Palmiero, Rodriguez responds to Canseco's
accusations
 February
7, 2005 -- Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez and
Baltimore Orioles first baseman/DH, Rafael Palmiero, both denied
all accusations by Jose Canseco that they used steroids while playing for the Texas Rangers.
Canseco says in his upcoming book that he introduced Rodriguez, Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez to steroids after being traded to Texas in
1992.
"I'm in shock," Rodriguez told local El Nuevo Dia newspaper for Tuesday's editions. "He is saying things that aren't true, and it hurts me a lot that he would say things like that because I've always had a lot of respect for him, and I've even helped him many times when things weren't going well for him."
On Monday, Rafael Palmeiro denied ever taking steroids, calling those claims in Jose Canseco's pending book "ludicrous," and Orioles owner Peter Angelos rushed to Palmeiro's defense.
In a combined statement released by the Orioles, Palmeiro and Angelos questioned Canseco's credibility, one day after the New York Daily News reported on the contents of his upcoming book, "Juiced."
"I categorically deny any assertion made by Jose Canseco that I used steroids," Palmeiro said in his statement. "At no point in my career have I ever used steroids, let alone any substance banned by Major League Baseball."
The burst of publicity has caused the publisher, HarperCollins, to speed up its release date by a week. The book will be released on Monday, not Feb. 21, Jennifer Suitor, a spokeswoman, told the New York Times.
Suitor also said that the CBS program "60 Minutes," which planned to do a report on Canseco on Feb. 20, will now broadcast it on Sunday. That will be the first time
Canseco, the colorful and controversial former major leaguer, publicly discusses what is in his book.
"I will give a huge press conference, internationally and worldwide, when the book comes out," he told the New York Times. "I'll answer any questions then."
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