FanHouse DominicanRepublic

Alex Rodriguez was bound to have a difficult 2009 season, even if his on-field performance met the typical MVP standards the slugger has established throughout his career. His steroid admission ensured that.

But now that Rodriguez's brother, Joe Dunand, has alerted the media that A-Rod will miss the first 10 weeks of the 2009 season due to scheduled surgery to remove a cyst from his hip, he's bound to endure even more scrutiny.

"Boli" (also known as "Primobolan") is the drug that Alex Rodriguez admitted injecting into his body while playing with the Texas Rangers. During his recent press conference, he alleged that his cousin, Yuri Sucart (right), purchased the drug over-the-counter in the Dominican Republic and brought it to America.

However, news surfaced Friday that contradicts any real possibility that A-Rod's story is 100 percent true, as pharmacists from the D.R. told ESPN Deportes that "boli" has been illegal in their country since before 2001.

Things are moving quite nicely with the Mets. Even after Tuesday's loss they're still in first place by a game and a half, and their starting pitching is performing well overall. But it doesn't hurt to look at the possibilities at the end of the season. While breaking ground on a new team academy in the Dominican Republic, Omar Minaya said that Pedro Martinez could be back from his rotator cuff injury by this August.

"Things with Pedro are moving forward very nicely," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Tuesday. "We are hoping for his return in August, but the most important thing is that he recovers from his injury.

Yup, the most important thing is that he recovers from his injury ... by August. Really, we knew all along that the plan was to have Pedro back by August, so this really wasn't a dramatic announcement. (Omar should have taken a cue from Suzyn Waldman and had Pedro announce it himself from the Shea owners' box during the next homestand.)

Well in reality, that's not going to work. Many Mets fans I know are treating Pedro Martinez as if he isn't going to be back, so if he does return in August it will be a pleasant surprise. And even if he comes back, there's every possibility (probability) that he isn't going to be the Pedro of old or even approach that status. Thankfully, the Mets record means that they probably aren't going to need a savior like their crosstown rivals seem to need.