season, going 3-9 with a 3.77 ERA while issuing 43 walks in 107 1/3 innings.

Coke was pulled from his start at Trenton on Friday after one inning. He is a combined 9-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 21 games - 20 starts - with Trenton and Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.

Both Coke and Kontos will add depth to Pittsburgh’s system, which is short on pitching prospects.

The Dodgers have an interest in Robinson Cano and might be willing to deal Derek Lowe and outfielder Matt Kemp, but the Yankees aren't inclined to part with the red-hot second baseman unless there is a front-of-the-rotation-type starter coming to The Bronx. Lowe, who has the stomach for big games and has AL East experience with the Red Sox, doesn't fit that bill.

Kemp, 23, would be viewed as a replacement for Bobby Abreu in right field next year. Kemp is batting .287 (104-for-362) with 11 homers and 55 RBIs in 94 games this season. His biggest downside is striking out 107 times.

Carl "American Idle" Pavano is back on the Yankees' radar. Pavano, who has appeared in 19 games in four Yankee seasons and cost them $40 million, is close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment.

If Hideki Matsui's left knee fills with fluid again, GM Brian Cashman believes it will be impossible for the Yankee DH to avoid a second knee surgery.

"If the knee swells up we are dealing with last call," Cashman said last night after Dr. Scott Rodeo recommended to Matsui that surgery was required.

Cashman admires Matsui, who has the knee drained three times, wanting to give it another try even though the odds of Matsui playing again this year are long.

Matsui will go through a rehab process - likely 10 days - and reassess where he is at. Surgery would end Matsui's season.

Jorge Posada will likely will be heading back onto the disabled list with a recurring right shoulder problem.

Posada was on the DL from April 27 to June 5 with a throwing-shoulder problem, and since his return has rarely caught, with Jose Molina getting most of the games behind the plate.

GOOSE GOSSAGE knows about the bullpen and about the Hall of Fame. So listen to what he had to say yesterday. Gossage believes the Yankees need to put Joba Chamberlain back in the pen and that George Steinbrenner should someday join him in Cooperstown.

"I think he's more valuable, personally, in the bullpen, to utilize him two or three or four days out of the week is more valuable to a ballclub than starting him," Gossage said of Chamberlain.

If Joba goes back, who starts in his place?

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

The Yankees have reached an agreement with Richie Sexson on a pro-rated contract for the rest of the season, The Post has learned.

The Yankees are going to wait to announce his acquisition until at least before Friday night's game. But he is being added as a way for the Yanks to increase their righty presence against lefty pitching, and so he almost certainly will start tomorrow when Oakland sends out southpaw starter Greg Smith.

Sexson was released on July 10 by Seattle and the Yankees expressed interest relatively quickly. The big righty hitter was batting .218 this year, but was hitting .344 against lefty pitching with five homers in 64 at-bats, which is what made him attractive to the Yankees. He essentially will assume the role that the Yanks envisioned Shelley Duncan playing this year: The hulking righty swinger who could do some damage against lefties, in particular.

Duncan failed in the majors then injured his shoulder in the minors and was lost for the season.

Sexson is making $14 million this season in the final year of a multiyear deal with Seattle. The Yanks have to pay Sexson the pro-rated portion of the minimum salary, or roughly $160,000, for the rest of the year.

Sexson, 33, had 11 homers this year with 30 RBIs and 76 strikeouts in 252 at-bats.

The Yankees have been consistently inconsistent this season, hanging around the .500 mark for most of the first half.

Why has a team that entered the season with championship dreams been little better than average through the first 95 games?

For starters, only Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina remain from the season-opening rotation while the young guns expected to help lead the staff fired blanks before succumbing to injury. Among hitters, several stars are batting way below their career averages.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

Confessed drug supplier Kirk Radomski has provided documentary evidence to the government showing that he shipped drugs to the Texas home of Roger Clemens, who is under investigation for perjury after telling Congress he never used steroids or human growth hormone.

