by Tim Elfrink
CDs were pilfered from vehicles: All descriptions of the crime scene come from Boca Raton Police Department incident report filed by Officer L. Kismal on March 24, 2013, in Boca Raton, Florida.
“Any help would be greatly appreciated”: E-mails between Boca Raton Police Department detectives obtained by the authors.
baseball the cold shoulder: Details of MLB investigator harassment come from Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez v. Major League Baseball, filed in US District Court, Southern District of New York; and via sworn statements from the lawsuit shared with the authors.
“I’ll be in tomorrow, can you get away for a drink or dinner?”: Texts shared with the authors by Alex Rodriguez’s legal team.
“substances that the defendants knew were prohibited”: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball v. Biogenesis of America (LLC), Miami-Dade Civil Court, filed March 22, 2013.
“MLB had no subpoena power”: Nathan Fenno, “MLB’s Biogenesis Squeeze Little More Than Hidden-Ball Trick,” Washington Times, July 15, 2013.
“Hell no, man,” da Silveira’s: Mike Fish and T. J. Quinn, “MLB: Paulo da Silviera Not Involved,” ESPN.com, April 5, 2013, http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9138889.
“MLB’s investigative tactics are indefensible”: Teri Thompson and Michael O’Keeffe, “MLB Dismisses Another Defendant from Lawsuit Filed Against Biogenesis Founder Anthony Bosch and Associates,” New York Daily News, June 20, 2013.
After a similarly nonverbal response to another query: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball v. Biogenesis of America (LLC), deposition of Peter Carbone, August 30, 2013, Miami-Dade Civil Court.
“A few hundred thousand isn’t going to hurt you”: Steve Fishman, “Chasing A-Rod,” New York, December 1, 2013.
Manfred testified in the confidential hearing: From Rob Manfred’s testimony in Alex Rodriguez’s arbitration case.
“He was stupid,” the ex-con said: Fishman, “Chasing A-Rod.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Bosch might wander in for a coffee: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball v. Biogenesis of America (LLC), Miami-Dade Civil Court, filed March 22, 2013, from process server status reports filed in April and May 2013.
“He was living life in hiding”: Hernan Dominguez, interview by Tim Elfrink, November 2013.
simply been wired to the wrong lawyer: Steve Fishman, “Did A-Rod Really Try to Pay a $49,901.51 Bribe to Tony Bosch?,” New York, January 16, 2014.
“I’m a nutritional advisor”: “Bosch Says PED Reports Inaccurate.”
“In fact, Mr. Bosch was interested in cooperating”: From Rob Manfred’s testimony in Alex Rodriguez’s arbitration hearing.
“I lost a $5-million-a-year business”: Fishman, “Chasing A-Rod.”
“They said, we think you should leave town”: Pelley, “The Case of Alex Rodriguez.”
“Tony won’t live to see the end of the year”: Ibid.
“Nothing happens without Alex’s approval”: Ibid.
“Are you kidding me?” asked Betty Tejada: Betty Tejada and Alan Telisman, interviews by Tim Elfrink, October 2013. Additionally, Florida Department of Health Investigator Jerome K. Hill’s e-mails obtained by the authors.
$200 million, respectively, according to an AP investigation: Caruso and Donn, “Big Pharma Cashes In on HGH Abuse.”
right to not incriminate himself seventy-five times: PolitiFact Florida, “Rick Scott Dodges Answers by Invoking the Fifth Amendment, Democrats Claim in Ad,” Miami Herald, October 10, 2010.
he helped the Legislature lop $55 million: Carol Gentry, “Layoffs Hit Some County Health Units Harder Than Others,” Health News Florida, August 24, 2011.
“The people coming in were all political folks”: Elfrink, “Biogenesis Just Hints at Florida’s Anti-Aging Catastrophe.”
Nearly a dozen top-level administrators: Carol Gentry, “Ousted DOH Manager Says ‘Ideologues’ in Charge,” Health News Florida, June 18, 2012.
“They actually ordered me not to assist”: Elfrink, “Biogenesis Just Hints at Florida’s Anti-Aging Catastrophe.”
even when caught red-handed: Ibid.
“How many hangers-on does Alex have”: Hernan Dominguez, interview by Tim Elfrink, November 2013.
