[ A-Ram, competitive pet owner, baseball historian, has harsh words for A-Rod on his revisionist 2003. For the record, no Ramirez rooster ever juiced.]
While it’s not the one-on-one Peter Gammons interview with A-Rod’s cousin that we’re all waiting for, The Trib’s Paul Sullivan manages to open up an interesting question today between Aramis Ramirez and Derreck Lee at the Cubs training camp in Mesa. To wit, A-Ram’s calling out A-Rod on those “anything goes” days of 2003 and his split of opinion with Derreck Lee on what to do with the 104 sealed names mlb has on who tested positive in 2004, a list that would end lots of current speculation immediately.
A-Rod reaction: Aramis Ramirez believes the list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 should be released.
“[If not,] then everybody is going to be looking over your shoulder, saying, ‘They might have done it, they might have done it,’ ” he said. “Let’s just get it over with.”
Ramirez insisted he has never used steroids and doesn’t accept Alex Rodriguez’s contention that it was part of the baseball culture earlier in the decade.
“It wasn’t,” Ramirez said. “Not everybody used it. I didn’t do it. I know a lot of guys I’m pretty sure didn’t do it.”
Lee was against the release of names because the tests were supposed to be anonymous and confidential.
“I know guys who did it and their names haven’t come out,” he said.
Lee has had to deny that he took steroids.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten the question,” he said. “It’s unfortunate. If you played in this era, you’re going to be questioned.”