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Former New York Yankees outfielder Shane Spencer and the hosts of a local radio show fell victim to a hoax on Monday, as a man claiming to be Spencer called the station and admitted to "dabbling" in steroids, reports Peter Botte of the New York Daily News.
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The impostor, speaking with host Mike Lindsley on ESPN Radio 104.5 FM in Albany, conducted the entire interview as though he was Spencer, giving the radio show a very fake "inside look" into the world of baseball and PEDs. It is unclear how the person managed to dupe the radio station into thinking he was former outfielder, but it speaks volumes of the current steroids climate that the hosts didn't bat an eye at the hoaxer admitting to PED use out of the blue.
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Nobody's really talking about it much because the Tigers are so good, but their highest-paid player isn't playing well this season. The hosts realized they'd been had after the interview and tried to set the record straight by getting in contact with the actual Shane Spencer. The real Spencer, who is now a coach in the independent Atlantic League, agreed to come on the show and set the record straight, stating:
"It’s unfortunate, you know, it’s embarrassing. It really is embarrassing. Not only am I very upset that my name is out there because I am here working in New Jersey.
I do a lot of stuff at Yankee Stadium, I work with kids, I’m a good role model and to see how this might affect me is very disappointing and I’m going to make sure that I clear my name out."
In addition to his comments on the station, Spencer also released a statement on Tuesday in which he said he was "outraged" that someone would attempt to smear his name and "disappointed" that the radio station did not confirm who they were speaking to when the contact information did not match what they had on file.
The radio station also released a statement of their own Tuesday, though it doesn't seem to include an apology.
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