“Our interest in him as a witness”: Transcripts obtained by the authors of Grievance number 2013-2 (Alex Rodriguez) Vol. 8, Major League Baseball Arbitration Panel, Chairman Fredric R. Horowitz, October 17, 2013.
a bodyguard at his side: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“There’s more than one party that benefits from me”: “Alex Rodriguez completed interview 2013,” YouTube.com, accessed March 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RSi0VApbp8.
News articles were even quoting Major League Baseball: Associated Press, “Source: MLB Prepared to Give Alex Rodriguez Lifetime Ban,” July 31, 2013.
The bandbox stadium was at its capacity: Michael Bamberger, “Alex Rodriguez’s Saturday Night in Trenton Felt Like the End is Near,” Sports Illustrated, August 4, 2013.
With him banned, the team wouldn’t have to pay a cent: Ted Berg, “One Team Still Wants Alex Rodriguez, and He Should Join It,” USA Today, January 13, 2014.
“Levine told me the Yankees”: Steve Fishman, “The A-Rod Emails,” New York, December 27, 2013.
“He has not been cleared by our doctors to play in rehab games yet”: Andrew Marchad, “A-Rod Angers GM Brian Cashman,” ESPNNewYork.com, January 26, 2013, http://m.espn.go.com/mlb/story?storyId=9422957&wjb=.
an EVIL PLAN: Bill Madden and Terri Thompson, “Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez Planning to Return and Retire,” New York Daily News, June 26, 2013.
whether he’s on the disabled list: Craig Calcaterra, “Post, Daily News Report on an A-Rod Plot to ‘Retire’ to Avoid Biogenesis Discipline” NBC Sports, June 27, 2013.
BlackBerry phones over to investigators: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
Ryan Braun met with MLB on June 29: Adam McCalvy, “Ryan Braun Suspended for Remainder of Season,” MLB.com, July 23, 2013, http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?c_id=mlb&content_id=54364032&vkey=news_mlb&ymd=20130722.
baseball’s version of pleading the Fifth: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
162-game ban if he cooperated: Rodriguez v. Major League Baseball et al, 1:14cv-00244-ER, filed January 13, 2014, Southern District of New York.
Yankees later fined him $150,000: The Sports Xchange, “Yankees fine Rodriguez $150,000,” Yahoo!, August 10, 2013.
“each use of the prohibitive substance was a separate violation”: Transcripts obtained by the authors of Grievance number 2013-2 (Alex Rodriguez) Vol. 8, Major League Baseball Arbitration Panel, Chairman Fredric R. Horowitz, October 17, 2013.
“I realized the magnitude of my poor decisions”: No byline, “Statement from Ryan Braun,” MLB.com, August 22, 2013, http://brewers.mlblogs.com/2013/08/22/statement-from-ryan-braun.
Selig was threatening a hundred-game suspension: Dave Radcliffe, “Ryan Braun Faces a Potential 100-Game Suspension,” Yahoo!, June 5, 2013.
“It doesn’t feel great being lied to like that”: Will Brinson, “Aaron Rodgers on Ryan Braun: ‘It Doesn’t Feel Great Being Lied To,’” CBSSports.com, July 26, 2013, http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/22901615/aaron-rodgers-on-ryan-braun-it-doesnt-feel-great-being-lied-to.
fans still willing to come watch the team play: Tyler Kepner, “Betrayed
by Braun, Brewers Owner Twists in an Ill Wind,” New York Times, August 3, 2013.
he’d lost only a relatively minor $3.25 million: “Ryan Braun,” accessed March 2014, http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/braunry02.shtml.
“I realize now that I have made some mistakes”: ESPN.com News Services, “Ryan Braun Suspended Rest of Year,” ESPN.com, July 23, 2013, http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9500252.
Dr. Chris Ahmad had him undergo another MRI: Peter Botte, Anthony McCarron, Teri Thompson, Bill Madden, and Christian Red, “Yankees Alex Rodriguez Has MRI,” New York Daily News, July 21, 2013.
“To be perfectly honest, I don’t see”: No byline, “A-Rod’s Doctor on WFAN: ‘I Didn’t See Anything’ on MRI,” CBS New York, July 24, 2013.
“I did it because I thought it would be fun”: Andrew Marchand, “Doctor Talks A-Rod Involvement,” ESPNNewYork.com, July 25, 2013, http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9506903.
