Mitchell Report due on Thursday
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- December
- 12
The vaunted Mitchell Report is reportedly in the hands of Bud Selig and Co. and will be released to the public on Thursday.
There are those who think (maybe hope is the right word) that the report will shake baseball to its roots. I think the report will be a review of what we already know and will shed little light on the matter.
To me, baseball should be looking ahead and focusing on finding ways to stop drug use in the future. The millions spent on Mitchell’s staff and their travel would have been better spent on developing a reliable test for human growth hormone or paying for more random tests.
There are inherent problems with the report before it even comes out:
Conflict of interest: Mitchell was a paid director of the Red Sox, a job he will return to once the investigation is over. The Senator is by all accounts an honorable man. But MLB needed to find somebody else.
Kissing up to Congress: Selig was horrified when he was dragged before Congress in 2005. Hiring Mitchell, a respected former Senator, got the lawmakers off his back. It’s a dog-and-pony show of the highest order.
Where’s the proof: Reportedly at least 50 players will be named in the report. But unless Mitchell has documentation showing a failed drug test, where is the proof? It’s fairly easy to connect a player to purchasing drugs. But all the player has to say is that he didn’t take it. How can MLB suspend anybody without a positive test?
The star witness: We have heard much about Kirk Radomski and his testimony. Radomski is a former Mets clubhouse attendant who was arrested for selling steroids top his body-builder buddies and ratted out players he knew as part of his plea agreement. So a guy who was once in charge of picking up jocks and towels is the best they have?
I think on Thursday we’ll learn once again that Jason Giambi did steroids. So did Barry Bonds, Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco and all the names we have heard before. Mitchell will criticize people in the game for looking the other way. Selig will praise the report and all the steps baseball has taken. If any players are suspended, it will be for 10 or 15 games.
Unless Mitchell has some startling news on a star player, this will all go away after a few days.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think many people care. Baseball has been dogged by this story for several years and the crowds and television ratings only get larger. Sure, drug use is wrong. But do you want to sit home and watch Jeopardy at 7 p.m. or Yanks-Tigers?
Baseball needs to clean up the game starting now. Telling us what happened last year or the year before that or the year before that accomplishes nothing.
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Peter Abraham
You mention a test for HGH – we are not even discussing that at this point. I think the rank and file guys who filled out between AA and the Majors would really be affected by a serious effort to ban human growth hormone.
great post, pete. i wish i had more to add, but you pretty much said it all. well done, as usual.
Waiting on Mitchell’s report is more fun than waiting at the dentist’s office, but, not by much.
Hi Pete- I think your post this morning is well thought-out, but I just don’t agree. I think that, whether fans are interested in it or not, the Mitchell Report is going to be a big deal. I think that he’s tried to time it so that it is between news cycles (and will then get less play), but I think that it is going to cause some major waves.
First, anyone the Report names does not need to be convicted of anything whatsoever. Anyone named in the report will now have a black cloud hanging over their head, a la Jose Guillen, Jose Canseco, Mark MacGuire, etc. Yes, they may sign contracts, make millions, etc, but when it comes time for fan support and/or Hall of Fame discussions, let’s see how unimportant the Mitchell Report will be.
ONe last thing – yes, there appears to be a conflict of interest in Mitchell’s position with the Sox. You’ve got to keep in mind that you’re not talking about, though, some idiot out for a buck. Mitchell is a very highly respected former Senator, Special Envoy to Northern Ireland who actually got the sides to agree on a cease-fire, a rumored candidate for Secretary of State under a Democratic administration, and a rumored candidate to replace Selig one day as Baseball Commissioner.
I think that the tales of conflict of interest are given too much credence.
A conflict of interest is still a conflict of interest no matter how honorable a person is. It’s simply the appearance of impropriety.
Just because your 45 year old neighbor is an honorable man, doesn’t mean you should let your 15-year old daughter hang out with him. It’s just not right.
If Trot Nixon, maybe Nomar and Varitek are named, then I’ll believe that Mitchell is unbiased.
