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Lo Duca Breaks Silence: 'I Made A Mistake'

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The Associated Press

Published: February 17, 2008

VIERA - Addressing his inclusion in the Mitchell Report for the first time, Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca acknowledged what he called "a mistake" - without coming right out and explaining exactly what he was apologizing for.

The four-time All-Star was among the more prominent players cited in baseball investigator George Mitchell's report on drug use in the sport, which was released Dec. 13. That was two days after Washington announced it signed Lo Duca to a $5 million, one-year contract.

"You do something wrong in your life and you get away with it, you still have something inside you that burns," Lo Duca said, his shoulders slumping and his fingers fidgeting with the folds of his orange T-shirt. "And, um, it's been a big relief for me to know that I've come to grips with it. That I made a mistake."

His name appears 37 times in the 409-page report, which said he received shipments of human growth hormone from - and put other players in touch with - admitted steroid distributor Kirk Radomski, a former New York Mets clubhouse employee. Radomski pleaded guilty in April.

Lo Duca was completely silent on the matter for more than two months. But Saturday, he issued a statement through the team in the morning, saying: "In regards to Senator Mitchell's Report, I apologize ... for mistakes in judgment I made in the past."

Then he held a news conference shortly after arriving at Washington's spring training facility in the afternoon. Even then, Lo Duca was not very expansive.

Asked whether the Mitchell Report was accurate about him, Lo Duca said: "I'm not going to comment on that."

When another reporter asked what he was apologizing for, Lo Duca replied, "Come on, bro'. Next question."

Radomski was one of the main sources for Mitchell's work. He gave Mitchell's investigators copies of checks he said were from Lo Duca, each in the amount of $3,200. Radomski said those were for HGH.

The report also included handwritten notes from Lo Duca to Radomski, one of which was seized from Radomski's house during a search by federal agents and read, in part: "Kirk, Sorry! But for some reason they sent the check back to me." Another note in the report read: "Thanks, call me if you need anything! Paul."

Study: A-Rod Was Better Fielder At SS Than Jeter

BOSTON - Hit 'em where they ain't is ancient advice to baseball batters. Now statistics explain why it works.

Based on his time with the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez is one of the game's best shortstops, according to researchers led by Shane T. Jensen of the University of Pennsylvania. Rodriguez now plays third base for the New York Yankees.

Using a complex statistical method, researchers concluded that one of the worst at shortstop is A-Rod's teammate, three-time Gold Glove-winner Derek Jeter. The findings were presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

That method involved looking at every ball put in play in major-league baseball from 2002 through 2005 and recorded where the shots went. Researchers then developed a probability model for the average fielder in each position and compared that with the performance of individual players to see who was better or worse than average.

Comparing Jeter and A-Rod, Jensen said, "suggests the Yankees have one of the best defensive shortstops playing out of position in deference to one of the worst defensive shortstops." A-Rod won two Gold Gloves as a shortstop before he came to New York in 2004.

Jensen said balls put into play fell into two categories:

•Grounders made up 42 percent. Fielding them required a player to move either left or right.

•Flies (33 percent) and liners (25 percent) make a fielder move left or right and either forward or backward.

The Rays' Carl Crawford was listed as the third-best fielding left fielder, while new Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett was the third-best fielding shortstop behind the Rockies' Clint Barmes and Rodriguez.

CARDINALS: Manager Tony La Russa and the team's medical staff will keep a closer eye this season on Albert Pujols' balky right elbow. Pujols, who opted not to have surgery to repair a strained ligament after meeting with specialists during the offseason, is less concerned. The slugger said he will not change his routine as he prepares for Opening Day.

RED SOX: Jason Varitek turns 36 on April 11 and would like Boston to give him a deal by then to take effect after his current $40 million, four-year pact runs out after this season.

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