Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made his reputation as a take-no-prisoners prosecutor, but he's showing an uncharacteristic soft spot for at least one alleged miscreant who happens to wear pinstripes.

Turns out that Alex Rodriguez, whom Giuliani is urging fans not to boo when the New York Yankees slugger returns to the diamond tonight after a long stay at the california rehabilitation center and under an enormous legal cloud, is one of hizzoner's political benefactors.

Rodriguez, who faces a potential lengthy ban by Major League Baseball over charges that he's a repeat user of performance-enhancing drugs, maxed out in 2007 with a $4,600 contribution to Giuliani's presidential campaign — $2,300 of which had to be returned when the then-GOP candidate didn't make it into the general election campaign.

The 2008 campaign cycle appears to have been the only one in which A-Rod was active as a donor, according to data downloaded from Influence Explorer. But Giuliani, seen at right in one of the Yankees 2009 World Series victory parade, was not Rodgriuez' only beneficiary. 

Covering all his bases (pun intended), Rodriguez — who calls Florida home but shows political loyalty to the state where he draws his considerable paycheck — also made a contribution that year to another New York politician with designs on the White House. Democrat Hillary Clinton got a modest $500 from Rodriguez.

(Photo credit: edogisgod via Flickr)