MLB

Off-field drama won’t distract 2010’s A-Rod

TAMPA — After these few sen tences, we are going to attempt the daredevil journalistic stunt of writing an entire column in 2010 about Alex Rodriguez without mentioning steroids, HGH or Anthony Galea.

Consider it a pitstop from the sports question of our time: When will A-Rod sit down with the feds?

Wish me luck and, here we go.

“He’s a monster.”

That was said by Kevin Long, the Yankees’ hitting coach. And, really, isn’t that at the center of why everyone cares about the stuff we are not mentioning again in this column? Because it comes attached to one of the handful of greatest players ever.

Rodriguez is a lightning rod. He also is a baseball virtuoso. He is happy, healthy and currently not under indictment. Oh, sorry, we digress.

That happy/healthy part is pertinent. The Yankees maxed out their offense in just about every precinct last year. So if you are looking for ways it can stay a 900-plus-run force, then having Rodriguez at peace and in one piece for a whole season is a good place to start.

“He’s a hard guy to replace,” Long said.

The Yankees tried early last season with Cody Ransom and then with a less-than-peak version of Rodriguez. The 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign A-Rod produced was a testament to his skill and will. After all, he often favored his surgically repaired hip, which led to less consistent explosion in his swing and running, and a more gingerly approach to sliding.

But there are no signs of that this spring. His swing is vicious and unrestrained, his gait not choppy, his sliding aggressive. He went with full speed and force into a slide of both second and third on Tuesday night against the Nationals. Yesterday, he ran without any hitch in scoring from first on a double by Robinson Cano. He also smashed a two-run missile single.

“Nothing is holding him back now,” Long said.

That includes mentally. The Rodriguez who rejoined the Yankees early last May was more team- and win-oriented, less obsessed with his personal quests, less a slave to his ego and insecurity. The blessing was that the Rodriguez who was hobbled physically learned to better trust his teammates, a trait that extended into a postseason that might be informative for this upcoming campaign.

By October, Rodriguez was better healed. More frequent off-days in the postseason kept him refreshed. A season of being embedded into the fabric of the team put his mind at ease. This Rodriguez did not succumb to stress and dominated with his talent.

Yet his most revealing moment might have come in World Series Game 6, when he had neither an extra-base hit nor an RBI. This was the kind of forum — with a championship clinch available — that previously would have seduced Rodriguez to seek the glory. Instead, with Phillies pitchers working him carefully, he accepted walks in both the second and fifth innings. And scored in front of clutch blows — a homer and a double — by Hideki Matsui.

“He still knows how to be Alex Rodriguez and put up numbers,” Long said.

“He still has the bat speed and the power, and the ability to steal bases is again there. He hasn’t slowed down at all. And now he has mentally leaped to a new level because he trusts his teammates. He feels good about that.”

What does this mean? A year removed from surgery, Rodriguez is, as Long said, a monster. His swing and his athleticism are there. And, now, so are his comfort and confidence. He trusts himself and those around him. He already has won three MVPs when that was not always true.

The outside world — the stuff not being discussed in this column — will always come knocking for as big a star and as big a lightning rod as Alex Rodriguez. But with the lessons of last year behind him and a full 162 games of health — physical and mental — potentially ahead of him, Rodriguez has more tools to conquer the distractions.

At 34, he is more prepared than ever to deal with the distractions sure to be the subject of future columns.

joel.sherman@nypost.com