AP

NEW YORK  — Alex Rodriguez passed out during the birth of his first daughter.

“The one nurse had a cold cloth on his head. The other nurse had the blood pressure on his arm. And my mother was like rubbing his back. And he is passed out on a couch. And I am there, in the middle of labor,” Cynthia Rodriguez, wife of the New York Yankees star, said on an episode of the YES Network’s “YESterdays” that is scheduled to be broadcast Wednesday night.

“And really, I am not being paid much attention to besides the doctor and a couple of nurses,” she said. “And he is there moaning. In between pushing, I am going, `Honey, are you OK?’ and `Are you breathing? Are you OK?’ ”

Natasha Alexander Rodriguez was born on Nov. 18, 2004.

“As tough and big as he seems, he is real wimpy around doctors or any type of medical situation,” Cynthia Rodriguez said, according to excerpts released Tuesday by YES. “I don’t know why I thought the birth of our child would be different. In the middle of the night, I realized that I needed to go to the hospital. I wake him up. The first thing that comes out of his mouth, `Can we call your mother?’ … A few hours later, I said, `I think you can call my mom now.’ Uh, and the color came back to his face when I told him he could call my mom.”

A-Rod traveled from New York last week and arrived at a Miami-area hospital about 10 minutes after the birth of his second daughter, Ella Alexander Rodriguez, on April 21.

Alex and Cynthia met in 1996 at a gym in Miami.

“I scouted her out for a month,” he said. “I wanted to see her routine, and I wanted to see what time she came in, see how consistent she was. And sure enough, she was like a machine. She would come in right after work, and get on the treadmill and do her abs. And finally, I build enough courage after about 3 1/2 weeks. And I said, `I know you are going to go do some abs after. And do you mind if I join you?”

Cynthia said she was unaware of his celebrity status at first.

“I know he played baseball, because everybody in the gym said, `Do you know who that is? And he plays baseball’ or whatever,” she said. “I didn’t grow up in a sports-oriented family. So, I wasn’t aware that you could have an entire livelihood off of a sport. So when they would say, `Oh, he plays baseball,’ I always think, `Oh, I wonder what else he does’ — like `that’s a nice hobby — but what does he really do?”

2008 Kentucky Derby: Odds, post time, weather and more

 A few hours left until the start time of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and we are here to answer the most asked questions today, such as start time, weather, odds and picks. First, let’s begin with what time does the Kentucky Derby start. The 2008 Kentucky Derby post time is at 6:04 pm EST. Where to watch the Kentucky Derby - preferably at Churchill Downs, but if you couldn’t make it to Louisville, you can watch the race on TV on NBC, their Derby program will start at 4:00 pm EST.

 What’s the weather going to be for the Kentucky Derby? Well, this will be the biggest unknown entering the race today. According to the Weather Channel there is about 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms over Louisville from 4:00pm until 7:00pm local time, which could muddy the track for the Derby post time. If the track gets damp, keep an eye on Cool Coal Man, Visionaire, Smooth Air and Denis of Cork, all of which have won on wet tracks before, as well as Pyro, who finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at muddy Monmouth Park. Colonel John will race on dirt for the first time and mud is quite different compared to wet synthetic. Big Black Jack is in the same position as Colonel John.

 Now to the 2008 Kentucky Derby betting odds and off-track betting. Currently at the online bookmaker BodogSports the odds are still in favor of Big Brown, who is listed at 3/1 to win the Kentucky Derby. Keep in mind that we know very little about this 3-year-old, other than the hype his trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. is trying to create. Post No.20, possible wet track, inexperience and the betting trends (only three favorites have ever won the Kentucky Derby) all work against Big Brown, but the odds makers think he has the best chance of winning the race, considering his five-length victory in the Florida Derby leaving from the outside post, thus his odds are at 3/1. Colonel John holds second best odds at 4/1 and for him the biggest variable is the dirt track. If he can manage to run on dirt as good as he runs on synthetic - Colonel John certainly has what it takes to win the race, including good No.10 post position. And finally we come to Pyro, the Louisiana Derby winner, whose 10th finish in the Blue Grass hangs over his head like a bad spell with the bookmakers at BodogSports, who have him with odds 6/1 to win the Kentucky Derby. One thing to keep in mind, however, when it comes to Pyro - the Blue Grass at Keeneland was the first time Pyro ran on synthetic, it just comes to show you the difference between the tracks’ covers. All things considered, our pick to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby is indeed Pyro.

 About the Derby - The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May. The race is one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds. The race is known in the United States as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” for its approximate duration, and is also called “The Run for the Roses” for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the US and typically draws over 150,000 fans. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Curtis Eichelberger

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is under investigation in his hometown of Philadelphia in a shooting that took place earlier this week, a source close to the investigation told Anthony Gargano of Philadelphia’s WIP Radio.

The shooting reportedly occurred early Tuesday afternoon outside a North Philadelphia bar owned by Harrison. Harrison has yet to be arrested or charged with the crime. Police spokesman Sgt. Ray Evers had no comment Friday.”I just walked off the practice field [at rookie minicamp] and heard about the incident, and that’s all I know,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said Friday. “We’re obviously going to look into it. I haven’t spoken to Marvin yet.” Calls by ESPN to Harrison and his agent have not been returned. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league was “aware of the report, and we are looking into it.” The source said the alleged victim came into the bar, Playmakers, around 5 p.m. and engaged in an argument with Harrison, who was at the bar. The victim then left the bar, heading to his car, with Harrison following. Gunfire broke out, the victim was hit in the hand, and a young girl was slightly injured by flying glass from a car that apparently was hit by a bullet.

Police came to scene, but the victim did not identify a shooter. On Wednesday, according to the source, ballistic tests showed that the gun that had fired the shots was a custom-made Belgian weapon, and police determined that Harrison owned such a gun. Police then went to a Philadelphia car wash owned by Harrison to question him about the gun. Harrison admitted owning such a weapon, but claimed it never left his suburban Philadelphia home. However, the source said the gun was discovered in a bucket at the car wash, and tests showed that it had fired seven bullets that matched those found at the scene. The source said police were contacted Friday by an attorney representing a second alleged victim in the shooting, and police are now waiting for that individual to come forward.

Harisson