Newsday’s David Lennon reports this evening that Yankee 3B Alex Rodriguez has, after much deliberation, decided to play for the U.S. in the forthcoming World Baseball Classic.

Just last month, A-Rod went back and forth, first saying he would choose the Dominican Republic, then withdrawing his name from consideration altogether. But with Team USA scheduled to announce its provisional 60-man roster yesterday, Rodriguez bent to considerable pressure from the union and league officials to eventually climb on board for the inaugural tournament.

“In recent weeks,” Rodriguez said on his web site, ” following dialogue with caring friends and players, both Dominican and American, I reached the conclusion that if I played in the Classic, I would play for the United States and honor my American citizenship.” The decision came as a huge sigh of relief for baseball officials, who were not thrilled by the possibility of the two-time MVP sitting on the sidelines for what they consider to be an historic event for the game.

No word yet if Steve Nash will take the field for Team Canada, but we’re all dying for an answer.