Alex Rodriguez is expected to visit Buffalo today, but this will be no pleasure trip

for the baseball superstar.

The New York Yankees' power-hitting third baseman, known as A-Rod, is scheduled to be

interviewed by federal prosecutors and agents about his dealings with a Toronto physician who

is the subject of a grand jury investigation here into performance-enhancing drugs.

Five sources close to the case said Rodriguez is considered a witness — not a target

— of the investigation. They told The Buffalo News that Rodriguez is one of about 10

professional athletes the feds plan to question about treatment they received from Dr. Anthony

Galea.

But the investigation still has the potential of causing problems for the athletes,

including Rodriguez, who admitted publicly last year that he used performance-enhancing drugs

from 2001 to 2003.

"Investigations like this put professional athletes between a rock and a hard place," said

Paul Finkelman, a professor at Albany Law School who is an expert on legal issues involving

sports and drugs.

"If players lie, they could be criminally prosecuted for it. But if they tell the truth,

and if they admit doing anything that is improper under the rules of baseball, they

potentially could get into trouble with Major League Baseball."

The law professor was quick to point out that he has no way of knowing whether Rodriguez or

any other player ever got substances from Galea that are banned by Major League Baseball.

Tight secrecy surrounds Rodriguez's planned visit. The U.S. attorney's office and federal

agents all declined to discuss it Thursday.

"No comment on an ongoing investigation," said James H. Robertson, special agent in charge

of the FBI's Buffalo office.

Two of Rodriguez's attorneys did not return calls seeking comment.

A third attorney for Rodriguez, Patrick J. Brown of Buffalo, said he had no comment.

The News reported March 5 that authorities hoped to question as many as 10 pro athletes,

including Rodriguez, about treatment they received from Galea. In addition to Rodriguez, Jose

Reyes and Carlos Beltran, both of the New York Mets, have publicly acknowledged that they

would speak with investigators in the Buffalo case.

So far, federal agents and prosecutors have made no allegation that A-Rod or any other

athlete received performance-enhancing drugs from Galea.

One person who was willing to comment on Galea's dealings with A-Rod was Mark J. Mahoney,

Galea's Buffalo attorney.

"I can tell you that [Galea] never gave performance-enhancing drugs to A-Rod or any other

athlete. And the government knows it," Mahoney said. "I think the government is trying to

scare these athletes into saying what they want to hear."

Galea, 51, a Toronto sports physician, is widely known for his treatment of pro athletes

trying to recover from injuries. Rodriguez and golfer Tiger Woods are among his many former

patients.

Last December, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged Galea with conspiring to smuggle

human growth hormone and other drugs into the United States. He denies the allegations.

Galea is under investigation in Buffalo because his assistant, Mary Anne Catalano, was

arrested at the Peace Bridge last September. She is accused of trying to smuggle human growth

hormone into the United States for her employer, according to federal court papers.

Since her arrest, Catalano has cooperated with the U.S. attorney's office and investigators

from Immigration & Customs Enforcement, the FBI and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Her

Buffalo attorney, Rodney O. Personius, declined to comment except to say that charges are

still pending against Catalano.

Rodriguez has said little about his dealings with Galea. He did tell reporters earlier this

month at the Yankees training camp that he planned to cooperate with investigators, according

to an Associated Press report.

With 583 career home runs, eighth on the all-time list, the 34-year-old Rodriguez is a 12-

time all-star. He is widely considered one of the greatest players in baseball history.

Rodriguez's image took a huge hit when he admitted to steroid use during an emotional news

conference in February 2009.

Rodriguez said he had used steroids earlier in his career but has not used them since 2003.

He was not suspended by Major League Baseball.

Will federal agents share any of the information they obtain in the Galea case with Major

League Baseball officials?

Earl P. Gould, an FBI spokesman in Buffalo, said he could not comment.

"We have no comment," on that question or any aspect of the Galea investigation, Major

League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said.

Rodriguez is expected to talk with federal agents and prosecutors, not the grand jury, and

if that's the case, some observers think that it is a mistake.

"If I represented A-Rod, I would tell him to insist on going right into the grand jury,

rather than being interviewed by federal agents," Finkelman said. "I would tell him to confine

his statements to the grand jury room, because it is illegal to leak information that comes

out in the grand jury."

In addition to Brown, A-Rod's legal team includes James E. Sharp of Washington, D.C., whose

clients have included former President George W. Bush, and Jay K. Reisinger of Pittsburgh, a

nationally known expert in sports law whose clients include Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte.