Kirk the Monstrously Informative Batboy

[G-Fafif]

The former Met batboy (1985-1995) turned dealer (1995-2005) who talked...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042701332.html?hpid=topnews

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

news travels fast!

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

]Former Mets Employee Distributed Steroids By Amy Shipley Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, April 27, 2007; 4:13 PM SAN FRANCISCO, April 27 -- A former employee of the New York Mets admitted to distributing a variety of performance-enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, to dozens of Major League Baseball players over a 10-year period beginning in 1995, according to a plea agreement filed in federal court Friday. Kirk J. Radomski, a personal trainer who said he worked for the Mets from 1985-95, agreed to cooperate with the group led by former Sen. George Mitchell that Major League Baseball appointed to investigate drug use in baseball, as part of a plea deal accepted at the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California Friday by Judge Susan Illston. Radomski, 37, admitted to supplying drugs to players throughout the league and laundering the proceeds of those sales. He pleaded guilty to one count of distributing anabolic steroids and one count of felony money laundering and faces up to 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. A confidential informant told the FBI that Radomski was a major drug source in professional baseball who took over after the steroid bust of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) in 2003, according to a federal search warrant affadavit filed in connection with the case. "This individual was a major dealer of anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs whose clientele was focused almost exclusively on Major League Baseball players," assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Parrella said after Radomski entered the plea. "He operated for approximately a decade." Parrella said Radomski was a batboy, clubhouse assistant and equipment manager for the Mets. The BALCO investigation resulted in five criminal convictions and more than a dozen doping suspensions of track and field athletes. It also led to a perjury investigation of San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, and indictments of track coach Trevor Graham and former cyclist Tammy Thomas. As part of the plea deal, Radomski agreed to testify at any grand jury proceeding requested by the government and participate in undercover activities under the supervision of law enforcment officials. The indictment represents a signficant blow to Major League Baseball, which has been trying to shake free of the drug scandal as Bonds approaches the all-time Major Leaugue home run record, which he is expected to eclipse this summer. No Major League Baseball players were identified in the court filings associated with the case, but names and paragraphs of text were redacted from the federal search warrant affadavit filed in December 2005. The affadavit listed 23 checks worth more than $30,000 that federal investigators alleged were deposited by individuals associated with Major League Baseball into Radomski's personal bank account between May 2003, and March 2005. The search warrant alleged that a confidential source received five orders of anabolic steroids from Radomski. Human growth hormone, anabolic steroids, clomiphene, insulin growth factor and clenbuterol were seized from Radomski's New York home on Dec. 14, 2005. Jeff Novitzky, an IRS special agent who has been the lead investigator on the BALCO case, wrote in the affadavit that he received a tip about Radomski from a confidential FBI source in Feburary 2005. The source placed the first of five drug orders from Radomski through an unidentifed Major League Baseball contact on March 19, 2005.

[stevejrogers]

="Amy Shipley Washington Post Staff Writer"]. Kirk J. Radomski, a personal trainer who said he worked for the Mets from 1985-95 Parrella said Radomski was a batboy, clubhouse assistant and equipment manager for the Mets.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It's also a mistake for a reader to interpret a descriptive term for an official job title. It's vague, and that's the writer's fault but not a bungling of facts, necessarily.

I sincerely doubt your theory that he lied to boost his profile. He's not even talking to the Post as far as I can tell.

[stevejrogers]

Fair point, though if you are telling a US Goverment Official certain information during an interrogation, isn't it better to say that you were higher up on a food chain than you actually were. Kind of makes the case a tad more explosive coming from someone who worked with a high ranking title than just a part-time employee member of the rank & file, basically working season-to-season rather than a full fledged member of the New York Mets organization.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Yes, lying while trying to beat criminal charges is a great strategy.

[Guest Kid Carsey]

Steve, the guy's looking at getting twenty-five years in the big house. You
think the Feds care what his titles were or that the guy is trying to impress
them by embellishing his resume?

[Guest Edgy DC]

You know, part of Sandy Alomar's job is instructing infielders, but he doesn't have the title of Infield Instructor.

[Guest iramets]

You guys are looking at a story headed "Former Mets Employee Distributed Steroids" and you're focusing on his job title? Big picture, fellas, big picture--whose name is he gonna name? That's the question here.

He may have worked in the visiting clubhouse, but he clearly knew the Met players--you gotta figure he sold steroids to some of them. The question is --WHO?

HoJo? Strawberry? K-Mac? Some big Mets-heroes are shitting bricks this morning, I promise you that. Be prepared to re-think your admiration for some Mets, or alternatively to rethink your scorn for rationalizing Giants fans because you're about to start offering up some of their weaker justifications for Bonds' big head. (I never really understood how you get your skull to grow, BTW--I don't see how bone or scalp responds to exercise, but that's a whole nother story.)

