Jan. 7 -- MLB: ROMERO SHOULD'VE CALLED HOTLINE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Two days into it, and there is still so much we don't know, so much we may never know, about this whole J.C. Romero mess.

For starters, we don't know why Romero chose to purchase 6-OXO Extreme, a drug that enhances testosterone production in ways very similar to anabolic steroids and is produced by a company (ErgoPharm) that is owned by a guy (Patrick Arnold) who served jail time for his involvement with BALCO. We don't know why Romero's bottle of 6-OXO Extreme didn't contain a label warning him that the supplement could cause a positive test (most bottles do have such a label). And we're still unsure if, as Romero contends, the MLB Players' Association advised its members that any over-the-counter supplement bought in the U.S. would not cause a positive test. The union strongly denies ever making such a suggestion, even though it strongly disagrees with MLB's decision to suspend Romero for "negligence."

But there is one thing we're certain about. If Romero had called the toll-free hotline provided jointly by MLB and the Players' Association, he would've been warned about the consequences of taking 6-OXO Extreme.

That's a guarantee.

I spoke by phone yesterday to Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president for labor and human resources. Manfred said MLB and the union meet annually with each team during spring training and show a DVD that details the risks of using supplements. Manfred said a list of approved supplements is available in every clubhouse. If players have questions, they are advised to call the toll-free hotline.

"If he had called, he would've been told this product was a problem," Manfred said. "Mr. Romero testified [in an Oct. 22-23 arbitration hearing] he didn't call."

Bet he regrets that now.

"Is this an unfortunate situation? Yes," Manfred said. "We don't like disciplining players. We try to help our athletes deal with the issue of nutritional supplements. But the fact of the matter is, the athlete has to be responsible for what he puts in his body. It didn't happen in this case."

***
OK, so the Phillies will be without Romero until June 1. How might they replace him?

Well, as Ruben Amaro Jr. said yesterday, they could turn to an in-house candidate. Perhaps Romero's spot will be a consolation prize for Chan Ho Park, J.A. Happ or Kyle Kendrick, each of whom will compete (with top prospect Carlos Carrasco) for the No. 5 starter job. Or maybe it will be won by veterans Blaine Neal, Gary Majewski, Dave Borkowski or Univ. of Delaware product Mike Koplove, each of whom have signed minor-league contracts with the Phillies.

Amaro said the Phils remain interested in several free-agent relievers, but it's likely that the top lefties on the market (Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, Will Ohman and Brian Shouse) are seeking contracts similar to the ones that Romero (three years, $12 million) and Kansas City's Ron Mahay (two years, $8 million) signed before last season. And with eight arbitration-eligible players due to receive raises that will push the payroll towards $125 million, the Phillies don't have much money to play with. Just for the heck of it, though, here's a look at how the free-agent lefties did last season:

BEIMEL (31 years old): 5-1, 2.02 ERA, 50 H, 21 BB, 49 IP in 71 G for Dodgers
OHMAN (30 years old): 4-1, 3.68 ERA, 51 H, 22 BB, 58.2 IP in 83 G for Braves
REYES (31 years old): 3-0, 2.33 ERA, 40 H, 15 BB, 46.1 IP in 75 G for Twins
SHOUSE (39 years old): 5-1, 2.81 ERA, 46 H, 14 BB, 51.1 IP in 69 games for Brewers

(Associated Press photo.)