MuscleSport Mag has reached out to RotoInfo and is awaiting a response. The main question on everyone’s mind is who was the original source. None of the names will shock you and many of them appeared in the Mitchell Report.

There does not appear to be any significance in the order of the names, either. It is not listed alphabetically or by position, so it appears to be a general list. The accuracy of it remains to be seen. While it seems inevitable that this list will become publicized at some time, we will not know for sure until then if the one on RotoInfo was truthful or not.

David Ortiz, who has come under scrutiny during his prolonged slump to start the season, was on this list, as was Manny Ramirez, his former teammate who is currently serving a 50-game suspension for a banned substance.

Roger Clemens, Raphael Palmiero and Sammy Sosa appear, and they may have to answer perjury charges for their subsequent denials under oath if this is in fact true. Alex Rodriguez’s name appears, which had already been reported.

The list actually contains only 103 names and does not include Jason Grimsley, who tested positive that same year according to court records. That may account for the difference of one and something that we will look to clarify if a response to our request is received.

Here are the names as reported by RotoInfo:

Source: http://rotoinfo.com/read_article.php?articleId=318

Photo by Bill Menzel

According to a report in Friday’s New York Daily News, trainer Angel Presinal, described as an “unsavory character,” has been associated with Rodriguez since 2001 and as late as 2007, when he won the American League MVP Award. The anonymous source in the article stated that Presinal accompanied Rodriguez for that entire season, even on the road, where the trainer would stay at the same hotel as A-Rod but share a room with Yuri Sucrat, who has been identified as the mysterious cousin that Rodriguez threw under the bus during his press conference on Tuesday.

Presinal’s name has been associated with sluggers suspected of steroid use in the past, and he even was mentioned in the Mitchell Report. In 2001, the trainer was involved in an incident at a Toronto airport when he was carrying a bag containing five amps of steroids, and an unidentified amount of clenbuterol and hypodermic needles. Presinal told the Canadian Border Service Agency that the bag belonged to Juan Gonzalez, who played for the Cleveland Indians at the time.

According to the source, Presinal was not around Rodriguez last season, but Sucrat, described as Rodriguez’s driver, and is with him “everyday.”

Major League Baseball warned it’s players to stay away from Presinal following the Toronto incident and the league began monitoring the trainer’s relationship with players since then. By Rodriguez using Sucrat essentially as a middleman, he was able to avoid any scrutiny. ESPN reported that Rodriguez might face discipline from the league if his contact with Presinal can be proven.

Presinal runs a gym in Santo Domingo named Palacio del los Deportes (The Sports Palace).

Another revelation came out today when Dr. Pia Veras, who oversees the agency that regulates pharmaceutical drugs in the Dominican Republic, told ESPNdeportes.com that Primobolan is not and has not been legal for sale, over-the-counter or even with a prescription. Testosterone, on the other hand, can be had with ease.

What does that all mean? Absolutely nothing, because you can get Primo through any underground source and the entire cousin scenario seems to have blown up in A-Rod’s face, anyway. Presinal was his source and will no doubt be squeezed by federal investigators if he is stupid enough to come back to America. Sucrat, on the other hand, better get a good lawyer.

Photo by Bill Menzel

Now we have David Ortiz standing up and making a bold statement, not about anything concerning his own steroid use, but baseball players in general. Speaking at the Red Sox spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida, Big Papi told reporters that if a player tests positive for steroids even once, “Ban ‘em for the whole year.”

Not exactly what you would call a physical specimen, Ortiz does possess great power and some of the names that have come out over the years as steroid users wouldn’t be mistaken for bodybuilders, either. Case in point, Mo Vaughn, who could pass for Ortiz with their similar girth and Boston uniform. Big Mo was named in the Mitchell Report and was also spoken about in Kirk Radomski’s new book, “Bases Loaded.”

Vaughn was the caliber of player that thought merely using performance-enhancing drug was all it takes to benefit. He did not exercise and was inconsistent with using the substances, which Radomski described as the reason why Vaughn looked the way he did.

Hypothetically, let’s say Ortiz realized that he needed to make a decision to save his career after being cut by the Minnesota Twins in December of 2002. Although he had decent numbers that year (.272, 20, 75), his numbers went way up his first year at Fenway, with not only his batting average being higher, but his home runs and RBI jumped to 31 and 101, respectively.

