NO SYMPATHY: Red Sox fans at Fenway Park may have something in common with Yankees management — neither were happy with Alex Rodriguez yesterday. (Anthony J Causi)
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BOSTON — Alex Rodriguez promised Friday “a very, very bumpy road” ahead. The Yankees’ beleaguered third baseman has delivered quickly and explosively.
Joseph Tacopina, the latest addition to A-Rod’s ever-changing legal team, publicly lashed out at the Yankees and Major League Baseball in an interview with The New York Times published online yesterday, accusing both of improprieties in an effort to run Rodriguez and his bulky contract out of baseball.
“We have basically had enough,” Tacopina told the newspaper. “The process is being perverted when they act the way they do to make their case. They are pushing Alex to his limit.”
Tacopina unleashed a stream of allegations against Rodriguez’s employer and league, putting a name to thoughts that had been privately circulating around A-Rod’s circle for months. The primary charges involved the Yankees’ treatment of Rodriguez’s left hip injury that required surgical repair in January and MLB investigators’ conduct in compiling the information for the 211-game suspension he is appealing.
“The legacy of George Steinbrenner would be horrified,” Tacopina added. “This is the New York Yankees. This isn’t some thug-culture club.”
PHOTOS: POST COVERS A-ROD THROUGH THE YEARS
Yankees president Randy Levine, the primary recipient of Tacopina’s blasts, responded with a noteworthy challenge for A-Rod to disclose the truth about his performance-enhancing drug use and connection to Anthony Galea. The Canadian sports doctor treated Rodriguez in 2009, which became known to the Yankees only after Galea got into trouble with law-enforcement officials. Galea pleaded guilty last year to bringing unapproved drugs, including illegal performance enhancers, into the United States.
Following the Yankees’ 6-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Rodriguez worked hard to dance around questions about Tacopina’s comments.
“I’m going to defer to my lawyer to go about these matters,” Rodriguez said.
Asked if he had anything to hide, he said, “No.”
In a telephone interview yesterday, Levine said, “Alex is trying to distract from the only relevant question in this matter: Did he or did he not use PEDs?”
Tacopina claimed that, after the Yankees’ purposely didn’t tell A-Rod about the severity of his injury last October — “They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer” — Levine told Bryan Kelly, who performed Rodriguez’s surgery, “I don’t ever want to see him on the field again.”
Through an attorney, Kelly didn’t confirm that Levine made such a remark. Levine said many other people, representing both the Yankees and Rodriguez, were on the calls with Kelly, and that the Yankees would gladly release their transcripts and notes with Rodriguez’s permission.
“Alex had the finest standard of care,” Levine said. “All of the choices were left to him. He directs his own medical care. All he has to do is tell us we are free to release his medical records, and everyone can take a look and see.’’
Then Levine leveled his challenge, continuing: “The one disturbing hole we have is, we don’t have the information on his treatments by Dr. Galea. It’s now incumbent that he tell everybody what went on with Dr. Galea.”
E-mails between Levine and Rodriguez would reflect poorly on Levine, Tacopina said, calling the communications “very damaging.” Levine countered the e-mails would show his support of A-Rod throughout the years.
Asked to describe his current relationship with Levine, Rodriguez said, “It’s business as usual for me. I have a job to do, and that’s to go out and play third base and do the best I can, and I’m doing that right now.”
Rodriguez did seemingly clarify that he didn’t fault manager Joe Girardi for anything that has gone down.
“I love Joe,” Rodriguez said. “Joe and I have an amazing relationship. I have the utmost respect for Joe. That’s unwavered.” Moments earlier, Girardi said, “I don’t ever want to ruin a player’s career. … That would break my heart.”
Tacopina also questioned the legitimacy of MLB’s investigation, which led to the suspension of 13 other players, including Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun (65 games) and Yankees teammate Cervelli (50 games), all of whom accepted without appeal. The attorney said that Anthony Bosch, the founder of Biogenesis (the now-shuttered anti-aging clinic in South Florida) who has become MLB’s star witness, “has no credibility.”
“We are confident in the credibility of our witnesses, and we will show this at the hearing,” MLB vice president of economics and league affairs Rob Manfred said, referring to the upcoming appeal hearing in front of independent arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. “We don’t feel the need to discuss this in the newspaper.”
The conduct of MLB’s Department of Investigations has come into question, and Tacopina opened that wound, as well, describing the investigators’ tactics as “rife with misconduct.” In particular, Tacopina said, investigators threatened witnesses and flashed what looked like police badges to enter gated communities.
“We are completely comfortable with the tactics used to investigate the illegal activities by Alex Rodriguez and others,” Manfred said. “It’s ironic that Mr. Rodriguez’s people are complaining about the conduct of others.”
kdavidoff@nypost.com