Ankiel, Glaus linked to Florida pharmacy
NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball asked Friday to meet with Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus after the pair were accused of receiving performance-enhancing drugs from a Florida pharmacy under investigation for illegally distributing prescription medications.
Ankiel, who has hit 9 homers since rejoining the St. Louis Cardinals last month, received eight shipments of human growth hormone from January to December 2004, the Daily News reported Friday.
Glaus, a four-time all-star now with the Toronto Blue Jays, received multiple shipments of nandrolone and testosterone between September 2003 and May 2004, SI.com reported.
"We're going to look into both sets of allegations," said Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president of labor relations.
Manfred would not go into details, but MLB already had requested meetings with the two players, a person familiar with the request said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.
Michael Weiner, the general counsel of the players union, declined comment.
Initially in a brief session with reporters Friday before the Cardinals game at Arizona, Ankiel acknowledged HGH was among the medications he was prescribed following elbow surgery in 2004. Later in the interview, he refused to identify any of the medications he took.
"All and any medications that I've received in my career has always been under a doctor's care, a licensed physician."
HGH was not banned by baseball until 2005. Ankiel said he would cooperate with any investigation.
Ankiel sat beside Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty in the visitors' dugout at Chase Field as he answered questions.
"Everything was legal," Jocketty said. "There was no violation of major-league rules. There was no violation of any laws."
Glaus in St. Petersburg, Fla., for Toronto's game at Tampa Bay, did not stop when reporters tried to speak with him before and after batting practice. Mike Nicotera, Glaus's agent, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
In May, the Yankees' Jason Giambi met with baseball lawyers after comments that many interpreted as an admission of steroids use. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig then pressured Giambi to meet with steroids investigator George Mitchell. After Giambi spoke with Mitchell in July, Selig announced Giambi would not be disciplined.
Giambi is the only active player known to have met with Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director who is a former Senate Majority Leader. Players on the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers received letters Friday from Mitchell asking them to contact him with anything they might know about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
"They're wasting paper," the Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra said.