Barry Bonds : Before & After Steroids

Assume for a moment that, instead of using PEDs, Barry Bonds had retired after his 1999 season (WAR of 3.8, age 34). That leaves him with a career WAR of 103.3, which puts him 19 all time, solidly worthy of the Hall, but not anywhere close to Ruth, Mays, Cobb, et al. Perhaps without the PEDs he would have recovered to his previous form, or, maybe, he would have continued to deteriorate, like most players do by their mid 30s (without PEDs). We don't know, and I'm not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, no, he's not among the "best players of any generation", unless you're willing to let him, and only him, use PEDs.

Bonds had a WAR over 6.8 in each of the three seasons prior to 1999

And in 1999 had a 4.2 bWAR in only 102 games. Yeah, he was really deteriorating.

unless you're willing to let him, and only him, use PEDs.

There were a ton of other players also using PEDs, and Bonds still had years where he was more than 150% better than his steroid using peers (against steroid using pitchers). So by the time he was 34 he was already one of the top 20 players of all time, and then on a level playing field against many other steroid users he was still far and away better than everyone. I'd say that qualifies for "best players of any generation".

Man, I feel like Jim Edmonds will end up as one of the best players never to make the HOF

Just chilling with Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Mark Mcgwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Larry Walker, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Mike Mussina.

~;::::::;( )">  ¯\_( )_/¯

Jason Giambi Retires:

Giambi apologized again on May 16, 2007, this time specifically for using steroids, and urged others in the sport to do the same.^[34] "I was wrong for using that stuff", he told USA Today. "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up—players, ownership, everybody—and said, 'We made a mistake.'" When asked why he used steroids, Giambi responded: "Maybe one day I'll talk about it, but not now." Giambi did speak with George J. Mitchell, after being forced to do so by Bud Selig. Subsequently, in December 2007, the Mitchell Report included Giambi along with his brother Jeremy Giambi, who also admitted to using steroids during his career.^[35]

The Only Conspiracy Here Is An Attempt To Hide Their Hypocrisy

While Schilling may have some semblance of a point about him being a Republican, that's not the real reason why Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire and some others are not in HOF. Its because if the BW allow themselves to elect them into the HOF it exposes them as being complicit in the PED era of baseball. These are the same writers who knew what was going on and yet still wrote of the glorious accolades of these players for many years without saying a thing about what they saw going on in the clubhouses.

These very same writers made tons of money writing about the chase for Maris in 1998 and the chase for the Babe a few years later. They knew what was going on yet remained silent. Why? Maybe because they knew these players, while doing something shady, were not technically doing anything illegal. And if they also wrote about the PEDs, they'd have to also write about MLB's guilt in turning a blind eye to what was going on. After all, MLB and its owners were raking in the money from all the Home Run fever going on.

Think about for a second. McGwire admitted to using PEDs. Palmeiro got caught. Sosa too. Yet what punishment did they receive from MLB? Fines? no. Suspensions? Nope. Not a single punishment from MLB. Even Bonds, while widely known to have been using PEDs, was never punished by MLB. And his only crime was impeding a federal investigation. Nowadays players are being punished by MLB for using. What's the difference? Didn't the Commissioner's office send out a memo in the early 90s saying that use of PEDs was not acceptable in MLB clubhouses? Yes he did. But what force and power did that memo have?

Literally NONE. Without the consent and agreement of MLBPA, likely as part of a CBA, to punish players for any behavior whatsoever, a memo from the Commissioner has no weight whatsoever. It'd be like the President of the US declaring something to be illegal without the consent of Congress. Sure, the President could have someone arrested for violating such a law. But he could never prosecute them. Simply because there is no underlying law from which a prosecutor could prosecute or a jury could convict or judge could penalize. Its not a perfect analogy, but its close enough to help you understand that a memo from the commissioner without an agreement with the MLBPA on enforcing that rule and how to punish leaves the rule in that memo impotent.

What Clemens and Bonds and others did prior to the CBA agreement in 2003 or so established an accepted rule for MLB is no more a violation of the rules of baseball than throwing a spitball was prior to 1920. Ironically, even decades after it became illegal in baseball for a pitcher to doctor a baseball, Gaylord Perry made it into the HOF, in no small part, because of his doctoring of baseballs.

by JMichael39 on Jan 9, 2015 | 1:38 PM reply

Bud Selig was the deaf, dumb and blind kid when it was one of his own "allegedly" caught dirty. 

He tried to care, ended up looking like a lame duck.

Last March, at the team's invitation, the Giants said Bonds would appear at spring training as a hitting instructor. Bud Selig was not amused. He was about to commence his celebratory final round as commissioner, and Bonds was an unwelcome reminder of Selig's many embarrassments.

Selig talked angrily by phone with Giants officials, according to people in Major League Baseball.
I hope Giants executives giggled into the receiver.

@txbtxb

Did he have that same call with the Cardinals when they brought back McGwire?

McGwire cried and apologized, bro.

Selig still maintains that a lab tech had a personal grudge against Braun. Way to try and bail out your (daughter's) team.

Selig Settles HR King: 'Bonds Set the Record'

That should just about settle the argument once and for all.

from Bleacher Report:
Selig Settles HR King: 'Bonds Set the Record':

During a session with the local media, Selig was asked if he believes Barry Bonds is the true home run king over Hank Aaron.

Here is his response:

Barry Bonds set the record. That’s the way it is. One thing about commissioners, you get on that slippery slope when you start trying to change facts as they are. My friendship with Henry Aaron -- it is a very close, intimate friendship -- but it has nothing to do with that. Whatever the record books say is what it is.

Back in that period, people asked me to change this and change that, and you don't do that, because it really is a slippery slope. Once you do that, where do you start? Where do you stop? What are your criteria?

Bonds hit 762 home runs in his career, while Aaron slugged 755. 

