Baseball's highest paid player, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, is gearing up for what may become his defining legacy as a baseball superstar. In the next few days, A-Rod may well be involved in a huge court battle with Major League Baseball )MLB), a bigger legal battle with the Yankees, and quite possibly, a battle for his reputation in the court of public opinion, aka, his fans.  

Facing the threat of a possible lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for alleged use of performance enhancing drugs, Rodriguez has decided to take his private battle with the New York Yankees public, according to ESPN.

In a media blitz, Rodriguez's representatives, including a doctor who disputed the Yankees' interpretation of an MRI showing Rodriguez had a quad strain, began supplying details to support A-Rod's belief that the Yankees and MLB were conspiring to keep the $275 million third baseman off the baseball field.

Dr. Michael Gross, an orthopedic surgeon with the Hackensack Medical Center, spoke with several media outlets yesterday to assert that his reading of the MRI showed no damage to Rodriguez's quad that should keep him off the field, and a source with ties to Rodriguez called several media outlets to reveal that Rodriguez had informed the Yankees he is ready to play and wants to be in the lineup Friday night when the team opens a three-game series at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.

"He feels he has no choice," the source told ESPN. "He wants to play and they won't let him play. Nobody knows Alex's body better than he does."

The Yankees were exploring the possibility that Rodriguez was in violation of baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement by seeking a second medical opinion without notifying the club first, a source said.

According to Article XIII, paragraph D of the CBA, "a Player shall inform the Club in writing" before seeking a second medical opinion. A Yankees source said Rodriguez did not inform the team before consulting with Dr. Gross, although it was unclear what recourse, if any, the team would have other than to force Rodriguez to bear any costs incurred in obtaining the second opinion.

Despite the possible violation, a source said Yankees team physician Chris Ahmad, who diagnosed Rodriguez with a Grade 1 quad strain after Rodriguez underwent an MRI at New York Presbyterian Hospital Sunday, would seek to confer with Dr. Gross over the discrepancy in the two diagnoses.

"To me, an MRI is an MRI," the source said. "Either it is or it isn't."

But the crux of the issue remains Rodriguez's physical condition. The Yankees maintain Rodriguez, who will turn 38 on Saturday, is not fit to play. According to a source, Rodriguez insists he is and believes the Yankees, with the help of Major League Baseball, are conspiring to keep him off the field.

Rodriguez, who has not played all season because of a second hip surgery, is in the crosshairs of Major League Baseball's investigation into the Biogenesis scandal, which has already claimed former NL MVP Ryan Braun, who was suspended for the remained of the 2013 season.

It is widely believed that Rodriguez will be suspended as well, perhaps for any many as 100 games. He could choose to appeal, which might allow him to get on the field in 2013 if he is physically able. The Yankees have Rodriguez signed through the 2017 season and he is owed around $100 million.

The feeling here is that the Yankees do not want to pay Rodriguez the $100 million they owe him and are looking at all possibilities and loopholes within the law to find their player in violation of his contract. 

Whenever someone says it's not about the money, it's about the money. Rodriguez wants his $100 million and the Yankees want to keep that money. Stay tuned.