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MUST-LISTEN: Mike Francesa, Bill Madden Get Into Heated Debate About A-Rod

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- New York Daily News sportswriter Bill Madden joined WFAN host Mike Francesa in studio on Tuesday afternoon to talk about -- what else? -- Alex Rodriguez.

The Yankees' third baseman, of course, has been suspended by Major League Baseball for 211 games for his ties to the Biogenesis of America clinic and is currently playing for New York as he appeals the suspension.

In the first segment of the interview, Madden gave his take on the A-Rod suspension and made some claims about what was initially offered to the slugger and how the process played out.

In the second part of the interview, however, things got heated.

Francesa repeatedly asked Madden why the 14-time All-Star is treated so much worse than all of the other alleged -- or admitted -- performance-enhancing drug users, and wondered how it's fair that Rodriguez, more so than any other player, has become the black eye of baseball.

Below is a snippet of their lengthy exchange, and you can listen to the interview in its entirety,

MF: Why has everyone made this all about A-Rod and nobody else? If it's about cleaning up the game, why does no one care about ... Let's start there. If it's about cleaning up the game, why is A-Rod being singled out here, and he's the only one that anyone talks about. No one ever brings up anybody else. Why is it always about A-Rod?

BM: Because he's the biggest offender. Plain and simple. Look at the suspension.

MF: What about the guys you don't know about who ... How come your investigative team doesn't care about the other 100 names on that list that have never been made public. If you're going to clean up the game, why not start there?

Bill Madden

BM: Well, how would you suggest we do that?

MF: Well who's ever gone about that? How come the one name leaked off that list was A-Rod?

BM: There was more than one name.

MF: Who else?

BM: David Ortiz.

MF: Yeah, who denied it, who went and held a press conference and denied it and everything went away. No one says one word to David Ortiz! My point is, why is it only about A-Rod? There have been hundreds of guys who did steroids!

BM: Because right now, in this Biogenesis case, he was the leader of the pack down there. And he's the guy that Major League Baseball has the most evidence on as far as multiple violations of this drug agreement.

MF: What can you tell me that A-Rod has done, other than use steroids. We know there were a bunch of guys who used steroids. We know that there have been hundreds of players who used steroids. What makes A-Rod to the point where you have called him the Whitey Bulger of baseball? What has he done that's so above using steroids?

Following the interview, David Cornwell -- A-Rod's lawyer -- called in to chat with Francesa.

David Cornwell

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