ope:I really thought it would be a short lived feel good story of overcoming adversity against all odds. I thought mild success would be possible, and then he would get released in Spring Training. But I think he's the real deal. Tremendous raw talent, and already good with not much experience. I think he is just a damn good ballplayer that belongs and will have a huge impact for a lot of years to come. I could be wrong, but he just looks awesome. And continues to amaze everyday.
Report: Ankiel latest to come up in steroids case
ESPN.com news services
<!-- end page tools --><!-- begin story body --><!-- template inline -->St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Rick Ankiel's name surfaced Thursday in a widespread steroids investigation out of a Florida-based pharmacy.
Ankiel received a 12-month supply of human growth hormone in 2004 from a Florida pharmacy that was part of a national illegal prescription drug-distribution operation, The New York Daily News reported, citing clinical records and data its reporters saw. Ankiel's prescriptions were signed by Florida physician William Gogan, who provided them through a Palm Beach Gardens clinic called "The Health and Rejuvenation Center," or "THARC."
Ankiel has not been accused by authorities of wrongdoing, and stopped receiving HGH just before Major League Baseball officially banned it in 2005, The News reported.
MLB does not test for HGH, but a player who is known to have used it or even possessed it from the time it was banned can face a 50-game suspension.
Ankiel's agent, Scott Boras, would not comment.
Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty said: "This is the first I've heard of this. If it's true, obviously it would be very tragic, along with everything else we've had happen to us this year."
MLB officials also declined comment, saying they would "look into" the allegations, but weren't sure whether any action could be taken.
On Thursday, Ankiel homered twice and had a career-high seven RBIs, leading the Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-4 in a rain-shortened game.
Brought up Aug. 9 in his first major league appearance since he pitched for the Cardinals in 2004, Ankiel is batting .358 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 23 games. He also homered twice against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 11.
The hard-throwing lefty won 11 games and struck out 194 in 175 innings as a 20-year-old rookie pitcher in 2000 and was a surprise pick to start the Cardinals' postseason opener that season against Atlanta. But he became the first major-league pitcher to throw five wild pitches in one inning since 1890.
Ankiel threw nine wild pitches in four innings during the 2000 playoffs and was never really the same after that. He showed some promise at the plate in 2000, batting .250 with two home runs.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report
ESPN.com news services
<!-- end page tools --><!-- begin story body --><!-- template inline -->St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Rick Ankiel's name surfaced Thursday in a widespread steroids investigation out of a Florida-based pharmacy.
Ankiel received a 12-month supply of human growth hormone in 2004 from a Florida pharmacy that was part of a national illegal prescription drug-distribution operation, The New York Daily News reported, citing clinical records and data its reporters saw. Ankiel's prescriptions were signed by Florida physician William Gogan, who provided them through a Palm Beach Gardens clinic called "The Health and Rejuvenation Center," or "THARC."
Ankiel has not been accused by authorities of wrongdoing, and stopped receiving HGH just before Major League Baseball officially banned it in 2005, The News reported.
MLB does not test for HGH, but a player who is known to have used it or even possessed it from the time it was banned can face a 50-game suspension.
Ankiel's agent, Scott Boras, would not comment.
Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty said: "This is the first I've heard of this. If it's true, obviously it would be very tragic, along with everything else we've had happen to us this year."
MLB officials also declined comment, saying they would "look into" the allegations, but weren't sure whether any action could be taken.
On Thursday, Ankiel homered twice and had a career-high seven RBIs, leading the Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-4 in a rain-shortened game.
Brought up Aug. 9 in his first major league appearance since he pitched for the Cardinals in 2004, Ankiel is batting .358 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 23 games. He also homered twice against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 11.
The hard-throwing lefty won 11 games and struck out 194 in 175 innings as a 20-year-old rookie pitcher in 2000 and was a surprise pick to start the Cardinals' postseason opener that season against Atlanta. But he became the first major-league pitcher to throw five wild pitches in one inning since 1890.
Ankiel threw nine wild pitches in four innings during the 2000 playoffs and was never really the same after that. He showed some promise at the plate in 2000, batting .250 with two home runs.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report
