Jc_romeroJ.C.: Martyr

So, it turns out that when J.C. Romero was sprinting off the mound, growling and tugging his nuts like a caged fighter on methamphetamine during the 2008 season, he wasn’t on steroids. Who knew?! 

Juan Carlos Romero knew.

In a story in yesterday’s NY Daily News (I truly love how the Inquirer and Philly Daily News are generally asleep at the switch on meaningful things… except for when Bill Conlin touches little kids), we learned that Romero settled a lawsuit against the makers of 6-OXO Extreme (sounds safe), the supplement which he had been using when he tested positive for androstenedione in August of 2008, just two months before he won two World Series games – including Game 5 – for the Phillies. Tests – ordered by the Players Association – later revealed that the supplement was tainted.

Juan Carlos tells us more: [NY Daily News] 

"I didn't cheat," said Romero, 35. "Some other people were being negligent and I had to pay the price. But I've been using this to educate other players. I haven't been able to be the same since I was suspended. I didn't believe the suspension could affect me the way it did.

"The amount of money (in the settlement) isn't relevant. What is relevant is that people know my side. Some fans questioned my integrity. Now there is some closure and I can say the 2008 World Series was legit. Now I can focus on dominating for another five years, hopefully." 

 

I’m not quite sure Romero is going to dominate for even another three weeks, let alone five years… but we like the spirit. 

Romero maintained his innocence all along, even though he served a 50-game suspension at the start of the 2009 season. And while this doesn’t change much for the Phillies or us, the fans, now, the news does take away most of that sizable shred of doubt that our dominant reliever wasn’t supplementing his abilities with banned substances. 

Now, if only we could say the same thing about the 1993 Phillies…

H/T Buzz On Broad