A-Rod committed to 'hard road back' after surgery

MIAMI (AP) - Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees says he's "fully committed to a very hard road back'' from hip surgery.

Rodriguez told a group of basketball players competing in his annual high school tournament in Miami on Saturday that he will have surgery on his ailing left hip in mid-January. Later, he told The Associated Press that he's not concerned about the surgery or the amount of time and rehabilitation it would take for him to return.

Rodriguez plans to further discuss the hip situation at a news conference later Saturday afternoon.

A 14-time All-Star and baseball's priciest player at $275 million, Rodriguez has a torn labrum, bone impingement and a cyst. The surgery is not until next month because Rodriguez needs a few weeks of physical therapy to strengthen the hip.