NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez dropped a lawsuit accusing a New York Yankees team doctor of botching his treatment for a hip injury, ending what had been a lingering piece of the sluggers legal fight over his baseball career, his lawyer said Friday. Rodriguez withdrew his suit against Dr. Christopher Ahmad "for the sole purpose of having no legal distractions" as the third baseman anticipates returning to play after the season-long suspension hes serving this year, attorney Alan S. Ripka said. "He wants to focus on being the best baseball player he can be, the best Yankee he can be, and wants nothing to distract him from those goals," the attorney said. Ahmads lawyer, Peter T. Crean, said the orthopedic surgeon was very pleased with the development, which he described as "demonstrating that Dr. Ahmads care was complete and appropriate." Ripka insisted that dropping the case wasnt a reflection on its merits. "Its about eliminating more things to think about and deal with instead of whats the most important thing to (Rodriguez), which is playing baseball for the Yankees," the lawyer said. Rodriguez abandoned the medical malpractice case four months after withdrawing two lawsuits against Major League Baseball over its investigation into whether he used banned, performance-enhancing drugs. He has denied it, but he agreed to accept the longest performance-booster-related suspension in baseball history. While he was fighting the suspension last fall, the 38-year-old Rodriguez filed his medical malpractice suit. It said he had kept playing and worsened a left hip injury in October 2012 because Ahmad didnt tell him an MRI had showed a joint tear. Rodriguez ultimately had surgery for the injury in January 2013, and his recuperation kept him from rejoining the Yankees until August. The now-withdrawn suit also named New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where the MRI was done. The hospital "never thought that the case had any merit" and was pleased to see it dropped, said its lawyer, Neil F. Brenes. The case was still in early stages, and arguments hadnt delved into the medical issues. But in a sign of the sensitivity surrounding them, Rodriguezs lawyer had asked a judge to make sure that any potential video of Rodriguez answering pretrial questions wouldnt be publicly disseminated, had the case gotten to that point. The suit didnt name the Yankees, and team representatives didnt immediately respond to email inquiries Friday evening about the development, first reported by the Daily News. Josh Anderson Jersey . Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults. David Savard Jersey . Torres tells Spanish daily AS "in football you never know where you will be inside one month. Im going to work hard, thats all you can do with this last part of the season so important. http://www.authenticbluejacketspro.com/S...ckets-jersey/.C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. Nick Foligno Jersey . -- Orleans Darkwa ran in from 1 yard with 1:45 left, and the Miami Dolphins rallied from two scores down in the final minutes to beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-20 on Saturday night. Zach Werenski Jersey . He still wanted out. "It just seemed like the direction they were going didnt fit what I thought my career was going to be," Kesler said. "At the end of the day I want to win a championship and I want to win it now, and four years is a little too long for me.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Sometimes, the shadow of Patrick Roy follows Semyon Varlamov around the ice. Breathing hard to catch up, too. At the conclusion of practice on Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche coach tried to pull alongside his goaltender as he went through a cool-down session. Roy just wanted to track him down to tell Varlamov how pleased he was with the way hes been performing. After all, Varlamovs play in net has looked as efficient and effortless as, well, the Hall of Famer whos now coaching him. Off to a 7-1 start and among the league leaders in goals-against (1.76), Varlamov is thriving in the presence of Roy. "I think Varly, today, when I said how proud I was the way hes bounced back, he had a big smile," Roy said. "He was happy. I think as a player thats what you want to hear from your coach." Not just any coach, but Roy — one of the best to ever play the position. No pressure living up to his expectations. Thats the thing: Roy has been as much of a confidant as coach, which Varlamov appreciates. "This has been awesome," said the 25-year-old Varlamov after Wednesdays practice. "He can see something in a game, during a game, just some things I have to do better, what I did wrong, or something like that. Thats helped me a lot. I just have a lot of confidence." A year ago, Varlamov couldnt say that. He was struggling in goal - allowing three goals a game - and hardly looking anything like the type of franchise goalie the Avalanche thought they were acquiring when they sent a first-round pick to Washington in 2011. This season has been a big turnaround. That has to do with the arrival of Roy and a staff that included goalie coach Francois Allaire, who once mentored Roy. This summer, Allaire, Varlamov and backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who has two shutouts this season, spent a few weeks in Montreal honing their technique. More specifically, Allaire tweaked some minute things with Varlamovs form. Asked what precisely they worked on, Varlamov smiled and said, "I dont want to talk about that." Top secret? "Yep," he said. "But were still working on this ddifferent style a lot.dddddddddddd Im still learning how to play that way, how coach wants me to play." Unlike past years, Varlamov isnt being asked to come up with the big save time after time, or to be the backbone of the defence. In Roys system, the defencemen are more aggressive on the offensive end and way more accountable for helping out Varlamov. "Hes not hanging out to dry like in the past with some of our old systems," defenceman Erik Johnson explained. "Its pretty cool to see Varly transition into an elite NHL goalie." Then again, forward Matt Duchene knew this day would arrive. Hes been touting the talent of Varlamov for years, but no one would listen because Colorado was so buried in the standings. "Ive been a huge fan of him since he came here," said Duchene, whos among the NHL leaders in goals with nine. "I love shooting on him at practice, because its always a challenge. "I think Varly feels more comfortable than ever right now. He knows hes not alone in this and that people are backing him up every night." This helps with Varlamovs confidence as well: He no longer feels so isolated. When he first arrived in the U.S., the Russian star spoke only broken English. By hanging out with the players in the locker room, hes steadily picked up the language to the point where he can hold a casual conversation with anyone. "Life is so much easier when you can speak with people," Varlamov said. "The boys did a good job of teaching me." Another challenge soon awaits Varlamov, one that hes trying not to think about but its getting more and more difficult: The 2014 Sochi Games in his home country. Hes hoping to be in goal for the Olympics. "Of course, thats a dream for every player growing up, to play for our national team," he said. "Its always so much fun to play for a national team. Its always something special, especially for me because Russian fans, Russian people, they pull for us. Its going to be very cool if I go and play there. "But I dont think right now about Sochi. I think only about how were playing here, with Colorado." 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