DALLAS — In 2002, the Rangers put together a beefy, bulky heart of the lineup that was supposed to intimidate pitchers by recreating the 1920s New York Yankees' famed "Murderers' Row."

Though they lost 90 games, the Rangers did lead the majors in home runs with a whopping 230, and shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who was the AL leader with 57.

Now, nearly seven years later, a potential nickname is emerging for the quartet of Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez: "Injectors' Row."

On Saturday, when Sports Illustrated reported that Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for steroids in 2003 while with the Rangers, it completed the quartet. All four players have either been implicated or tested positive for illegal steroid use.

Ivan Rodriguez and Gonzalez have both been connected anecdotally via reports. Palmeiro was suspended in 2005 after testing positive for stanozolol and remains the most accomplished proven user.

The SI report, citing four unnamed sources, said Rodriguez tested positive for the steroids testosterone and Primobolan during MLB's period of anonymous survey testing.

Said team owner Tom Hicks: "I'm shocked." Hicks, however, declined further comment.

"This SI report is the first I've heard of it (Alex Rodriguez's test)," said Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, who began working for the Rangers in baseball operations in 2002. "When the testing took place in 2003, it was confidential, and nothing was ever communicated to clubs. It's hard for me to make any comment on a report that I've never seen."

Asked if the Rangers had any suspicions that Rodriguez was using steroids during the 2003 season, when he won a Most Valuable Player award, Daniels said: "It was not a topic of conversation."

Fernando Montes, who served as the team's strength coach from 2003 to '05, disputed that.

In a telephone interview Saturday evening, Montes said that Daniels approached him in a golf cart during spring training 2003 and asked: "Do you think Alex is on steroids?"

Montes said that he replied: "My suspicion is yes. There is some chemical issue here."

Montes said he based his opinion on his experience as a strength coach and on Rodriguez' distaste for tough workouts. In other words, the player's strength gains were coming the easy way. Montes said the conversation with Daniels lasted roughly 30 seconds.

Daniels, who was an entry-level baseball operations assistant at the time, said he has no recollection of such a conversation with Montes. Daniels' first move upon becoming general manager in 2005 was to fire Montes.

In 2003, the league tested players to determine whether further action — in the form of a suspension system — was necessary. According to the SI report, 104 players tested positive among the 1,198 who were tested. According to a major league source, players who tested positive were informed of the positive result. In 2004, the league and MLB Players Association agreed to institute punishments for positive tests.

Since the institution of the official policy, the Rangers have been among the most proactive organizations in baseball, Daniels said. The club's education policy for minor leaguers, headed by Dr. Jay Hoffman, was cited in the 2007 report following Sen. George Mitchell's independent investigation of steroids in baseball.

"We've been among the industry leaders," Daniels said. "The reports and allegations are certainly not limited to one club. It's an industry-wide issue."

Other clubs that have had a large number of high-profile players connected to steroids include Oakland and Baltimore. And the litany of steroid-related stories keeps trickling out of the game five years after the testing was implemented. Last month, Mark McGwire was shut out of the Hall of Fame voting for the second consecutive time. In the last week, there have been developments linking Roger Clemens' blood to steroid-tainted syringes in the possession of his former trainer, and there were more allegations in the never-ending anthology of Barry Bonds steroid-related stories.

But McGwire, Clemens and Bonds are all out of the game now. The Rodriguez accusations put the game's top superstar smack dab in the middle of the steroid circus.

"We are disturbed by the allegations contained in the Sports Illustrated news story which was posted online this morning," Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president for labor relations, said in a statement Saturday. "Because the survey testing that took place in 2003 was intended to be non-disciplinary and anonymous, we cannot make any comment on the accuracy of this report as it pertains to the player named.

"Based on the results of the 2003 tests, Major League Baseball was able to institute a mandatory random-testing program with penalties in 2004. Major League Baseball and the Players Association have improved the drug testing program on several occasions so that it is now the toughest program in professional sports. The program bans stimulants, such as amphetamines, as well as steroids."

After receiving confirmation from a number of sources, SI dispatched a reporter Thursday to confront Rodriguez at a Miami gym. He declined to comment and directed all questions to the Players Association. The Players Association had issued no statement by mid-day.

Asked about an explanation for the positive test, Rodriguez told the reporter: "I'm not saying anything."

Said Rangers third baseman Michael Young, who lockered next to Rodriguez in 2003: "This whole thing is unfortunate, but that doesn't change that Alex is the most gifted player I've ever played with. Nobody works harder or prepares better than he does. As far as 2003 goes, I never saw any (steroids) or heard him talk about it. My only role here is to support Alex."

Buck Showalter, who managed the Rangers in 2003 and is now a baseball analyst at ESPN, said on the TV network Saturday that the club had no knowledge of test results when Rodriguez was traded.

"At that time, managers, GMs and coaches were there to manage and coach the players," Showalter said. "I'm not here to convict or to say somebody is innocent or what have you. I like to let things run their course, but at the same time, you realize it's potentially a very sticky, ugly situation for the Yankees and Alex going into spring training."

According to SI, Rodriguez's test results were discovered after federal agents seized the 2003 test results from Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc. of Long Beach, Calif. It was one of two labs used by MLB in connection with the 2003 survey testing. The seizure, executed under a search warrant, took place in April 2004 as part of the government's investigation into 10 major league players linked to the BALCO (Bay Area Lab Cooperative) scandal. Rodriguez has never been connected to BALCO.

One of the drugs he reportedly tested positive for, Primobolan, is supposed to help improve strength and maintain lean muscle with minimal bulk development. SI reported that former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who pled guilty in 2007 to illegally distributing steroids to major leaguers, described in his recent book, Bases Loaded: The Inside Story of the Steroid Era in Baseball by the Central Figure in the Mitchell Report, how players increasingly turned to drugs such as Primobolan in 2003. Part of the attraction was that Primobolan is detectable for a shorter period of time than other previously favored steroids. Citing FDA records, SI reported Primobolan is not an approved prescription drug in the United States, nor was it in 2003.

Rodriguez joined the Rangers for the 2001 season on a 10-year, $252 million contract, then the richest in American sports history. He proceeded to lead the AL in home runs in all three years with Texas, including 57 in 2002. During Rodriguez's three seasons in Texas, he averaged 52 home runs per year. Since going to New York for the 2004 season, which coincided with the institution of steroid penalties, Rodriguez has averaged 41.6 home runs.

Staff writer Gary Jacobson contributed to this story.