You Stay Classy, Cynthia Rodriguez

Being a celebrity athlete certainly has its perks. The best of which include the money, the money, and, oh yeah, did I mention the money? But there is no light without dark, no up with down. There is one major pitfall of being a celebrity athlete - the almost complete loss of privacy. Everyone knows about this rather significant drawback, yet most people still would give anything to be a famous _________ [fill in the blank with your favorite sport] player, which leads me to conclude that the perks > the pitfall. Losing anonymity seems a small price to pay in exchange for living the good life, does it not? That must be true, otherwise there wouldn't be so many wannabe actors, singers, and sports heroes.

I'm not one to care much about what a player does off the field, ice, or court, as long as he's doing his job while he's wearing the team uniform... Unless, of course, I'm writing about #87 for my other blog, (shameless plug) The Sidney Crosby Show. But something happened a few weeks ago, and I need to vent about it. NY Yankees star Alex Rodriguez was photographed hitting a strip club in Toronto with a chesty blonde who was, *ahem*, NOT his wife.

Cynthia and Alex Rodriguez

Following the publication of the photographic evidence of his indiscretion, Boston Red Sox fans showed up in force at the June 1st game sporting blonde female masks:

"Straaaaaaay-Rod, Straaaaaaay-Rod, Straaaaaaay-Rod!!!"

In response to fans, Cynthia Rodriguez appeared at the July 1 game wearing a tank top bearing the words "F*CK YOU" on the back:

What's she looking for? Her dignity.

(Her shirt wasn't censored, by the way - the picture was pixelated by the newspaper that published it.)

I have two problems with Mrs. A-Hole (OOPS! I meant Mrs. A-Rod):

First, she's angry at the wrong party. Being mocked by fans or tabloid newspapers shouldn't be the source of Mrs. Rodriguez's ire; her philandering husband should be! That shirt prompted at least one fan to leave the game with his young child, and she may have violated a Yankee Stadium policy by wearing it.

Secondly, she's aiming an obscene gesture at the very people without whom she wouldn't be able to afford her cushy lifestyle. Example: She received an "apology present" from A-Rod in the form of $6,000 worth of diamonds. Whether she likes it or not, the fans pay her husband's ginormous salary by purchasing game tickets and Yankees merchandise. And without the fans' interest, A-Rod wouldn't be able to command those millions of dollars, because we all know that talent alone doesn't get you nearly as far as celebrity does (otherwise there would be no Paris Hilton).

Yeah, maybe their personal life together isn't technically any of our business, but the aforementioned nasty little pitfall that comes with all of that wonderful money is a reality that the Rodriguezes need to recognize. And in the future, should A-Rod be caught cheating again, maybe Cynthia should direct her anger at its rightful target. It would do her pocketbook well to be grateful to the people that fill it.