If you missed it on The Baseball Show Saturday on CSN/WEEI, for Red Sox utilityman Lou Merloni talked about a time he was in a team meeting “before this last regime” when the following happened:
(Your best bet with the video is to hit play, then hit pause and let the video load entirely, and then hit play again)
If you can’t play the video, here is the important part of what Merloni said:
There’s a doctor up there and he’s talking about steroids, and everyone was like ‘here we go, we’re gonna sit here and get the whole thing — they’re bad for you.’ No. He spins it and says ‘you know what, if you take steroids and sit on the couch all winter long, you can actually get stronger than someone who works out clean, if you’re going to take steroids, one cycle won’t hurt you, abusing steroids it will.’ He sat there for one hour and told us how to properly use steroids while I’m with the Boston Red Sox, sitting there with the rest of the organization, and after this I said ‘what the heck was that?
If you watch the video, neither Sean McAdam or Steve Buckley immediately follow up on Merloni’s bombshell, Buckley instead tells Merloni he’s on a different topic altogether than what they’re talking about – which was whether it was the owners or the players association that first sounded the alarm about the dangers and entensive use of steroids. Here you had an ex-player say that the team condoned the use of steroids, and there was no real challenge or followup to the statement.
Nick Cafardo posted about the segment on the Extra Bases blog and has Merloni saying that the team never encouraged the players to use steroids, but just told them how to safely use them.
Former GM Dan Duquette is quoted in the post, denying that the incident took place. Cafardo also has Troy O’Leary and another unnamed player from the Red Sox in that era who also does not remember that meeting.
Merloni clarified on Sports Sunday that it was not a Red Sox team doctor that spoke to the club. So who was it?
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Buckley doesn’t know what news is. He thinks whatever he wants to talk about is topical, which makes him the quintessential Boston blowhard.
Felger should be working in NY, he’s that good.
McAdam is good but a little self-righteous.
Buckley is horrible and just plain self-absorbed.
Felger should be working in NY (in a hair salon), he’s that effeminate.
Thanks Gunt – THAT was very funny (and all too accurate).
Merloni is a fraud. He did a total 360 from what he was ranting about on Saturday. I have lost all respect for the guy. He cowered!
As usual Bruce you are right on with your analysis. I was driving my daughter to Dance competition when I heard Merloni’s comments live on WEEI and I was shocked neither Buckley nor McAdam (two Boston baseball people I like and respect) followed up or pressed Merloni on what he said, further they go on to try and help Merloni steer clear of bomb he just dropped. Any good reporter worth his salt would have immediately realized the importance of what Merloni had said and asked more probing questions. It has been asked many times of the media…why were they so in the bag regarding the steroid story for so long…and is McAdam and Buckley’s reaction yet another example of the complicit relationship between the two entities. Thank god for independent bloggers…at least someone is trying to do investigative reporting!
Lou Merloni opened up a HUGE can of worms that every Boston baseball writer should be attempting to rip the lid off and attempt to find out which Red Sox players, former and perhaps current (Tek?) were doing steroids. If I were the Herald sports editor, I would put together a two-person investigative team to look into this. Buckley cannot be part of the investigation because he has his nose so far up player’s butts that he would try to protect them and sweep this under the rug just so the players like him.
Lou Merloni played baseball? I thought he was Nomar’s butler.
That show is a train wreck because of Felger. He is an idiot when it comes to talking steroids and engages in the basest speculation.
Why hasn’t anyone suggested that this was all contrived to give some sort of ‘boost’ to a new TV/radio show that will need all the help it can get? I hate Felger with a passion; he always has that ‘Is-the-camera-on-ME-now?’ look. I feel very bad for his cute, attractive wife.
Chris, I wouldn’t feel too bad for ‘the Wood’, as she’s referred to by her not-better half. She married him, so she obviously wasn’t bright enough to see past his facade.
Then again, one could argue that what we see and hear of Felger is simply a ‘facade’. He is shrewd when it comes to knowing what generates attention and/or ratings.
It was about ten years ago at this time that he just started getting his face on NECN’s late night sports show and look where he is now. For better or worse these days he is Boston’s sports media king. Lynch doesn’t want it, and no one else around these parts is capable of holding the crown.
And to add a thought on Merloni, it is odd that he’s the only one right now that seems to remember this visit from an apparently unaffiliated physician. Maybe Lou is only half-remebering that specific meeting.
Has Steve Burton given Felger permission to be ‘Boston’s sports media king?’ I think Burton would be quite annoyed if anyone shared or even pushed him off that pedestal.
