Roberts comes clean: He used 'roids ONCE

by duck on Dec 18, 2007 6:56 AM EST in News Comment 41 comments

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts admitted last night that he used steroids "once," in 2003, but said he hasn't used them or any other performance-enhancing drugs since.

He was silent for four days after his name appeared in former Sen. George J. Mitchell's scathing report on steroid use in major league baseball. But last night Roberts issued a statement, which was provided to The Sun, that read:

"I would like to address the allegations that were made against me in the Mitchell Report. I will begin by saying that I have worked very hard to develop a good reputation both on and off the field. I have always taken pride in being a man of integrity and values. I know that by being a professional athlete, I am held to a very high standard. I never have and never will take that for granted. However, I am also human and I have made mistakes.

As for Larry Bigbie, the former teammate who led to Roberts' name being included in the Mitchell Report? Roberts says he's not mad:

Roberts was given the opportunity to speak with investigators, but he declined. He said last night that he harbors no ill will toward Bigbie, whom he said he hasn't spoken to since the report was released.

"I'm not mad at Larry. I don't hate Larry. Larry is one of my good friends," said Roberts, who acknowledged that he spoke yesterday to Orioles owner Peter Angelos about his intentions, but declined to elaborate on the conversation.

"Obviously from the report, what I gathered was Larry was in a situation where he was asked a question and he had to tell the truth. Larry and I must have had a conversation about it at some point and he thought he remembered. I don't resent Larry, I'm not mad at Larry. It boils down to me, not Larry. I have no problems there."

So there you have it. If you believe Bigbie, Roberts said he used a couple of times and that's it. If you believe Roberts, it was a one-time shot, literally.

Now, the really important question: Just who IS going to be the Orioles closer next year?

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Am I totally gullible

if I buy this 100%?

by Stacey on Dec 18, 2007 9:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

probably

Friend of the Working Man

by Jonnypops on Dec 18, 2007 10:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah I know

But I don't care. I'm hopelessly biased towards the guy.

by Stacey on Dec 18, 2007 10:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm...

On the one hand this mostly matches with Bigbie's account (Bigbie says he said a "couple" times, but the conversation took place a few years ago and memories aren't perfect). On the other hand, who uses steroids once? I mean, I guess it's conceivable he tried it once then just sort of said, "This was a mistake and I don't want to go down this road."

At least he didn't try to feed us a line about "only" having tried HGH to recover from an injury, which seem to be the new all-purpose cop out.

It's a shame Robert's reputation will be forever tarnished by this, but then he could have avoided it. As he says he's human and we all make mistakes. I've made plenty myself, and personally I'm not inclined to judge him too harshly. I'm sure others will feel differently (which, of course, is their right).

by rebop on Dec 18, 2007 10:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Personally,

I think his reputation will come out okay.

He has done himself a tremendous favor by addressing the allegations.

He takes responsibility--check.
He apologizes--check.
He says steroids are bad and he wnats no part of them--check.
He bears no ill will to a teammate who was in an impossible position--check.

Personally, I wish it hadn't taken him four days to talk (and as I have noted elsewhere, would really rather he'd talked back when the commission asked him to). But I applaud him for standing up and not hiding. It's a shame that others aren't grown up enough to do that.

(::cough:: ROGER! ::cough)

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 18, 2007 10:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RE:

I think if you really look into the evidence against him and what he has said; you will come to that conclusion, but I doubt that most people really do that. Most people are just going to hear Roberts: Steroids.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 18, 2007 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I believe him

by silverstadium on Dec 18, 2007 11:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

'one more thing before i go, mr. roberts...'

by thewaywardO on Dec 18, 2007 11:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

disappointing, but...

it's definitely disappointing. at least he didn't go the route Pettitte did by saying "I was trying to heal to get back on the field". that's just BS. but at this point, whether he did it once twice, or all year long, it's immaterial. he did it. he says he did it. he's being punished for it in the court of puiblic opinion, which is the only jury out there right now.

as for taking four days to talk, i'm sure that has played a part in what he said and how he said it. who knows, maybe he's feeling so bad and guilty about the whole thing he would have confessed even if his name hadn't surfaced? we just won't ever know the answer to that. but at least he hung Petey out to dry by talking after Petey basically defended him in his little pronouncement the other day about not rushing to judgment on some of the names in the report.

but Roberts took strong ownership of the awareness that what he did was wrong, and took full responsibility for it. good for him.

