There’s nothing quite like the New York tabloids when they smell the blood in the water from a messy celebrity divorce.  The only thing that can rile these media sharks into an even greater frenzy is if one of the victims is a hated sports athlete like Alex Rodriguez.  Now I’m not saying that Alex, aka A-Rod, hasn’t made his share of mistakes professionally, personally and in his public image.  What I will say is that I have never understood the kind of venom and distaste that Yankee fans have regarding A-Rod that they never carried over to other so called “cash mercenaries” like Roger Clemons, Curt Schilling, Jason Giambi, and Johnny Damon (other all-star players lured by the Yankees big pocketbooks).
 
A number of theories have popped up to explain A-Rod’s poor public perception including the fact that he has had several poor outings in postseason play, he is bi-racial, he is good looking, he plays for the most hated team in sports (Yankees) or that he is the highest paid player in Major League Baseball (MLB).  Whatever the reason, he plays next to Derek Jeter who is espoused as a deity by Yankee fans. The fact that A-Rod and Jeter were once close friends who have since become distant seems to have caused Yankee fans to believe they must choose a side when it comes to their team favorites. 
 
New York City sports fans have never been considered the brightest banana’s in the bunch so petty team loyalties are not my concern.  Personally, I have never been much of a Jeter fan after I heard he gave Jessica Alba herpes (tsk, tsk, tsk).  I wonder how Mariah Carey, Scarlet Johanson and Jessica Beil, all former celebrity girlfriends of Jeter, felt when they heard that news?  Of course one has to admire Jeter for more than just his conquests; Derek Jeter is smart enough to remain a philandering single celebrity while A-Rod made the decision to marry his girlfriend.  This also created a change in lifestyle for A-Rod that might have contributed to the deteriorating relationship between him and his once close friend Jeter.
 
In 2001, Alex Rodriguez made several statements about Jeter that Derek took personally.  He stated that Jeter would not get the same contract that A-Rod had with Texas because he wasn’t a power hitter or as good defensively.  But perhaps the biggest wound that Jeter suffered was the statement ‘’He’s never had to lead. He can just go and play and have fun. He hits second - that’s totally different than third or fourth in a lineup.”  While these statements might have been true given the presence of clubhouse leaders Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neil, Jeter’s ego was bruised and he seems to have kept the grudge to this very day.  Given the very close nature of their previous friendship some call 2001 the date of his “first” divorce (with Jeter).
 
There seems to be a lot of speculation and perhaps strong evidence that A-Rod likes the ladies a bit too much.  Now when I hear of a professional athlete cheating on his wife my first thought is “STOP THE PRESSES“!!!  Perhaps I have become a bit too jaded but the wife of a professional athlete who DOES NOT get cheated on are members of a very elite club.  If someone told me that 75% of professional athletes cheat on their wives my first inclination would be that number sounds a bit “low”.  Now I don’t believe that EVERY professional athlete breaks his marriage vows but I do believe that just about EVERY professional athlete is exposed to far greater temptation and opportunity than the typical husband will EVER have to deal with.  I also don’t demonize a paranoid wife like Jackie Christie who realizes the dangers and enticements that lurk out there for such athletes (her husband Doug played for the Sacremento Kings of the NBA).
 
Cynthia Rodriguez, formerly Cynthia Scurtis, filed for divorce from her husband recently in Miami, Florida.  The reasons she listed for the divorce were extra-marital affairs and marital misconduct.  Cynthia stated her husband had emotionally abandoned her and their children despite all efforts to salvage the marriage.  Now Florida is a no-fault divorce state so there is no reason to declare anything other than irreconcilable differences as a reason and either side can petition at any time.  Thus the reason for accusing A-Rod of being a bad husband and father and of infidelity can only be related to one thing . . . money.
 
Money is something A-Rod has PLENTY of and Cynthia has very little (of her own at least).  When Cynthia married A-Rod she was a pre-trial psychologist who also worked as a high school psychologist while he was the highest paid player in Major League Baseball.  Since that time she has enjoyed, as she states in her divorce petition, a “high standard of living” and since A-Rod has “the fiscal capacity to continue his high style of living, but the wife does not” she requests “temporary, rehabilitative, permanent, periodic and lump sum alimony”.  Ummm . . . is there a form of alimony that exists that she has not requested?
 
Now don’t get me wrong, I believe Cynthia deserves a portion of the A-Rod fortune.  In fact according to the Child Support Guidelines of the State of Florida, if she wins primary residence of the children (which is almost certain) she could receive (and get this) between $1 to $2 million per year in child support.  As the crocodile hunter would say, “Holy Crikes!!!”  How much will she get other than that?  I doubt the argument for alimony will be based on the potential earnings she lost out on with her masters degree in psychology but rather focus on her share of the family assets.  And in that endeavor she’s hired some of the biggest guns in the divorce arena by retaining Earle Lilly out of Houston who’s handled several high profile celebrity cases before to assist her.
 
The biggest hurdle that Cynthia and Mr. Lilly will face in the divorce proceedings that follow is what is termed a prenuptial agreement, a contract executed prior to a marriage that specifically declares certain property distributions should a divorce occur.  Prenups, as they are commonly referred to, are common when wealthy people marry others who do not have the same financial means as themselves.  They have to be fair but that does not necessarily mean an equitable distribution of the estate.  Depending on the agreement she signed there could be a set sum that she agreed to accept upon the end of their marriage.  There might also be limitations in child support that she could seek (although a prenup cannot waive a child’s right to support) even though they had no children at the time of the contract.
 
This will be an interesting case with high-priced attorneys on both sides jockeying for their clients.  If this results in an out of court settlement than I think we can assume that Cynthia’s team felt that challenging the prenuptial agreement was a waste of time (although if the attorney’s fees are paid by the estate, which I believe is Florida’s law, then it might be in the legal team’s best interest to fight just to line their own pockets).  As far as I can tell Cynthia has already requested the Coral Gables property (estimated value of around $12 million), the 5 types of alimony previously stated, to be the primary residence of the children (child support) and half of all the assets acquired during their 6 year marriage.  What she ends up getting however . . . will be up to the court to decide.