He then became a legitimate superstar and hit a career-high 54 bombs in 2006. His numbers have declined since, and he also missed some time last summer due to injury.

It isn’t impossible that Ortiz dabbled into the use of steroids at one time and may now be clean, so it’s easy to step up and make a statement like he did. He was going yard and in a big way during the period that has been proven to be the so-called ‘steroid era.’

By stepping up and saying,”Hey, come and test all of us and throw us out if we’re stupid enough to do it,’ Ortiz deflects any doubt that may have been lingering over him.

Similar to what Pameiro did. Get my drift?

While working as a clubhouse attendant for the New York Mets (1986-95), he supplied not one, but two urine samples for cokehead pitcher Dwight Gooden. Looked at as a sure future Hall of Famer earlier in his career, ‘Doc’ took the wrong road and failed three drug tests between 1987 and 1994, which subsequently resulted in him being suspended for the 1995 season.

Radomski spoke of the Gooden instances during an interview on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” on Sunday. He also has a tell-all book coming out on Tuesday entitled “Bases Loaded.”

The ESPN report further stated that Gooden would not comment further than text messaging “LOL” after he became aware of Radomski’s account.

Since he has become a public figure, Radomski has stayed away from the media until now. He pled guilty two years ago to distributing steroids and money laundering. For his cooperation, he pled out to a sentence of five years probation and a $18,575 fine. These days, Radomski is the co-owner of an auto shop in St. James on Long Island.

It’s hard to fault Andy Pettitte for trying to shake the Yankee tree for as much money as he can. With the organization throwing money around as if it grew on the proverbial tree, the 36-year-old figures this may be his last shot at cashing in. The way his second half went last year, he may be overestimating his market value by a large margin.

The Yanks are offering him $10 million for one year and Pettitte wants the $16 million he earned the past two seasons in the Bronx. A 14-14 mark with an ERA of 4.54 will not help his cause, especially when you consider that he went 2-7 in his last 11 starts.

In case Pettitte forgot, he did state all summer long that he wanted to pitch in the new Yankee Stadium and that there aren’t many teams burning up his phone line with offers. This is a chance for him to go out gracefully the way he wants to and make a nice payday on top of it.

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Even if Pettitte returns, his place in the rotation would be number four at best. The offer that general manager Brian Cashman made to him in person at his Houston home will not be on the table forever. The Yankees are looking to ink another free agent hurler, such as A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe or Ben Sheets – all who are more effective than Pettitte.

Even if Burnett accepts the five-year, $80 million package from the Yankees, Pettitte may still have a spot on the team. But he has to keep in mind that he is not exactly the same pitcher he was when he joined the Astros as a free agent in 2003. He is older, suffered arm injuries and went through the Mitchell Report – HGH incident.

This will in all likelihood be Pettitte’s final season. It would be appropriate for him to finish up in a place that he is welcomed and feels comfortable in. Is $10 million such an insult? When the Bronx Bombers are giving a 300-pounder money that he wasn’t even asking for, it just may be.

Recently, MuscleSport Mag had the pleasure of doing a one-on-one interview with Gregg Valentino, who is a top staff writer in ‘Muscular Development’ magazine. His ‘Ramblin’ Freak’ column is just one of his contributions each month to the famous publication and is known throughout the industry as the type of writer that pulls no punches and tells it like it is – if it pisses off some people or not. (Part Two of this interview also appears in the October issue of New York Sportscene magazine.)

Being around professional and amateur bodybuilders his entire adult life, Gregg Valentino has noticed one consistency during the progression of their careers. “A guy will win an amateur contest and then turn pro,” he said. “A year later, he’s a totally different bodybuilder.”

The difference, Valentino says, is usually 20 pounds bigger and ripped. “I think it takes a lot of money to be a pro bodybuilder with all the drugs.” While that may sound shocking to some, the obvious is blatant and to have a frank conversation about the subject, denying that there is steroid use in the sport of bodybuilding is detrimental. It is there and has been for a long time.

Valentino continued, “You have to take a lot more drugs and eat a lot more food. He had to train his balls off to become a pro. You’re telling me that he’s training harder now?”

That is a point that has not been brought up too frequently in the industry for obvious reasons. In this day and age of BALCO, the Mitchell Report and all the other anti-steroid clatter, being truthful – even in the most obvious of situations – has taken a back seat to being politically correct.

