Lo Duca acknowledges his 'mistake'

Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca addressed his inclusion in the Mitchell Report for the first time Saturday, acknowledging what he called "a mistake."

Lo Duca, who played with the Mets the past two seasons, was among the more prominent players cited in baseball investigator George Mitchell's report on drug use in the sport, which was released Dec. 13. That was two days after Washington announced it signed the former Mets backstop to a one-year, $5 million contract.

"You do something wrong in your life and you get away with it, you still have something inside you that burns," Lo Duca said, his shoulders slumping and his fingers fidgeting with the folds of his orange T-shirt. "And, um, it's been a big relief for me to know that I've come to grips with it. That I made a mistake."

His name appears 37 times in the 409-page report, which said he received shipments of human growth hormone from -- and put other players in touch with -- admitted steroid distributor Kirk Radomski, a former New York Mets clubhouse employee. Radomski pleaded guilty in April.

Good start for Schmidt: Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt, a question mark entering spring training, looked impressive in his first bullpen outing and was all smiles afterward.

"Knock on wood, I hate to even say anything. I was pain-free," he said in Vero Beach, Fla. "I'm feeling free and easy. Stamina up, arm strength, too. (But) we're not out of the woods."

The Dodgers signed Schmidt to a three-year, $47 million contract last winter hoping he'd join Brad Penny and Derek Lowe atop their rotation. Instead, the 35-year-old right-hander was limited to 6 starts before undergoing surgery June 20 to repair an inflamed bursa, a torn labrum and a frayed biceps tendon in his right shoulder.