[Frayed Knot]

Of course the timeline says that he worked for the Mets for a certain time and then went into dealing which, if true, might not make NYM players anymore nervous than others. Remember that the Pittsburgh clubhouse caterer caught dealing recreational drugs in the '80s seemed to be an equal opportunity implicator.
I suspect there's more than a couple nervous players all over MLB on account of this.



Great subject heading, btw.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

You guys = Rogers

I wouldn't guess there'd be many of us who'd be surprised to have found some former Mets *cough* Hundley! *cough* of that era who were users, and many since. I mentally adjust for the Questionable Training Era to have begun in say, 1988.

[Guest iramets]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: You guys = Rogers I wouldn't guess there'd be many of us who'd be surprised to have found some former Mets *cough* Hundley! *cough* of that era who were users, and many since. I mentally adjust for the Questionable Training Era to have begun in say, 1988.

Well, Rogers wasn't the only one discussing the job title, as if the real scandal had to do with his misrepresenting his resume. Just getting the conversation back on track, is all.

Your coughing spasm brings to mind all of the vague allegations about Hundley, in which BV made some cryptic "lifestyle" comments that were never really clear. Now maybe we'll understand?

[Frayed Knot]

I think the Valentine/Hundley comments were mostly about late nights and drinking - something Hundley pretty much copped to later on. Not that roids in addition to that would surprise me, but I doubt that was specifically what BV was talking about.


Roids + Met will always equal Dykstra in my mind

[Guest Kid Carsey]

I was going to remind ira that fellas is plural and it's Roger's silly rant.

ira: Be prepared to re-think your admiration for some Mets, or alternatively to rethink your scorn for rationalizing Giants fans because you're about to start offering up some of their weaker justifications for Bonds' big head.

Seriously, why do you talk to us like you're on one level of understanding
and the rest of us are just a peg or two below or a step or two behind you?
It's a real turn-off.

I ain't gonna re-think anything if a couple of ex-Mets were juicers and there's
little if no comparison to Bonds' fans.

[Guest Kid Carsey]

Bingo on Dykstra, classic example.

[Guest iramets]

Kid Carsey wrote: Seriously, why do you talk to us like you're on one level of understanding and the rest of us are just a peg or two below or a step or two behind you?

I dunno, maybe because you "ain't gonna re-think anything" including your pride in watching the Mets compete even if it's someday demonstrated that steroids were invented in Wilpon's laboratory, and that they've been pushing juice for decades out of Shea. The Mets have stayed pretty clean, Mota aside, and their fans have taken pleasure out of castigating Bonds and Giambi and such, without much blowback. That may be changing soon. I know you're fully prepared to go, "Oh that's all in the past, and who cares about ancient history--LGM!!" but some people might feel tainted by a steroid scandal. Not you, I understand.

[Guest iramets]

Frayed Knot wrote: Roids + Met will always equal Dykstra in my mind

Didn't Dykstra get all pumped up all as a Phillie, though? Statisticaly, he stayed pretty steady during his Met career, and only turned into a monster (literally and figuratively) when his cap turned red, right?

[stevejrogers]

iramets wrote: You guys are looking at a story headed "Former Mets Employee Distributed Steroids" and you're focusing on his job title? Big picture, fellas, big picture--whose name is he gonna name? That's the question here. He may have worked in the visiting clubhouse, but he clearly knew the Met players--you gotta figure he sold steroids to some of them. The question is --WHO? HoJo? Strawberry? K-Mac? Some big Mets-heroes are shitting bricks this morning, I promise you that. Be prepared to re-think your admiration for some Mets, or alternatively to rethink your scorn for rationalizing Giants fans because you're about to start offering up some of their weaker justifications for Bonds' big head. (I never really understood how you get your skull to grow, BTW--I don't see how bone or scalp responds to exercise, but that's a whole nother story.)

I think some Met fans have done that when we resigned Mota while he was under suspension!

[stevejrogers]

iramets wrote: ="Frayed Knot"]Roids + Met will always equal Dykstra in my mind Didn't Dykstra get all pumped up all as a Phillie, though? Statisticaly, he stayed pretty steady during his Met career, and only turned into a monster (literally and figuratively) when his cap turned red, right?

It started after the 1986 season, he really became homer happy and showed up in ST of 1987 alot bulkier

[Guest Kid Carsey]

ira: >>>I know you're fully prepared to go, "Oh that's all in the past, and who cares about ancient history--LGM!!"<<<

Overly mis characterizing some us as pom-pom wavers is pretty old and
a turn off as well.

