Under what possible circumstances would former Mets 1B Carlos Delgado find himself the subject of a prominent NY tabloid story in 2013? Perhaps a full-fledged apology from writers or radio hosts who dogged him throughout his Flushing tenure? Or maybe a testimonial to Delgado’s acts of charity or political conscience? No, instead we have a story about a memorabilia dealer upset that Delgado signed bats with A-Rod’s name on them and had the temerity to, y’know, get old. From the Daily News’ Michael O’Keefe :
Sports memorabilia dealer Spencer Lader and other defendants in the case want Jose Reyes, now with the Blue Jays, to tell them under oath what he knows about Delgado’s relationship with Anthony Galea, the controversial Toronto sports medicine doctor — and human growth hormone proponent — who pleaded guilty in July 2011 to transporting misbranded and unapproved drugs into the United States.
“I’m not saying Delgado used steroids, but I do have a right to know if he did,” Lader says. “We thought his name had commercial value, but everybody knows players linked to steroids have no commercial value. We thought he would be a 500 home run player but his body broke down,” Lader says. “If he used performance-enhancing drugs it was a misrepresentation and we have a right to know.”
“I want to be the first person in memorabilia to keep these people accountable,” adds Lader, whose Authentic Memorabilia made headlines in 2007 when it marketed Darryl Strawberry- and Jason Giambi-autographed baseballs that said “Everybody deserves a second chance.”
Delgado signed an agreement with Lader in 2006 that made Lader his exclusive autographed memorabilia dealer. Lader says he later brought in other partners, including Nitin Doshi, the wealthy owner of a Long Island medical imaging company. The deal had soured by 2009 when the ex-Met filed suit in Nassau County Supreme Court, claiming that Lader, Doshi and the other defendants stiffed him out of at least $767,500. The defendants dispute Delgado’s claims; Lader says he should not even be a party to the suit because Doshi bought out his interest in the deal.