Is A-Rod's 'Affair of the Heart' Worse Than a Fling?

July 9, 2008 — -- Is an affair of the heart better or worse than an affair of the loins?

It's a question central to the breakup of Alex Rodriguez and his wife, Cynthia. On Monday, Cynthia filed for divorce from the New York Yankees slugger, who has been nursing a friendship with pop superstar Madonna and an interest in kabala, the Jewish form of mysticism.

Cynthia's attorney, Earle Lilly, told People magazine A-Rod's relationship with Madonna was "an affair of the heart" -- not "sexual infidelity." But Lilly added their relationship was "the last straw" for Cynthia, who has been married to the baseball star for six years.

"This is an action for dissolution of marriage, which is being filed only after [Cynthia Rodriguez] has exhausted every effort to salvage the marriage of the parties," Cynthia's divorce papers state. "However, Alex has emotionally abandoned his wife and children and has left her with no choice but to divorce him."

The filing goes on to say the Rodriguez's marriage "is irretrievably broken because of the husband's extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct."

Alex Rodriguez's representatives did not respond to ABCNEWS.com's requests for comment.

Over the weekend, Madonna issued a statement to People, denying a tryst with the Yankee, saying, "I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez."

But even if their relationship wasn't physical, Madonna may have tarnished Rodriguez's marriage by opening her heart to him.

"If he was connecting with Madonna on a spiritual level, that's incredibly intense. It can create a very strong bond very quickly. If he couldn't share that with his wife, they must have been headed down the road to trouble," said Shannon Fox, Momlogic.com family therapist. "You can't have every single need met in one person. But you should feel comfortable sharing the deepest part of yourself with your spouse."

Dodd Romero, Alex Rodriguez's former trainer, said on "Good Morning America" Monday that the Yankee took up a sudden interest in Madonna's music last year, the same time he dumped his sports agent for her manager, fellow kabala follower Guy Oseary. Romero speculated Rodriguez's friendship with the pop star "pulled him away from his strong family values."