This NY Times article reports on the criminal investigation into alleged illegal use of steroids and human growth hormone by journeyman Major League Baseball pitcher Jason Grimsley, who retired from the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday after the media reported on the search of his home by federal authorities. Here is a pdf file of Special Agent Jeff Novitzky’s affidavit (redacted of names of other MLB players involved) in support of the search warrant on Grimsley’s home, and here is an NY Times profile on Grimsley. Novitzky has also been involved in the investigation of Barry Bonds’ use of steroids and other related performance-enhancing drugs.
Prior to this latest development, Grimsley was most well-known in MLB circles for slithering through a ceiling to retrieve his Cleveland Indians teammate Albert Belle’s corked bat from the umpires’ room at Chicago’s Comiskey Park after the umps had confiscated it during a 1994 game. However, Grimsley has apparently been the focus of the investigation for some time and, as noted in this earlier article of unverified allegations, the investigation could very well lead to the Stros clubhouse, as well as the clubhouses of most other MLB teams.
Grimsley has apparently made a statement to investigators in which he has named over 20 teams and team-related drug sources, and the contents of that statement will almost certainly be leaked in the upcoming days. Within MLB, the crossword puzzle of identifying the redacted names in Novitzky’s affidavit is already going full blast, not only because many of the names are easily connected to Grimsley, but also because some are big MLB stars. As a result, the Grimsley Affair — even more than the situation involving Bonds — has the potential to blow the lid off MLB’s ongoing public relations nightmare involving use of performance-enhancing drugs by its players.