Chris Russo on MLB investigation: "I would be worried if I was A-Rod"

(CBS News) It's being called a big break for Major League Baseball's crackdown on performance-enhancing drugs: the founder of a Florida clinic is agreeing to cooperate fully with investigators.

The information is expected to lead to the suspensions of some big-name players. About 15 to 20 players are likely to be embroiled in the scandal -- perhaps those mentioned last year, including Nelson Cruz and Melky Cabrera, Chris Russo, sports talk show host on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, said on "CBS This Morning." Players of particular interest now, though, will be New York Yankees' Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez and the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun, according to Russo.

Miami clinic founder to aid baseball's PEDs probe

"I would be worried if I was A-Rod," Russo said on "CTM." "He's under the gun, as usual, but what else is new? He's always in trouble. And Ryan Braun, don't forget, last year he got away with this on a technicality. ... Braun, who has been very adamant that he didn't do anything wrong, he's back in the mix here, too."

The person designated to collect Braun's urine sample after an Oct. 1 game last year, Dino Laurenzi Jr., said he stored Braun's sample in his basement in accordance with protocol because there was "no FedEx office located within 50 miles of Miller Park that would ship packages that day or Sunday." Braun's legal team, however, said at least five FedEx locations within 5 miles were open until 9 p.m. and there also was a 24-hour location. Braun's suspension was overturned because of "improper protocol" in the handling of his sample. Laurenzi, who has collected hundreds of samples for Major League Baseball, disputed this finding, saying: "There have been other occasions when I have had to store samples in my home for at least one day, all without incident."

According to published reports, Major League Baseball investigators pursued the clinic's founder, Anthony Bosch for months, paying former employees for information and documents, and filing a lawsuit against him. It was reportedly enough to make him break his silence.

Watch Terrell Brown's full report below.

Bosch -- who once ran a clinic that reportedly provided the drugs to big name players -- has agreed to tell baseball's investigators what he knows.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi's team could be affected, but Girardi says his bigger worry is the game overall. He said, "I worry about baseball being affected as a game, the whole thing and what it's been through in the last 15 years, that's my concern."

Baseball has threatened long suspensions for players found guilty. But proving the charges could be difficult. There are reportedly no positive drugs tests involved, and the players union is expected to present a strong challenge to investigators.

Turning to the potential for those suspensions, Russo said, "I don't know about the 100 games (suspension for Rodriguez). I think 50 games would be more like it. I'm not sure about the 100 games. ... Remember, that players association is going to back their players up. It's going to be tricky."

So why is Major League Baseball pursuing this so adamantly?

Russo explanined, "Records are very important in baseball. Home run records -- McGwire and Sosa and Bonds and Clemens -- there's more of a protocol for baseball. It's more of a statistical sport. Football, do you care if the defensive back is doing steroids? You don't see him anyway. But the home run slugger, the pitcher, the records, you care about that stuff. You know, it's got a history to it, so baseball is a little more wrapped up in records than say football and basketball are.

"Baseball has been pretty proactive here," he said. "They were heads-in-the-sand forever. Remember McGwire and Sosa broke the home run records in '98 -- they were doing steroids, nobody was saying anything, so they took a long time to join the party, but they've joined the party in a big way."

For more with Russo, watch his full interview in the player at the top of this article.