Alvarez Denies He Used Steroids

Not often has Wilson Alvarez been mentioned in the same breath as Mark McGwire, Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro. But like those sluggers, the stout Dodger left-handed pitcher was in the line of fire when Jose Canseco took shots at former teammates in his book, accusing them of taking steroids.

Canseco says he administered the shots for Alvarez when they were Tampa Bay Devil Ray teammates in 1999 and 2000.

Shortly after arriving at Dodgertown along with other pitchers and catchers Friday, Alvarez issued a denial.

“I never took anything, never in my life,” he said.

Alvarez, 34, looked down at his ample belly and spongy thighs. “Look at me,” he said. “I don’t know how he says that.”

Alvarez said that he never so much as talked about steroids with Canseco.

“I talked to my agent about a lawsuit, but no, there won’t be any suit,” he said. “That’s what [Canseco] wants, the attention. So if I do that, he wins.

“I don’t blame him, but get the right guys, not the wrong guys. He wants to destroy the game overnight. It’s not right. In my heart, my kids and the people who know me, they know I don’t do that stuff.”

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It’s either an indication that assistant general manager Roy Smith is young or that pitcher Scott Erickson is getting up in years, but the fact that they once were teammates is the reason Erickson is in camp.

Erickson, 37, has won 141 games but has not pitched well since 1999, when he was 15-12 with the Baltimore Orioles. He missed the 2001 and 2003 seasons because of arm injuries and a leg injury restricted him to 18 starts spread among five teams last season, two in the majors and three in the minors.

Still, he believes he can compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation against a group that also includes left-handers Kazuhisa Ishii and Alvarez, and right-handers Edwin Jackson and Elmer Dessens.

“I’ve been around long enough to know stranger things have happened,” he said.

Erickson said his fastball still touches 92 mph and that he has added more off-speed pitches in recent years. His best pitch during his heyday was a sinking fastball.

“Let’s get him out there and see what he’s got,” Manager Jim Tracy said. “If he can make the ball sink like he did a few years ago, that’s devastating.”

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Giovanni Carrara was the only pitcher or catcher who did not arrive by Friday afternoon. He was scheduled to come in late Friday or today.... Utility player Jason Grabowski reported with the catchers and the Dodgers will determine whether he can be counted upon for emergency duty behind the plate. ... Tom Lasorda, 77, has a new title: special advisor to the chairman. He had been a senior vice president.