According to sources with close knowledge of the investigation, Radomski has discovered shipping receipts for a package of two kits of human growth hormone that he sent in late 2002 or 2003 to Clemens at the pitcher's palatial mansion in Houston. Radomski is believed to have also provided the government with new information and receipts for drug shipments to other players.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

If the Yankees are going to extend their October appearances to 14 straight, it appears they aren't going to be aided by Hideki Matsui.

And it didn't sound like GM Brian Cashman views Barry Bonds as a replacement.

Matsui, the clutch-hitting DH/left fielder, experienced swelling in his left knee today when he didn't take batting practice and will leave Tampa, Fla., to be examined by team physician Dr. Stuart Hershon on Friday in New York.

Though Cashman didn't definitely say Matsui, who has had the knee drained twice and was taking batting practice at the minor league facility, was headed for surgery, a season-ending procedure looks inevitable.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

Joe Girardi has seen his Yankees under-perform and be hurt by injuries, had a veteran player express his displeasure with his role and an owner occasionally spout off.

His predecessor with the Yankees can relate to all of those things, and insisted yesterday that despite the hole they are in, Girardi can get them out of it.

"Joe's doing fine," Dodger manager Joe Torre said. "There's no handbook on this stuff. You deal with it as your personality allows you to. Joe is bright and has experience. He knows what the expectations are and the players respect him."

True, but that didn't stop Jorge Posada from voicing his displeasure about not catching.

"At the end, we're all gonna be judged on how many wins and losses [we have]," Torre said. "Emotionally, he can handle it."

Torre yesterday was at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, where both he and Girardi were on hand for Torre's Safe at Home Foundation fundraiser.

And while Torre will be in New York for tonight's All-Star game, he won't be in The Bronx.

"My being in uniform at Yankee Stadium would have caused more distraction than was needed," Torre said. "To me, the game is all about the ballpark and then the players who made the club, and that's where all the attention should be."

And he's not sure if he'll be back before they tear down the Stadium.

"When I left Yankee Stadium, I had a sense it was going to be the last time I left there," Torre said. "There's no reason to look back. I don't think I need to see it one more time just to get that nostalgic feel for it ... but there are no absolutes."

Girardi is trying to build something to be nostalgic about, and even though the Yanks are in third place in the AL East at the break, the current manager believes that will change.

"We have to score some more runs than we did in their first half," Girardi said. "To me, it's [about] players playing up to their capabilities. If we do that, I think we'll be there in October. The big thing is, we have the people in that room to be successful. We just need to play better."

If they don't, Hank Steinbrenner will likely let Girardi know about it, much like his father did with Torre.

"You deal with your bosses," Torre said. "That's what a big part of the job is."

dan.martin@nypost.com

Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson might have gotten himself into hot water with Jews - the Yankee legend was caught on tape uttering an unflattering stereotype while haggling over the price of a painting.

Jackson was on East 61st Street and Madison Avenue, negotiating with a painter, when he asked the artist, "Are you Jewish?" according to Post lensman Larry Schwartzwald.

Schwartzwald then turned on his video camera and asked Jackson why he made the remark.

"You Jewish, too?" asked Jackson.

Mr. October then explained that the artist was driving a hard bargain and said he asked the man if he was Jewish "because he's always working me."

Jackson must have realized his faux pas, jokingly saying to artist Peter Zonis, "You're going to get me in trouble."

Jackson's exchange with Zonis on Saturday afternoon was the latest in two months of talks between them over a painting of the Viand Coffee Shop - a favorite Upper East Side hangout of the slugger.

Reggie and Zonis finally completed their deal yesterday, with the slugger paying $1,500 for the painting.

Zonis, 49, insisted that Reggie is not anti-Semitic.

The artist, who is Jewish, admitted he was pushing Reggie to both buy his painting and pose for a photo.

"He [Jackson] was being nice and he knew I wasn't going to let him leave the scene" without buying the picture and posing for a shot, Zonis told The Post.

"I think he was joking . . . that I had chutzpah."

Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. He was 62. The Yankees said Murcer died Saturday due to complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City, the team said.

