ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug. 2 -- In the days leading to his historic 3,000th hit on July 15, a strangely joyless and anxious Rafael Palmeiro was hiding a dark secret from his Baltimore Orioles teammates, his manager and his employers. On Monday, most of them found out at roughly the same time as the rest of the world did that Palmeiro had tested positive for steroids sometime in the previous weeks, leading to his 10-game suspension.
"It was shocking," Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said prior to Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels. "It caught me completely off guard. A guy of his stature . . . you would just never believe it."
Some important details of Palmeiro's suspension -- including the name of the steroid for which he tested positive, and the date of the positive test -- were not disclosed.
But a well-placed source told The Washington Post on Monday that the drug in question was a "serious steroid." The New York Times and Newsday reported that it was stanozolol, which does not come in dietary supplements. Two baseball officials confirmed Tuesday that Palmeiro knew about the positive test -- and had already begun fighting the charge -- before collecting his 3,000th hit with an opposite-field double in Seattle.
The Orioles players who spoke to the media Tuesday expressed a range of emotions -- from sadness at the spectacle of a respected teammate stained forever, to frustration over losing the team's best hitter of late at a time when wins are few, to fear that a jar of protein powder in their own lockers might contain a banned substance without their knowledge.
"If it happens to your teammate," said right fielder Sammy Sosa, "it can happen to you . . . [But] I don't have that problem. Chicken, rice and beans -- that's my protein."
"Anybody can make a mistake in this game," said shortstop Miguel Tejada. "He made a mistake. He not kill nobody."
With the benefit of hindsight, the Orioles could also look back and make sense of what, at the time, seemed strange. In mid-July, as he neared his 3,000th hit -- the number that would virtually lock up his Hall of Fame berth -- Palmeiro seemed withdrawn and sullen. When he spoke, it was only to express the wish that the big moment would come, so he could be done with it.
"He probably had a lot of other things on his mind," said Jay Gibbons. "He's always been a quiet guy. But he was being quieter than usual."
Orioles officials were not informed of the matter until Monday morning -- owner Peter Angelos was the first to find out, then Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Flanagan. Manager Lee Mazzilli was not informed of the suspension until around 11 a.m. Monday, roughly two hours before the Orioles' game in Baltimore against the Chicago White Sox.
By that time, Palmeiro's appeal had been denied. A baseball official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the announcement could have been made on Friday, but speculated that Commissioner Bud Selig may have wanted to postpone it until after this weekend's Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Palmeiro, citing a confidentiality agreement, has declined to disclose the details of his positive test, and everyone else -- including league and union officials, Palmeiro's agents and team employees -- is barred from disclosing the information by Section 7(A) of the 2005 Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program says the commissioner's office.
