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[DoubleJ]

Alex Rodriguez is today's "best player in baseball," following in the footsteps of Barry Bonds.

Now it appears they may have something else in common: steroid use.

"Say it ain't so, A-Rod," sports fans around the nation are saying today of the Yankees' star player, who's on track to supplant Bonds as baseball's all-time home run leader.

Sports Illustrated is reporting that Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003. He played for the Texas Rangers that year and was the American League's Most Valuable Player.

Rodriguez's response to SI: "I'm not saying anything."

But you can bet sports fans are, because Rodriguez has always portrayed himself as someone who used natural ability to become one of the best players of all time in the national pastime.

And Rodriguez is good. I saw him play as a youngster with the Seattle Mariners, and even then he was special athlete. He hit for power and played shortstop amazingly well.

He was good enough that, when he went to the Rangers, he was rewarded with the richest contract in baseball's history -- 10 years at $250 million.

That contract made Rodriguez the subject of intense scrutiny, and he never led the Rangers to any success in the playoffs.

When he came to the Yankees a few years ago, Rodriguez was supposed to be the player the team needed to reclaim its glory days of the late 1990s.

But that hasn't happened. Today's story will simply intensify the attention paid to Rodriguez as baseball's spring training starts up later this month.

And, if true, the allegations sully the reputation of yet another player who might have cheated to get where he is today.