Report: Alex Rodriguez 'Likes the She-Male, Muscular Type'

Brace yourself, this will be a little shocking: Alex Rodriguez likes strip clubs. I know, crazy, huh? A millionaire athlete enjoys naked women. But as the New York Daily News tells us, not just any naked women ...

A petite stripper at the Hustler Club said A-Rod "likes the she-male, muscular type. They brought me up to the champagne room one time. I spun around once and that was it. I'm not his type."

It's not my cup of tea, but hey, whatever floats his boat. Apparently, though, A-Rod is something a bit more than an occasional strip club customer:

"A-Rod is known as the king of the strip clubs," a source said. "He gives the girls his number to meet somewhere else later on."

He also goes to a private social club in Chelsea that fronts as a poker club but also hosts wild, after-hours sex romps, a source said.

Some claimed Rodriguez even shoots X-rated text messages to his favorite strippers across the country.

"He loves to text dirty," said a strip club insider. "His wife should check his messages."

Ah yes, his wife -- that was the point of all these articles. Apparently Rodriguez and his wife Cynthia are on the rocks: she was seen leaving their apartment with a bunch of luggage yesterday, and New York Post talked to a neighbor who verified that the couple has been seen arguing lately. Not only that, but after the Post put a picture of A-Rod and a blond lady friend on the front page of the paper yesterday, witnesses across the country (Las Vegas, Seattle, Dallas ...) came out of the woodwork telling the Post and Daily News that they've seen him hitting up clubs and strip joints with the same woman.

Rodriguez has refused to comment about any of this, except for saying he doesn't expect it will be a distraction. Joe Torre agreed with him, and then said the media coverage has been "over the line" ... which is kind of hard to disagree with. Then again, athletes are entertainers, and gossip is entertainment. You can't get paid $252 million and expect to stay out of the public eye.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Previously at FanHouse:
The Changing Face of Sports Coverage
Alex Rodriguez Busted with Blond at Strip Club