FUCK MASCOT MILLAR and HORSESHIT HUFF

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Dec 18, 2007 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Didn't Gibbons do the same?

I just find it interesting how people's perceptions of players color their reaction to this steroid mess. People hate Barry Bonds, so they're more than happy to sling shit his way. People don't hate Clemens as much as Bonds, so he hasn't come in for near the amount of shit Barry has, despite apparently having done the exact same shit. Gibbons comes out and apologizes, after getting caught, but people don't care because he sucks as a ballplayer. Roberts does the same, and it's a completely different reaction.

I've liked and still like Roberts as a ballplayer, but come the hell on here. He has admitted to using steroids and in 2005 he had a 20 HR burst in a career previously devoid of hardly any measure of power at the plate. Now who is he trying to kid here? Ask yourself (and I mean rhetorically, not you specifically, Dave) this; would you like Roberts as much minus his 2005 season? Minus those jacks that won games versus the Yankees? Minus him being a come from nowhere power threat at the top of the lineup? Take steroids out of the equation and you might never even have the respect for him as a ballplayer which colors the perception of him today.

Friend of the Working Man

by Jonnypops on Dec 18, 2007 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

back at ya..

Pops, i took Gibbons apology at face value as well. but it easier to read a "history" of use with Gibbons than it is with Roberts.

Besides, and not to pick nits here but in the interest of fairness, Roberts says he did steroids once, in 2003. IF we take him at his word, his power numbers don't seem that far out of whack.

in 2003, the year he admits to using once, he had 5 homers and 22 doubles, slugging .367.

in 2004, he hit 4 homers but had 50 doubles, slugging .376.

in 2005 he hit 18 homers and 45 doubles, slugging .515.

in 2006, the year after his arm injury, he hit 10 homers and 34 doubles, slugging .410.

last year, he hit 12 homers and 42 doubles, slugging .432.

in 2005, Roberts was 27, which according to sabermatricians is a player's "peak year". his power dropped the follwing year due to his arm injury, and this pasrt season you can see where some of hispower, albeit meager, is returning now that he's fully healed.

or you can disregard his statement from last night and believe he's been using something undetectable all along that is the source of his power.

but the numbers don't scream "STEROID USER" like for some folks.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gibboja01.shtml

and for the record, i own a Gibbons 25 t-shirt. thats right, before Raffy came back and Jay took 31.

anyway, i also believe Bonds and Clemens are different too. last i checked, Clemens hasn't purgered and obstructed a federal grand jury. dosn't make Clemens any less guilty, but does make Bonds a worse human being, on top of being a HUGE PRICK any chance he can be.

FUCK MASCOT MILLAR and HORSESHIT HUFF

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Dec 18, 2007 12:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

be careful

About what numbers you attribute to "steroid user."

Alex Sanchez and Nook Logan, speedy outfielders, are/were users (Sanchez got caught, Logan's in the report). Jerry Hairston, who never had any power. Paul Byrd, who doesn't throw over 85 mph.

Also, on the issue of "one time thing," Roberts isn't the only one to say that. Wally Joyner said he only used a couple times, then realized what a mistake he was making. Maybe they're both just covering up (in Joyner's case proactively, since he said all this stuff before Mitchell started investigating), but it's also possible that they started doing it, then realized how awful it was and felt terrible. I bet many of us could name a time when we started doing something against our principles, felt terrible about it, then stopped.

by pipkin on Dec 18, 2007 12:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

also

I don't know that Gibbons' numbers scream "steroid user." The one year he had where he was much better than career average was in a half-season (due to injury). We've all seen examples of players who have one yeah that's much better than the surrounding ones, particularly in a small sample size. Hell, as somebody pointed out last week, Cal's 1998 (I think) applies to that. We've all seen Gibbons be terrible for weeks at a time. His 2006 might have ended up looking a lot like his 2005 if he'd gotten his normal 500 at-bats or so.