Buck was probably busy pimping his baseball game.
typical baseball infotainment ‘reporters’, they’ll start their steroid investigation 20 years too late.
i was in high school 20 plus years ago, at least a third of every varsity athlete i knew was shooting steroids.
steroids/peds. in pro sports is news?
only 50 year old adolescents like buckley, callahan, shank, and mcadam have pretended otherwise for the past 25 plus years. they are symptomatic of the problem. given all the access and all the resources to be on top of this story as far back as the mid to late 80s what did they do? nothing. why? because the gravy train stopped outside their door and they were/are just as complicit in the ‘crime’ they are now crying about as the owners and players.
who would look to these swollen tics for answers about anything except directions to the buffet line and if a stack of teddy twenties are still redeemable.
merloni is a dunce, his infotainment career over before it even started.
merloni is a dunce, his infotainment career over before it even started.
Merloni even claimed nomar wasn’t juicing did he see the infamous S.I.cover?
It’s surprising to me that neither Buckley or McAdam jumped on what Merloni said, if only because I figured either one of them would relish the opportunity to take another shot at the former GM of the Sox that media types like them so despised.
Funny that NO ONE (including Merloni) knows the name of this mystery doctor who gave the lecture…….hmmmm……maybe Merloni is trying to make a name for himself by telling a little “story”….wouldn’t be the first time…..SEE: John Tomase
I think following up with Merloni would be against the “code” that the EEIdiots have of not challenging one another on their complete lack of knowledge on any and every topic.
If Merloni had said these remarks in front of Sean and Buck when they were on duty as baseball writers, they’d have been all over it. They’re experienced pros.
That they didn’t do that reflects the abiding sin of talk radio, namely, that none of the participants is listening, not really listening, to what the other participants say, because they’re too busy thinking of what they are gonna say next.
Michael:
Normally I would totally agree with you but not in this case. Clearly Buckley heard Merloni and attempted to cover for him by saying the topic was something else. McAdam (who I really like and admire and have for a long time) got awful quiet at this point after being quite vocal with the Gene Orza red herring. They clearly covered for Merloni…not as bad as what Glen Ordway did today when he had Duquette on…getting Duquette to admit the team had suspicions players were using, that they brought Doctors in to discuss why the PED were harmful to players. He all but confirmed what Merloni said yet Big O let it pass. Again I was incredulous.
I think Sean and Buck for whatever reason do not want any part of this story…not 20 years ago and not today.
The reason this steroids stuff continues to drag on is because the media never did its job in the first place, and still doesn’t do it. Somebody needs to ask each and every player (Ortiz, Pujols, Howard, etc.) this simple yet point-blank question: For the record, did you ever take or have someone injected you with steroids, HGH or any performance-enhancing drug?
Ryan Howard was on ESPN radio this morning with Mike and Mike, and neither co-host asked him. It almost seems like the media are afraid to ask that question because they don’t want the player to be upset at them. It’s not that complicated. Just ask the DAMN question!
Why would asking the DAMN question mean anything? Barry Bonds was asked the question. Roger Clemens was asked the question. Palmeiro was asked. Arod was asked. They all said no.
Ortiz, Howard, Pujols, etc – do you think if they are asked they are going to say yes if they have? Not a chance.
Marc:
The reason for asking the question is simply to get an on-the-record denial from the player and give him the opportunity to clear his name — not because he has ever been suspected of taking steroids but because he wants to let the public know that his performance has never been enhanced by steroids.
You have to understand that no player is going to call a bunch of reporters over his locker and volunteer the information that he NEVER took steroids. But if somebody asks a player who presumably never did and truly was innocent, I’ll bet that player would be happy to answer it. If he’s lying, it will eventually leak out.
It’s unfortunate that just about every player in this era is guilty until proven innocent. There is no better way for a player to prove he is innocent by publicly stating he has never taken steroids. I believe once a big name slugger comes out and says on the record that he never took steroids, others will follow.
When will someone get on the NFL, which has a far worse steroids problem than baseball?
nobody cares about steroids in the NFL…(I don’t care about them in baseball to tell ya the truth)….but it’s a big deal in baseball because of the sacred,hallowed, holier than thou baseball record book
I gotta agree with you AOB.
I know I am going to get slammed for this… but.. Personally… whatever guys take… the bottom line is they are only damaging themselves in the future, and shortening their own lives.
If that were the case, the others should be following already. Sports Illustrated ran a cover story on Pujols during spring training where he denied ever using steroids.
they need neumie back on that show with buck + mcadam
lose felger + lou ASAP
merloni certainly talks more like an established big leaguer than a AAAA guy. i wish they’d question him more in general
Pujols denied steroid use in the Sports Illustrated story because he was asked whether he ever did it. The reporter was smart enough to ask. If other reporters did the same, other players would answer the question. But again, reporters are too gutless to broach the steroid topic with players for fear of alienating themselves.
What a joke this whole boondoggle is. Let all the talking heads, baseball players, writers, etc cannibalize themselves over this Steroid era. I won’t waste one second on it.