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Rios bring baggage

From the Seats, February 2, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS - The Twins have one of the cleaner images in baseball. That being a clean imagine is the ways of steroids and performance enhancing drugs, you can look up and down the Twins line up and it is hard to say that any of them have anything to do with steroids. And with a core group coming up from the minors together, and the rest of them coming from the same minor league system they are a non-existent topic around this area.

That might have changed when the Twins signed Armando Rios, he says it is not true but it is still there. The issue is still there, the Twins have picked up a guy that has his name tied to this. Take what you want out of it.

Steroid issue follows Rios

BOB SANSEVERE

Forget what you might have heard. It's a lie. New Twins outfielder Armando Rios did not buy performance-enhancing drugs. Anyway, that's what Rios will tell you.

"That (story) was not true, and I was very upset," he said Monday.

Though he denies it, according to a memo from a federal agent obtained in July by the San Francisco Chronicle, Rios told the agent in 2003 that he purchased testosterone and human growth hormone from Greg Anderson, San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds' weight trainer.

"I knew Greg and bought vitamins from him," Rios said. "I have a lot of issues with (the memo), and it cost me a year in the big leagues because people think I was involved. There's really nothing there."

Rios and Bonds were teammates from 1998 to 2001.

Anderson was indicted in the scandal, and Rios testified before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. BALCO is about the most sinister acronym in sports and has been at the center of the steroid scandal that rocked baseball and other sports.

"It is in the past. There's nothing I was accused of or indicted over," Rios said. "I'm a guy who knew Greg, and (the grand jury) needed information, so they called me, and I went in. Nothing came out of it. I'm not involved with Greg or BALCO."

You could hear in his voice Rios was concerned the Twins and their fans would get the wrong idea about him.

"Make sure people understand I'm not coming here to make or create problems, but to solve problems," Rios said. "I don't want (steroids) to become an issue, because it's not an issue. I'm a nobody in this case."

Though there long have been suspicions about Bonds' staggering home run totals being linked to steroid use, Rios' statistics show an outfielder with little power and few at-bats.

His most productive season was 2001. He had 14 home runs, 50 runs batted in and a .260 batting average in a career-high 319 at bats, virtually all those numbers coming before a late August trade from San Francisco to Pittsburgh. He blew out his knee his first game with Pittsburgh and injured it again in spring training in 2002 against the Twins.

In 2002, Rios hit one home run in 208 at-bats. The next season he went to the Chicago White Sox and rarely played. From there, he went to the minor leagues. He spent last season with teams in Mexico, Ottawa and Memphis.

And now he's a Twin. With a tainted past.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan inspected the nooks and crannies of Rios' life before signing him last week, so he knew about Anderson and the BALCO connection.

"I know it's there, and obviously it's been addressed," Ryan said. "I talked to Armando about it, and it's history."

Apparently, Rios didn't address everything with Ryan. According to the memo the Chronicle obtained, Rios told the federal investigator that he tested for positive for steroids while in the minor leagues in 2003.

"I didn't even know that," Ryan said.

Rios claims there was nothing to tell.

"Of course it's not true I took steroids in the minors," Rios said. "I don't understand why all this came out."

Anna Ling, Anderson's attorney, told the Chronicle in July that "Armando Rios' English is not wonderful, and based on the language barrier, we believe words were put in his mouth."

His English must have improved because I had no trouble understanding him.

Whatever happened in Rios' past, it didn't deter the Twins.

"I don't see it as a risk. I know the history, and I know there are some things that have been documented," Ryan said. "Sometimes, people make mistakes."

Rios' performance these past few months in Puerto Rico winter ball attracted the Twins.

"He played well and went about his business in a professional manner," Ryan said. "We got good recommendations from people we trust."

And now all Rios wants to do is play for the Twins.

"I know I can bring experience,'' said Rios, 33. "I can play the outfield, all three positions. I won't steal 50 bases or hit 50 home runs, but I can do a little bit of everything — bunt, run. I'm a team player. I like to win, and the Twins have a history of winning. I know my role is to come off the bench."

Rios' role makes him a safe acquisition. It's not as if he was signed to replace Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones or Shannon Stewart in the outfield.

If Rios screws up, the impact to the Twins wouldn't be anywhere near as significant as it would be if he were a starter. And it's unlikely he would start even with injuries. Lew Ford would start ahead of Rios in the outfield, and there are others who could leapfrog him.

"He's a veteran-type guy who can come off the bench and put a good at-bat together against a premier closer," Ryan said. "Those guys are tough to come by."

And now all Rios wants to do is play for the Twins.

Rios' role makes him a safe acquisition. It's not as if he was signed to replace Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones or Shannon Stewart in the outfield.

"He's a veteran-type guy who can come off the bench and put a good at-bat together against a premier closer," Ryan said. "Those guys are tough to come by."