By GEORGE A. KING III

It’s not pretty. But it’s as big as it gets.

When Alex Rodriguez enters a press conference Tuesday, the sporting world will be poised to drag answers out of baseball’s best player concerning his steroid use. Does it matter what he took? Nope. Does it really matter where he got it? Only if you are a politician looking to make a name on athlete’s backs instead of paying attention to the economy.

Does it matter that Rodriguez tell the truth? Absolutely.

Rodriguez wasn’t believeable talking to ESPN last week. He has to be Tuesday. If he leaves the George M. Steinbrenner Field pavilion with a feeling of being a liar hanging in the air, Rodriguez is dead in the court of public opinion.

And even if he is believed by many, his name and legacy will be tainted forever by some. He can hit 800 homers and be viewed as a baseball cheat. There is nothing he can do about how he is perceived now. If that was such a big deal to Rodriguez he should have avoided steroids from 2001 to 2003.

Rodriguez has had plenty of big days as a baseball player. None of them are bigger than Tuesday. This isn’t about getting caught in illegal poker rooms or with a woman who wasn’t his wife. This isn’t about going through a divorce. Or facing Roy Halladay with the bases loaded or October pressure. This is about telling the truth.