'via Blog this'

Forbes -- MLB teams see historic 23 percent surge in average values - ESPN

It's a good time to be a major league baseball franchise. This is one area where Commissioner Bud Selig has been an undisputed success. I remember when the Rays franchise was awarded to Tampa Bay, I think the consensus was the owners overpaid at about $150M. Now, the value of that franchise may be $400-$500M. That's appreciation. Rumors of the demise of baseball in this country have been proven to be premature.


from Forbes via ESPN:
Forbes -- MLB teams see historic 23 percent surge in average values - ESPN:

Major League Baseball teams can bask in the glow of the biggest year-over-year change in valuation ever calculated by Forbes magazine as they enter a new season, but it's not the popularity of the game or their ballparks the owners have to thank for the surge.

According to figures released by the publication Wednesday, the league's off-the-field investments have helped boost the average worth of the 30 teams by 23 percent to $744 million.

In its report, Forbes, which has been tracking the league's finances since 1998, revealed that the money that all teams made from the $450 million sale of the Montreal Expos in 2006 was invested in hedge funds that are now worth more than $1 billion.

'via Blog this'

Balk Rule part 3, MLB proposes change...

Not sure why this is even under consideration. I guess Joe Morgan finally got into Bud Selig's earhole and convinced him that this is a balk, even though it doesn't fool anybody. And it shouldn't fool anybody as smart as HOF Joe Morgan. 

Joe Morgan is smart, just ask him.

My Uncomfortable Encounter With An Angry Joe Morgan

http://deadspin.com/5685456/my-uncomfortable-encounter-with-an-angry-joe-morgan

Somewhere in his career, he must have been picked off by this move and had to endure the "walk of shame" back to the dugout, vowing to someday have this rule removed from the rulebook. 

Congratulations Joe, your whining is being rewarded. Lefties around the world rejoice.  

from Coach JT / MaxBP:

MLB is set to outlaw the old fake-to-third and throw-to-first pickoff move next year, you know the move that never works. The proposed rule change will require the pitcher to step off the rubber before faking to third.  The step back will of course trigger the runner on first to get back thus neutralizing the deception and sparing any poor runner from an embarrassing moment - boo hoo!   The only problem I have with this is that the move does indeed work, just not that much. The runner should still have to pay attention and make sure the pitcher pitches right? Hasn't this been part of baseball, for like, forever?   Also, as it is now, a pitcher cannot step to third and in the same move spin back and throw to first...it has to be two separate moves, a step and fake to third and then a turn and throw to first...if a dumb runner breaks for second, this 2-move requirement still gives the poor sap time to get back.  If you ask us, this proposal only attempts to sanitize the game and widens the advantage a lefty has out there versus a rightie - it's not enough they get to balk every other pick-off? If they want to eliminate deception, why not outlaw bunting because this is clearly an attempt for the hitter to deceive the pitcher and we just won't stand for that either!   That's our story and we're stickin' with it!     www.MaxBP.com   1-888-99-MaxBP

MLB to eliminate third-to-first trick move

http://www.thevictoryformation.com/2012/05/10/mlb-to-eliminate-third-to-first-trick-move/

The good ol’ fake to third, throw to first trick move might be done in baseball. Well, at least in the bigs. This much discussed, often maligned, move is poised to be written out of baseball. And it might happen as soon as next season.

The Playing Rules Committee has approved a proposal that would make this move a balk. MLB executives and umpires have also agreed to this proposal. Under the new rule, a pitcher could only fake a throw to third if he has stepped off the rubber. This rule change, if it definitely goes into effect, is a good thing. The nature of the balk rule is written to keep pitchers from deceiving or tricking any base runners. Well, the fake to third, throw to first move is a direct attempt to trick base runners.

When asked about the possible rule change, Yankees reliever Boone Logan said

I think they should get rid of it. Us lefties can’t do that. Besides, how often does it work? Maybe once in never.

And think about when you see this happen while you’re at a game. Half the fans shout “BALK” while the other half groan. Currently, this move is directly stated as being legal in the official MLB rule book:

Yahoo! Sports Jeff Passan: MLB, Bud Selig Resistance To Expanding Instant Replay Is Financial And Nostalgic - Business Insider

Money should not be an impediment to getting calls like this one corrected. I'm hearing more and more calls for the plan I outlined -- the fifth umpire in the booth with a buzzer. If that simple and practical plan doesn't work, then you're stuck with human error. Deal with it!!!

from Yahoo Sports:
Yahoo! Sports Jeff Passan: MLB, Bud Selig Resistance To Expanding Instant Replay Is Financial And Nostalgic - Business Insider: "Apart from the fact that this is Major League Baseball, a.k.a. a slow moving organization run by good ole boys who like the way things are, the cost of expanding replay is a major reason why things haven't changed much lately."

'via Blog this'

MLB All-Star Game a flop with fans

One third of the total viewers from the 1980 total. Less than the total viewers of The Decision . We can't even break back over the 15 million viewers reached during the 2001 season -- the last before the Tie Game debacle that begat "This Time It Means Something". It may be time for MLB to admit that the All Star Game means next to nothing to the average fan anymore.


81st MLB All-Star Game receives lowest ratings ever
July 15, 9:26 AMChicago Sports Media ExaminerMike Consolazio

http://www.examiner.com/x-53449-Chicago-Sports-Media-Examiner~y2010m7d15-81st-MLB-AllStar-Game-recieves-lowest-ratings-ever

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game that aired Tuesday night on Fox from Los Angeles, California, received the lowest television ratings in the exhibition games history, according to The Nielson Company.

The National League won for the first time since 1996, but only earned a 7.5 fast national ration out of a 13 share. That dropped 16 percent from last summer’s game, the 14th straight for the AL. Approximately, 12.1 million viewers tuned in on Tuesday.

To compare how bad that actually is, 12.3 million people watched LeBron James make his “Decision” on ESPN last week, which aired on cable TV. Typically you could anticipate more people watch an actual sporting event on network television than a decision on where a star is going to play next season on cable television.

Even the HR Derby draws about 8 million viewers, so I'm not sure why the All-Star Game itself is not more of a draw.

I'm sure inter league play is a factor, the numbers have declined since the leagues began playing more games during the season.

Free agency and the blurring of player identity has been a factor. Players used to be identified as National League or American League players. Now, they cross over too often to be identified as one or the other. Even the umpires used to be NL or AL exclusively.

