NEW YORK — As the Yankees and Red Sox prepared for their first battle at the new Yankee Stadium Monday night, a new book on the highest profile Yankee, Alex Rodriguez, debuted.

A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez, by Selena Roberts, contains allegations that A-Rod used steroids as early as high school, and that when on the field, he tipped pitches to opposing hitters, in the hope that they would return the favor when he was at bat.

David Ortiz couldn’t believe his ears when he first heard about the pitch-tipping allegations, and doubted it was true.

“I heard about that the other day. And I don’t know how that can happen,” Ortiz said. “Especially A-Rod — from what I know about him, he’s a guy that he plays the game. I’m not saying that he didn’t, but I don’t see how that can happen.”

But he knew what he would do if he caught someone on his team doing that.

“I would beat the crap out of him. I mean, seriously. You’re my teammate. I mean, I don’t care if that’s your brother ... out there. We’re trying to win the game.”

Ortiz said he couldn’t imagine how A-Rod deals with the constant allegations and revelations that have been dogging him, on top of the daily difficulties of playing baseball at the highest level.

“I don’t know how you do it. Playing the game is not an easy thing. And then on top of that, dealing with all that crap — it’s not easy.

Keep smiling

The great philosopher Manny Ramirez is rarely invoked by ex-teammates or otherwise. But Ortiz found reason to think about his former teammate recently, as he considered the deep slump he is mired in.

“This isn’t the end of the world. Like Manny say before. There’s always good days and bad days,” Ortiz said.

Ramirez, known for his aloof manner and screwball antics, also knew the value of a smile.

“You know what you’ve got to do when bad days show up? Smile at it. Show your teeth,” Ortiz said, baring his own, gap and all. “Just laugh at it, and keep fighting. Don’t worry, good things are going to happen.”

Ortiz has not hit a home run yet this season, and is hitting only .208.

Ortiz sat down with manager Terry Francona on Monday, and the two had a long talk about what Ortiz needs to do. Francona told him they were in it together, that he needed to relax, and that this team would succeed or fail with him.

“We kind of visited on that today a little bit, just on that exact subject,” Francona said. “I’ve been standing there for five years patting him on the fanny as he runs by driving in all those runs and winning games for us. Now, when he needs a little help, I don’t want to be the one to abandon him. I’m not going to do that.”

Ortiz was grateful for the support of a man who he has come to know as more than just a coach.

“I don’t see Terry as my coach anymore,” Ortiz said. “I see Terry as my dad. Everytime he talks to me, I’m nothing but ears.”

Still, Ortiz himself is flummoxed by the depth of this slump

“I’m going to take this as something the baseball gods want to teach me. It’s not as easy as you make it look, big boy,” he laughed.

Lugo, Green split position

Julio Lugo was not scheduled to play Monday night, replaced by Nick Green.

Lugo, returning from knee surgery, hasn’t played in major-league games on a regular basis since last summer, and it shows. He hasn’t looked comfortable in the field or at the plate, while Green has.

That means that for the immediate future, Lugo and Green may be splitting time at short.

Francona said initially that Lugo might get a few days in a row off, but later amended his words.

“The idea is to kind of let him get some of that athleticism back and, when I said a couple of days, maybe that’s not even true,” Francona said. “But I guess what I mean is I’m going to use both of them. I probably misspoke a little bit.”

Lugo is hitting only .214 with one RBI in only 14 at-bats. Lugo said he understood and may need some more time to get into the groove — especially so he doesn’t risk reinjuring his knee.

“I think it’s good for me. It’s good for me to get my body in shape and then play, instead of just going out there and blowing it out again,” he said.

Lugo had surgery in March to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. But because of an unrelated quad injury, he missed the second half of 2008, as well. It has been close to a year since he has been regularly playing baseball at full speed.

The hardest thing for me is that I haven’t played for six months, seven months — since July. It’s going to take me a while to get my reflexes up,” Lugo said.

Green is hitting .308 with one home run and 10 RBI, but he has committed six errors in the field. Shortstop is not the utilityman’s natural position. While he can play second, third, short and the outfield, he is most comfortable at second base.

New job for Kapstein?

With respected Red Sox chief operating officer Mike Dee leaving the organization to take a job as CEO of the Miami Dolphins, one name that has been floated as his replacement is Rhode Island’s Jeremy Kapstein.

Kapstein, currently a senior adviser to the team, was long one of the most powerful sport agents in the game, and later moved to become CEO of the San Diego Padres. He has a longstanding relationship with Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.

Kapstein’s name has appeared on the short list of possible candidates in several media reports regarding the position.

dbarbari@projo.com