Yankees manager Joe Girardi criticizes A-Rod book on eve of release

Girardi critical of A-Rod book

NEW YORK — Yankees manager Joe Girardi lashed out Sunday at a potentially damaging biography of Alex Rodriguez, questioning why the book was written and its accelerated release date.

Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts’ “A-Rod” reportedly offers an unflattering portrait of the MVP slugger as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly. The book’s release was moved up to Monday after the Daily News reported some of the details from the bio last week.

“I have some issues with it, that it’s interesting how the book date got moved up now,” Girardi said, “and I get tired of answering these questions. I don’t understand why someone would write a book like this anyway, and some people may not care to hear that but I don’t understand.”

Rodriguez, rehabbing his injured hip in Florida, is expected to return to the Yankees in the next couple weeks. The All-Star third baseman played defense Saturday for the first time since he had surgery in early March.

Girardi said he has never understood why someone would write a book that delves into another person’s personal life, whether it’s an athlete like Rodriguez or a president.

“There’s things in my life that I’m not proud of, that I’ve done,” he said. “I wouldn’t want my kids to have to deal with it. You know, I tell my kids that daddy makes mistakes. I do, and I apologize for them. I say ‘Daddy’s not perfect.’ It’s not necessarily something that I would want them to read about all the time and to be the focus.

“This man wants to be a father, too.”

The book arrives on the heels of a report in The New York Times that Major League Baseball is investigating Rodriguez’s statements about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Investigators have reached out to several of A-Rod’s associates to examine whether he used drugs for a longer period than he has acknowledged, according to an article in Sunday’s edition of the newspaper.

Girardi said he hasn’t been contacted. When asked whether he knows if any clubhouse personnel or players have been approached by MLB, he responded: “I can only speak for myself. As I said, we’re going to move on.”

Rodriguez admitted in February to using steroids while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03, but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in February 2004. But the Daily News reported Thursday that Roberts’ book “A-Rod” says he may have used steroids as early as high school and even after he was acquired by New York.

Derek Jeter, who became the Yankees’ captain in 2003, said he hadn’t been contacted by MLB.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about so I don’t have any answers for you,” he said before the Yankees’ game against the Los Angeles Angels was rained out.