The man some contend connected the dots for Major League Baseball officials between the Biogenesis clinic where he once worked and the players he alleges received performance enhancing drugs from the business, told a Miami judge on Thursday he now feels bullied by league executives.
Porter Fischer appeared before Miami-Dade County Judge Ronald Dresnick and listened in silence as attorneys for the league told the judge he had failed to respond to repeated requests from them seeking more of the company's related documents and records.
According to ESPN, the judge set the next court date for Aug. 21, at which time he is expected to rule on the league's far-reaching request to obtain the added information. During Thursday's hearing, the 49-year-old Fischer argued he didn't fully understand the request and needed time to retain a lawyer after having parted ways with his previous attorney about a week ago.
Fischer ignited the Biogenesis probe by turning over boxes of the company's records to the Miami New Times last year. Data gleamed from those files have proven critical in the current suspensions of 14 MLB players, including Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz and Johnny Peralta. Rodriguez is the only one to have appealed his penalty.
MLB attorneys have used a local civil lawsuit filed in March against clinic operator Tony Bosch, as well as five others affiliated with Biogenesis, in an attempt to gain cooperation and access to more clinic records. The suit proved successful in gaining the cooperation of Bosch, who is not licensed as a health care professional in Florida. In return they will release him from the suit, provide personal security and other considerations.
This isn't right. Why am I being bullied like this?" Fischer asked repeatedly outside the 13th-floor courtroom, "according to ESPN. Major League Baseball is the bad guy here, not me. You wouldn't be here [with players suspended] if not for me. And this is my cupcake? This is my thank you?"
Fischer acknowledges there is a possibility the documents contain names not previously raised by MLB, as well as a smattering of athletes from other sports who dealt with Bosch and his South Florida clinics.
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