METS' JOINT DENIAL

Phillips, Valentine Challenge Report On Team's Drug Use

Mets general manager Steve Phillips denied Friday there is "rampant drug
use" in his organization, although he acknowledged that once a player
reaches the 40-man roster, drug detection is no longer within the team's
control.

The comments were made at a news conference at Shea Stadium to address
allegations of Mets marijuana use in a story that appeared on the front
page of Newsday Friday.

"In my opinion, there is not rampant drug use on our major league roster
and on our major league team," Phillips said, adding that "there has never,
never been any evidence of rampant or significant drug use in the New York
Mets organization in the minor league system."

Phillips couched his remarks by saying, "If there are things that are
happening that we're not aware of, we would like to address them. Clearly,
we're not able to test 40-man-roster players."

During the news conference, rookie relief pitcher Grant Roberts publicly
apologized to the Mets organization and their fans. A photograph of Roberts
smoking marijuana from a bong, a marijuana smoking apparatus, in 1999 was
published with the Newsday story.

"I'm very embarrassed. ... I made a mistake," Roberts said. "The woman who
gave up the picture has also tried to threaten me and do other things, to
get me to do stuff and give her things. Obviously, I did not."

Mets manager Bobby Valentine denied having voiced his concerns about a drug
problem within his team to Phillips as far back as spring training, as was
reported in the Newsday story. "I didn't think anybody on our team was
smoking marijuana," Valentine said. "If I misstated that to you guys, I
screwed up," he said, speaking directly to Newsday reporters David Lennon
and Jon Heyman, writers of Friday's story.

Valentine also denied an allegation by an unnamed top team official that
Valentine had confronted Roberts earlier this season regarding the
pitcher's alleged drug use. "If I told you guys I talked to Grant Roberts,
maybe I was the one smoking that stuff because I don't think I ever did
talk to Grant Roberts about that," the manager said. "I'm sorry if I
miscommunicated that."

Phillips denied the story's assertion that Mets minor leaguers were tipped
off in advance about drug testing by people in the organization - "I
completely refute that," he said - and offered that no Mets minor-leaguer
has ever tested positive for the drug Ecstasy. Phillips invited the unnamed
sources in Newsday's report to come forward and speak with him about their
accusations.

Though Phillips characterized the Newsday report as "based solely on
anonymous sources," Newsday editor Anthony Marro said the paper stands by
the story.

"The sources are unnamed but we're confident the information is credible,"
Marro said Friday.

Two Mets players didn't deny that drug use exists in the major leagues.

"There have been guys. I'm just not concerned that it's widespread," Mike
Piazza said Friday. "There are guys that its been brought out and they have
to live up to that."

"Everyone does it," Mets infielder Edgardo Alfonzo said. "It's not only
baseball players. I've never seen it here. This is the first time I've
heard it and it's a weird feeling."

The Mets were in full defensive mode Friday with a lockdown that was
unprecedented in recent memory. Not only was the clubhouse shuttered to
reporters at the usual opening time of 3:40 p.m. - 3 1/2 hours before the
game's first pitch - but the tunnel leading to it was off limits and
guarded by security.

One Met said Phillips basically gave everyone a "heads-up" about what was
going on in the wake of the Newsday story and the media was not allowed
into the clubhouse until after the news conference, which was strange in
itself.

Valentine followed Phillips to the podium and provided both an awkward
apology as well as comic relief, which Phillips did not find very amusing.
As Valentine mugged for the small army of television cameras, Phillips sat
off to the side with a blank expression as reporters chuckled at
Valentine's impression of a major leaguer trying to bat while under the
influence of marijuana. "I guarantee you no one was in uniform who had done
marijuana," Valentine said, "unless they really had a lot of Visine."

Although both Phillips and Valentine answered questions, a team spokesman
said that Roberts would have nothing more to say about the matter following
his statement and asked reporters to "respect his privacy."

Roberts did not confirm or deny whether he has used drugs this season at
the news conference.

When asked specifically on Thursday whether Roberts had ever failed a drug
test while in the Mets minor league system, Phillips refused to comment.

In the story Friday, culled from interviews with a top team official, a
former prospect and two people close to Mets players, Newsday reported that
at least seven major league Mets were suspected of using drugs this season,
that minor league Mets often are warned well in advance of drug testing,
that marijuana has been mailed to the Shea Stadium clubhouse concealed in a
peanut butter jar, that minor league Mets sometimes bury their drugs and
drug paraphernalia near the team's road hotels, and that instead of taking
the team bus between cities on road trips, some major league Mets instead
have shared marijuana-filled limousine rides.

In the story, Valentine said he addressed his team in late June about the
"foolishness" of using drugs after two of his players were caught using
drugs and one was taken to the hospital.

Later, after the news conference, behind the batting cage, the manager
explained how his attitude toward one-on-one intervention has changed. "If
a guy is drinking too much or if a guy is suspected for drugs, I've had
very bad experiences with players and teams because of that stuff,
confronting and personalizing it, and getting involved," Valentine said.

"It never worked, from Rick Leach to Steve Howe to other undocumented
situations that I've been in contact with. That's why there's an Employee
Assistance Program in place. To try to keep the manager out of that situation."

When asked if it was a manager's job to police players, Valentine said, "I
don't think it is, only because in the past it hasn't worked. Since I've
been here, the few times I've intervened personally, I've been burned so
badly that I don't go next to the stove."

Staff writers David Lennon and Jon Heyman contributed to this story.