Alex Rodriguez Hip Surgery Postponed and Will Play Injured: New York Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, has decided to forgo hip surgery to repair a torn labrum and will try to play the 2009 MLB season injured. “He’s very important for us,” New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. “You lose a guy like him — we’ve got a good lineup — but he’s the guy that puts it all together.”
Rodriguez, who recently has been plastered all over for his admitted steroid use, will attempt to play this season, avoiding surgery and a projected 4-month rehabilitation layoff. On Wednesday, a cyst in the hip was drained, and thus, A-Rod will not play for the Dominican Republic in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. 
With Alex Rodriguez no longer projected to participate in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, are the Dominicans still the Sports Odds favorites to win it all, or did the odds tilt in favor of the United States of America? SportsBook.com has the answer for that, and any other 2009 World Baseball Classic inquiries you might have.
“He’s been through a lot, and you probably can go through the last year that he’s been through a lot,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s been pretty good in staying focused in what he has to do. The thing about Alex, we all know how hard he works. He’s able to do a lot of things because of his work ethic, and you hope that carries him though this year as well.”
Needless to say, by A-Rod deciding to play injured, he is taking a huge risk at aggravating something that could potentially become a long-term problem. “It’s not something you necessarily want to think about,” Girardi said. “You watch him closely to make sure there is nothing wrong, and I know Alex will be honest with his body. He’ll do everything possible to get on the field, but it’s worrisome.”
