Juiced Up Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have asked you, the baseball-loving public, to please not judge them based on "unsubstantiated allegations" brought on by the Mitchell Report, which named 19 former and current O's players, along with 60-some others. I'm not sure how "unsubstantiated" the allegations are, considering some of them have admitting to using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

All-Stars Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts were among the current sluggers named, which was no surprise to their former teammate, Larry Bigbie.

An open former steroids-user, Bigbie told investigators that in 2004, Roberts admitted to him that he had "injected himself once or twice with steroids in 2003." He also claimed to have seen Tejada inject himself with B12 in the bathroom... which sounds kinda seedy and gross.

Rafael Palmeiro, who shook an undaunting finger before Congress, asserting that he had never used the cream or the clear, was suspended from the club in August 2005 after a positive steroid test. He credited the failed sample on a spiked B12 shot he supposedly received from Tejada, who was traded to the Houston Astros the day before the Report came out.

Another current Oriole, Jay Gibbons, was grounded for the first 15 days of next season after the commissioner's office learned he received HGH after January 2005, when it was banned by MLB. Gibbons admitted he was at fault and promptly apologized.

Other former Baltimore players named in the report -- some of whom still play baseball -- include: David Segui, who came clean just before the Mitchell Report was released, Jerry Hairston Jr., Jason Grimsley, Jack Cust, Tim Laker, Gregg Zaun, Kevin Brown, Howie Clark, Todd Williams, Manny Alexander, Kent Mercker, Gary Matthews Jr., Ricky Bones and Darren Holmes.

Listen to Anthony from the Oriole Post and Ian from SOX & Dawgs at 3pm ET Sunday for a special edition of The Hits Keep Coming, their weekly radio show (which regularly airs every Wednesday evening at 7pm ET) where they'll be discussing the findings of the Roid Report.

[Baltimore Sun]