He still could be a user, but I think numbers are really tricky in this case. As much as I love numbers.

by pipkin on Dec 18, 2007 12:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Plus keep in mind

Everyone looks at Brian's 2005 HR total and calls foul play, but he hit like 10 of them in April, and the rest of his season was pretty in line with his career averages. I think it was a fluke.

by Stacey on Dec 18, 2007 12:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yup. 4/05 was the fluke,

not the whole season so much. He was pulling stuff well, just sneaking them past the foul poles a lot of the time, i I remember correctly. Seemed more like he was in a groove with his timing, more than raw power out of the blue.

"It would behoove the Orioles to play better." - Jim Palmer

by 2632 on Dec 18, 2007 1:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dude, come on.

Clemens hasn't been confronted with his usage till last week, so the jury just left the room as to how he'll deal with it. Also Clemens is just as big a prick as Bonds in my book. Even worse in some ways, in that you have to pry the assholeness out of Barry most of the time, Clemens hands it out for free.

Friend of the Working Man

by Jonnypops on Dec 18, 2007 1:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Brian Roberts

This goes out to Brian Roberts. I support you 100%. We all make mistakes and I believe your comments to be as honest as your playing on and off the field. Stand through it homeboy because the world tries to break the best down. Keep me inspired as you have these years. WIN!!!!

Ciccone Bremen, Germany

by 96d23 on Dec 18, 2007 1:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

believe me

i don't discount Clemens' a-hole factor. his smug holier-than-thou attitude is in fact many way worse that the in-your-face obnoxiousness that Bonds exhibits.

but Bonds lied and obstructed justice before a federal grand jury. that is why he has received-to this point-more and worse media scrutiny than Clemens.

but i agree with you on this, the jury is still out on Clemens. it's still open as to whether he takes the Bonds or Pettitte or Roberts way out. although the statement by his personal attorney last week might give some indication.

and did you see the some Texas high school athletic association was pulling the plug on a Clemens speech he was to give? the topic: "How My [Clemens'] Work Ethic Made Me A Better Player". sanctimonious, indeed.

FUCK MASCOT MILLAR and HORSESHIT HUFF

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Dec 18, 2007 1:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you are absolutely correct

unfortunately, you make many good points.

by dfleis on Dec 18, 2007 1:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I like Roberts...

and don't much care for Bonds or Clemens. But that has little to do with steroid use. Clemens is just a jerk (look no further than the time he threw a broken bat at Mike Piazza for proof). Bonds I am actually more ambivalent about. Yeah, he is awfully surly with the media, and it looks like he is in a lot of trouble legally. While I don't condone his steroid use, I can understand it. He saw McGuire and Sosa (neither of whom were nearly as good as him) become the toast of baseball and decided he wanted a piece of that action. It doesn't make it okay, but it does make it more understandable. I can understand why Clemens, after having been declared past his prime, might have wanted to use steroids too.

Like Roberts (and Bonds and Clemens), baseball fans and sportswriters are human, and there is a certain natural tendency to go harder on those who are unlikable and/or those who have accomplished more. Brian Roberts is simply a smaller target than Bonds or Clemens because he doesn't have nearly the same stature within the game and he hasn't behaved like a complete jerk either on or off the field.

by rebop on Dec 18, 2007 2:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Roberts

He followed my advice!

by birdman on Dec 18, 2007 12:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for coming clean, BRob.

Everyone makes mistakes, and in the grand scheme of things, this ain't that bad. You're a good person, a good baseball player, and Bawlmer still loves ya. Apology accepted.

"It would behoove the Orioles to play better." - Jim Palmer

by 2632 on Dec 18, 2007 2:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Just a reminder....

...of how the script may change tomorrow.

From WaPo in October 2006:

Three O's Players Deny Steroid Use--
Clemens, Pettitte Also Rebut Grimsley

Three O's Players Deny Steroid Use
Clemens, Pettitte Also Rebut Grimsley

The Baltimore Orioles issued a statement of support yesterday for their three players accused of using anabolic steroids by a former major league pitcher as the players -- Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts and Jay Gibbons -- denied the charges.

