Teammates deny steroid use, By: John Tomase
June 23, 2006
Former teammates of Paxton Crawford closed ranks yesterday, denying to a man they ever witnessed steroid use in the Red Sox clubhouse, one day after Crawford described a rampant drug culture in an interview with ESPN.
"I would say most of the guys on the team wouldn't even remember who Paxton Crawford was, that's how little he was there," former Sox second baseman Jeff Frye said. "I think Paxton's a guy that probably saw things a little differently than everyone else."
Crawford told ESPN that minor league teammates introduced him to various steroids in 1999 and that major leaguers turned him on to human growth hormone and amphetamines during brief stints in 2000 and 2001.
"Nobody offered me anything as I was aging in my career, especially inside that locker room," former catcher Mike Stanley said. "I had heard guys talk about it in other places, but never once in 15 years did I see a needle or any drugs. Maybe I had my head in the sand."
Dartmouth native and former Sox starter Brian Rose said he remembered Crawford failing a drug test while in the minors. Former farm director Kent Qualls refused comment when asked for confirmation yesterday, though it's neither here nor there after Crawford's admissions.
Rose has a problem with former players tainting the game, even Crawford, whom he considered a friend.
"I'm a fan now, too," he said. "It's unfortunate this cloud continues to hang over baseball. For guys not playing anymore, it's easy to say, 'Hey, I did it back then and now I'm coming out clean.' If these guys wanted to stand up for each other, they should have come out while they were playing."
Former Red Sox infielder John Valentin was rehabbing a torn patella tendon and foot injuries during Crawford's time in Boston. He doubted Crawford's story, despite the specificity of drugs Crawford named, from Deca to Winstrol to HGH.
"He wasn't with us very long in 2001," Valentin said. "For him to speculate that the team was doing steroids, how would he even know, per se, if he's a young player?"
Stanley considered himself a team leader before being released on July 31, 2000. He'd like to think he would have known about drug use, but now he's not so sure.
"I felt like I was a pretty integral part of that clubhouse, being a veteran, if not necessarily a captain," Stanley said.
Frye is now an agent. During his playing career he was the last guy anyone would have accused of shooting up, given his generous listing of 5-foot-9, 165 pounds. He said a Single-A coach with the Rangers told him he should use in 1989 if he wanted to reach the big leagues.
"I told him, 'If I'm not big enough, I'm not big enough,' " Frye said. "I wasn't going to make it that way."
Frye admitted he considered steroids in an attempt to extend his career in 2001 with the Blue Jays, when injuries limited him to 175 at-bats.
"My body was killing me and I couldn't go on," he said. "Under normal conditions I would never have considered it. I thought about it and decided one more year in the big leagues wasn't going to make a difference. It wasn't worth the risk."
Crawford apparently decided differently. And as a result of him speaking out, anyone who played for the Red Sox in 2000 and 2001 is viewed as a potential cheater, which bothers Stanley.
"Jeff Frye. You're telling me he was a user?" Stanley said. "Troy O'Leary. Nomar. Varitek would probably wring your neck if you suspected him. Same with Trot -- he spent hours and hours in the weight room. I'm trying to think back to my teams. Pedro. John Valentin. Even Mo Vaughn wasn't that big. I've just rattled off eight or 10 names. I can't imagine that any of them were doing anything."
Many players wonder when the accusations will cease. Rose works for the Bristol County DA in places like Fall River and New Bedford, speaking to children about the dangers of drugs and gangs. He's asked if kids inquire about steroids.
"All they want to know is what it's like to pitch in Fenway," he said. "That's the way it should be. Every player that reaches the major leagues, it's a dream come true. To have this cloud still lingering is unfortunate and unnecessary."
