Torre book alleges Blue Jays were doping

Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre reports in his new book that members of the  late-1990s Toronto Blue Jays were said to be using performance-enhancers while Roger Clemens was with the team.

Torre quotes Brain McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, as saying, "I didn't know one pitcher on Toronto's team that wasn't taking them when he pitched. It's speed. Guys were 'beaning up' to play golf after workouts."

McNamee was hired by the Jays when Clemens was with the team during the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

He also claims in the book that Gord Ash, the Jays' general manager at the time, "did not want to know if players were doping."

Ash, who is now an assistant general manager with the Milwaukee Brewers, responded to the allegations made by McNamee.

"I don't know or have reason to suspect that the Blue Jays were unique, and there were no obvious issues," Ash said. "Our medical staff never brought any abuse to my attention.

"We did place a great deal of emphasis on education and were one of the few clubs to have a full-time EAP [employee assistance program] director," he said.

Torre's book, The Yankee Years, was co-written with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci and will be released Tuesday. It's caused a lot of ripples in the baseball world because of the candid and sometimes nasty remarks Torre makes about some of the biggest personalities in the game, including Alex Rodriguez and David Wells.

Torre also writes about his split with the Yankees organization, which is reportedly considering confidentiality clauses in future contracts.