Yet he's usually discovered by eagle-eyed fans who pummel him with questions.

"I get a kick out of it," he said. "We talk about who's pitching tonight, and what we need to do. It's like being on sports radio."

The flawed superstar was all over the headlines last summer for his alleged extra-inning play with Madonna, who, at 50, is 17 years his senior.

Rodriguez said he's "friends" with the pop princess, but Details didn't press him to address allegations by ex-wife Cynthia Rodriguez that the Material Mom is a homewrecker.

"Well, we're friends. She's an amazing entertainer," A-Rod said of Madonna. "And it's been amazing how she's been able to stay on top for three decades. I have a lot of respect for her."

Details writer Jason Gay noted that A-Rod frantically reached out to him after the interview to retract the revelation of his favorite Madonna song.

The meltdown seemed like an odd concern of A-Rod's, according to Gay, considering that the Bomber's chat with Details came after Sports Illustrated reported he had used banned substances, and days before he faced teammates and media in Tampa.

A-Rod told the writer he didn't want that particular Madonna song blaring at rival American League parks at every road game.

Rodriguez recounted how he quit baseball as a 12 year old, convinced he was going to be a basketball star.

The slugger's mom whipped out NBA rosters and challenged him to find one hoopster of Dominican heritage.

"I looked for 15 minutes and couldn't find one," he said. "Two weeks later, I was back at baseball."