Background work...
After reading an article at espn.go.com which is credited to, "ESPN.com news services" and the AP, entitled, "Wright says good friend Lo Duca deserves penalty if Mitchell report true", in which David Wright states that he believes that Paul Lo Duca, "...his former teammate deserves 'a harsh penalty' if allegations that Lo Duca used steroids or human growth hormone are proved true," I texted my good friend Runner, a lifetime Mets' fan, for a quick interview to see what light he could shed on Wright and Lo Duca's relationship...
Q: Wur Lo Duca and Wright frnz n NY?
A: Not sur, y?
Q: Wright sed n rtcle that LoD shld b punished
4 takng 'roids. Thot u mite have sum
anecdotal evidns of a frndshp/rivlry?
A: Don't try 2 bait me...
Q: just doing sum homwrk 4 a post.
A: Plz. U must not thnk much of me.
Q: U R 1 paranoid Mets' fan...NOW TELL ME WHO PUT
THE NOTE IN MILLEDGE'S LOCKER!!??
A: ??
Q: In 1st year n NY some1 put note n Lastings Milldge's
locker that said, "Know UR role rook"
A: They were rite...
Q: Stop hating...running low on txts 2...talk to u l8r & I will
quote this xchang 2nite...
A: Again, rookie, u need a plan w/ unmltd txt...
Q: I hav unlimited internet...come over and watch me '
google $^%& (expletive deleted).
A: PFFFT!
The Source...
In the article quoting David Wright at espn.com yesterday (1/24), the New York Mets third baseman says that he has spoken with his friend, new Nationals' and former Mets' catcher Paul Lo Duca this winter, but not about the allegations, included in the Mitchell Report, that Lo Duca had received "steroids or human growth hormone", though, Wright says, friend or not, he has always believed firmly that steroid users should be punished harshly.
espn.go.com and the AP quote David Wright, who states:
"'I'd like to think maybe there's some fabrication, maybe it
[the Mitchell report] is not all true," Wright said to the New
York City-area media attending the event. "But I've said
from day one, whether it's my best friend in the game or
whoever, that if they get caught, if they fail a drug test, if
there's substantial evidence they used steroids, there
should be a harsh penalty.
"'He's a guy I'd go to battle for any day. But when you're
talking about steroids, you're talking about something
that's illegal. No matter how close a friend, I can't condone
steroids.'"
The Mitchell Report, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article, "Nationals have ties to Mitchell Report", from 12/13/07, alleges that:
"...Lo Duca purchased human growth hormone from Kirk
Radomski, a bat boy, equipment manager and clubhouse
attendant for the Mets from 1985-95. The report said that
Lo Duca made these purchases as a member of the
Dodgers and Marlins."
Lo Duca hit for a .320 AVG, 25 HR's and 90 RBI's in 2001, his first extended stay in the Majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after never having hit for more than 8 HR's or 69 RBI's in any full season of baseball before that year, though he'd always hit for a high average, Lo Duca was 29 years old when he finally broke through to the Majors that season, and as a reward for his 2001 success, in February of 2002, Lo Duca signed with LA for 3-years and $7.25 million dollars.
Paul Lo Duca has never again matched his power numbers from the 2001 season, never hitting more than 10 HR's in a season since, or collecting more than 64 RBI's in a single season, which leaves that '01 season, when he also happened to be working towards his first big big-league contract, as a suspicious anomaly...
...But that's also what bothers me about the Mitchell Report, we'll most likely never know what really happened with most players, it's only goal seems to have been to shed light on the situation, and in doing so shame the players whose names appeared withing its pages, completely neglecting to call for any accountability from the players, owners or MLB executives who all appear to have at the very least turned a blind eye to the situation throughout the entire "Steroid-Era."
Several players are being called to testify before Congress about their alleged involvement with performance enhancing drugs, with several facing possible criminal charges for obstructing justice by lying under oath, but no one else, not one owner or League executive has been punished anywhere but in the court of public opinion, and the man who oversaw the era as Commisioner of Baseball during those years, Bud Selig, was just given a three-year extension, in spite of all the evidence that has surfaced in the Mitchell investigation that somehow escaped MLB's detection for over a decade...
Footnote...
And Then...
MLB.com's Bill Ladson checks in with this article today (1/25) at washington.nationals.mlb.com, "Notes: Lo Duca suffers knee injury" in which Mr. Ladson writes that, "Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca suffered a left knee injury this week while working out in a New York gym."
The injury, which Mr. Ladson describes as a "tweak" of the knee will be checked out by the Nationals' team doctors early Monday, with a report from the team to follow at the end of the week. If the injury is serious, the only catchers listed on the Nationals Depth Chart at this time are Jesus Flores, Humberto Cota and Chad Moeller...Jesus Flores might have to mature quicker than expected...
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=was
*Wright/Lo Duca/Mitchell Report Links*
ESPN.com's ESPN.com news services and AP article, "Wright says good friend Lo Duca deserves penalty if Mitchell report true":
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3212629
mlb.com's Bill Ladson's article, "Nationals have ties to Mitchell Report", at washington.nationals.mlb.com:
mlb.com's Bill Ladson's article, "Notes: Lo Duca suffers knee injury", at washington.nationals.mlb.com:
Paul Lo Duca's career stats at thebaseballcube.com: