A-Rod Is Moody, Aloof And Weird. REALLY.

So everyone's all abuzz this morning about Tom Verducci's Sports Illustrated cover story this week, a look the complex organism that is the brain of Alex Rodriguez. We think Verducci is one of the best guys SI has, and the story's well-written enough, we guess, but we don't quite understand what the big deal is. A-Rod is kind of a weirdo, his teammates aren't sure whether they like him or not, he and Derek Jeter aren't the best of pals, so on. As much fun as it is to see Rodriguez revealed to the world as the basket case we've know he was all along, we just didn't find that much new in the story.

Well, two things, actually. First: When did Jason Giambi all of a sudden become some clubhouse leader? He's quoted throughout the story like some sort of locker room sage; wasn't it just a year and a half ago that people thought he was being eaten by some steroid parasite? And second, this anecdote, from a Red Sox rep:

In December 2003, when the Red Sox were frantically trying to acquire Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers, several Boston executives called on Rodriguez in his New York hotel suite after 1 a.m. Rodriguez answered the door in a perfectly pressed suit, tie knotted tight to his stiff collar. The Red Sox officials found such polished attire at such a late hour odd, even unsettling.

See, now that's just beautiful. It would not surprise us in the slightest to learn that A-Rod sleeps in a suit.

Inside A-Rod's Tumultous Season [Sports Illustrated]