In the wake of the Biogenesis drug scandal, first reported by Miami New Times earlier this week, ESPN's "Outside the Lines" has done some additional reporting. While many of us might have been more interested in the links to Nelson Cruz and Gio Gonzalez, because of the novelty factor, presumably most of us are most interested in Alex Rodriguez's latest contretemps ...
ESPN details A-Rod’s links to Bosch
Elsa
MIAMI -- The texts, the source said, usually came late at night, telling Anthony Bosch to come to the house. Bosch would then head to the waterfront mansion on Biscayne Bay, through the gate on North Bay Road, to inject performance-enhancing drugs into Alex Rodriguez.
Procedures were different, though, sources told “Outside the Lines,” for the other athletes who were customers of Bosch’s Biogenesis of America clinic in Coral Gables, which Major League Baseball considers the center of a widespread doping operation in South Florida. Those athletes, sources said, relied on intermediaries to transport the performance-enhancing drug regimens Bosch provided.
But for A-Rod, the service was always personal: “Only Tony handled A-Rod,” one source told “Outside the Lines.”
--snip--
Several sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Bosch spoke openly about his relationship with the Yankee All-Star, and two sources said that documents they reviewed detailed the drug regimens and schedules Rodriguez received.
A spokesperson for Rodriguez on Friday said, “the allegations are not true.”
Wouldn’t it be great if “spokesperson” was a licensed, credentialed profession? And if you tell enough lies, you can lose your credentials?
Which isn’t to suggest that this spokesperson is lying. Except ... well, yeah. He/she probably is lying. “Outside the Lines” does practice actual journalism, and it’s hard to see why Bosch (or one of his employees) would fill up a bunch of notebooks with a bunch of bogus entries for baseball players.
The practical implications of this latest reporting? Alex Rodriguez just lost a few more Hall of Fame ballots; he'll still get enough support to remain on the ballot for the whole 15 years. In the short term, this shouldn't materially affect the New York Yankees. Even if Rodriguez is suspended for 50 games, he'll serve his entire suspension while sitting on the Disabled List, recovering from his hip surgery. A suspension will cost him roughly $8.6 million in pre-tax income. But I'm guessing he's not foolish enough to be living check to check.
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