Andy Pettitte's father obtained the human growth hormone he supplied his son from a trainer who attended high school with the New York Yankees pitcher.
Kelly Blair, who owns a gym in Pasadena, Texas, was the source of the substance, the New York Daily News reported yesterday.
Pettitte, who has admitted using HGH in 2004, told congressional attorneys that he received it from his father, Tom Pettitte, whose has had serious health problems. In his deposition, Pettitte said his father got the drugs from a trainer at a gym where he worked out but did not identify the trainer.
The Daily News reported that Blair sold HGH and steroids to customers at 1-on-1 Elite Personal Fitness. Blair did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.
Pettitte and Blair attended Deer Park High School, east of Houston, at the same time; Blair was a football and track star.
Pettitte is due to report to camp in Tampa today and make his first public comments since telling a congressional committee that Roger Clemens had spoken with him about using performance-enhancing drugs.
In other Yankee news, fledgling manager Joe Girardi met with owner George Steinbrenner yesterday, the first time the two had spoken since the former catcher interviewed for the job last October.
"It was great to see him. He was doing well," Girardi said. "We were joking a little bit and we were laughing, so it was good. He's just encouraging us to do what we always do here. So, Mr. Steinbrenner was great."
Prior pain free
Mark Prior didn't experience any pain in his surgically repaired right shoulder during his first spring training workout with the Padres in Peoria, Ariz. Prior, an 18-game winner with the Chicago Cubs in 2003, hasn't pitched in the major leagues since Aug. 10, 2006 . . . Braves lefthander Mike Hampton, who hasn't pitched in two years and is in the final year of the infamous eight-year, $121 million deal he signed with Colorado in 2001, also had an uneventful and pain free first workout as he attempts a comeback from arm surgery . . . Brewers righthander Yovani Gallardo has torn cartilage in his left knee and the starter is expected to miss the first four weeks of spring training. He will have the knee scoped tomorrow . . . The Florida Marlins and two local governments have ironed out the financial details of a $515 million proposal that would give the team a new 37,000-seat ballpark on the site of the Orange Bowl in Miami. City and county commissioners must vote on the deal.
