RODRIGUEZ TO MEET WITH INVESTIGATORS FOR STEROID USE

Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to meet on Friday with federal investigators who want to know about his interactions with Anthony Galea, the Canadian-based doctor whose activities are now being scrutinized by a number of federal agencies in the United States. Those authorities are seeking to establish whether Galea has distributed performance-enhancing drugs in this country. The meeting with Rodriguez is expected to take place in Buffalo, according to two people briefed on the matter who did not want to be publicly identified discussing an continuing investigation. Rodriguez, who has postponed at least one previous meeting with investigators, acknowledged three weeks ago that he had been contacted by them and told reporters then that he would cooperate. At the time, Rodriguez declined to say whether he had been treated by Galea, saying that he would provide that answer “within time.” However, Galea has since said in an interview with The Associated Press that he treated Rodriguez in 2009 for an inflamed hip, giving the third baseman anti-inflammatory drugs. Last week, Rodriguez’s lawyers met with prosecutors from the United States attorney’s office in Buffalo, which is leading the Galea investigation, according to the two people briefed on the matter. Typically, lawyers use such meetings to learn what the authorities want to ask their client and if their client is being viewed by investigators as a subject of the inquiry or a witness. The authorities told Rodriguez’s lawyers that they see him as a witness, the two people said. Galea, who has treated N.F.L. players as well as the golfer Tiger Woods and Olympic medalists, has said that he has prescribed human growth hormone and uses it himself, but he denies providing it to athletes. The federal investigation of Galea began after his assistant was stopped at a border crossing in Buffalo and was found to be carrying H.G.H. and other substances in her car. Rodriguez’s legal team is being led by James E. Sharp and Jay K. Reisinger. They have retained a third lawyer, in Buffalo, to take part in the meeting with the authorities, according to the two people, although they did not provide his name. Reisinger declined comment in an e-mail message Monday evening. Sharp, who is based in Washington, and Reisinger, who is based in Pittsburgh, represented Andy Pettitte and Sammy Sosa in connection with Congressional investigations into performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez’s relationship with Galea has left the Yankees and Major League Baseball in a state of uncertainty, with neither sure what that relationship entailed. Last December, the Yankees asked representatives of Rodriguez whether the player had had any dealings with Galea and were told he had not. Based on Galea’s recent statements, that answer appears to be inaccurate. In recent weeks, Rodriguez has had little to say about his pending meeting with investigators. He is hitting .320 this spring, with one home run. He, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada were given the day off on Monday by Manager Joe Girardi. (NY Times)