It's this dismissive tone and lumping the forum in general at times into one
big heap of people who are blinded by something you imagine that makes
me freakin' nuts.

I just had an epiphany, I think. Maybe it's gas.

[Guest iramets]

SteveJRogers wrote: I think some Met fans have done that when we resigned Mota while he was under suspension!

Yeah, and that's been pretty well rationalized with "Well, he 'fessed up, not like these lying creeps like Bonds or these evasive motherfuckers llike Giambi--he admitted what he done, like a real man does, takes his punishment, and when he's done with his suspension, we're going to welcome him back as a returnng hero, who's done his time and whose soul is as clean as a hound's tooth! LGM!"

A little tougher if you find out your clubhouse has been Steroid Central for a decade or so.

[stevejrogers]

iramets wrote: Well, Rogers wasn't the only one discussing the job title, as if the real scandal had to do with his misrepresenting his resume. Just getting the conversation back on track, is all.

To be fair my concern is more about slipshod journalism and/or copyediting on the article and a wrong assumption that a guy facing 25 years would lie about his resume to better the case.

[Guest iramets]

Kid Carsey wrote: some us as pom-pom wavers.

No, just you.

i wouldn't want to make the mistake of characterizing all CPFers with the same tar-brush I'm using on your remarks. Sometimes it's easier to see what we're talking bout without all those goddamned pom-poms in my face. My point --where's that sig line from CF, anyway?--is that if you're prepared to castigate the Yankees for benefiting from steroid abuse, and claim some higher pedestral for your team's honesty, you may have to ask them to move over a bit to make room for you right next to them, if this story breaks as I'm thinking it might. I'm asking if you're prepared for that somewhat humbling exercise. Clearly, you're not.

[Guest Iubitul]

Actually, three names immediately pop into my mind when I think of Mets and steroids - the aforementioned Hundley and Dykstra - Steve is correct - Dykstra got homer happy after his '86 post-season heroics, and showed up in '87 a lot bulkier... The third name? Rey Ordonez.

[Guest Iubitul]

iramets wrote: HoJo? Strawberry? K-Mac?

K-Mac? Mr. body-by-McDonalds? ROFLMAO

Strawberry? I doubt that - he was always lean and muscular from the time he came up - his body type never really changed while he was with the Mets.

Hojo? That could be possible - that could explain his shoulder problems...

[Guest Kid Carsey]

ira: >>>i wouldn't want to make the mistake of characterizing all CPFers with the same tar-brush I'm using on your remarks. Sometimes it's easier to see what we're talking bout without all those goddamned pom-poms in my face. My point --where's that sig line from CF, anyway?--is that if you're prepared to castigate the Yankees for benefiting from steroid abuse, and claim some higher pedestral for your team's honesty, you may have to ask them to move over a bit to make room for you right next to them, if this story breaks as I'm thinking it might. I'm asking if you're prepared for that somewhat humbling exercise. Clearly, you're not.<<<

Pass the pipe, I wanna get high too, must be some powerful shit. I don't
castigate the Yankee benefiting from steroids ... you're making stuff up. I
have made fun of Gee I Am Bi's neck being the size of Mo Vaughn's left
butt check ... and it was. Humbling exercise? Where's the lighter? It's out.
I have no horse in the Hojostramac was a juicer race.

Higher pedestal for your team's honesty? Where do you get this stuff?

[Guest Edgy DC]

iramets wrote: ="Johnny Dickshot"]You guys = Rogers I wouldn't guess there'd be many of us who'd be surprised to have found some former Mets *cough* Hundley! *cough* of that era who were users, and many since. I mentally adjust for the Questionable Training Era to have begun in say, 1988. Well, Rogers wasn't the only one discussing the job title, as if the real scandal had to do with his misrepresenting his resume. Just getting the conversation back on track, is all.

Which is exactly what the rest of us were trying to do with Rogers' tack.

I think it's pretty near established already that HoJo has cheated. The problem is not the pom-poms in your face.

[Guest iramets]

Kid Carsey wrote: I have made fun of Gee I Am Bi's neck being the size of Mo Vaughn's left butt check ... and it was. Where do you get this stuff?

From you, of course. If you've made fun of various Yankees suspected of steroid use, and you have (what? you're mocking Giambi's neck size but not the reason for it? Get off it), then I'd like to hear similar mockery directed at various Mets if they're accused in the coming weeks on the same basis as you mocked Giambi.

What's that? You're not an equal opportunity mocker? That's okay, I am.

[Guest Kid Carsey]

Whatever. I'm gonna go sulk in the corner knowing my slice of humble pie
is in the oven. Sheesh.