Last month, SI dropped an A-Roid bombshell. Then came his Peter Gammons sit-down, followed by the brief chase for his boli-injecting cousin, and the date being pushed up for a much-anticipated book about the polarizing power hitter.

And now Alex Rodriguez is going to vanish, indefinitely. Raise your hand if you’re suspicious.

It sort of reeks like Michael Jordan’s oft-rumored “suspension” from the NBA in the mid-90s when he had the dalliance with baseball, but some folks thought it was a gambling thing. Either way, Hakeem Olajuwon is glad MJ took the time off; otherwise, he’d be in Patrick Ewing’s boat.

The evidence that A-Rod actually has a cyst and the injury will keep him out of action from 8-12 weeks is overwhemling. And yes, we’re fully aware of Joe Girardi’s quotes regarding the pain A-Rod experienced last year that was likely cyst-related. And nobody’s suggesting that A-Rod got this doctor who drained the cyst to get all Plaixco and lie for him.

But something still strikes us as odd – A-Rod opened the preseason with a homer and he’s been impressive through four games. He’s been a paragon of health for virtually his entire career. Then he meets with MLB officials, and the pain is suddenly ratcheted up and next thing you know, he’s going to disappear from the media’s glare for about two months. The timing just feels sort of … convenient.

Nothing to see here, carry on.