I'm going to give them a pass, for now, on the lack of scoring issue, which dovetails back to the PED issue. I will just say that although the so-called purists may love the recent trends towards greater pitching dominance over hitting, this will ultimately lead to further declines in ratings and attendance.

As the other sports that are beating baseball's brains in popularity wise (as measured by ratings -- football and basketball for example) have found, people want offense. Yes, the occasional 16-13 football game where the defenses are dominating is appreciated. Yes, the occasional 1-0 or 2-1 pitcher's duel is entertaining.

But the casual fan sees these games as exercises in failure. They wonder why the players can't make plays, assuming that the objective of the game is to score. And so you lose those fans and the ratings overall go down. The purists are always going to be there. Right now, MLB is struggling to find a happy medium. The pendulum may have swung too far one way in the early 2000's, now it may be swinging too far the other way. Happy medium, Bud.

It does seem comical that ever since Bud and the Boyz proclaimed that the game means something, the number of viewers has progressively and consistently declined. Time for a new marketing strategy Buddy.

Once a target for contraction, now proud owners of Target Field

The Twins christened Target Field with a victory yesterday. It seems like only yesterday the franchise was on Bud Selig's short list of franchises worthy of being contracted.

It may not be the house that Joe Mauer built, but it will be his job to help keep the yard filled.

It's great to see another indoor park fall by the wayside as well as one of the last artificial turf fields. Are you listening Tampa-St. Petersburg?

If the St. Petersburg city leaders don't get to work, don't be too surprised if MLB starts turning the screws to get an open-air yard for the Rays, "or else". Because seemingly every time Bud and his merry men play the "or else" card, they are rewarded.

SELIG CONSIDERS PARDONING PETE ROSE??

Or is he in reality passing the buck to the Veterans Committee? And won't the baseball writers do much the same thing fundamentally with the "steroid" guys going forward?

FROM THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/07/27/2009-07-27_pete_rose.html

Thanks to the behind-the-scenes lobbying from some of the most influential Hall of Famers, commissioner Bud Selig is said to be seriously considering lifting Pete Rose's lifetime suspension from baseball.

The guys who played with Rose are starting to show sympathetic cracks in the wall that has kept Rose out. He was passed over by the sportswriters due to the climate of fear du jour.

Better re-consider the Shoeless Joe Jackson case, if you're going to allow Pete Rose in. I still maintain that Rose represented--to an entire generation of parents, coaches and players--a living, breathing, Charlie-hustling example of how the game should be played. What he was involved in after his playing career was over should not hold him back.

Maybe we can expand Hank Aaron's suggestion the PED suspects plaques are asterisked and apply a "gambling asterisk" to Pete's plaque. Then we can go back and asterisk the entire original class and anyone else who played while the game was segregated with a "segregation asterisk". Pretty soon, there wouldn't be too many guys in there without an asterisk. Like the football guys say, it's a Hall of Fame, not a Hall of Saints.

If Selig does reinstate him, Rose then would become eligible for the Hall of Fame, but on the Veterans Committee ballot, as his 15 years on the Baseball Writers ballot expired during his time on the ineligible list. He would thus have to be elected by his peers, the 65 living members in the Hall of Fame, not all of whom agree with Aaron, Morgan and Robinson that Rose has done his time. It's hard to say if he would get the necessary 75% for election. "I know there are still guys who feel strongly against him," said one Hall of Famer, "and I don't know if that would change even if Selig clears him."

Now what Selig can do is say to the Veterans Committee--the remaining living members--"If you want him in, he's all yours". And the baseball writers will handle the steroid guys in the same manner in the future. They will get a 15-year penance or waiting period where the writers as a voting bloc will pass on anyone remotely close to the PED issue.

Then as the composition of the remaining living members changes to include these players peer group, the same sympathy for their overall career will kick in and in the same manner as we are seeing for Rose.

The only thing I see changing the issue markedly is if the writers somehow vote in a guy who was judged pristine by them and then is revealed to have been conclusively involved in PED's.

Then the whole complexion of the game changes.

NOT BIG PAPI !!!! NOOOOOOO..........

Is it becoming clearer by the day that we may have been better served had we commissioned Mr. Magoo to investigate the steroid issue in baseball than former Senator George Mitchell and his Sawks bias? I mean who else has to fall by the wayside? Can MLB get it's $12 million back for the "investigation"?



Does this development not further "TAINT" and expose as the corporate white-wash job that it was, the door stop that has become the Mitchell Report?

These were the two largest guys in the Red Sox lineup and the clubhouse at the time, both literally and figuratively, and this Barney Fife clone wraps up his investigation and concludes that "Nope, nothing to see here" regarding the Red Sox. The team he had an interest in?

And is it also not becoming clearer when the assorted talking heads wiggle and squirm to protect their favorite, nice-guy players that the biased media cannot be counted on to bring us the facts?

And how it is even a serious question to ask "Does this taint the Red Sox titles?" Of course it taints their titles, morons. Are you kidding me? Their two biggest sluggers are tainted and you have to even posit the question?


What are we waiting for here? Another media nice-guy, favorite to fall from the tree and then they can tell us, "Well it doesn't taint their legacy...It doesn't taint their championships.

I just heard one clown on ESPN say it only should affect how we look at 2003 re: Ortiz and I suppose--using that logic--only recently regarding Manny. Wow, the tone and narrative of the debate has really changed recently.

Just in the last two weeks we learned that Bob Costas had a private dinner with A-Rod and his newest gal pal. Does anyone really think he'll deliver any hard-hitting exposes or diatribes against A-Rod, much less any other pin-striped juicer?

And a Mets reporter--in breaking a story that vilified a team employee (to his credit)--doesn't understand that trying to curry favor from the team when you are supposed to be maintaining an air of impartiality "TAINTS ALL OF YOUR REPORTING". The bad and the good. Try considering the fans best interest when you are trying to move up the corporate ladder.

In this case, of course, the brethren quickly circled the wagons and defended their own. No hint of impropriety here people, move along. Because they know. And they want to reserve the right to themselves to do the exact same thing should the situation arise.