If no Sox players are named, especially since the Paxton Crawford debacle, then I won’t trust a word of Mitchell’s report.
I agree with BWH. It’s a nice post but I disagree with you Pete. I think a lot of people are waiting for this report and the possible names that might come out. I think that’s one of the reasons there haven’t been that many moves so far this offseason.
I also disagree with you that only a positive drug test means a suspension. We already know that the court of public opinion probably has a greater impact than some suspension. If a player is named in that report, media will hound him, fans will make fun of him, and he’s marked for his career. You can just look back at the Pete Rose investigation as proof. Mitchell can find receipts, cell phone records, etc that are as damning as a positive drug test.
The public loves to see stars fall, because it’s drama. We also love to give people second chances, like Giambi. That doesn’t mean we stop listening to music because Britney Spears totally crashed. Just like this steroids thing won’t kill baseball, it just makes us more interested in what’s going on.
I just hope there’s no Yankees in that report.
Hey everyone. I’d just like to say I’ve been visiting this site for awhile now but never have posted. I think this is one of the best Yankees blogs I’ve ever read, both regarding Pete Abraham’s numerous informative entries at all hours of the day and night, and also in the people that post here. A lot of you really know your stuff and bring up good points. Its nice to find people as into the Yankees as I am.
Regarding this Mitchell report, I’m actually very interested to hear who’s named, whether there’s a ton of evidence against these guys or not. I think there will be Yankees in the report, but hopefully no players currently on the roster. What some of you are forgetting is that this report was investigating steroid use all the way back to the mid 90s, so I think a large percentage of the names could be retired players. Its funny how many guys got out of the game when the PEDs started getting a lot of headlines and preliminary testing was being done. Probably about 5 years ago or so, when Mcgwire made a hasty exit. But there were a lot of other guys who just disappeared, retired pretty suddenly after a huge decrease in their production. Those are the names I expect to see. And probably one or two big surprises. Who those names are is anybody’s guess. Just not Jeter. Please not Jeter.
I’ve recently come to to the conclusion that I don’t care about steroids. I am a traditionalist in a lot of ways: didn’t like the wild card (though I’ve come around), think the home field/all star game thing is a joke, etc. But they all do it, if done under the care of an (honest) physician it’s safe, and no matter how strong you are you still have to hit the ball. Do I love steroids in pro sports? No. But it’s a reality, and to me is much closer to Tommy John surgery than a corked bat. Science advances, performance advances, deal with it. The tests will never keep up with the drug so it’s futile to fight it. Regulate how you see fit and let’s move on.
future man ,
There’s no difference between corking a bat and corking your arms. Neither is close to having surgery to correct an injury.
Mel – You’re absolutely right in an ideal sense, but in reality, Mitchell was a good choice. For something like this, it makes sense to have someone who is involved in baseball in some way.
At the same time, Mitchell has established a reputation for himself over the past 47 years as a fair and unbiased individual. Department of Justice, US Attorney for ME, 2-term Senator… He was offered a seat on the Supreme Court, for goodness sake! And he turned it down! This guy is about as straight a shooter as you’re going to find.
So I agree that it is simply the appearance of a vested interest that is important, but one can argue that anyone chosen who has absolutely anything whatsoever to do with baseball will have a conflict of interest.
GreenBeret7
mostly agree with you but I think future was trying to say there is body augmentation and equipment augmentation. Additionally tommy john surgery is known to give mph back to a pitcher by giving them a more elastic ligament to use
Peter – I have one question on which I’d really like your honest opinion:
Which story is your Sports Editor most likely to put on the first page of the sports section: a) a trade of Clippard for a reliever from the Nationals? b)Yankees finish A-Rod’s contract c) Former (or current) Yankee great implicated in Mitchell Report?
Although you and other writers MUST be tired of writing articles on steroid abuse, I just don’t think the report is going to be ignored. I WISH it would, I HOPE it will, but I don’t think it will simply be a non-event.
