BLS contributor Nick Friedell was at Steinbrenner Field today for A-Rod's press conference.

The circus was supposed to be in Tampa on Tuesday afternoon, but I only saw one clown all day: His name was Alex Rodriguez. In a press tent press conference that lasted almost a half-hour, A-Rod touched on topics that he avoided with Katie Couric and Peter Gammons, pinned the birth of his PED use on a mysterious cousin and brought up even more questions than we ever could have thought possible.

In all, not a very good day to be A-Rod.

Here are a few other things I learned during the A-ROD press conference:

The press conference simply didn't live up to the hype. As I drove over to Tampa this morning, the only thing anybody could talk about on the radio was how crazy the proceedings at Steinbrenner Field were going to be.

"The New York media will be out for blood!" one radio host kept bellowing on his show.

But once I got there, I didn't get the feelings of a circus at all. Yes, there were about 250 media members on hand, but it was mostly orderly and polite. Once the interview got underway, the media asked good questions that didn't hit below the belt. However, I just don't think A-Rod was as forthright as he could have been with all the answers and perhaps that put a cap on how wild the scene could have been.

A-ROD is a phony. There was a part of me that came into this press conference feeling sorry for Alex Rodriguez. Sure, he had all the money in the world, but I always got the sense that he didn't have many friends and that he was a loner.

After watching Tuesday's events unfold, I can understand why. He didn't directly answer many questions at all and while he got emotional at certain points, most of it felt contrived. He talked about how he had been, "young and stupid," and how he believed this all had happened for a reason, but I just simply don't believe him. If he hadn't been caught, he never would have told anyone what type of drugs he injected into himself.

The Yankees are a united team ... yeah, right.  Everybody made such a big deal about how almost all of A-Rod's teammates showed up to "support him." But what choice did they have though? If they didn't show up, the media would have had a field day; each member of the team would have had to answer daily questions about their relationship with the star third baseman. There was no other option. 

Media members and PR people can't always get along. Everyone thought the fireworks would come out during the press conference itself, but the true show came just after A-ROD left the table in the front of the room. An angry media member approached a Yankees P.R. man as Brian Cashman held court in the back of the room. The host unleashed an expletive-filled tirade and had to be escorted off the premises. Why was he so upset? Only beat reporters and national baseball guys —  a group this man did not fall in — were allowed to ask questions during the Q & A time with Rodriguez. If this was a true informational session, the Yankees would have opened the floor to everyone. 

Would A-Rod's life have turned out differently if he went to college? Out of all the things Rodriguez said — or didn't say — I thought one of the most interesting comments he made was that he wished he could have gone to college. A-Rod mentioned several times that he wished he could have gone to school and grown up a little more.

Fair point, but at the same time, I had to scratch my head after his observation. His choice to use PED's came well after he had established himself in the league, not as a rookie in Seattle. If he is to be believed, he used the drugs in 2001, eight years after he came into the big leagues. What difference would college have made at that point?

The Texas contract was too big ... even for A-Rod's ego. Although he didn't admit this during the press conference, and  probably never will, I think Scott Boras actually did Rodriguez a disservice by squeezing every last penny out of Rangers owner Tom Hicks in 2001. I don't think Rodriguez ever knew quite how to handle the pressure of being the $252 million dollar man. The bullseye he has carried on his back since signing that deal has been a bigger burden than anyone could have have anticipated. "I miss playing baseball and simply being a baseball player," Rodriguez said. Mo' money, mo' problems, A-Rod.

Brian Cashman is a straight shooter. I've always respected Yankees GM Brian Cashman for the way he handles himself in the public eye, and that respect grew a little more today. While discussing the day's events, Cashman gave one of the most honest answers of the day: "I don't think Alex is very good at communicating, to be quite honest." It was a very obvious observation, but one I didn't think I would hear from the general manager of the Yankees.

The Yankees will NOT be having their best year ever in 2009. As A-Rod began to wrap up the proceedings, he looked at his teammates and said, "I thank you, I love you, and I look forward to putting all of this behind us and having an amazing season, because it will be the best season of our lives." I don't see how this season will turn out that way for the Yanks. The steroid distraction isn't going away anytime soon and the team is going to have to deal with even MORE attention than usual.