So from the top of the media food chain to the bottom, nothing but a cesspool. No surprise here.

Can't wait to hear the Gammons / ESPN spin on this one. Way past time for old Uncle Bud Selig to unveil that Jason Giambi style apology and hope that there are no more popular stars on that list. We're a Pujols or a Jeter or a Maddux away from this sport REALLY smacking into the side of a mountain. Even after all that it has been through.

I love the old switcheroo, dipsey doo these guys manage to pull off. When folks were leaking sealed court information in the BALCO case to newspapers, it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now all of a sudden they want to make a federal case out of it. Can't have it both ways. HAHAHAHAHA.

HOO-RAY FOR THE RAYS...AND BASEBALL

I stumbled upon a couple of fascinating pieces of data while strolling through the Baseball Reference web site a couple of days ago. And the data leads me to the conclusion that maybe I need to back off my bashing of Rays fans just a tad.

BASEBALL REFERENCE WEB SITE:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/

I was trying to think of when was the last time a team with a similar record and history of futility as the Rays rose up to compete at the World Series level in a similarly surprising fashion.

The best I could come up with was the 1969 Miracle Mets, a team I witnessed grow up before my eyes as a youth growing up in New Jersey.

And I started to wonder what the team attendance figures were, THEN and NOW.

The 2008 Rays drew 1,811,986 fans according to the site.

By comparison, the 1969 Mets, in the New York market, drew 2,175,373. TOTAL. And they were FIRST in attendance in the National League!!!!

The Yankees drew only 1,067,996 the same year, they were basically a .500 team. The Orioles, who won the division and also played in the 1969 World Series, drew 1,062,069.

The 1970 Cincinnati Reds, THE BIG RED MACHINE, drew 1,803,568 the next year, with a 102-60 record.

The 1972 Reds drew only 1,611,459 as a divisional winner. The 1973 division winning Mets drew only 1,912,390 for a team that was not expected to compete for a title.

It wasn't until the 1980's that we began to see attendance figures really swell for some of these division winners and cross the 2 million mark. The 1981 Dodgers won with 2,381,292 and the 1986 Mets drew 2,767,601.

So 1.8 million fans is not too bad for the Rays and the Tampa Bay community to hang their hat on. Perhaps if the infamous "Contraction List" comes back into vogue among the ownership, the Rays will not be on it. We'll see what the follow-up attendance is this year.
------------------
Interesting that in the A-Rod drama this week, we see again a PLAYER, publicly drawn and quartered.

A PLAYER squeezed for a public apology, and then being excoriated in the media for said apology not being quite good enough.

And at the same time, we hear Bud "Sargent Schultz" Selig claim no responsibility, no culpability whatsoever for the growth of the problem.

I'm not sure how Tom Hicks can demand an apology when he should in fact be offering one up for having so many users on his roster without his knowledge. Yeah right.

LET ME SEE IF I HAVE THIS RIGHT:

This team of Hicks' had A-Rod, Rafael Palmiero, Pudge Rodriguez on it's roster from the period in question, 2001-2003.

They also employed Ken Caminiti (2001), Gabe Kapler (2001-02) and Juan Gonzalez (2002). Not to mention at one time employing Jose Canseco.

This is also the team whose player representative to the union is credited with being the first clean player to step up at a union meeting and identify the extent of the problem in Rick Helling.

AND YOU, THE OWNER OF THE TEAM, HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON???


They should force this idiot to state his position under oath, perhaps before Congress, then strap his lying ass to a polygraph and see where the results take us.

By the way, as an interesting side note, the Rangers from 2001-2003 finished last in their division ALL THREE YEARS IN QUESTION.

Interesting stuff. It should make for some great labor-management negotiations going forward.

THE SLAVIK PLAN FOR THE OLYMPICS AND BASEBALL

CHICAGO 2016? AND BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL AS OLYMPIC SPORTS??


As we look out towards the new year one of the things I look forward to is the reinstatement of baseball and softball to the Olympics. My plan for the powers that be, mainly Bud Selig representing Major League Baseball (MLB) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is as follows:

The first step is for the international community to pay us back for submitting to their will and electing Barack Obama as our President. This is our gift to the world, who endorsed Obama over McCain (and Bush) in numbers reaching over 90% in some countries. There has to be some quid pro quo for this. This is non-negotiable.

In light of this event, I expect that the IOC would not dare award the 2016 Olympics to anyone but Chicago. The decision comes sometime this year. Does anyone really believe that with Barack's home base still in the running, they can award the Games to Spain or Rio de Janeiro? Come on, get real.

OK so that's a slam dunk. Slight problem though. Even the imbeciles at the IOC wouldn't dare hold the Olympics here in America and exclude America's past time from the event. Would they? I don't think so.

So the IOC have to get together and play nicey-nice and figure out a way to get major leaguers to participate. This is what the IOC has wanted all along, because the big multi-national sponsors will follow.

So how do we get major leaguers in there? Well, some "accommodations" may have to be made.

I would suggest that for 2016, the All-Star weekend and/or the World Baseball Classic not be held that year. The season instead would be shut down while any all-stars chosen for the American team or the international teams participates in the Olympics.


DIG DEEP BUD, GET IT DONE

Since the Olympics would likely last a bit longer than the number of days the all-star festivities are normally held, again for 2016 only, MLB may have to extend the season into early to mid November, which may mean taking the extreme step of holding the World Series at a neutral site for that year.

Cities like Phoenix, Miami, Tampa, Houston or San Diego would be able to guarantee decent weather and/or retractable dome. It would suck for whatever teams fans won the pennant that year, but teams have a lottery for World Series tickets among season ticket holders anyway, so that year only those wiling to take a road trip would put in.

It would be ironic if that ended up being the first year the Cubs won it, but everyone would be sharing the potential burden equally.

MLB and/or the union would have to make some sort of accommodation regarding testing, but if a player is not willing to submit to the Olympic testing for that year, they just don't participate.

All these "accommodations" involve some horse-trading among the principals, mainly owners, players, the union and the IOC. And that means money.

