Jason Grimsley admits to steroid use

[tominator89 0]

Jim Leyritz?

 

Did I read the article wrong, or did Leyritz say that he got his stuff from Don Mattingly?

[tominator89 0]

Ex-Yankee Leyritz admits to using amphetamines

 

While baseball's latest focus in its fight against ridding the sport of performance-enhancing drugs is on human growth hormone, it's another banned drug that a former Yankee fan favorite has confessed to using.

 

"I can remember my first amphetamine," Jim Leyritz said during an interview Thursday on XM Satellite Radio. "I was out all night drinking with Andy Hawkins and some of the guys on the team. I was a young player."

 

Leyritz, who broke into the big leagues in 1990 with the Yankees, played 11 seasons in the majors with six different teams.

 

"I came in. I was hung over, sleeping by my locker. And all of a sudden, [Don] Mattingly came to me and said, 'Hey, you're in the lineup.' And I went, 'What?' He goes, 'Yeah, I just hurt my back.'

 

"Now I'm walking around, I'm going, 'I don't know how I'm going to do this. There's no way that I can go play this game today.' I ran into my teammate who I knew had some of the 'little helpers,' as they called them.

 

"He said, 'Take one of these. It should help. It'll take the edge off.'

 

"So sure enough, I took one. He goes, 'OK, you can take two, but no more than two.' So I popped one more, and I went out and went 3-for-4 with two homers."

 

According to retrosheet.org, Leyritz is referencing a Saturday, June 30 game in 1990 against the White Sox, where he went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBI.

 

His recollection of the day isn't perfect spot-on, however, as Mattingly played first base and Leyritz manned third.

 

This admission comes in the wake of an investigation of pitcher Jason Grimsley, where Grimsley told federal agents that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

 

According to court documents, Grimsley failed a league drug test in 2003. Authorities said when he was cooperating, he admitted to using human growth hormone, amphetamines and steroids.

 

He added that amphetamine use was prevalent in pro baseball, and that it was placed in coffee in clubhouses -- marked "leaded" or "unleaded" to indicate which pots contained the drugs, according to court documents.

 

During the offseason, owners and players agreed to increase the penalties for performance-enhancing drugs to 50 games for a first offense, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for a third.

[Mik 0]

No. Mattingly told him he was playing. He got them elsewhere.

[Big McLargeHuge 0]

I'm just hoping that it eventually leads to Bonds and Giambi. Everybody knows they did steroids and I've been saying all along that Giambi has shifted to HGH and that was the reason for his ability to comeback. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

 

why just bonds and giambi?

Exactly. Such bullshit. I'm so bitter and pissed off about this whole mess, I really want this list to be filled with fan favorites. I know that seems wrong, but if it makes people understand that this issue isn't as black & white as people make it out to be, it's all for the better. Athletes will do anything to have an advantage over the competition. All of them. It doesn't make them evil.

 

Besides, they'll get Bonds sooner or later. For fucks sake, they were going to have Grimsley wired to try to bait Bonds into admitting. I doubt it stops there.

[Bored 0]

I really have a hard time believing Grimsley's attorney on the wiring to get Bonds. Could they really be that stupid to think Grimsley could get Bonds to confess what he does when Grimsley probably doesn't even know Bonds?

[the max 0]

the leyritz interview was on Opie and Anthony. It was a pretty good and entertaining interview (he had good stories about his ex-wife pawning his 1996 world series ring and hating Jose Canseco), but he came off as kind of an ass about the entire steroids thing.

 

It's a rough quote, but he brought up Grimsley and basically said "Why rat out everyone else?" and seemed to sour on Grimsley for turning over. Granted, Grimsley could be perceived as a rat, but Leyritz is basically saying that they have always done amphetamines, even back to the good ol' days, and he's pissed that Grimsley has screwed it up for everyone else. Overall, it was a good interview, but I disagree with Leyritz' attitude towards the steroids/amphetamines.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

the leyritz interview was on Opie and Anthony. It was a pretty good and entertaining interview (he had good stories about his ex-wife pawning his 1996 world series ring

 

That's awful...without him, Atlanta has those rings.