Taking it a step further, Valentino dismisses the notion that a bodybuilder had to work a regular job before turning pro and now has more time to dedicate to the sport. “What was their job before? Personal trainer? If you’re a bodybuilder and say you’re a personal trainer, you’re a drug dealer.

“I’ve said this before and when I say it, I’m including myself,” Valentino said. “There ain’t a motherfucker out there that hasn’t sold drugs. You have to. When you’re a big guy and you happen to pick up some test and a friend comes up to you and says, ‘Hey, can you get me a few bottles?’ Right there, you’re getting money. You’re capping on $5 a bottle. You’re still moving shit around.”

According to Valentino, the pressures of being a pro bodybuilder make it a necessity to use steroids. “It’s the mindset,” he said. “They’ll say to themselves, ‘I’m a pro now. I have to look better than ever. Before, I was taking only 2,000 milligrams a week. Now I’m up to 4,000.’ “

Even minimal activity can become cumbersome for a person as large as a bodybuilder. The mass that they pack on may be necessary to increase their chances of winning contests and getting into supplement advertisements, but daily activities becomes an issue.

“He can’t even wipe his own ass. His wife has to do it for him.” While Gregg did name the bodybuilder that has this problem, we chose to omit it.

The basics of a contest also become a hardship when you’re carrying all that weight. “They get on stage and hit a couple of double bicep poses and they can’t breathe,” said Valentino. “They’re walking around with their hands on their hips. They get out of breath because they’re so jacked, at that point it’s unhealthy.”

Not just blowing smoke up your skirt, Valentino speaks from personal experience. “When I was really big – when I weighed about 250 pounds (at 5’6″) – I was breathing like Alfred Hitchcock. It may be a healthy lifestyle, but it’s not a healthy sport.” A large specimen like that requires a lot of rest. “You’re like a lion. You just eat and sleep,” Valentino said. “They say Jay Cutler sleeps 18 hours a day.”

How all of this relates to the rest of the world is a lot closer than one may think. Take Hollywood, for instance. Hormone Replacement Therapy is all the rage. Valentino looks at how actors in their forties are still sex symbols and attractive to girls as young as 12 and 13 years of age.

“Johnny Depp is 47. Just because he’s not built doesn’t mean he doesn’t do HRT. They all go to rejuvination clinics. Even the women are doing it. Because that’s what keeps them youthful.

“What young girl today doesn’t like Brad Pitt? He’s 44,” continued Valentino. “Look at him in the movie “Troy.” He was jacked. It’s not because he just lifted weights. It’s from the HRT. When I was young, a 45 year-old actor was already playing the part of grandpa.”

Is there a happy medium here? “In bodybuilding, we overdo everything,” Valentino concluded. “Bodybuilding is an exaggeration. Bodybuilders abuse. Even if it’s supplements, everything is overdone. But the average person doesn’t understand what steroids are all about. They’re told that they’re bad for you, but they don’t know why.”

In excess, anything is bad for you. The key may be to find out what the threshold is and carefully toe the line.

First, golf was talking about getting tough on steroids, which seemed ludicrous enough. But now another sport you wouldn’t think of when talking banned substances has taken steps towards punishing players who look for that extra edge. The International Tennis Federation voted in an anti-doping code that was necessary for compliance for inclusion in the Olympics.

Effective on January 1, 2009, the rules will be more flexible for suspensions, and what was described by the ITF as “increased flexibility of sanctions.” This another prime example of trying to get the ‘one up’ and show the public that an organization – in this case all of tennis’ governing bodies – is not going to have the necessity of its own Mitchell Report. The specter of steroids even lurks over the tennis court, albeit it for real or just for show.

If there ever was a perfect topic for the next ridiculous reality television show, it would be the impending defamation and emotional distress lawsuit filed by Roger Clemens against his former personal trainer Brian McNamee. This one has all the characters – the ridiculed ex-jock; his jilted ex; his defiant and defending spouse and his pious best friend who can’t lie for him. Sounds like a winner, or at least one season worth of entertainment

But the only place on TV that you’ll see this soap opera is during the sports report – or maybe of it gets kicked down – in Judge Judy’s chambers. Brian McNamee’s attorney filed a brief in court in an attempt to either get the entire case dismissed or moved from Texas to New York. Even if this case was transferred to Baghdad Supreme Court, a jury full of Al Qaida insurgents would be able to see through Clemens’ lies without a chance of them being “misheard.”

