Palmeiro Becomes a Pariah

Information from the hearing on now-former Baltimore Orioles player Rafael Palmeiro's drug test indicates that he tried to blame teammate Miguel Tejada, who Palmeiro said gave him an injection of what he thought was vitamin B-12 but may have been the steroid for which he tested positive.  The Orioles have now invited Palmeiro to remain at his home in Texas for the rest of the season rather than rejoin the team for the final ten days of the season (AP story here). A statement from baseball's Health Policy Advisory Committee completely exonerated Tejada, who is among the most popular players in the league.  As congressional investigators focus on whether Pameiro used steroids before his emphatic testimony denying any use of the drugs (earlier post here), the plausibility of his explanation for the positive drug test only fuels the drive to determine the extent of his steroid use and possible perjury. (ph)