[the max 0]

He paid Steinbrenner 5K or so to get a new one made.

[bob_barron 0]

he had good stories about his ex-wife pawning his 1996 world series ring

 

His ex-wife is my new favourite person

[Guest Smues]

he had good stories about his ex-wife pawning his 1996 world series ring

 

His ex-wife is my new favourite person

 

I was gonna say the same thing.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Not only did that home run basically win them the World Series, but it also pretty much ended the career of Mark Wohlers, as well, no? Possibly my favorite moment in Yankee history. I loved that game.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Not only did that home run basically win them the World Series, but it also pretty much ended the career of Mark Wohlers, as well, no? Possibly my favorite moment in Yankee history. I loved that game.

Wohlers had one more good year in '97. He got Steve Blass disease in 1998 however and that was effectively the end.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Wohlers bounced around after that, I think he may have been in Cleveland at one point. He pitched for the Yankees in 2002

[Bored 0]

I hadn't known this before hand but according to this article the blood test for HGH can only detect HGH if the individual injected it right before the test. They had it in the Athens Olympics and to no surprise not a single athlete tested positive.

[Failed Bridge 0]

I'm just hoping that it eventually leads to Bonds and Giambi. Everybody knows they did steroids and I've been saying all along that Giambi has shifted to HGH and that was the reason for his ability to comeback. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

 

why just bonds and giambi?

Exactly. Such bullshit.

I would have mentioned Canseco, McGuire, Palmeiro, and Sosa too if they were still playing.

[naiwf 0]

I don't know that I believe that every guy who admits to trying drugs only did it "that one time". It just seems kind of suspect.

 

Former Yankee Leyritz admits he tried HGH

 

June 10, 2006

NY Post

 

The clock was ticking against Jim Leyritz, and he knew it. He had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder after the 2000 season and he did not have the normal recovery time -- about a year -- left on his baseball calendar. Not at age 37.

 

Leyritz had the surgery done by the renowned James Andrews. But the former Yankee said it was on his own research that he learned HGH could speed his healing and, thus, better his chances to make the Mets out of spring training in 2001. Leyritz called it a failure all-around.

 

He said he has prostate cancer in his family and, because of that, when his PSA levels began to rise after two weeks of taking HGH, he quit using. On March 17, 2001, the Mets released Leyritz, ending his career.

 

"I didn't want to get bigger and stronger, I wanted to heal faster," Leyritz said.

 

Leyritz's revelation in the aftermath of Jason Grimsley's confession to HGH use is helping to transform the impression that merely power hitters have been using illegal performance enhancers to increase home-run totals. Leyritz mostly was a reserve player in his career and Grimsley a reliever. In his affidavit to federal agents, Grimsley said he used the anabolic steroid Deca-Durabolin after his shoulder surgery in 2000, and switched to HGH after MLB began testing for steroids, both times to aid in the healing prowess.

 

Leyritz said he never used anabolic steroids and that this was his first and only association with HGH -- done as a last gasp to try to continue playing.

 

Leyritz played with Grimsley with the 1999-2000 Yankees and in 1998-99 in San Diego with admitted steroid abuser Ken Caminiti. Yet, he says while anecdotal information existed about users, he never encountered first-hand use and that the current game "is as clean as it is ever been."

 

"You have guys like Derek Jeter and A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez], and these are great athletes worried about their health and reputation," Leyritz said. "They can't afford to do this stuff and screw up."

 

Leyritz made news earlier this week by talking about his amphetamine use as a player during an interview on the Opie and Anthony radio show. Leyritz reiterated that he used "greenies" on occasion and that they were readily available to players. However, he added: "I think the idea that guys were using every day is nuts. You would be dead. This was instead of drinking 10 cups of coffee on those days you were really dragging. This was not a drug problem. Nobody was doing this in the offseason."

 

Leyritz also said he thought amphetamine use was way down in the majors even before testing for it went into effect this year. He said better knowledge about diet and exercise, plus the presence of legal energy drinks means "it is not like it was in the days of the 1970s, '80s and '90s. I don't think there is a lot now."

[The Man in Blak 0]

I'm curious to see how MLB treats Leyritz's confessions, since he actually works as a host on the radio programming that they broadcast on MLB.com.