“failing to adequately ensure proper”: New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, in the Matter of the License of Michael L. Gross, MD, 25MA05326900, order of reprimand filed January 23, 2013.
$40,000 by the state: Active Center for Health and Wellness website, accessed March 2014, www.activecenterforhealthandwellness.com.
“We were treating people with a medical problem”: Marchand, “Doctor Talks A-Rod Involvement.”
“Mr. Rodriguez did not notify us”: “A-Rod’s Doctor on WFAN: ‘I Didn’t See Anything’ on MRI.”
In his next, and last, game for the Trenton: Bamberger, “Alex Rodriguez’s Saturday Night in Trenton Felt Like the End Is Near.”
according to e-mails later published by New York magazine: Steve Fishman, “The A-Rod E-mails,” New York, December 27, 2013.
“ending in or about December 2012”: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
Of those who had been named in the original New Times story: Tim Brown, “Alex Rodriguez, 12 Other Players Suspended by MLB for Biogenesis Ties,” Yahoo!, August 5, 2013.
“in the end, they weren’t disciplined”: James Wagner, “Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez Cleared in Biogenesis Case,” Washington Post, August 5, 2013.
teammate Braun and UM benefactor Rodriguez: University of Miami source, interview by Gus Garcia-Roberts, December 2013.
“I want to apologize . . . for the mistake I made”: Matthew Fairburn, “Nelson Cruz Apologizes for Suspension, Could Join Rangers in Playoffs,” SB Nation, August 30, 2013, http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/8/30/4677724/nelson-cruz-suspension-rangers-postseason-roster-playoffs.
“In spring of 2012, I made a terrible mistake that I deeply regret”: Associated Press, “Tigers’ Jhonny Peralta: ‘I made a terrible mistake,’” August 6, 2013.
causing him to be fined by the team: Wallace Matthews, “A-Rod Faces Fine of One Day’s Pay,” ESPNNewYork.com, August 11, 2013, http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9556796.
“told could help expedite my rehabilitation”: “Statement from Ryan Braun.”
“Thx alot. #ahole”: Dan Meyer, Twitter post, August 5, 2013, 12:10 P.M., http://www.twitter.com/dmy53.
“We continue to attack this issue”: No byline, “Commissioner’s Statementon Biogenesis,” MLB.com, August 5, 2013, http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article .jsp?ymd=20130805&content_id=55962046&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb.
“It shows his arrogance”: Jose Canseco, interview by Gus Garcia-Roberts, December 2013.
“the response we saw in Biogenesis”: Travis Tygart, interview by Tim Elfrink, February 2014.
the otherwise unremarkable August contest: NESN Staff, “Alex Rodriguez Live Blog,” NESN, August 5, 2013.
US Cellular Field in Chicago: David Waldstein, “A Return to the Lineup and a Fight to Stay,” New York Times, August 6, 2013.
Rodriguez peeled himself off the couch: D. J. Short, “Alex Rodriguez: ‘I’m Fighting for My Life,’” NBC Sports, August 5, 2013.
“A-Roid’s better than no ’roids!”: No byline, “Even for Chicago, What a Helluva Night!,” Fox Sports, August 6, 2013.
“He was never given that number”: “Michael Weiner Gave Arod a Suspension Number He Should Accept If Offered,” YouTube.com, accessed March 2014, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH-lox3QTIs.
one day—“one inning”: Wallace Matthews, “A-Rod Might Consider Reduced Ban,” ESPNNewYork.com, January 9, 2014, http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/10270220.
“our fight is going to be that they make a deal”: Rodriguez v. Major League Baseball et al, 1:14cv-00244-ER, filed January 13, 2014, Southern District of New York.
“extreme shock and disappointment”: Ibid.
“indeed principally Mr. Rodriguez”: Steve Eder, “Rodriguez, Citing Missed Opportunities, Rejected the Players Union,” New York Times, October 5, 2013.
only infuriating him further: Rodriguez v. Major League Baseball et al, 1:14cv-00244-ER, filed January 13, 2014, Southern District of New York.
On August 10, Rodriguez was drug tested. He pissed clean: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
implicating Braun to Yahoo! Sports: Michael Radutsky, “A-Rod Implicated Fellow Players in Doping Investigation,” CBS News, August 16, 2013.
making the situation trickier if Rodriguez was behind: Jarrett Bell, “Sports Attorney to Athletes Who Are in Trouble,” USA Today, June 25, 2013.
easier client—handled Rodriguez’s publicity: Steve Eder, “In Fight for Legacy, Alex Rodriguez Fields Costy Team of All-Stars,” New York Times, September 23, 2013.
