"This Bogdan guy set me up, that's the part I can be embarrassed about," Bigbie said.
"That I became a friend of a guy like this, who did this to me."
An unemployed, 43-year-old property manager, Bogdan was first identified as the case's key informant recently by The Smoking Gun Web site. It alleged Bogdan gave information to investigators about Bigbie, Radomski and others in exchange for leniency on an unrelated real estate fraud case.
According to an affidavit filed by Novitzky, the unnamed federal informant in the steroid probe previously pleaded guilty to a felony real estate charge. Also, the affidavit and Radomski's new book, Bases Loaded, put the informant with Radomski at a Mets game Sept. 30, 2005.
Bogdan, who is serving five years' probation for real estate fraud, acknowledges being at Shea Stadium with Radomski that day. But he has twice told The Baltimore Sun that he was never involved in the steroid sting and has never purchased or used steroids. He said allegations to the contrary made by The Smoking Gun and Bigbie are "ridiculous and totally unfounded."
Bogdan says if Bigbie is putting the blame on him, it's because "Larry has a career to protect."
In response, Bigbie, who played in Japan last season and will likely play in Mexico this year, said: "What career do I have to protect? He pretty much wiped my career out with what he did to me. If he points the finger back to me, that's because it's his only defense."
'Seemed like a nice guy'
One thing they agree on is when they met: toward the end of the 2003 season at a celebrity bartending event at Rick's Cafe Americain, a popular players hangout in Canton that has since changed names and ownership.
While Bigbie and former Oriole Marty Cordova were bartending, Bogdan, who had family connections to the place, offered the players his assistance. Later, Bigbie said, he mentioned he was staying in Baltimore that winter and Bogdan told him if he needed anything to give him a call.
"Everybody else went home in the offseason, and I didn't really know a lot of people in the city of Baltimore besides my teammates," Bigbie said.
"He said if you ever need to get into a restaurant, if there's a long wait or something, let me know. And I thought it might be a decent connection. He seemed like a nice guy who knew a lot of people in the city and might be able to help me out."
