MLB: Alex Rodriguez's saga will never end

You thought it ended with the ticker tape, didn't you? You figured Alex Rodriguez was a made man at last, a notarized Yankee, a megastar worthy of riding in Derek Jeter's parade?

You thought A-Rod might play the rest of his career free of ominous clouds, right?

It's entirely understandable. After Rodriguez confessed his performance-enhancing sins, Brian Cashman likened him to a fallen Humpty Dumpty, one the Yankees needed to put back together piece by fractured piece.

And sure enough, A-Rod returned from his hip surgery, stayed clear of trouble, and expunged his record as a postseason gagger by playing a leading role in the Yankees' first title in nine years.

Rodriguez was made whole again. Fans with a spectacular talent for confusing victory with virtue couldn't remember if A-Rod had injected "boli" or simply popped a few Tic Tacs.

Only lost in the delirious champagne haze was this unforgiving fact: Rodriguez's 10-year contract guaranteed the Yanks 10 years of migraines, and a single World Series ring did nothing to change that.

Rodriguez was supposed to land in Buffalo, N.Y., the other day to meet with federal investigators probing the Canadian doctor, Tony Galea, a human growth hormone advocate who was arrested on drug charges and who — surprise, surprise — treated A-Rod without the Yankees' knowledge or consent.

Only the summit in Buffalo never happened. Rodriguez showed up at the ballpark in Tampa, Fla., and told reporters, "Nothing was ever scheduled."

Of course the meeting will take place, sooner rather than later, but here's the larger point: It will never, ever be over with A-Rod.

He can go ahead and win three more titles with the Yankees and still make you wonder if he's worth the trouble. He still can create enough distractions and choreograph enough diva dramas to make you wonder if Hank Steinbrenner would've been better off committing that $305 million to two generations' worth of starting pitchers.

In this case, Galea has told The Associated Press he didn't provide Rodriguez with HGH or any illegal drugs. If true, A-Rod will be guilty of nothing more than using the same bad judgment Tiger Woods used when he had Galea treat him in his own house.

Either way, this latest disruption to Yankeedom serves as a reminder that Rodriguez might become a consistent postseason performer and multiple pinstriped champ and fail miserably on another front.

A model employee? There's a better chance of A-Rod starting the season at short.

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