Rafael Palmeiro told baseball’s arbitration panel a vitamin he received from Baltimore Orioles teammate Miguel Tejada might have caused his positive test for steroid use.
Palmeiro testified he received B-12 from Tejada, a person familiar with the grievance hearing said Thursday on condition of anonymity because the proceedings were secret.
“Right now I’m in shock,” Tejada, a former American League MVP, said Thursday night. “I’ve never given anybody steroids before. I’ve been checked out three times already, and I’m clean. I’ve been clean all my life.”
Tejada said he gave Palmeiro the B-12 “a long time ago.”
“It doesn’t bother me because I’m not guilty. I’ve done nothing wrong. I just gave him B-12, and B-12 is legal,” Tejada said. “You don’t get caught for B-12.”
Vitamin B-12 helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, and is commonly found in foods such as fish, meat, poultry and dairy products.
Palmeiro has not publicly discussed details of his testimony, which came during an unsuccessful grievance filed by the players’ association to overturn his 10-day suspension following a positive test for stanozolol.
Before Thursday’s loss to the New York Yankees, Orioles interim manager Sam Perlozzo said if the first baseman had named a teammate in trying to explain his steroid test, it probably would be best Palmeiro not return to the team this year.
“If in fact that was true, then it probably would not be a good idea” for Palmeiro to return, Perlozzo said. “It’s all speculation as far as I know.”
Reds: Center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. decided to give up his attempt to overcome a foot sprain and play again this season.
Instead, he will have a minor knee operation that has been anticipated for weeks, giving him a head start on rehabilitation.
“I think overall in the situation we’re in, it’s probably the smartest thing to do,” Griffey said a day after the Reds officially were eliminated from playoff contention. “If it were the playoffs and we had a chance, then we’d be doing something different. But we’re not, and it’s time that I can get my hamstring closed up for good and my knee fixed.”
He will have surgery Monday to clean out a knee that has bothered him occasionally the past three years. Doctors also will treat the troublesome incision from his hamstring surgery a year ago.
Griffey, 35, batted .301 with 35 homers and 92 RBIs in 128 games, his highest total since he joined his hometown team in a 2000 trade with the Seattle Mariners. He also climbed up the career homer list, joining Mickey Mantle in 12th place with 536.
Red Sox: Reliever Keith Foulke returned to Boston for an examination on his left knee, and a source told The Associated Press he’s expected to have surgery and is likely done for the year.
White Sox: Manager Ozzie Guillen said if he leads Chicago to the World Series title, he might quit after just two seasons on the job. Guillen said he is not considering walking away because of the booing he’s getting or job stress – although he admits to sometimes vomiting after losses.
“A pretty good chance,” Guillen said, “because I want to leave with my head up and do something nobody else did before. … It would give me a good chance to accomplish everything in my career.”
