Alex Rodriguez April 2009 DETAILS magazine

Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez sat down with DETAILS magazine just hours before the steroids scandal broke wide open. Despite being confronted by SI about steroids, what was the biggest concern on A-Rod’s mind? A Madonna song he mentioned to our writer, Jason Gay. DETAILS plunges into the psyche of A-Rod as the scandal of a lifetime was about to be revealed and what he must do to recover.

“We live in a world right now where everyone’s keeping score. And it doesn’t stop when the games end...They’ve crossed over. And you have the Internet stuff, and all these phones...It’s very intense.”

“New York is one of a kind. It’s made me ask all the tough questions. It’s brought out the best in me. There are some things I have to work on. And that part is fun. Revealing the truth about yourself is always good.”

On Madonna: “Well, we’re friends...I have a lot of respect for her...She’s very smart and she’s passionate about everything she does...if there ever was any situation, she’s a great ear to have, you know?”