Hopefully, the parties realize that there is enough money for all and that this could end up being good for the game and increase the visibility and popularity internationally. Which means more money going forward.

You'd really have to be an idiot to screw this up but who knows, there could be a breakdown at any step along the line. And given who the parties in charge of making this work and their prior track record, I put the odds at maybe 50/50.

YOU MAY BE RIGHT, I MAY BE CRAZY...

You may be right
I may be crazy
Oh, but it just may be
A lunatic you're looking for
Turn out the light
Don't try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right
Bill Joel - You May be Right



It seems to me that Gary Sheffield was raked over the coals pretty good for these comments he made about Latin players being easier to control than black players a while back. Maybe somebody owes Sheff an apology. HAHAHAHAHA.
-----------------------------------------
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/19013033/

Comments not meant to be ’derogatory’ toward Latin players, slugger says

updated 7:52 p.m. CT, Tues., June. 5, 2007
ARLINGTON, Texas - Detroit Tigers star Gary Sheffield insists he meant “nothing derogatory” toward Latin players when he said Major League Baseball found it easier to “control them” than blacks.
-------------------------------------------
But now after the story broke about the FBI investigating numerous major league employees skimming the bonuses of many of these players, it seems as if Sheff's comments are not nearly as crazy as they were portrayed by MLB's lackeys in the media.

Where is the media's self-righteous indignation and desire to protect the integrity of the game when said integrity is now being soiled by management? You won't see it, of course, because said media is in bed with management. Remember the old saw about not taking a dump where you eat. It's not a good idea.

I feel the same about the story that broke regarding various members of management being involved in gambling, another story that is being quietly investigated and minimally reported, again because it's management soiling the integrity of the game.

Oh Mr. Selig, you have a call on Line 2, from a Mr. Stern regarding public opinion manipulation and damage control. He said he'll send the Donaghey case file right over for you to review. He said good luck and don't forget to use your friends in the media to spin the story. He said he can teach you how to spin those boys like a top if you need to.

THE MITCHELL REPORT GOES TO WASHINGTON

Mitchell does a great job of defending his reports contents, methods and recommendations. He's smooth under questioning, although they are generally receiving him well. He does have the advantage of being one of the brethren, indeed a well-respected former member.

Again, I think he reiterated the central theme of his report, that the focus should be on moving forward and continuing to make incremental progress, as other sports have done in the past.

Mitchell made an interesting comment in response to the observation made by a congressman that the statistical analysis of named users cited by the report, have not shown much, if any "performance enhancement" and what did he think about it (The study was posted earlier on this blog). Mitchell related the possibility of placebo effects, or "Possunt quia posse videntur" which is Latin for "They can because they think they can".

He related his own experience as a young player and compared it to delivering a speech when you feel good, as opposed to when you do not, in order to frame it in terms the representatives could relate to. And even that answer ignores the "non-performance enhancement" effect.

He will be a tough act to follow.

Almost as an aside, Rep. Waxman opened with a request for the Justice Department to look into the possibility that Miguel Tejada may have lied to investigators in 2005 when he said he had no knowledge of steroid use. The Mitchell report did name Tejada as a player who received steroids from a teammate.

One of the representatives did bring up the timing of Rafael Palmeiro lying, before or after his 300th hit. That's not a typo, the Congressman had to be corrected to bring Palmeiro's hit total to 3000, but no suggestion of an investigation for lying to Congress or even menacing finger-wagging was requested for Raffy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN Analysis:

Roger Cossock of ESPN seems to be rehearsing to be Roger Clemens defense attorney rather than a legal commentator. He says that Senator Mitchell exhibits an important contradiction when he accepts Brian McNamee's testimony regarding the player Mitchell cited who was excluded from the Mitchell Report. However, as Mitchell testified, that player provided Mitchell with evidence that although he did in fact acquire illegal PEDs, Mitchell believed that he did not use them after the player and his attorney provided satisfactory evidence. Cossock implies that this displays evidence that McNamee lied, but he apparently doesn't listen well enough or he is listening through biased ears.

Steve Phillips who should be able to give the management perspective as well as anyone else, falls back on the "Hey, I didn't have much to go on. I have a family to feed. I can't afford to put myself at a competitive disadvantage."

Which illustrates just the type of toxic culture that pervaded from the clubhouse to the owners box. Nobody wanted to put themselves at a disadvantage. Apparently the predominant justification given, silly as it may seem, for dropping the lions share of blame on the players doorstep, is our kids look up to the players and wish to emulate them.

So of course we need the government to fill the role of parents, the nanny state, because the Washington group-think is that we can't raise our kids adequately enough on our own. Typical.
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Bud Selig and Donald Fehr seem to be playing nicey-nice and showing the committee members that they are willing to work together, so they can keep Congressional involvement to a minimum. They appear to be echoing Mitchell's comments as much as possible under the circumstances. Good strategy.

Both Selig and Fehr publicly take responsibility for mistakes that were made. Of course, the next committee member took them to task for being reactionary rather than more proactive. 20-20 hindsight is a great gift.

The question of using statistical anomalies as a form of evidence or the basis for implementing mandatory testing or impose punishments has come up. This is the International model, where a positive test is not the only way to ban a competitor. Circumstantial evidence can be used. Accusations by competitors can be used. Wholly un-American and a dangerously slippery slope to go down.

Fehr says "Gene Doping will make steroids look quaint". Must be reading this blog because that may very well be a direct quote from here.
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I have to wonder why question Mitchell, Selig or Fehr regarding what they thought about the Giants trainer Stan Conte reporting concerns about Greg Anderson distributing steroids to Brian Sabean and whether those concerns were passed on to Giants owner Peter McGowan and what was done about it. The "Institutional Control Issue" I guess you could call it. I understand asking Mitchell since he must have interviewed them, but why not just call those three in for direct questioning as well?

They let the owners and management off rather easily here today. And the Commissioner and Donald Fehr walked away with no more than minor flesh wounds. Which probably does not bode well for the players when they go in for questioning next month.