What do you mean it accomplishes nothing?
I’ll give you one example of what it will clearly affect: HOF voting
You asked the very shallow question of “unless Mitchell has documentation showing a failed drug test, where is the proof?” Well you mentioned recently that you wouldn’t vote for McGwire for the HOF, but we don’t have any irrefutable proof tht he used steroids. But the public opinion turned on him, and rightfully so, after his poor and shady showing in front of Congress. Cearly you, and many many other people judged him on very circumstantial evidence even though you don’t have proof. I am not saying that your judgment is incorrect, since it is pretty clear that McGwire was juiced, but what I am saying is that by just being on the list, these players HOF chances will be affected, like a Pudge Rodriguez or Miguel Tejada. Isn’t that important to you so that the right players gain entry into Cooperstown?
So you can’t just ignore the past, since baseball is very proud about glorifying past heroes. Getting a better idea of who was cheating and who wasn’t is helpful towards that end, even if all we know is that the guy purchased PEDs. Isn’t that enough for you to know, as a potential HOF voter one day, that this guy won’t get your vote? So it clearly does accomplish something.
BWH- are you saying there are no other ‘honorable’ people out there that did not direct relationship a team that wouldn’t have been a better choice to complete the investigation. There are reasons that Doctors don’t operate on family, policeman don’t do investigations regarding family because no matter how ‘honorable’ they are there is still a question of how objective they can be. Mitchell is part of the RedSox family, a team that has stake in the outcome of the report. MLB should have chosen someone else based on that alone.
I am slightly interested in the report but over all it will have little impact me and my interest level in baseball.
It’s not likely anybody besides Carl Pavano is going to knock off a year and a half of his career just to have unnecessary invasive surgery. Surgery like that is fine, because it can help you recover your career, but, not always. It’s in no wy the same. That’s like saying injecting styeroids is the same as having knee surgery to clean out some damage.
I seriously doubt that the owners care about impartiality in the “investigation, and, certainly Selig doesn’t. Baseball hasn’t been impartial since they day they elected one of their own to look out for “the best interests of baseball”. Selig was put in to look out for Selig and the best interests of the owners. The worst/best example you get of this was the election of Bowie Kuhn to the HOF and all but blackballing Marvin Miller.
In the worst case baseball could turn into pro cycling. Do you know who won the Tour de France 2006? Who was the last guy winning that race being not an alleged doping user?
Penalties for drug use are simply ridiculous. 15 day suspension? That’s not even a slap on the wrist. Athletes in track & field lose almost everything they had (and worked hard for) if they get caught.
Impose much stricter penalties on the athletes (and more important) on the teams. If one guy is cheating the whole team gets an unfair advantage over the other team so if a player gets caught the team should forfeit all games in which that guy appeared (or all games within a certain period). And don’t say “it’s just one guy why should the whole team suffer”. Baseball is a game of inches. How often would a flyball that’s turned into a homerun because a juicer has some extra power make a difference? And that way teams would have to make sure no one on their roster is a cheater.
Let’s all guess who the token—
George ’ hey I’m not biased ’ Mitchell—Boston steroid user named, will be. Make that former Boston player. . ..BTW honorable politician is an oxymoron. But, that Mitchell did a good job in Ireland, says something for his negotiating & diplomatic skills. Too bad he’s too old & ill to succeed Pud.
Wat to impugn a man’s integrity based on his social status, Pete.
Last time I checked, not being upwardly mobile is not a felony, nor is it any indicator as to a man’s honesty.
“Way”
Pete – I agree with you and Mel. The mere suggestion of an impropriety with the Mitchell conflict should have made him ineligible to conduct this investigation. It has nothing to do with his character at all (although the fact that he accepted the position raises questions in my mind about him, to a certain extent). The results will forever be tainted in my mind because we don’t know if we can trust him because of his involvement with the Red Sox. I find it hard to believe that there wasn’t another honorable former senator, judge, congressperson, someone who wasn’t equally as capable, but without a conflict.
