New York Yankees

Alex Rodriguez not only feels the MLB is singling him out ... he feels "persecuted" in the PED scandal -- and plans to SUE if the league doesn't COMPLETELY recant ... TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected to A-Rod tell us he's prepared to march into Federal court next month ... unless the 211-game suspension the MLB slapped him with last week isn't entirely lifted.

The reason for A-Rod's bold demand -- A-Rod sources familiar with the investigation tell us Alex hasn't tested positive and never "knowingly" used PEDs since 2003 ... the last season he admitted using 'roids. Our sources say A-Rod has been drug tested 11 times between 2011 and the present ... and all of the results were negative.

Our sources fume it's "absurd" Ryan Braun -- who reportedly tested positive in 2011 and then lied about it -- was only benched for the duration of this season. They say it proves MLB's investigation of A-Rod and the Biogenesis Clinic has been "abusive and borderline illegal."

As for rumors A-Rod impeded baseball's PED investigation -- our sources say the league has "no proof" the Yankees slugger did any such thing, and further claim MLB is the one that has harassed and intimidated witnesses.

According to our sources, Alex will sue for various things, including a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players' union and the league.

So, from 211 games to nothing ... or else.

Pretty big cojones for a guy accused of using steroids.

Alex Rodriguez's new hip must be fully healed -- because he did some serious bobbing and weaving from reporters' questions about the 211 game suspension MLB slapped him with for alleged steroid use.

In a strange pre-game news conference, A-Rod disappointed again by refusing to directly respond to questions about the suspension (which he plans to appeal). The closest he came to discussing it was when he said, "I'm sure there's been mistakes along the way. I'm a human being."

A-Rod will be back on the field when the New York Yankees play the Chicago White Sox tonight -- and repeatedly said he was only focused on the game.

"I feel like I was 18-years-old back in Fenway in 1994 when I faced the Red Sox for the first time."

Alex Rodriguez will never play baseball again ... is what some people think -- just because he scarfed down 20 wings at a Hooters, just as he's supposed to be getting in game shape.

Before you dismiss the theory, please note -- A-Rod also had CURLY FRIES!! Boom.

With his career in jeopardy and cheating allegations swirling ... Alex Rodriguez found comfort at a Hooters in Florida this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

We've confirmed ... A-Rod and a lady friend walked in to the chicken joint in Sarasota, Florida this weekend and went to town on chicken wings.

Hooters sources ... yeah, we got those ... tell us A-Rod and his woman woofed down a total of 20 wings (medium sauce) along with an order of curly fries ... and washed it down with a soda and an unsweetened tea.

We're told A-rod left a pretty great tip and was super nice to everyone in the restaurant.

Unclear if either Alex or the chickens tested positive for growth hormones.

NY Yankees superstar CC Sabathia's cure for getting shelled for 7 runs in NYC on Friday night is hitting the club in L.A. on Sunday night!!

We spotted the Yankees ace pitcher cruising out of Greystone Manor -- just 2 nights after he suffered his third straight loss ... and just a few hours after Derek Jeter heroically led the Yanks to a win in the Bronx.

Why wasn't CC -- in the middle of his worst slump of the season -- with his teammates back east?

Well, the Bombers are playing the Dodgers in L.A. this week ... though CC isn't scheduled to pitch.

So, we're guessing he flew ahead of the Yanks to get in some practice -- or to scout a hot nightclub for his teammates.

Suicidal Yankee fans (they're not so good this year) are hoping it's practice.

Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani doesn't give two craps about steroids allegations ... telling TMZ, Yankees fans should STOP dumping on Alex Rodriguez because he's a baseball legend ... and a good person, too.

Yankees fans have been crushing A-Rod for years -- some say he's overpaid, some say he's overrated, some just like to give him grief -- but now that the famous third baseman is smack in the crosshairs of ANOTHER steroid investigation, the opprobrium has reached new levels.

But Giuliani tells us, it has to stop now -- "I was one of the first to say that Yankee fans should not boo A-Rod. He's on our team. You gotta root for him. I think he's one of the greatest players ever."

For the record, A-Rod admitted to using banned substances from 2001 to 2003 ... but he was never punished by MLB.

Still, Rudy's got his back: "I happen to know him personally," Giuliani tells TMZ ... "He's a really good man."

Alex Rodriguez' career could hang in the balance of a 7-figure check -- because sources tell TMZ, the whistleblower who allegedly has proof A-Rod and other players bought steroids wants at least a million bucks for his info.

As TMZ first reported, Porter Fischer -- an ex-employee at the Biogenesis clinic in Miami -- scheduled a sit down with MLB investigators in Miami ... which went down on Tuesday.

Fischer's attorney tells TMZ, his client discussed a possible deal with MLB ... in which the league would acquire the drug-purchasing records of more than 100 MLB players (including A-Rod and Ryan Braun) -- but it's gonna cost 'em.

Sources close to the investigation tell us, the MLB has yet to make an official offer for the goods ... but as it stands, Fischer won't settle for less than a million.

MLB officials want the records as part of their ongoing investigation into allegations of widespread performance enhancing drug use by players.

We're told Fischer and MLB already have plans to meet again in the near future -- but no one's talking dollars yet.

Never know when the price could go up ...

Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun's ears should be burning -- baseball investigators are about to sit down with the whistleblower who claims he can prove they purchased performance enhancing drugs from a Miami clinic ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge of Major League Baseball's investigation tell us MLB officials will be meeting with Porter Fischer in Florida this week ... and he's expected to reveal his detailed records from the Biogenesis clinic.

Fischer is an ex-employee at Biogenesis and claims to have the goods on more than 100 baseball players -- among them Braun and A-Rod -- who allegedly obtained banned PEDs from the clinic's owner Tony Bosch.

The Yankees just cleared Rodriguez for his first on-field action this season -- a minor league game -- as he continues to rehab from hip surgery.

We're told the MLB meeting was brokered by Fischer's attorney, Ray Rafool -- and that MLB will pay Fischer a "consultant" fee in exchange for his cooperation.

He might not be great in October, but Alex Rodriguez is CRUSHING IT in May ... 'cause the baseball star just sold his Miami Beach mansion for a $15 MILLION profit, TMZ has learned.

We know ... A-Rod has accepted a $30 million offer for his 19,861-square-foot Miami Beach estate ... the same property he purchased in 2010 for $7.4 mil.

After he bought the place, the NY Yankees star sunk an additional $7.6 million into building his dream home -- meaning his total investment was $15 mil.

The home is unreal -- an oceanfront palace with 9 bedrooms, 11 full bathrooms (plus 2 half bathrooms), a 4-car garage, state of the art security system with 16 cameras and a Zen garden.

Plus, it's on the same street as Matt Damon!

Rodriguez quietly put the place on the market in August 2012 and was asking for $38 mil -- but ultimately, he decided to settle for a measly $30,000,000. Bummer ...

So who bought the joint? Unclear at this point ... but sources tell us the buyer is a celebrity who lives in Palm Beach.

If Alex Rodriguez wants to lounge in the sun while his teammates play baseball ... Artie Lange thinks A-Rod needs to spend some of his $29 million salary on a round of beers -- for all of Yankee Stadium!

We're exaggerating a little, but Artie -- a die-hard Yankees fan -- is definitely pissed about the photos of A-Rod and his gf Torrie Wilson sunbathing in Miami while he's out of the lineup ... rehabbing his injured hip.

You gotta see Artie's rant about A-Rod's astronomical salary and how much it's costing fans. It starts like this -- "Just imagine you're a forklift operator who makes $35,000 a year and you've got an enormously fat son that you like taking to Yankee games" ... and you gotta buy 4 hot dogs for him.

Artie goes off ... and you gotta hear it in his words. It is HYSTERICAL!

And by the way, Artie does have a way for A-Rod to make it up to the fans. It involves ... a bodega and rape.

While the New York Yankees got ready to play the Orioles -- injured superstar Alex Rodriguez engaged in his version of spring training today ... lounging poolside with gf Torrie Wilson.

A-Rod's recuperating from major hip surgery, but the 37-year-old is keeping busy -- y'know ... checking Facebook, soaking up the sun and enjoying the sight of Torrie's rock hard bikini bod in Miami ...

New York Yankees slugger Andruw Jones is battling his estranged wife for custody of their son -- claiming he's the better parent ... just two months after he was popped for domestic violence.

Nicole Jones filed for divorce from Andruw back in January -- one week after the MLB star was arrested for allegedly dragging her through the garage and choking her. Charges are pending.

In the divorce docs, Nicole -- who was married to Jones for 10 years -- asked for primary physical custody of their 9-year-old son AND to have the prenup voided.

Now, Andruw has fired back in his own docs ... claiming HE should get primary physical custody, and not only that ... he shouldn't have to pony up a dime in child support.

When we asked free agent MLB pitcher Brian Wilson if he would play for the Yankees next season ... he gave us a very interesting answer ... an answer that could be interpreted two ways:

Former New York Yankees slugger Andruw Jones' Christmas Day started out behind bars -- police in Georgia arrested him for an alleged domestic violence incident involving his wife ... following their Christmas Eve party.

According to the incident report, obtained by TMZ, Andruw's wife called police at 1:30 yesterday morning, claiming Andruw drunkenly attacked her in their Duluth, GA home following the holiday get together, dragging her through their garage and choking her.

Andruw's wife told police she had asked him to help her set up for Christmas morning after the party -- including assembling a computer desk -- and Andruw grew belligerent ... grabbing her and attacking her.

According to the report, when police arrived at the couple's home, they found the baseball player passed out in bed, still dressed in his clothes from earlier in the day. Officers then woke Andruw up and placed him under arrest.

According to Gwinnett County jail records ... Jones was booked for battery and released on a $2,500 bond.

Injured New York Yankees powerhouse Alex Rodriguez isn't letting a little thing like MAJOR surgery get him down ... telling TMZ, there's no doubt in his mind he'll be aces in no time.

A-Rod spoke to us in Beverly Hills yesterday ... and we asked him about his upcoming SECOND hip surgery -- scheduled for January -- which is expected to knock him out of the season well into 2013.

But A-Rod wasn't fazed one bit by his current condition ... telling our camera guy he "can't wait to be back."

Derek Jeter's had a very full off-season -- 'cause the Yankees superstar is busy nursing a broken ankle, and apparently ... twins! Suddenly, dude's stats aren't all that's fat.