I SMELL REFUND

Now we're getting somewhere that will potentially bring real closure to this steroids in baseball story. I've railed for years about the culture being polluted due to the fact that both sides, players and owners, had incentives to keep steroid use under cover.

Now that the cat is out of the bag and we're taking punitive steps, the punitive actions have been laid at the players doorstep almost exclusively.

Even the Mitchell Report, other than making some recommendations to clubs that are filed under closing the barn door after the horse is gone,does not make any recommendations to punish the clubs for complicity in allowing the scourge to grow under their noses. They cashed the checks just as the players did, they profited just as the players did, they obstructed and lied just as the players did. And yet all the punishment is falling on the players.

There needs to be some form of punishment on both sides given that both sides had incentives to perpetuate the problem. If not, that side has no disincentive to try to regrow the problem at some time in the future. Maybe the Commissioners Office should have the power to impose stiff fines or loss of draft choices to teams that have a track record of players who test positive, over and above a certain level. This would imply a form of lack of institutional control that the NCAA uses to impose on rogue football programs after a certain level of bad behavior continues for a certain length of time.

Well maybe not if more cases like this proceed, in fact I wonder why an enterprising young attorney doesn't seek to pursue class action status for any and all fans interested in receiving refunds for attending what are now described as "tainted" games.

You simply can't have it both ways. And since the media is in bed with ownership, but occasionally sleeps around with a players or two it admires, fans cannot count on them to get behind any idea that does damage to ownership. IT WOULD BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, THEY KNOW WHERE THEIR BREAD IS BUTTERED, AND IT'S IN THE PRESS BOX, PROVIDED BY OWNERSHIP AND CHASED DOWN WITH FREE BOOZE.

IF RECORDS ARE TAINTED, THEN GAMES ARE TAINTED AS WELL. AND IF GAMES ARE TAINTED, JUST AS IF ANY OTHER PRODUCT YOU PURCHASED IS TAINTED, YOU AS A CONSUMER ARE ENTITLED TO A REFUND.

In a sense, it would be poetic justice if this type of case snowballs. However, it would hurt the sport long-term. I know personally, I do not watch any of the Olympic sports that have a taint or a stigma of steroid abuse. The results are always at risk of being retroactively overturned, so it becomes a case of why bother watching an event when there is a high probability the observed results will be overturned in a future administrative proceeding. That's not a sport that's worth spending my entertainment time and money on. As always, a case of be careful what you wish for.

The nonsensical continued bleating from baseball ownership and management along the that goes something like "Hey, we didn't know the players were doing this stuff. They lied to us too" has got to stop. It's insulting to the intelligence of any fans with an intelligence level above a three year old.

The following comments from Larry Starr, former trainer for the Reds and Marlins illustrate the point:

"Here's the thing that really bothers me," Starr said in a recent interview with FLORIDA TODAY. "They sit there, meaning the commissioner's office, Bud Selig and that group, and the players' association, Don Fehr and that group . . . they sit there and say, 'Well, now that we know that this happened we're going to do something about it.'

"I have notes from the Winter Meetings where the owners group and the players' association sat in meetings with the team physicians and team trainers. I was there. And team physicians stood up and said, 'Look, we need to do something about this. We've got a problem here if we don't do something about it.' That was in 1988."

I repeat that was in 1988 folks. 19-freaking-88. And in 1991 Faye Vincent sent his infamous toothless memo. I suppose that was supposed to be the extent of the steps they were willing to take to stop this "problem" that was growing under their collective eyes. Remember Michell's comment about how the owners were sidetracked with economic problems i.e: they were too busy ringing the cash register to care.

And now we're supposed to believe they've seen the light? Give me a break.

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FROM THE GOTHAMIST.COM

http://gothamist.com/2008/01/11/knoblauch_ends.php

Elsewhere, someone's suing the Yankees, but based on the $221 in damages he wants, the Yankees should still be able to afford Alex Rodriguez. The claimant brought suit in a small-claims court in Brooklyn. He wants a refund for five tickets from 2002-2007 -- including one from a game against Barry Bonds and the Giants and another from Game 2 of the 2003 World Series -- because the Yankees broke their implicit promise to provide a fair and honest game. Everyone knows what Bonds is accused of, and Pettitte started that World Series game. We assume the claimant, whose last name is Mitchell, is not related to Senator George Mitchell.

THE MITCHELL REPORT IS ON THE CLOCK

You know this is big when CNBC's business channel has a countdown clock for the announcement. This is normally reserved for Federal Reserve announcements or other important business news.

After years of investigation, and up to $20 million in expenses, we finally get the names and the finger pointing we've all been waiting for.

Baseball's problem at this point is to somehow find a way to ensure that the financial goose keeps laying golden eggs while trying to persuade the fans, the media and Congress that the goose is not being fed performance enhancing substances to get the results.

According to an October 7th Phil Rogers piece in the Chicago Tribune titled "MLB cash cow breaking away' baseball is poised to meet or surpass the NFL in terms of total revenue generated.

"I probably shouldn't say this," one highly placed MLB executive said
last week. "There was a time when I wouldn't even think it. But I think
we're going to see a time in the future, the near future, when we are
going to pass the NFL in producing revenue."

Commissioner Selig was quoted as saying:
"By any measure you want to look at, our sport is more popular now than
it has ever been," Selig said. "The country really is baseball-crazy
today, no question."

The 30 major-league franchises combined to draw 79.5 million fans,
averaging 32,785 per game. The overall attendance increased 4.5 percent
over the record 2006 totals. Local, cable and network ratings are also on
the rise.

So in spite of the recent steroid mess, or maybe in some ways because of it, the sport is enjoying unprecedented popularity. In no other business could you have the same level of abuse of the product by those in charge of enhancing the value of it, and still produce the kind of results baseball has been getting recently.

The fans clearly love the style of game as it is being played today.

Let's face it, as much as purists may decry the lack of such old-school fundamentals as the lost art of laying down the sacrifice bunt, or the majestic artistry of the well-timed hit and run play, at the prices it costs to attend a major league game, fans will continue to demand the long ball and increased scoring.