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said. "I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

Bobby Murcer lost his gallant and determined fight with brain cancer Saturday at Oklahoma City Hospital with his wife, Kay, his daughter, Tori, and his son, Todd, by his side, a little more than a year-and-half after first being diagnosed with the most aggressive form of tumors. He was 62, and while most of those last 19 months of a life-too-short were spent enduring exhaustive, often-agonizing after-effects of intense chemotherapy and radiation, Murcer, true to his upbeat nature, regarded them as a blessing rather than a curse.

"I feel especially blessed," he told me a few months ago, "to have been able to hear from and see all these wonderful people who have been my fans. Through this entire ordeal, their prayers and support have been so gratifying. You have no idea what a strength the fans have been for me."

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

Bobby Murcer, the Yankees’ All-Star outfielder and longtime broadcaster who never became another Mickey Mantle but endeared himself to Yankee fans in a baseball career of more than four decades, died Saturday. He was 62.

The Yankees said that Murcer died because of complications from brain cancer. He was surrounded by family members at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, the team said.

Full Article from the NY Times HERE.

Former Yankees outfielder Bobby Murcer, who maintained his ties to the team as a popular broadcaster, died today at age 62 after battling brain cancer.

The Yankees said he died today at his home in Oklahoma City. He was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in late December 2006 and had surgery four days later. He returned to the broadcast booth last season and briefly this year.

Full Article from LOHUD HERE.

With his lineup sagging under the pressure of not having Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui and others not hitting, Brian Cashman didn't discount looking into signing Richie Sexson when he clears release waivers next week.

"I don't know yet, we will take a look,'' Cashman said today about Sexson, who was released by the woeful Mariners yesterday. "We will study it and see if it's something we will pursue. I think we have to look at it. I can't tell you we will (sign him) or won't. I can tell you we are interested.''

Sexson, 33, batted .218 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs in 74 games this season.

According to his agent, Casey Close, Sexson is mulling through offers but isn't likely to join a new team until next week.

"There has been interest,'' Close said. "Richie will look at it to see where the best fit is.''

Sexson batted .205 with 21 homers and 63 RBIs in 121 games ion 2007. In a dozen big league seasons Sexson is a .261 hitter with 305 homers and 937 RBIs.

The Yankees are keeping tabs on Pirates outfielders Xavier Nady and Jason Bay and new A's Matt Murton because they believe their biggest need is a right-handed bat.

And they haven't dismissed signing Richie Sexson who was released by the Mariners yesterday.

Murton went from the Cubs to the A's in the Rich Harden deal.

Here is another name off the radar: Austin Kearns.

On another note, isn't it time for Joe Girardi to get Jorge Posada behind the plate where he belongs? Jason Giambi is better defensively (yeah, really!) than Jorge plus it gets another strong bat in the lineup.

From Beyond the Boxscore:

Some numbers to mull over:

*Jacoby Ellsbury, age 23, triple-A (in 2007): .298/.360/.380 with 33 steals (39 attempts) in 87 games. 47/32 K/BB ratio, 21 extra base hits

*Brett Gardner, age 24, triple-A (in 2008): .287/.412/.429 with 34 steals (42 attempts) in 80 games. 68/61 K/BB ratio, 24 extra base hits.

*Ellsbury minor league career (250 games): .313/.389/.425 with 105 steals (132 attempts), 127/111 K/BB

*Gardner minor league career (349 games): .289/.386/.385 with 139 steals (169 attempts), 260/207 K/BB

*Ellsbury per 162 minor league games: 68 steals (86 attempts)

*Gardner per 162 minor league games: 64 steals (79 attempts)

*According to Kevin Goldstein, Gardner is "an 80 runner with outstanding defense and on-base skills."

It's unlikely that Brett Gardner will make the same impact that Jacoby Ellsbury has made so far. However, the similarities are interesting…

Now it's about their kids.

Alex Rodriguez is negotiating to see his two young daughters - because his estranged wife has made it difficult for the Yankee superstar to spend time with the kids while their marriage disintegrates, sources told The Post.

Cynthia Rodriguez "hasn't made it easy to see the children," said a source close to A-Rod, whose wife sued for divorce Monday amid claims he had a relationship with Madonna.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

Here we go again. More crap from Hankie. If the Yankees win tonight, we'll see the press giving him the credit for the win:

The Yankees are 8 ½ games back in the AL East and have Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and others on the DL. Hank Steinbrenner, though, doesn't quite believe the season is shot just yet.

