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PITTSBURGH -- Alex Rodriguez believes most of the criticism he receives is unfair, but understands it's because of his enormous salary, not because of the way he plays on the field.

Alex Rodriguez

Third baseman New York Yankees Profile

2006 SEASON STATISTICS GM AVG HR RBI R OPS 84 .282 19 65 61 .895

"I am a heck of a ballplayer," Rodriguez told ESPNdeportes.com. "The thing with me is that everything I do draws a lot of attention due to the amount of money I make."

Rodriguez, who is generally recognized as one of the best players in the game, is also one of the most criticized, especially after he was traded from the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees two years ago.

Rodriguez, who signed a 10-year, $252 million contract with Texas in 2001 (the richest in baseball history), thinks his critics will never be pleased.

"I have been named the Most Valuable Player twice, and it wasn't enough," Rodriguez said. "I have two Gold Gloves and have hit 57 home runs. None of that was enough.

"God has given me some very nice abilities, and I am going to keep on fighting. I will never do enough to calm the critics."

Rodriguez, the defending MVP of the American League, was elected to the All-Star Game for the 10th time in 13 seasons.

After being selected seven times as a shortstop, Rodriguez has been the AL's starting third baseman the past three seasons. When he arrived in the Big Apple, he accepted the move to third base because of Derek Jeter's presence in the Bronx.

After an abysmal .133 batting average in the 2004 ALCS (when the Boston Red Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit to eliminate the Yankees), poor performances in some key career moments and a slow start to this season, Rodriguez has been booed (at times) by New York's tough fans, criticized by the media and even disregarded in live coverage of Yankees games.

"I have done everything in this game and will probably be elected to the Hall of Fame when I finish my career," said Rodriguez. "Since I was very young, I realized it was impossible for everyone to like you."

Rodriguez, 30, thinks his career is far from over and hopes to win a World Series. If it is with the Yankees … even better.

"Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez had to wait a long time before winning, and John Elway was almost 40 years old when he won his first championship," said Rodriguez, who has a .306 career average with 448 home runs and 1,291 RBI. "I have a lot of time ahead of me."

Enrique Rojas is a reporter and columnist for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com.