Every other sport, with the possible exception of soccer, has recognized this and adjusted the rules of the game and/or style of play to accommodate the demand of the fans. And the exception proves my point. Soccer will never catch on in this country, number 1 because it's a communist sport and communism is dead, and number 2 there is no scoring. It's like watching paint dry. And while yes, I can still attend a professional soccer game in this country at bargain prices (as long as it is not a game where Beckham rides the pine) you couldn't pay me to watch it.

So, yes, I will certainly be interested in the names linked officially and forever to infamy by the esteemed former Senator. And yes, I will listen to the predictable 180 degree turn the media spin takes now that some of their butt-boys get dragged down into the mud as well. Don't kill the messenger now.

It was all fun and games when it was Barry, BALCO and Greg Anderson.

Now that the Yankees former trainer looks every bit as sleazy as Greg Anderson, lets see the scathing articles you Nobel prize wannabes write about Clemens, et. al. Lets hear the pundits rage on the air about how a multiple Cy Young award winner should be denied entrance into the hallowed, but increasingly irrelevant Hall of Fame.

If the KC Royals trainer with background and behavior that sounds Greg Anderson-esque gets fingered, maybe some of Cardinals and Royals players of recent note should be held accountable for their Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio-like early career numbers.

You see, here's the problem I have with this:

The media (the supposed guardians of the game), the owners, the GM's are all falling over themselves NOW and saying:

We're sorry, we didn't know what was going on.
We didn't know then what we know now.
We didn't see know the signs then, we do now.
Give us another chance.
We'll clean up the game this time.
WE PROMISE.

To that I say, BULLSHIT. People want to give Jose Canseco credit for what he said in his book, and the big names he called out, but they only want to credit him selectively, like his story is some sort of Chinese Buffet where you can take some of this, and a little of that, but pass on whatever part of his story you don't like.

Sorry, my BULLSHIT meter just went off. One of the things Mr. Canseco made fairly clear was that everybody knew what was going on. Players , management, fans, everyone. So why would anyone trust the same people, the same entities who couldn't prevent this from occurring the first time, to get it right this time?

Fool me once, shame on you....fool me twice, shame on me. A similar ignorance that was prevalent back in the 90's is with us today. Today, the main difference is we have people who think they can become knowledgeable about an issue lickety-split through Google searching. The Wikipedia-experts. Hot damn, ain't we lucky now?

Former Commissioner Faye Vincent makes the occasional rounds of the talk-shows and the evening news because he can be sure to bash Selig, bash Bonds, bash everyone involved. But NOBODY, and I mean nobody asked Mr. Vincent the most pertinent question, which is this:

Mr. Vincent, we are all now aware that you sent a now famous memo to all teams in 1991 (19 freaking 91) regarding steroid use. Obviously to send a memo regarding this subject you had to have valid, concrete reasons to send a memo regarding this particular subject as opposed to say any other topic of the day (gambling, recreational drug use, child abuse, etc.) and that is that you had to know this was a growing problem within the sport. So having identified it as an important issue, such that you were compelled to issue the memo, where was the follow-up as you observed the problem continue to get out of control?

Yes, I know, I know, the owners threw him out and put in the puppet named Bud. But in my opinion, being an ex-Commissioner offers an even better forum to be an advocate for change on this issue. An issue that his office clearly identified as a problem as far back as 1991.

And so I would ask Mr. Vincent again, since you clearly identified the issue at the time as a source of concern, what concrete, tangible steps did you take to keep the problem from escalating? Being that you love the game and all and had this intimate knowledge of the situation as it developed. I'm not real sure I want to hear much more of your carping and finger-pointing, and posturing and passing the buck. I've really heard enough of that. WHAT DID YOU ACTUALLY DO, MR. VINCENT?

So the finger-pointing we know can go at least as high as the Commissioner's office. How about the Oval Office? Sure, we know that President Bush picked up the issue in his State of the Union address, but I'm not sure we're getting full disclosure from the President regarding this issue. Instead of continuing to commit perjury in the court of public opinion by saying "I didn't know what was going on in my clubhouse". You're either being intentionally deceptive or were criminally stupid at the time.

You could see WMD half a world away, but couldn't see steroid use in your own (club)house. AMAZING. Good Luck in retirement Mr. Prez. don't forget to keep in touch.

If the President is really that concerned about the issue, maybe he would like to donate the proceeds of the huge gain he made on the sale of his piece of the Texas Rangers to fight steroid abuse at the youth level or further research for better testing. Do something tangible rather than just more rhetoric. It's not as if he didn't capitalize on his time in baseball to move into something that has clearly set him up for life, right?

You'll remember, that deal was held up as an example of the President's business acumen and overall intelligence during his initial campaign (an example he clearly needed then, and probably needs more now).


So give something back to the community, Mr. President. Put your money where your mouth is. You know, a little something for the effort?

In my opinion, if Mitchell's report doesn't at least give a nodding acknowledgment
that the 'don't-ask, don't-tell' philosophy, that permeated both the locker room as well as the boardroom, allowed this problem to get out of hand. Sure, everybody wants to see their favorite whipping boys(s) get whipped, but you almost have to play "whack a mole" and make sure you pound every corner of the industry over the head equally for this. Even though, that is exactly what Jason Giambi said once and got both roundly criticized and eventually muzzled (via economic extortion of threat of terminating his contract) for saying it.

And please, I propose a law, that says the next person who uses Jason Giambi as an example of someone who told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth be incarcerated for criminal stupidity. He told as little as he had to tell regarding his history with PED as he had to in order to keep his lucrative contract. Just Google an image of his Team USA baseball card and if you even recognize him, come back and we can talk, OK?

Anyway, it's almost time to read the report. Merry Christmas Baseball.
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UPDATE: After watching the Mitchell Press Conference

WOW. A very comprehensive 400+ page report. I was amazed at how often Mitchell in assessing where we have been, where we are and where we are going with regards to this issue spoke words eerily reminiscent of Mark McGwire's "I'm not here to talk about the past" theme.

He recommended, and rightly so, that the Commissioner not punish anyone retroactively for behavior committed prior to or for deeds that were in violation of a policy that was not in place at the time. The punishment will be the public stain on the players reputation, which should be damaging enough in most cases.

