Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Miami New Times editor blows off Bud Selig and MLB on steroid story
Posted by Mitch Perry on Wed, Mar 13, 2013 at 2:17 PM
The story was so huge that officials with MLB visited the paper's headquarters last month, hoping to gain access to clinic records that New Times obtained for its exclusive.
MLB thought there was still a chance of getting those records until Tuesday, when New Times editor Chuck Strouse reported that the paper will not hand over any records.
In the piece, Strouse acknowledged that he originally opposed the sentiments of both the author of the story, Tim Elfrink, and the paper's attorney, who wanted to refuse MLB's request. He wrote that he initially "hoped to see A-Roid and the others punished and believed walking the ethical line was the only way to make that action happen."
But Strouse goes on to say that by doing so, he would be handing over records "to a for-profit group with a seamy past," referring to MLB and its commissioner, Bud Selig.
Then there's the factor of possibly stopping future tipsters from anonymously sending anything to the New Times, a point Strouse addressed by quoting a journalism professor.
"Handing over the records makes you a tool of Major League Baseball," comments Charles Davis, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. "And you are scaring people in the future who might be thinking of calling you."
Strouse offers another interesting reason for refusing to give up the records: his issue with Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who is not generating a lot of good PR these days, especially after he seemingly traded away half his team in the past year.
One of our most significant motivations for denying baseball is right here in the tropics. His name is Jeffrey Loria, and he owns the Miami Marlins, who start regular-season play in just a few weeks. A March 1 story in the Atlantic called the pudgy art collector's stewardship of our baseball team, which has twice won the World Series, "the biggest ongoing scam in professional sports." The magazine's article describes, as New Times has in the past, how Loria hornswoggled $515 million in public backing for the stadium and parking facilities, then delivered a losing season and sold off all his best players.
Other athletes who were linked to Biogenesis of America include the 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers; Melky Cabrera, the 2012 All-Star Game MVP; Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz; New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli; San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal; and the Washington Nationals 2012 all-star pitcher Gio Gonzalez.
Last month, ESPN.com reported that Gonzalez did not receive banned substances from Bosch or the clinic. In that same report, five more baseball players were listed whose names surfaced in documents from Biogenesis: San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, 26, the reigning National League stolen-base champion; Jordan Norberto, 26, a lefty reliever with the Oakland A's; Fernando Martinez, 24, a Houston Astros outfielder; Fautino De Los Santos, 27, a reliever claimed off waivers by the Padres; and Cesar Puello, 21, a top Mets outfield prospect.
On Tuesday night, Pat Courtnay, a spokesman for MLB, told the Associated Press, "While we appreciate the New Times consideration, we have been proceeding with our investigation as if we were not going to be getting documents from them."
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