Rodriguez at Center of a Different Kind of Postseason Drama October is traditionally a month of clarity for baseball fans as a long season gives way to the sport's high point, the World Series. But this year, a complicated sideshow is playing offstage - the Alex Rodriguez drama. Rodriguez's lawyers are appealing his 211-game suspension in a secretive and little-understood arbitration hearing at Major League Baseball's New York headquarters. Rodriguez has also filed lawsuits against Major League Baseball, baseball's commissioner and a doctor who treated him for a hip injury last year. At the same time, Rodriguez has kept up his long-running feud with his team, the Yankees, and, if that is not enough, he has found himself at odds with the players union, which is helping in his defense. Confused yet? Here is a breakdown of where things stand: Q. What is the status of Alex Rodriguez's suspension? A. In August, Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games after an M.L.B. investigation concluded that he used banned substances like testosterone and human growth hormone over multiple years. He was allowed to play through the end of the regular season because he appealed the suspension. Last week, Rodriguez and his lawyers officially began the appeal process during a closed-door hearing in front of Fredric Horowitz, the chairman of baseball's three-member arbitration panel. After five days of testimony, the hearing stopped Friday and is expected to resume next week. Q. How does the arbitration hearing work? A. It is a lot like a regular trial. Both sides have lawyers who make opening statements, cross-examine witnesses under oath and present evidence. The setting is the Major League Baseball headquarters, not a courtroom, and Horowitz plays the role of judge and jury. There are about two dozen people in the room, including the panel, Rodriguez, his lawyers, union representatives and baseball's legal team. The other members of the panel are Robert Manfred, a senior baseball executive representing the league, and David Prouty, the general counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association, who represents Rodriguez and the union. Q. How is the arbitration decided? A. Horowitz, as the impartial arbiter, will essentially be responsible for deciding whether the 211- game suspension stands, should be reduced, or should be thrown out altogether. When the hearing ends, Horowitz will huddle with Prouty and Manfred. As proxies for the M.L.B. and the union, they are almost certain to have opposing views on the outcome, leaving Horowitz to make a final decision, which he will put in writing. That decision is expected within 25 days of the start of the hearing, but because of the unprecedented nature of this case and the depth of the testimony, it may come later. Q. Is the arbitrator's decision final? A. Under the M.L.B. union contract, disputes are supposed to be handled in the arbitration process. But there is an option for parties to seek to have the arbitrator's opinion overturned by a federal court judge. It is certainly possible that will happen here, especially if Rodriguez loses. He has already shown his willingness to file lawsuits. And there is a lot at stake: Rodriguez would lose roughly $32 million in salary if he served the entire suspension. But an attempt to overturn the arbiter's decision in court might be futile. Judges have typically not intervened in such situations. Q. Does Rodriguez deny using performance-enhancing drugs? A. Rodriguez's lawyers have publicly refrained from addressing the accusation that he used banned substances, citing a confidentiality clause. But they have said that Rodriguez should not be suspended for a single game, let alone 211. There are indications that Rodriguez's team will try to make the case during the arbitration that he did not use performance enhancing drugs. Q. So is he challenging baseball's claim that he used banned substances? Or the length of the suspension? Or both? A. It is unclear. Unlike a traditional court hearing, arbitration takes place behind closed doors and without any public filings, making it difficult to know exactly what is being argued from minute to minute. Q. And what about those lawsuits? A. Last week, lawyers for Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball, claiming that baseball engaged in a "witch hunt," trying to end his career. The case largely centers on claims about the conduct of investigators employed by baseball and its commissioner, Bud Selig. The legal argument is that M.L.B. has engaged in "tortious interference," essentially interfering with his existing contracts and future business relationships. The case, which was filed in a state court in New York, seeks unspecified damages to be determined at trial. For now, the case is not directly linked to the arbitration process and will exist as a separate proceeding. In a statement, Rodriguez said that the "entire legal dynamic is very complex" and that the lawsuit was "separate from the ongoing arbitration." Baseball's lawyers have denied the claims in the suit, and on Monday asked that the case be moved to federal court. Q. How about the malpractice lawsuit? A. Rodriguez filed a separate malpractice lawsuit last Friday against the Yankees" team physician, Dr. Chris Ahmad, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. It is unlikely to have much, if any, bearing on the arbitration hearing. Q. Rodriguez says that baseball's investigators acted improperly. Are there rules that investigators are supposed to follow? A. The contract between M.L.B. and the players - as well as a separate agreement on doping - is voluminous, but it lacks clear guidelines about what is permissible within the context of an investigation. At arbitration, Horowitz will have to weigh how to use certain evidence that Rodriguez says was improperly obtained. Could this all come to a quick conclusion? Despite all the legal wrangling, there is always the possibility that the sides will agree to a settlement, which would quickly put an end to the dispute.