About the attention he drew upon himself, Arroyo said, “That’s what happens when you speak the truth.”
“From 1998 to 2003, I took andro,” he said. “That was the big year of Mark McGwire and he had the stuff sitting in his locker and everybody was made aware of the fact that he took that stuff and so everybody went out and tried it.
“I took it in the Arizona Fall League that year and I felt like I could hit my head on the rim of a basketball hoop because me and Mike Lincoln would see our therapist and then go shoot hoops until midnight or one in the morning,” Arroyo added. “I felt unbelievable on the stuff. So I took the product from different companies until '03 when they told me that it could give me a positive test. So I don't take it any more.”
Arroyo said he continued to use creatin, vitamins and proteins, “things I always took.”
Amphetamines?
“Ah, man, yes. Of course I took a damn greenie before a day game, a freakin' 12:35 game and facing Johan Santana? You think I ain't gonna take a greenie? C'mon,” he said. Then when they were banned in 2006, he says quit taking them, too.
“Honestly, I'd love to take nothing,” he said. “I'd love to wake up in the morning and have some cereal and fruit, then have a good lunch and take a multivitamin for the day. The reality is, I'm not going to be as good of a major-league pitcher if I do. I can't do those other things until I retire. Until then (he banged on a small door on his dressing cubicle), this is filled with crap and I'm going to continue to take the (legal) stuff.”
Arroyo said he told the Boston writer that anybody's name could show up on the list of 104 from 2003 because some of the stuff players took was called protein supplements, “And you think you know what's in a can of protein from GNC, but you don't know unless you take it to a lab. I’ll take everything and anything from GNC if you tell me I’ll feel better on the field.
“I take tons of supplements right now that are not on the (banned) list and I’ve passed all my tests since ’04, since they started testing,” he said.
Arroyo says he has not heard from the players union that he flunked the test and is on the list, nor does he plan to call and ask.
“I could care less,” he said. “It don’t matter to me. The only reason I’m in the middle of this is that somebody I talk to a lot (a Boston writer) texted me (Thursday) and asked if I’d talk about Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. I’m just defending those guys, saying until you know the whole truth, you can’t really convict those guys.”
Volquez shut down
There were fears and there were whisperings in the Reds clubhouse for more than a month that there might be something more to pitcher Edinson Volquez’s problems than elbow inflammation.
It came to fruition Friday when Volquez, scheduled for a simulated game, threw a few pitches and walked off the mound at 3:37, clutching his elbow.
While manager Dusty Baker remains optimistic, it wouldn’t be shocking if Volquez underwent surgery.
“It's very disappointing,” said Baker. “My trainer (Mark Mann) told me there was a 50/50 chance this could happen. Volquez said he felt some tightness, not in the same area, but in the same muscle. Now it’s back to the drawing board all over again. That’s one thing I wasn't expecting and now he has to see the doctor to assess what is best for him now and for the future. We want to get him back healthy, especially for next year. I'm very concerned, but I have full confidence in Dr. Tim Kremchek and full confidence in modern medicine.
Quote(s) of the day
—“How come you didn’t invoke your no-trade contract.” — Jonny Gomes to Jerry Hairston Jr., as Hairston packed after being traded to the New York Yankees.
—“Give me his number. I’ll call him to make sure he shows up.” — pitcher Bronson Arroyo when he heard Scott Rolen had to approve his trade to Cincinnati.
—“It’s like telling your wife you’re going to Hawaii — she doesn’t believe you until it happens.” — manager Dusty Baker on how he felt about trade talks with Toronto about Scott Rolen.
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