"Just Friends" - But With Benefits?

For the first time ever, Alex Rodriguez discusses his relationship with Madonna. Well, kinda.

When asked about Madonna, A-Rod told People, "We're friends - that's it." On rumors that he's traveled with the queen of pop, the Yankees slugger says, "I can tell you this - I have never been on a plane with her." Just because he hasn't joined the mile high club with the material girl doesn't mean he hasn't gone to third base with her, so we don't know what he's trying to prove there! And seriously, how many times have we heard the "just friends" excuse?

Regarding tabloid stories and reports on how much time he's spent with Madonna, A-Rod says:

"I've been to two [of her] concerts, yet I've read that I went to 20. I've also read that we were buying an apartment together. That is absolutely ridiculous and not true. You have to have a sense of humor when it comes to this stuff."

So what about spending the night at her place on Thanksgiving? Rodriguez A source close to Rodriguez tells the magazine that those stories are "completely, unequivocably false." Hmm, but what about his black Porsche parked outside of her house? We have a feeling some photographic evidence linking the two will come out sooner or later, and A-Rod will be eating his words.

On his sudden interest in Madonna's Raising Malawi charity, A-Rod says:

"I initially knew nothing about her charity. [After being invited to one of her fundraises, I realized] we shared a lot of the same commitments toward helping children. I was very moved by the whole thing. I saw the documentary and it was very inspiring and informative. I saw an opportunity to help and I jumped at that."

As for his general thoughts on the material girl:

"I have a lot of respect for her. She's very committed to making the world a better place. She's had an amazing career, and we're friends. That's it."

When the magazine asked the baseball stud just how much time he's spent with the material girl, he laughed and said, "If I answered every rumor we'd be here for three weeks."