"HOLD YOUR PARTNER'S HANDS, LOOK DEEPLY INTO HIS EYES, AND TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL"

At a New York Yankees press conference this afternoon, agents representing Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez announced that the two stars will enter couples counseling sometime next week. "Over the past two years Derek and Alex have grown apart for a variety of reasons, remarked Chuck Fontaine, Jeter's agent, in a prepared statement. "But they still care about each other deeply, and are confident they can rekindle the magic they shared in the early days of their relationship. Ultimately, this is not about who plays third base and who plays shortstop, but about what they can achieve together as teammates -- for each other, and for the rest of the team. Both Derek and Alex have recently said hurtful things in public about each other, and they realize that now is the time to begin the healing process. We ask Yankee fans everywhere to wish them well as they begin this journey of reconciliation."

Jeter and A-Rod will miss the rest of the Yankees' spring training games, as they travel to a couples clinic in Ames, Iowa run by Dr. Milt Hussenstaffen, a distinguished marriage and family therapist whose previous clients have included Bill and Hillary Clinton, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, and Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.