Lawyers spend much time agonizing over conflicts, turning down work when the conflict is unsurmountable. Baseball is a competitive sport. How do we know Mitchell wasn’t tempted to look the other way, or avoid probing as deeply as he should because of his allegiance to his team? We don’t. On the flip side, perhaps he overcompensates and goes harder against a current Red Sox player to show that the conflict does not matter.
I’d like to believe I can trust a politician, but I’ve lived in this country (in New Jersey no less) and find it hard to trust any of them. Selig picked the wrong guy for this job.
“Sure, drug use is wrong. But do you want to sit home and watch Jeopardy at 7 p.m. or Yanks-Tigers?”
Funny you mention Jeopardy…. When I go to my father’s house after work to watch the game, he insists on watching Jeopardy at 7 pm because he hates all the introductory pre-game punditry from Michael Kay and because, as he says, the first pitch is never thrown before 7:15.
Bottom line: I haven’t seen the first inning in years at his house. But, still having your dad around and being able to watch baseball with him is, well, priceless.
Where I live Wheel of Fortune is on at 7PM. Jeopardy is a much better show than Wheel.
Motown Yankees Fan:
Yes, there is the appearance of an impropriety, a conflict of interest. It could have and should have been avoided.
But you have to remember that at the time of Mitchell’s appointment, Congress was about to put on their clown suits and make a circus out of the whole “steroids in baseball” issue – - and nothing would have stopped them there. Can you imagine what would happen if Congress enjoyed the baseball experience so much that they decided to raise a standing sub-committee on the National Pastime? My feeling has always been that former US Senator Mitchell was selected to appease the angry mob of dopes in Washington and allow them to resume screwing everything else up.
One other note. As I have written ad nauseum here, the investigation is flawed in so many ways that Mitchell’s potential conflict may be the least of the problems with the upcoming report.
My solution to the doping and integrity issues in MLB?
Baseball needs a standing, independent investigations commission, one not beholden to ownership like the Commissioner and not a captive of MLBPA either. Pick the tribunal like they pick arbitrators, from a list including one neutral commissioner who will run the operation and let them audit and investigate baseball at will with a requirement that management and labor must cooperate or be sanctioned. If the commission finds criminality, let them refer it to the proper authority. This commission will develop the MLB insider knowledge and expertise that Mitchell and his Ivy League probers lacked and should make their findings and recommendations to the Commissioner public. Sunshine is the best Disinfectant.
The criteria Mitchell used in determining who should be named and who knew what and when will be interesting to see.
Haven’t we already heard the names of 50 people who have been publicly accused of steroid involvement? If that numbers is true, there will be few surprises named.
The one person that should have been conducting this thing is Jim Bunning. He’s a HOHer and no ties to the players of the “Steroid Era” and none to the owners. I would think that the one thing he’d want is to clean it up and protect the standards set before this era.
count, more to do with the access, or lack there of, the guy has than his mobility.
Pete-
I wish you were this eloquent on the subject 9 years ago. Why is it that the media gets a pass? Isn’t that the point of the media to bring attention to things the public would either overlook or not know about?
The media shares the same culpability as major league baseball executives. Everyone was so focused on making money they didn’t care about what was going on in the field. I bet you want to focus on the here and now, since you (the general you) “blew” it before 2004. The past is, in some ways just as important as the present and future. Maybe we can learn from the report on how to stop the next scandal. But probably not. The media would let it happen, again.
It’s a simple formula really. Let the scandal happen right under your nose in the locker room. The Lupica’s etc. al., can make nice money publishing books on record chases and then everyone can cash in when the scandal breaks be feigning indigence that it happened in the first place.
All I am saying Pete, is easy to criticize the report, but I don’t see you out there trying to tell the steroid story. And you should.
Pretty sure that the media broke the original Andro in big Mac’s locker deal.