Houston Astros pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, who were accused of performance-enhancing drug use by former reliever Jason Grimsley in a federal affidavit, also rebutted the charges a day after the Los Angeles Times revealed the identities of the players Grimsley accused.

..."I just think it's incredibly dangerous to sit out there and just throw names out there," Clemens said yesterday before the Astros played in Atlanta, according to the Associated Press. "I haven't seen [the report], nor do I need to see it."

"I've been tested plenty of times. My physicals I've taken, they have taken my blood work. I have passed every test. Again, I just find it amazing that you can throw anybody out there."

..."I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in baseball," Pettitte said. "I don't know what else to say except to say it's embarrassing my name would be out there."

..."Roger and Andy deny using performance enhancing drugs," [agent] Hendricks said in an e-mail. "Roger passed Olympic-standard blood testing for the World Baseball Classic this year. . . . He is a phenomenal baseball player who does not deserve to have his name bandied about in the public domain based upon an affidavit of an investigative agent to get a search warrant. Roger and Andy never worked out with Grimsley and Grimsley would have no personal knowledge of anything they did."

..."What can I do? I spent one morning last year with Grimsley," Tejada said yesterday before the Orioles played at Boston, according to the AP. "I mean, I already got thrown under the bus with [Rafael] Palmeiro. No, I don't worry about that."

The night before, Tejada told the Baltimore Sun: "I know that I've never had a problem with that. I know that I've never used that and I know I am clean."

Gibbons told the Sun he has never failed a drug test.

"And I am not going to dignify these claims and accusations with any further response," he said.

"Our players have addressed the accusations quite strongly and we support them," Orioles Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Flanagan said in a statement. "We have not seen the affidavit and therefore will not comment on it further."

... aaaand the baaaand plaaaayed oonnnnnnnnnnnn....

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 18, 2007 3:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re:

Yeah, pretty damning. Although pettite's "I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in baseball," Pettitte said. "I don't know what else to say except to say it's embarrassing my name would be out there." actually gives him a pretty good out. Since his recent admission says he used it to recover from injury, not enhance.

Weaselly? You bet. But also not really contradictory.

by pipkin on Dec 18, 2007 4:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

meh

I would say "recovering faster from an injury" enhance's one's performance.

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 18, 2007 5:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ha!

yes. if you are not able to perform b/c of injury, rapid recovery is, indeed, an enhancement.

So, I said, uh, lama: how about a little something for the effort?

by jq higgins on Dec 18, 2007 6:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

true

though there's no medical evidence that it works to do that. It'll really screw up your joints and organs though, apparently.

If its against the rules, its still wrong, but i guess the question is, should it be against the rules?

by pipkin on Dec 18, 2007 6:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

camden chat university college of law?

by dfleis on Dec 18, 2007 8:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you know, it's strange.

Despite all this steroid shit and the fact that the Orioles are fucking terrible...I really miss baseball. Like, couting down the days 'til Spring Training.
Just a glutton for punishment.

"It would behoove the Orioles to play better." - Jim Palmer

by 2632 on Dec 18, 2007 3:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Clemens denies it all

Roger Clemens issued a statement today (Sportsline) denying everything in the report.

NEW YORK -- Roger Clemens denied allegations by his former trainer that he took performance-enhancing drugs, calling them "a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take."

The accusations against the seven-time Cy Young Award winner from his former trainer, Brian McNamee, were contained in last week's Mitchell Report. Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while with the Toronto Blue Jays, and steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001, while with the New York Yankees.

"I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life," Clemens said Tuesday in a statement issued through his agent, Randy Hendricks. "Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take.

"I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that Senator Mitchell's report has raised many serious questions. I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. I only ask that in the meantime people not rush to judgment."

Gee, when is the "appropriate time" if not now? And what is the "appropriate way"? Maybe calling a press onference yourself instead of making statements through your agent?

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 18, 2007 4:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

And just to be clear...

...yesterday he refused to talk about it.

"I'm not talking to y'all about it," he told reporters Monday. "We'll handle this our way."

