VIERA, Fla. — Public outrage or not, Frank Robinson believes steroids have created “a cloud over baseball,” one that may someday render his 586 career home runs insignificant.
“I read over the winter where some fans said as a group it doesn’t matter to them. They don’t care,” Robinson said. “But I’ll tell you one thing: The players who play this game do care, and the players who have played this game care. It’s just something we feel is against the rules, and it doesn’t belong in baseball.”
Speaking at length yesterday about the steroid scandal for the first time as manager of the Washington Nationals, Robinson expressed dissatisfaction with the new drug policy negotiated between Major League Baseball and the players union.
The recently adopted plan requires year-round testing for all players. First-time offenders will be suspended 10 days, with incremental increases for each subsequent offense. A fourth-time offender is suspended for a year, while a fifth-time offender is subject to the whims of the commissioner.
“The penalties are not strong enough,” Robinson said. “First offense, 10 days? Five times? You’d have to be awful stupid. …
“I would like to have seen Major League Baseball and the players association really take a stand on the severity of the penalties the first time around. I guess they figured something would be better than nothing at this time.”
Robinson said he has no idea whether San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds or other stars take steroids, but he admitted he can’t help but notice at times how certain players have bulked up their bodies in a short amount of time.
He also has to wonder whether his career home run total, which ranked fourth on the all-time list for decades before Bonds surpassed him, will continue to plummet down the ranks.
“You know, before I take my last breath, I’m probably going to be about 99th on the list,” Robinson said. “I’m afraid people are going to say, ’Frank who?’ It’s going to be such huge numbers at the top that they’re going to say, ’Well, you must have been a singles hitter.’ …
“I wish I had stayed fourth. It has a nice ring to it. Fifth? It sounds a little odd.”
The former Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles great also can’t understand why ballplayers over the years have been so reluctant to be tested for steroids and other drugs in an attempt to clean up the game.
“I wish we all would be tested because that would clear up the ones who are innocent,” he said. “When you throw a blanket on everybody, that’s blood on me, and I’m clean. I’d have been glad to be tested. I didn’t think it was an invasion of privacy. If you’re getting paid to do a job, you’re supposed to be clean.”
Announcers expected soon
A selection of radio announcers for the team, originally hoped for as soon as yesterday, is now expected early next week. Nationals chief operating officer Kevin Uhlich spent several hours Thursday reviewing audition tapes with Bonneville International Corp. executives, and preliminary contract negotiations have begun with several finalists.
Team officials have not disclosed names of any of the candidates, but former Montreal Expos broadcaster Elliott Price has been mentioned frequently by industry sources.
“There’s no favorite right now,” Nationals president Tony Tavares said. “What we’re doing now is contacting several people on the short list and getting an early read on what they’re after in terms of compensation.”
Sledgehammer
When Robinson inadvertently revealed his likely starting lineup during an interview Thursday, Terrmel Sledge’s name was not on it.
Sledge, the Nationals’ promising second-year outfielder who hit .269 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI last season, said he’s fine with any role Robinson has for him this season.
“Frank is going to put the best nine guys out there that he feels will make the team win,” Sledge said. “So whatever role he has for me, whether it’s starting, the fourth outfielder or whatever, I’m going to adjust to it. I’d be lying to you if I said I would love to come off the bench.”
Mr. Versatility
Nationals outfielder Brad Wilkerson played four different positions ” first base, left field, center field and right field ” last season for the Montreal Expos. Wilkerson welcomes the idea of playing only one this season, most likely left field.
“Knowing that [first baseman] Nick Johnson is going to be healthy and back at first base and I’ll be in the outfield, it’s a good thing for the ballclub and myself to go into the season with a little continuity, and our lineup is going to be set pretty good,” Wilkerson said. “When Nick got hurt, that’s when I went to first base. I didn’t even take ground balls or play any first base until he got hurt.”
Extra bases
The Nationals agreed to terms with Sledge and infielder Brendan Harris. The Nationals have 33 of 40 players on the roster under contract. … Utility infielder George Arias and outfielder J.J. Davis reported to camp, two days before they were required to arrive, giving the Nationals 12 position players in camp. … Washington named Wendell Kim manager of its rookie-level Gulf Coast League team. Kim, who spent two seasons as Robinson’s bench coach in Montreal, most recently was the Chicago Cubs’ third-base coach.
• Staff writer Eric Fisher contributed to this article.
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