"With what we've got in place right now," Steinbrenner told the AP last night, "we still should be able to make a run."

Easier said than done perhaps, as even Steinbrenner bemoaned the Yankees' injury fortunes this year. He instructed fans, "Don't get discouraged. Injuries do happen."

Then Steinbrenner said as far as he could recall, this has been the Yankees' worst injury season ever.

"We have been decimated by injuries," he said. "I don't remember a year this bad as far as injuries. It's had a huge effect. It really has. Nobody wants to make excuses, but it's reality.

"In any sport, I don't care what it is. Soccer, baseball, basketball, football, there's only two things that come under the heading of luck. Injuries and bad officiating," Steinbrenner said. "You just hope you don't get the injuries, and we've had them this year."

Sexy singing siren Madonna stole A-Rod's heart, fueling the obsessive infatuation that helped doom his marriage, a lawyer for his wife said yesterday upon filing divorce papers.

The married Madonna - famous for a long list of lovers in her wild, younger years - captivated the Yankee star to the point that their "relationship" was "the last straw" for his long-suffering wife, Cynthia, said C-Rod's lawyer, Earle Lilly.

Cynthia Rodriguez filed for divorce on the grounds that "the marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken because of the husband's extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct," the lawsuit states.

That "misconduct" presumably includes Alex Rodriguez's relationship with Madge, which his wife says involves the Jewish mystic philosophy kabbalism - and the pop star playing the role of teacher to A-Rod, her doe-eyed, "brainwashed" student.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

Alex Rodriguez’s wife filed for divorce Monday, calling her husband an adulterer who “emotionally abandoned his wife and children.”

“The marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken because of the husband’s extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct,” according to Cynthia Rodriguez’s petition for dissolution of marriage, filed in the family division of Miami-Dade County Circuit Court.

The New York Yankees third baseman, who earned his 12th All-Star selection Sunday, has refused to comment on his relationship with Madonna, who denied any romantic involvement with the slugger in a statement posted Sunday on people.com.

“The petitioner has exhausted every effort to salvage the marriage of the parties,” Cynthia Rodriguez said in the filing. “However, Alex has emotionally abandoned his wife and children and has left her with no choice but to divorce him.”

Rodriguez’s attorney in Miami, Ira M. Elegant, said he had not reviewed the divorce petition but added: “As you know, anyone can pay the filing fee and make allegations.”

Elegant also represents NBA star Shaquille O’Neal in his ongoing divorce from his wife, Shaunie.

In this Dec. 2, 2007 file phot…
AP - Jul 7, 10:02 am EDT

A telephone message left for a Rodriguez spokesman Monday was not immediately returned.

The couple, who married in November 2002, have a $12 million, six-bedroom house in the upscale Miami suburb of Coral Gables. A company run by a corporation controlled by Rodriguez bought an apartment at Trump Park Avenue in Manhattan for $7.4 million in July 2005.

Cynthia Rodriguez has asked for primary custody of their two children, as well as child support and alimony.

Their two daughters are Natasha Alexander, 3, and 2-month-old Ella Alexander.

The filing comes just days after the third baseman was linked to Madonna in various media outlets. Cynthia Rodriguez later visited the Paris home of rocker Lenny Kravitz, who said she came to France to escape the media frenzy in New York and denied anything improper.

Cynthia Rodriguez’s lawyer, Maurice Kutner, declined to elaborate on the filing, which does not mention Madonna or any other alleged paramours by name.

“Cynthia has made it very clear to me that she wants to take the high road and protect her children and herself. There’s no vindictiveness here,” Kutner said. “She wants to resolve the issues between Alex and herself in an amicable fashion.”

The couple has had prenuptial agreement in place since Oct. 3, 2002, according to the divorce papers.

The divorce petition was filed the day after Rodriguez hit his 536th homer, tying Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle for 13th place.

Rodriguez is in the first season of a $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees, a deal that allows him to earn up to $305 million. He made $185.45 million from 2001-7 from his contract with the Texas Rangers and Yankees.