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 18, 2007 4:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Eh

I like Clemens and Bonds and Roberts. I don't care if Roberts used steroids once or has been juicing his entire life. I also don't care that Bonds committed perjury to a grand jury that has no business investigating this kind of crap anyways. I have no problem with enhancement, and no problem with steroids. I would support their legalization. I find all this hand-wringing over this issue completely noxious and repulsive. All people seem to care about are the numbers: whether a given performance in a given year is "pure" or not. Well, I'm not a purist, so it makes no difference to me.

by crawjo on Dec 18, 2007 9:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Explain how...

...a federal grand jury has no business investigating a lab that is distributing new, untested, uncontrolled, potentially dangerous drugs with a history of deleterious results due to long term use? That's what the federal grand jury was investigating when Bonds perjured himself.

by KenDixonFanClub on Dec 18, 2007 11:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not convinced...

...of how dangerous these substances actually are, or why they pose such a public health risk that the federal government has to be involved at any level. The science on this hasn't convinced me. I'm convinced that steroids and performance enhancers can have potential long-term side effects; I'm not convinced that these side effects are serious enough or common enough among users to make this an issue that any of us should care much about one way or the other.

So we've learned that HGH might help you recover from an injury more quickly. Okay. This is bad because....?

by crawjo on Dec 19, 2007 11:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you think...

the government has no business regulating drugs at all? I understand that is the position of some very hard-core libertarians, but most people in this country want at least some level of regulation by the FDA to help ensure that the drugs we buy have been tested and are relatively safe.

Balco was manufacturing and distributing drugs that had not undergone any kind of testing as to whether they were safe to use. Whether you think that's okay or not, it's still against the law, and certainly something the government has a right (if not a responsibility) to investigate.

by rebop on Dec 20, 2007 11:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Orioles Closer

On the "real" topic... let's say a Player to Be Signed Later?

Dotel, maybe?

ScoutingBook: Top Baseball Prospects, Closers and more.

by scoutingbook on Dec 19, 2007 1:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You don't want Dotel

he's an overrated middle reliever with no upside. Hoey for Closer!

"True friends stab you in the front."-Oscar Wilde.

by NHZ on Dec 19, 2007 2:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

the team's gonna stink...

give it to Hoey. closers grow on trees. i'm serious. there's data out there that shows a large percentage of all saves come from someone not appointed "closer" at the begining of the season. you just gotta find the guy with the make-up that can forget about giving up the lead one night and can close it down the next. Hoey is built for the job.

who cares if he gives up a couple 9th inning leads when the team is gonna lose 90+ games anyway? let him learn how to be a big-league closer.

FUCK MASCOT MILLAR and HORSESHIT HUFF

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Dec 19, 2007 10:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Amen

Don't go spending 12 million for 2 years on Dotel. That would be spending just to spend. If we could get him for a year, then trade him at the deadline for a usable player to a bullpen-desperate team, then maybe, but two years ain't gonna let that happen.

by KenDixonFanClub on Dec 19, 2007 11:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

even the one year strategy

is it really worth it? Just put the 4 million or whatever into international scouting, it'll probably do you better in the long run. We've all seen that quick fixes don't work, so just put it into something that'll set the franchise up long-term.

by pipkin on Dec 19, 2007 1:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Clemens = Bonds

... well, he will be if he doesn't fess up. Sooner or later ole' Rog will face some sort of a grand jury. The guy who told about Clemens was threatened with prison time if he lied about any detail & he swears by his story.

Roger is supposed to speak at a baseball conference in January about "how I lasted so long in the game from my work ethic".

And back in '97'98 Red Sox GM decided to let Roger go because he felt "he was in the twilight of his career". And for the past 20 years those fans held it against him.

I believe Brian, Millar did nothing wrong, all I want from Huff is a list of the hotel rooms he stayed in. I've seen those "Primetime Live" black- light filthy hotel room stories. And Jay... he'l miss the 1st 2 1/2 weeks of the season. Hey but we don't need to deal with Miggy's fallout.

by Montego76 on Dec 20, 2007 10:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs