Madonna has stepped up to the plate to hopefully knock out of the park rumblings that she has been rounding the bases with New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, to the detriment of each of their marriages. "My husband [director Guy Ritchie] and I are not planning on getting a divorce," the Material Woman of a Certain Age tells People. Putting in context her connection with the Yanks' third-baseman, she adds, "I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us. I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study.

A-Rod's increasingly estranged wife, Cynthia, allegedly has been telling friends that his closeness with Madge had caused a major rift in their already tenuous union, and that Madonna had even been luring the ballplayer to study Kabbalah. " Matt Mitovich

TVGuide Links:

• Madonna
• Guy Ritchie
• Alex Rodriguez