Johnny Damon stood in a corridor outside the New York Yankees clubhouse on Sunday afternoon, sounding sullen. He had just been put on the disabled list for the first time in his major league career after 13 1/2 seasons and 1,927 regular-season games.

“I really don’t know what I have to do now,” the outfielder said softly. “Every day in my career when I went to the ballpark, I actually felt like I could get in the game somehow. Even yesterday, I was getting ready to get my shoes on in case I needed to run for (Jason) Giambi or something late. Today there’s no way I can get in this ballgame.”

Damon sprained and bruised his left shoulder when he crashed into the left-field fence trying for a leaping catch against Boston on Friday. While the pain subsided slightly Sunday, the swelling increased.

“It’s disappointing, but I knew the team needed to get another body,” Damon said. “We just have to be smart for my sake and the team’s sake. There wasn’t much I was going to be able to do.”

Damon, hitting .319 at the top of the batting order, hopes to return on July 20, when he is eligible to be activated. The 34-year-old thinks he should be able to swing a bat before he’s able to throw, but he’s not quite sure of what the timetable will be.

To get an idea, Damon consulted Xavier Nady, who had a similar injury. Because Yankee Stadium’s facility will be unavailable during the All-Star break, Damon likely will rehab at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla.

“I don’t think this is anything long-term,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “Is it 15 days, 20 days, you know? Is it a little bit longer? I don’t know.”

To fill Damon’s roster spot, New York recalled outfielder Justin Christian from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. With Hideki Matsui (sore left knee) also on the DL, rookie Brett Gardner will become the Yankees’ regular left fielder.

“He creates a lot of havoc when he’s on the bases. He changes the defense,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s constant pressure on pitchers when he’s on base, to pay attention to him.”

Alex Rodriguez's heartbroken wife Cynthia believes her hubby has been "brainwashed" by kabbalah-pushing pop icon Madonna and lured away from his family, an A-Rod confidant said yesterday.

In a bombshell interview with The Post, Dodd Romero - Rodriguez's former trainer and godfather to his two daughters who spent last week in Paris with Cynthia Rodriguez - said he and C-Rod believe the Yankee superstar has been gradually drawn away by Madonna's allure.

"Alex, God bless him, is lost," A-Rod's ex-pal lamented. "I think he got pulled in by the dark side, if you can say that nicely. He's totally brainwashed."

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

The Post has learned the identity of every All-Star Game vote winner from the AL and NL for the July 15 game at Yankee Stadium and the starting pitchers.

Major League Baseball will announce tomorrow that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez will start for the AL club at short and third, respectively, and that there are no Mets among the NL starters. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will be named with the other pitchers and reserves. The plan is for Rivera to pitch the final All-Star inning in Yankee Stadium history.

For Jeter, it's his ninth All-Star Game. Jeter, the MVP of the 2000 game, has a .500 (8-for-16) All-Star average.

This will be the 12th time Rodriguez has been named to the All-Star team. He has appeared in 11 games; missing the 2000 game due to a concussion.

Jeter and Rodriguez said yesterday they weren't informed about their selections.

"That usually doesn't happen until the Sunday before," Jeter said.

"I haven't heard that," Rodriguez said.

Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb will start for the NL and Cleveland lefty Cliff Lee goes for the AL.

The defending World Champion Red Sox will start Kevin Youkilis at first, Dustin Pedroia at second and Manny Ramirez in left. David Ortiz was voted in as the DH but won't play because of a wrist injury.

Hideki Matsui would have been a candidate to replace Ortiz, but he is on the DL with a knee injury. Ortiz's likely replacement will be Texas' Milton Bradley.

Other AL starters are Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki in center, Texas' Josh Hamilton in right and Minnesota's Joe Mauer behind the plate.

The NL's infield consists of Lance Berkman at first, Philly's Chase Utley at second, Atlanta's Chipper Jones at third and Florida's Hanley Ramirez at short. Former Yankee and current Cub Alfonso Soriano starts in left, teammate Kosuke Fukudome will be in center and Cincinnati's Ken Griffey, Jr. gets the nod in right. The Cubs' Geovany Soto is the starting catcher.

