Fox News' Roger Friedman thinks he knows why Alex Rodriguez was on the Yankees' disabled list for so long after a minor groin pull. "Was A-Rod’s injury somehow related to his friendship with Madonna?" the online gossip asked in his latest column. "Was it really cool to stay out late and attend the singer’s very short show at Roseland one day after going on the disabled list?" (Short answer: Yes — it's always cool to go to Madonna shows when it's hard to get tickets.) You'll have to read his column for the full, surprisingly well-thought-out argument.

Now, we have no idea whether Madonna exacerbated A-Rod's groin injury (how's that for a euphemism?). But we do know that Cynthia Rodriguez has been exacerbating his credit-card debt. Her trip to Paris cost the slugger over $100,000, according to the Daily News. "She's been spending wildly," a "friend" told the tabloid. She had spa treatments and went to the best restaurants, as well as flying herself, her daughter, and two friends exclusively in first class. And to top it off, she started the rumors about her and Lenny Kravitz just to make him jealous, the friend said. In other words, C-Rod's going to fight dirty. Expect overshares about his Internet porn habits any day now.

Did Madonna Injure A-Rod? [Fox News]
A-Rod pal: Cynthia spent $100G in Paris [NYDN]