The “most hated lawyer in New York”: Brad Hamilton, “The Devil’s Advocate,” New York Post, June 5, 2011.
the penalty box for brawling: Timothy Dumas, “King of the Courtroom,” Westport, November 2002.
“Mr. Tacopina is to the defense”: Lynda Richardson, “When Clients Draw the Spotlight, He Basks,” New York Times, February 17, 2005.
Gotham’s most villainous characters: No byline, “Joe Tacopina’s Most Notable Cases,” ABC News, undated.
“Here’s a guy who’s been found”: Joseph Tacopina, interview by Gus Garcia-Roberts, September 2013.
But Tacopina’s national television: “Today,” YouTube.com, August 19, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyjSa0GLTHw.
It was a lie that became: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
“Clearly there was a relationship”: Jason Carroll, “Attorney: Alex Rodriguez Had ‘Consulting Relationship’ with Biogenesis,” CNN, August 20, 2013.
The first pitch Rodriguez saw: “Alex Rodriguez gets hit by pitch from Ryan Dempster,” YouTube.com, August 18, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQVI4RdB4vA.
“You bet I do. How is he still playing?”: Peter Abraham, “John Lackey: Alex Rodriguez Shouldn’t Be Playing,” Boston Globe, August 16, 2013.
“Whether you like me or hate me”: “Alex Rodriguez Pissed Off He Was Hit by Ryan Dempster,” YouTube.com, August 18, 2013, https://www youtube.com/watch?v=47w7SYV5_A8.
“mentally unstable and an abuser of alcohol and drugs”: Pete Carbone affidavit provided to the authors by Rodriguez attorneys.
Team A-Rod gave Delgadillo $105,000: Tim Polzer, “Report: MLB, Alex Rodriguez Use Extreme Tactics in Arbitration Battle,” Sports Illustrated, November 4, 2013.
MLB and Rodriguez played human tug-of-war: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, g
rievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
New York on baseball’s dime in September: Steve Eder, Serge F. Kovaleski, and Michael S. Schmidt, “In A-Rod Arbitration, Sides Play Hardball,” New York Times, November 5, 2013.
“his demeanor under oath and contradictory declaration”: In the Matter of Arbitration Between Major League Baseball Players Association and Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, panel decision number 131, grievance number 2013-02 (Alexander Rodriguez), Fredric R. Horowitz, Esq., Panel Chair, December 20, 2013.
two sets of stolen records: Gary Jones affidavit provided to the authors by Rodriguez attorneys.
Gary Lee Jones demanded $200,000: Wallace Matthews, “Lawyer: A-Rod Didn’t Use PEDs,” ESPNNewYork.com, October 23, 2013.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The number of protesters: Observations by Gus Garcia-Roberts, October 2013.
A newsperson asked the protesters: Christian Red, Nathaniel Vinton, and Michael O’Keeffe, “Protest Leader Fernando Mateo Says Yankees Star Alex Rodriguez Is Victim of Great Injustice,” New York Daily News, October 2, 2013.
“Getting paid, breakfast and lunch”: Marc Normandin, “Were A-Rod’s Supports Hired to Protest?,” SB Nation, October 2, 2013, http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/10/2/4794600/alex-rodriguez-supporters-biogenesis-mlb-suspension.
via a mystery benefactor: Mike Mazzeo, “A-Rod’s Park Avenue supporters speak out,” ESPNNewYork.com, October 2, 2013, http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/65713.
prospects for performance-enhancing drugs: Associated Press, “Alex Rodriguez’s Hearing to Overturn Suspension Takes Break Until November,” October 19, 2013.
spent on supporting Alex Rodriguez: Eder, Kovaleski, and Schmidt, “In A-Rod Arbitration, Sides Play Hardball.”
apparently very little was spent on copyediting: Jay Schreiber, “Ad Assails M.L.B. in Rodriguez Case,” New York Times, October 18, 2013.
prayed quietly for A-Rod’s safe return to baseball: Mike Mazzeo, “Ministers Hold Prayer Vigil for A-Rod,” ESPNNewYork.com, November 21, 2013, http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/67075.