Boston's Terry Francona, who brings his coaches with him, will manage the AL and Colorado's Clint Hurdle is the NL manager.

As for Mike Mussina being part of Francona's staff, Francona didn't want to be hauled into that topic yesterday before Mussina faced the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium with a 10-6 record.

"He is one of those guys getting who is getting strong consideration," said Joe Girardi, an AL coach. "He deserves to go.

Hamilton making the team is part of an amazing comeback for the MLB leader in RBIs from years of drug abuse and suspensions.

Having two starting center fielders from Japan adds a new look to the All-Star Game.

Tuesday night's introductions will have a different twist. All starters will be joined by Hall of Fame players at their positions.

For example the catchers will be introduced at home plate with Gary Carter and Yogi Berra.

george.king@nypost.com

So now we know that Joe Girardi has a boiling point, but in the aftermath of his angry team meeting Thursday night, we are about to find out a lot more about him as a manager, specifically whether he measures up to Joe Torre.

The Yankees are 0-1 since Girardi had his say with his team, losing, 6-4, Friday to the Red Sox. Although he didn't say it directly, the manager clearly felt his team played more aggressively and approached at-bats with more purpose on this day.

"I thought we played hard," was as far as Girardi would go on the subject.

Perhaps, but his team is now six games behind the Sox, and nine behind the division-leading Rays. Worse, the Yanks may be without Johnny Damon through the All-Star break after he crashed into the wall in left trying to make a spectacular catch yesterday.

Full Article from the NY Daily News HERE.

With a scandalous storm swirling around her, A-Rod's wife was the face of calm in Paris, beaming with smiles outside rocker Lenny Kravitz's pad as her marriage to baseball's top star appeared to be sunk.

Cynthia Rodriguez, 34, seemed in good spirits as she left Kravitz's palatial home near the famed Arc de Triomphe and hopped into a black minivan.

Wearing black, open-toed, high-heeled shoes, tight-fitting blue jeans and a gray hooded top, the scorned C-Rod refused to comment on rumors linking her hubby with Madonna.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.

Kevin Youkilis’ drive squirted out of the webbing of Johnny Damon’s glove and bounced up off the top of the left-field wall in the third inning of Friday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

And bounced. And bounced.

The ball came to rest on top of the fence, which was shaking from the impact of the Yankees left fielder crashing into in it as he tried to make a leaping catch. And there the ball sat for several tantalizing seconds. The sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium wondered: Would it fall behind for a home run, roll back onto the field or just sit there?

Finally, the ball dropped back in and landed near Damon, who was sprawled on the warning track. A fan behind the fence frantically pointed to where the ball was.

Youkilis cruised into third base with a two-run triple that enabled Boston to tie the score 3-3.

After center fielder Melky Cabrera threw the ball back to the infield, Yankees manager Joe Girardi and a trainer attended to Damon, who was holding his ribs and shaking his arm.

Damon left the game and was replaced by Brett Gardner. He was diagnosed with a bruised left shoulder, the team said. X-rays were negative, and Damon will be re-evaluated within 24 hours and have an MRI.

The Boss plans to be in New York for the All-Star game later this month.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said Thursday he will be in attendance for the July 15 game, which is one of the featured events during the final season at the current Yankee Stadium.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Steinbrenner said at the Yankees’ spring training complex.

Steinbrenner has kept a lower profile in recent years, and turned much of the Yankees’ daily operation over to his sons, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. But he still is involved with his team, normally working in his Tampa office four or five days a week.

Steinbrenner will celebrate his 78th birthday Friday with his family in Florida.

Now that's a squeeze play!

Madonna yesterday strongly denied reports that she and Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez have been cozying up at the unhappily married Material Mom's Upper West Side pad.

But even as the aging pop star and free-swinging slugger cried foul over reports of clandestine canoodling, a source told Us Weekly that A-Rod visited Madonna's Central Park West digs the night after his long-suffering wife, Cynthia, gave birth in April to their second daughter.

Full Article from the NY Post HERE.