“In the entire history of the Joint Drug Agreement, the commissioner has not testified in a single case. Major League Baseball has the burden of proof in this matter,” the statement read. “MLB selected Rob Manfred as its witness to explain the penalty imposed in this case. Mr. Rodriguez and the Players Association have no right to dictate how Baseball’s case is to proceed any more than Baseball has the right to dictate how their case proceeds. Today’s antics are an obvious attempt to justify Mr. Rodriguez’s continuing refusal to testify under oath.”
The double-barreled media blitz — Tacopina appeared on one show at 3 p.m. and Rodriguez on the other about a half-hour later — capped an explosive day in which Rodriguez slammed his hands on a table, shouted “This is ridiculous!” and directed a stream of profanities at Manfred, baseball’s COO, who directed the Biogenesis investigation, before storming out of the room shortly before noon.
Manfred declined comment on specifics of Wednesday’s hearing, citing the confidentiality agreement, but did deny Rodriguez’s charge that he had put the responsibility for the suspension on Selig.
“I have had no private conversations whatsoever with Alex Rodriguez,” Manfred said. “It’s just not true.”
Four hours after the hearing, the third baseman was still steaming.
“I’m so pissed off right now I can’t even think straight,” he said.
But Rodriguez and McCarroll found the composure to issue blanket denials of any PED usage connected with Biogenesis and Bosch, who is MLB’s key witness against him, and to accuse Selig of conducting a vendetta against him.
“Why did Ryan Braun get [only] 65 games with a failed drug test? Because he’s from Milwaukee?” Tacopina asked, a reference to the team Selig owned before he became commissioner.
As for the 211-game suspension levied on him, Rodriguez said, “I shouldn’t even serve one inning.”