The evidence was turned over to government investigators back in February, and included testosterone vials, hypodermic needles and alcohol pads that McNamee said he used on The Rocket during friendlier times. According to the document filed, it stated, “Once the DNA results are revealed, there will be little dispute about who is telling the truth.”

While that makes sense to the average person in the street, Clemens’ lawyers will have a field day trying to discount the evidence, stating that chain of possession and the possibility of McNamee tainting it will certainly come out.

In a civil trial such as this, it will come down to preponderance of the evidence, which is 51 percent right. That is a big difference from beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the basis for reaching a verdict in criminal cases, meaning that the prosecution has proven its case 100 percent.

If McNamee’s lawyer can convince the panel that Clemens did use steroids and McNamee is being truthful, it will be an easy time in the jury room. That will take care of the defamation part of the lawsuit, and the ‘emotional distress’ angle will be laughed at once the former is established. The only emotional distress that Clemens has suffered has been by his own accord, insisting that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs while all the evidence points that he did. Coming out and saying that he did so would have been the right move, or even keeping his mouth shut. But by Clemens being so public and forthcoming (in his own mind) that he was clean, it is too late to reverse the course now. He is going to have to live with the results, DNA and all.

Photo credit: necn.com

Perusing the telephone book commonly known as ‘The Mitchell Report,’ it is hard to say if the baseball players that allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs benefited or not. Going by the raw numbers, some did and some didn’t.

Now keep in mind that the report included only the time frame that there was some type of allegation and/or documentation when these players began using. They could have been on the juice long before that, as well. Take Jason Giambi, for instance. He is one of the BALCO boys and has already publicly apologized (still not exactly sure what he was trying to say that day, but at least he appeared as if his conscious was bothering him). His section in the report has 2001 as when he was first reportedly taking the stuff, a year in which he hit .342 for the Oakland A’s, with 38 home runs and 120 RBI. But if you are believing that this was Giambi’s first dabble into steroids, the prior year should have been lighter, huh? Well…not exactly. In 2000, he went .333/43/137.

Then there is a player such as the Mets’ Todd Hundley, who increased his power numbers by 26 dingers and 60 ribbies in 1996. At the time, he broke the record for homers by a catcher with 41. And how do you explain David Justice? He actually did worse when he allegedly was using, hitting .333/18/51 in 2000 after exploding for .377/41/118 a year before.

Roger Clemens, while pitching in Toronto, had nearly identical production (20-6, 4.61 ERA in 2001 vs. 21-7, 4.53 ERA in 2000) in his comparison seasons. At the end of the day, a whole lot told us very little, other than there was an abundance of major league baseball players using PEDs and probably not training or dieting correctly. That is probably the biggest reason why their stats didn’t ‘jump off the page’ across the board.

You get what you pay for. That’s the old saying, right? So, when it comes to the supplement/performance enhancing-drug debate, you can figure that anything without a high price tag is not going to give you the results that you want. Especially when it comes to HGH.

If you don’t have to inject it, the product may have the best intentions, but it is pretty obvious that a nasal spray of this kind will have much less of a ‘kick.’ The biggest difference is that the real stuff (commonly Somatropin) is the hormone, and the others are geared towards upping your natural growth hormone production.

If a homeopathic HGH brand claims to contain ‘real’ HGH, stay away. The size of the hormone is too large to be absorbed orally (either pill, powder or spray) or nasally. Only the injectable type can perform that function. They are two totally different animals.

Of course, the price tag connected with real HGH can be extremely high. Not many of the average people can plunk down a grand or more for a kit and reap the rewards. So that’s why these companies have jumped on the bandwagon and have popped up in droves, even since the Mitchell Report was released. In fairness to them, it is possible to stimulate your body into producing more HGH. These products claim to be able to do so. While I can’t speak for them all, the type sampled didn’t hurt, but it’s hard to say if it did anything extra or not.

If you decide that you want to give one of these a try, you won’t lose anything other than a few bucks. They’re pretty affordable and should be. Want a good comparison? A cycle of legit test versus a “cycle” (I love how they try to make them sound like they’re real) of one of those “testosterone boosters.” Apples and oranges, my friend.