[randomguy 0]

How many of these guys don't use HGH.

 

And why all the focus on baseball. I'm sure in football the majority of the players use some sort of crazy shit.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

How many of these guys don't use HGH.

 

And why all the focus on baseball. I'm sure in football, hockey, basketball, professional wrestling, etc. the majority of the players are junkies.

 

I don't care anymore. First of all, we don't know how big this problem is. Second of all, how far back this goes. If these guy are taking HCH and steroids, let them. If they all do it, then there all on an equal playing field.

[The Robfather 0]

No.

 

Don't let them just do it. It is cheating.

 

I never liked how Bonds was paying for the sins of an entire gen of athletes. This is way beyond one guy. I want to know who all the cheaters are.

[Failed Bridge 0]

I'm sure in football the majority of the players use some sort of crazy shit.

There's too much contact in football to risk taking steroids and HGH. You could set yourself up for a cripplin' pretty easy or worse. Look at Lyle Alzado (probably butchered his name).

[Failed Bridge 0]

oh, and found this just now.

 

Link

 

D-Backs officials said they asked and were assured by federal agents that no one on their roster is among the players Grimsley is alleged to have named during a two-hour interview with Internal Revenue Service agents April 19 in Scottsdale.

 

The pitcher was released by the Diamondbacks Wednesday morning after he became the focal point of the federal investigation.

 

The names — believed to be four current players and two former players — were blacked out in court documents released Tuesday, but the D-Backs made a point of discovering if they needed to have any further concerns.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How many of these guys don't use HGH.

 

And why all the focus on baseball. I'm sure in football, hockey, basketball, professional wrestling, etc. the majority of the players are junkies.

 

I don't care anymore. First of all, we don't know how big this problem is. Second of all, how far back this goes. If these guy are taking HCH and steroids, let them. If they all do it, then there all on an equal playing field.

The problem is that playing professional sports should not involve taking body-altering substances. It may be equal, but it's not right.

 

I'm sure in football the majority of the players use some sort of crazy shit.

There's too much contact in football to risk taking steroids and HGH. You could set yourself up for a cripplin' pretty easy or worse. Look at Lyle Alzado (probably butchered his name).

If steroids and HGH make you incredibly fragile, why would professional athletes even take them? I think one would have to be VERY naive to think there are no performance enhancing drugs in football. It's a sport that rewards brute strength.

[Failed Bridge 0]

NFL also has one of the toughest drug testing policies out there. I'm sure there are a few players taking HGH but I doubt the problem is anywhere near that of baseball.

[CanadianChris 0]

There's no way to test for HGH, though. I'd be shocked if there wasn't an HGH problem in the NFL.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Exactly. You've got an undetectable drug and millions of dollars at stake. This is a problem that encompasses all of professional sports.

[randomguy 0]

People need to read Jose Canseco's book. A lot of people are WAY WAY behind on performance enhancing substances.

 

Stuff like steroids make you brittle, or pitchers don't use because their muscles get short and tight - that information is 20 years old.

 

There are all kinds of different steroids and other performance enhancers out there that do all sorts of things. They don't all turn you into Mr. Universe.

 

Cyclists will abuse things that give them a higher density of red blood cells. Steroids can make you bigger but they can also make you come back from injury faster and help you avoid every day wear and tear.

 

It's INSANE to think that the NFL isn't full of performance enhancing substances. You have guys that weigh 250 pounds and are fast as hell. The game has gotten a lot bigger, stronger and faster. That's not just guys eating their spinach.

 

Drugs are always ahead of detection methods, and drugs today are very sophisticated. With the amount of money at stake you'd almost be a fool not to be using something.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Cyclists will abuse things that give them a higher density of red blood cells.

 

This is doping, yes?

[Damaramu 0]

I've never used Amphetamines. Anyone here ever tried? How much of an advantage would they give you?

I mean I read about football players in the early 1900's taking cocaine to help their performance. Kind of the same thing?

[Art Sandusky 0]

I suppose they'd heighten your alertness and endurance; important things to have for a sport like football. I wouldn't put it past football players to be on something to get their reaction time down.