Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez has been told by the New York Yankees to keep his cousin away from ballparks. The message was given to the star third baseman yesterday, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The message applied to spring training and the regular season, the person said. Speaking at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., general manager Brian Cashman said only that the matter of Rodriguez being picked up from his spring training opener Wednesday by his cousin "has been handled."

Really, what else could the guy do? Alex Rodriguez already had the confessional examples of New York Yankees teammates Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte, and closer to home here, the Orioles' Brian Roberts, as illustration that throwing oneself on the mercy of the court of public opinion seems to be the best policy when it comes to these steroid scandals. While we take perverse glee in seeing heroes tumble, we also seem to enjoy having the opportunity to forgive them for their sins after a humble mea culpa and a little groveling.

Alex Rodriguez had to face the New York media firing squad before getting back to the business of baseball. So in the sense that he endured a mandatory flogging, I suppose he moved forward with yesterday's news conference. But the chances of A-Rod scoring any major public relations points were slim going in. And his performance did not transcend those low expectations. He was contrite, but he had already demonstrated that in his interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons. He trotted out some decent defenses of his legacy, namely that his two best seasons came in 1996 and 2007, well outside his admitted window of drug use. But he had floated those arguments before.

Phoenix on Letterman keeps entertaining It became an overnight sensation: Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday night during which the actor appeared to forget the name of his Two Lovers co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow, stuck gum under the edge of Letterman's desk and apparently cursed at bandleader Paul Shaffer for laughing at him. There were also intervals of silence. Hours afterward, video of the visit had become an Internet sensation: By Thursday evening, a posting of the interview had been seen more than 180,000 times on YouTube.

Saying he had a responsibility to give back, Alex Rodriguez briefly addressed the drug scandal that has enveloped his life for the past week last night in Coral Gables, Fla., when the University of Miami formally renamed its baseball field in his honor. With his name affixed to the scoreboard in left field, Rodriguez - who was greeted by a 45-second standing ovation - spoke in public for the first time since acknowledging that he took banned substances as a member of the Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003.

Miguel Tejada will appear in court in Washington today, and maybe the judge will tell him he should be more like Alex Rodriguez. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

As befitting his unique status and personality, Ray Lewis managed to make news last week without illegal substances being involved. Alex Rodriguez and Michael Phelps, take notes. Lewis' issues are just about money: He wants the Ravens to pay him a lot, the Ravens want to pay him a lot, and reaching a figure that will leave both sides happy is going to be the fight of the year here in town. With that in mind, Lewis has publicly spoken fighting words, but the Ravens so far aren't fighting back, and they are not expected to. It's your basic posturing: a player using his leverage, stating his case in the court of public opinion and hoping that court's verdict influences the Ravens.

Md. Racing Commission approves steroid limits horse racing The Maryland Racing Commission gave final approval yesterday to regulations restricting the use of anabolic steroids and banning the use of toe grabs. In addition, the commission granted a request by the Maryland Jockey Club to raise the takeout on two types of wagers, the Pick 3 and the Pick 4, from 14 percent to 25.75 percent. In those wagers, a bettor has to select the winner of three or four consecutive races, respectively.

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci writes that some Yankees teammates referred to Alex Rodriguez behind his back as "A-Fraud," and Joe Torre dishes on his unpleasant parting from the team he led to four World Series titles. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

Orioles fans apparently aren't the only ones who are upset with an economic system that allows the Yankees to spend $423 million for three of the top free agents while major league teams continue to ask local taxpayers to help build them lavish new stadiums. Some in New York are starting to question how much public help the Yankees should get with the financing of the new Yankee Stadium, when they can spend as much on one player (Alex Rodriguez) as some teams have spent to build their new ballparks.