Doc says he treated A-Rod, but did not prescribe HGH

A sports doctor at the center of drug investigations in Canada and the United States said yesterday he treated Alex Rodriguez after the Yankees slugger had hip surgery last year and prescribed anti-inflammatories but not human growth hormone.

Dr. Anthony Galea also said an assistant who was stopped at the U.S.-Canadian border in Buffalo, N.Y., last year was carrying only a minuscule amount of HGH - which Galea said was for his own use. The doctor reiterated that he has never given the drug to an athlete.

"I only brought enough for her to do two injections into me because I was away for 2 nights," said Galea, who believes authorities and the media have exaggerated the accusations involving him and his practice. "They made it look like I had 100 vials. I had one little vial and two doses were for me and you think that someone along the line would ask, " 'Well, how much is there?' "

Rodriguez and other high-profile baseball players including Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran have been contacted by U.S. federal investigators regarding Galea. Reyes and Beltran each say they did not receive HGH from Galea.

Rodriguez said last week he was "aware" of the investigation and plans to cooperate with the government. He declined comment again when asked about Galea after he left New York's spring-training game yesterday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Galea said that he helped with Rodriguez' rehabilitation from hip surgery last March.

"He had a damaged hip. Inflamed. It was damaged," Galea said in an interview at his clinic. "He needed anti-inflammatories for his hip. I was basically helping in the rehab."

Galea is facing four charges in Canada related to the drug known as Actovegin, which is used as another healing technique. The drug, extracted from calf's blood and used for healing, is not approved for sale in Canada, but doctors can prescribe it if they inform patients about what it is.

* Commissioner Bud Selig says it's too soon to determine whether a blood test for human growth hormone can be used for minor leaguers. Speaking before receiving a lifetime achievement award at the annual dinner of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Selig said scientific experts haven't been able to give him a time frame for when a test will become available. Baseball has helped fund the development of a urine test for HGH, but efforts have been unsuccessful.

* Florida centerfielder Cameron Maybin said his strained left groin felt better, but he'll miss at least a few spring-training games. He was hurt rounding third base while scoring from first on a double Sunday against St. Louis.

* New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera threw 34 pitches during his first batting-practice session. The 40-year-old righthander went 3-3 with 44 saves and a 1.76 ERA in 66 games last season.

Also, the Yankees announced that tests done by a neurologist on backup catcher Francisco Cervelli, who left Saturday's game with a concussion after being hit in the helmet by a pitched ball, were normal and that he can resume physical activities.

In other news, Chan Ho Park had his batting-practice session pushed back to today due to gluteal muscles soreness.

* Chien-Ming Wang is back with Washington, but there's no timetable for the righthander's return to the mound. Wang, who signed a 1-year, $2 million deal last month, is recovering from right shoulder surgery that ended his 2009 season in late July.

* St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols did not make the trip for a game against Boston because of discomfort in his lower back. He first experienced discomfort in his back on Sunday.

* All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez returned to New York Mets camp after being hampered by conjunctivitis for more than 2 weeks.

* Muhammad Ali provided the San Diego Padres with the thrill of a lifetime when he made a clubhouse visit.

Dozens of players and coaches waited in a long line to shake hands and take pictures with the boxing great, who made a 45-minute appearance for the Athletes for Hope foundation.

"This is the top unless I ever meet Michael Jordan," outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. said. "I'm typically not starstruck, but I was today. I'm taking that picture home and I'm going to show it to my wife and have that for my kids when they get older."