projo: Frustrated Baldelli say illness rumors are unfounded

He got toe-jam baseball
You can feel his disease

Rocco Baldelli has heard the rumors. He knows about the speculation surrounding his injury-prone major-league career. And, he says, the word frustration doesn’t put into perspective how he feels about his latest health issue and all the conspiracy theories.

He’s heard that he has multiple sclerosis. He heard that he has a rare blood disorder, or other serious diseases. He’s heard whispers of steroids. So yesterday he set the record straight for his fans and the people who care about his well-being in Rhode Island and across Major League Baseball, saying these reports are simply not true.

“I can tell you this,” he said. “I don’t have MS.”

And the rare blood disorder? “No,” he said.

Steroids? “Come on. Look at this [body],” he said, laughing, as he gestured to his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame.

He emphatically denied all of it, saying there’s no legitimacy to any of the rumors.

“I’ve been tested for everything under the sun, the whole gamut, trying to find the stem of what all these problems are that I’m having. I can tell you I don’t have MS, there’s no chance. … I know it sounds bad when I’m denying specific things.”