Not very surprising is that the names run from superstars to mere hangers-on. But that doesn't surprise me much at all. I have speculated for years that the number of players from the bottom of the roster would outweigh the number from the superstar strata. The superstars names sell newspapers however.

The detail behind the inclusion of Mr. Clemens and Mr. Pettite are sure to cause some to change their viewpoints regarding these two players. Not surprising to me that they were included, but the details from the trainer were very, very damaging.
I'm really not sure after first read, how they, or their cronies in the media, spin their way out of this one.

Let's see what say you now, oh sanctimonious protectors of the sanctity of the Hall of Fame, nay, of the very Game of Baseball itself. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Also interesting was his focus on pointing out that baseballs inactivity on this issue "while they were tending to economic issues" caused the problem to mushroom. No duh!

Also, interesting that he points out, rightly so, that at it's core the victims are the players who had to face the dilemma of either losing their jobs to players who used or joining them in order to compete. And this was where he was chiding baseball for being slow to act on the issue, because even though nobody will give him this type of out, if we are to believe that everything written in the book "Game of Shadows" is correct, this was the same dilemma, the same choices that Mr. Bonds must have felt. He was jealous of the attention Sosa and McGwire were receiving. He was losing his status in the game to players he felt were not his equals on a level playing field. You had an industry that was turning a blind eye to the problem and a Justice system that, given the penalties levied against users, didn't really care about the issue either. What to do, what to do?

But now, retroactively, because he first took McGwire seasonal HR record, and later Aaron's career HR record, we want to hang him from the highest tree. AMAZING.

We'll see how many folks take Mitchell's recommendations to heart, and I thought he made a great case for focusing on the recommendations the report outlines, and moving the issue forward, and improving the game. Or if they continue pushing old agendas.
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UPDATE #2

Typical reaction from the "Oh no, not Roger Clemens, crowd". Let's see if I have this correct. The trainer is lying to avoid the crushing weight of the feds charging him with one thing or another. Even though he was accompanied by personal lawyers when he testified before Mitchell. And we can believe that line but......we also have to believe that Greg Anderson doesn't act in quite the same way. He doesn't act to save his own ass and give up Bonds, but if and when he does, we would willingly believe his story even though it was in fact also coerced.

Listen, we now have MORE direct, not indirect, evidence tied to Clemens then we do against Bonds. But the media picks up the gauntlet and foolishly calls it hearsay evidence. The link to Brian Roberts sounds like flimsy, hearsay evidence. The testimony against Clemens sounds damning. And he has apparently committed perjury in the court of public opinion, what's that worth?

So now we will hear that Clemens and Pettite are the victims of a disgruntled employee and are entitled to due process and to face and confront their accusers.

These comments are all valid and and true, but most of the media folks who use this logic appear to forget (but I don't) that this was not a courtesy they readily extended to Mr. Bonds. And yes I'm talking about Hall of Fame talking head Gammons and empty head John Kruk. They don't want to believe it now that one of their pet players is dragged down into the mud.

Remember, the consensus wisdom from the bizarro-world, jackals in the media was that if the charges levied against Barry Bonds were not true, then he would sue. To protect his reputation and prove his innocence. Of course, this ignores the fact that our entire justice system is founded on the presumption of innocence and the principle that the government has to PROVE YOUR GUILT, not the other way around. Interesting that yesterday, even ESPN's resident legal expert Roger Cossack seemed to be able to finally articulate these legal concepts on behalf of Mr. Clemens. HALLELUJAH, THEY'VE SEEN THE LIGHT.

I do seem to recall that Clemens has in the past threatened to sue anyone who damaged his reputation or cost him endorsements or damaged his opportunity to continue to generate revenues based on his career. That day has come Rocket, time to put your money and your legal team where your mouth is.

Regardless of the fallout, I say welcome to the party that recognizes that EVERYONE is entitled to due process and has constitutional rights that some of the more irresponsible members of the media would so willingly trample in order to sell papers, push agendas and further careers. Fellas, you're a bit late, but welcome, there is room for all. And you'll find, if you care to read the Constitution, that it doesn't stop after the First Amendment you hold so dear. Maybe now you'll stop using the rest of the Constitution as mere shards of paper not worthy of wiping your buttocks on.

To conclude, it seems like the report was delivered like a flaming bag of shit on the porch of the players union and some individual players. And now they are laughing and letting the media and Congress do their PR work for them to tarnish (devalue) the players and gain the high ground to push further drug testing issues forward.

As far as Senator Mitchell and the $20 million dollars spent on this report, I would say this: It's not my money or taxpayer money being spent, so you can spend or waste it as you like, but it seems like most of the names mentioned in your report have long been listed on the site Baseball's Steroid Era, that we've had on our favorites for some time.

http://www.baseballssteroidera.com/

I haven't done a one-for-one checkoff of the two lists, but to be honest, off the top of my head, the websites list is more comprehensive and would probably have cost a lot less than the $20 million. But it doesn't have a former federal judge and U.S. Senator's stamp of approval. So I guess you get what you pay for.

Baseball now faces the prospect of having the greatest power hitter of all-time, the greatest power pitcher of all-time and the greatest singles hitter of all-time
publicly vilified and persona non-grata in the Hall of Fame. BEAUTIFUL WORK.

Finally, I feel vindicated on my long time assertion that once a popular player either tested positive, or even better was thrown under the bus by the court of public opinion in this manner, that there would be a stunning reversal in the tone of the debate.

So thanks Senator Mitchell for that, but it was fairly obvious all along that this would happen.

It's just so cool to hear ALL THE IDIOTS I'VE MENTIONED OVER THE YEARS (too numerous to mention, but y'all know who you are) TALK OUT OF THE OTHER SIDES OF THEIR MOUTHS.

As I've said before as well, the contortions some of these fools are engaging in today in reconstructing their arguments regarding this issue makes it abundantly clear that these guys are eminently qualified and have the the requisite flexibility to go fornicate themselves.

Merry Christmas to baseball and baseball fans everywhere.