And i wish baseball players wouldn’t use steroids, but mostly for the game’s integrity, so i can look back and compare stats of past greats with current ones… but i already can’t. Parks changed, mounds changed – and for sure if Koufax could’ve had Tommy John surgery, his career would’ve ended differently. If Babe Ruth had decided to do sit up and push ups instead of eat hot dogs and beer, things woulda been different.
I hope that the Mitchel Report can help galvanize MLB and the public’s view and actions taken, rather than simply let us all point fingers and deride players at the park after their 10 day suspension.
Murphydog, I see your point, and I do recognize there are greater problems than the conflict. The quotes in the ESPN article are also troubling and sound like a witchhunt was conducted. And I guess that anyone they pick would have been scrutinized based on where they saw their first baseball game and what baseball cap they wear.
jimcobain – I’ll bet that Pete wasn’t covering baseball 9 years ago…
I feel this report is meaningless. If you think that there was just 60 to 85 people that have use this stuff that is crazy. We will never truly know the truth. This report will be full of scapgoats. This goes a lot deeper.
Great post Pete,
In one scenario, a huge star is named on the report and the game is tasnished. Ini the other, no new names are even mentioned or it lists a whole bunch of nobodys. Either way, Its not going to be a good thing and personally, i dont really care either way. Even if it is a yankee, what do they think we are going to do? Stop watching the games. Yea right.
Take that dead horse! And that and that!
JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune:
The Twins continued exploring potential trade options for Johan Santana on Monday, picking up where they left off at last week’s winter meetings.
While no deal appeared imminent, there were indications that in their talks with the Red Sox, the Twins were focused on a package headlined by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.
The Red Sox have offered Ellsbury and pitcher Jon Lester in separate deals, while refusing to include both in the same offer. Of those two options, the Twins were said to be leaning toward a package of Ellsbury, infield prospect Jed Lowrie and relief prospect Justin Masterson, with the sides haggling over a fourth player.
Meanwhile, the Twins’ talks with the Yankees remained dormant. According to a person close to the talks, Yankees lefthander Kei Igawa was one of several players the sides discussed last week, along with righthander Phil Hughes and center fielder Melky Cabrera.
Igawa has four years and $16 million remaining on his contract, and though he struggled last year, some scouts say they think he could benefit from a change of scenery.
Oh and here’s the link if anyone’s interested:
Star Tribune
Here’s the link if anyone’s interested:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/12337791.html
Perhaps if you realized how much steroid use has filtered down to our children you would feel differently. Sports prowess brings college and pro scholarships so every kid who can is ‘bulking up’. In New Jersey and Connecticut every team that plays in state finals is now drug tested. We all know about kids who go on Spring Break to Mexico and bring back ‘stuff’ charged on their parents credit cards.
They are all following the examples of their idols – McGwire, Bonds, etc.
Irregardless of MLB’s assertion that they had no rules about steroids, in fact steroids are illegal in this country and have been for years. The problem could have been solved a long time ago if MLB had not proclaimed the clubhouses ‘off limits’ in a questionable designation. Any police department can tell you many tales about drugs in many places. And, instead of all the roadblocks placed by the Players Asssociation, local police departments could and should have treated those clubhouses like any other place where illegal drugs were being sold and used.
Hey Pete –
what’s going on with the blog server?? I post something – it doesn’t appear, I try to repost it and then BOTH show up… I know I’m not that slow of a typist…
I could really care less. People in politics are generally viewed as less than honest. How can I believe that he was anything less than ethical given his status within the red sox org. It will only make me more suspisious if no names, or only Gabe Kapler of the soxs are named. Didn’t owners have to sign off on who was heading the investigation? I don’t understand how from the very begining someone who is on the board of a baseball team was allowed to conduct the investigation.
Way off topic, but I know there are some Howard Stern fans here.
My company had our Christmas party last night at a steak house in the city. One of the guys who works for the resturant came and told us Howard Stern was down stairs eating. So everyone kept going down to check it out. I wasn’t too sure it was him, he looked younger (just walked by him quickly). Than he moved his seat, so I’m sure it was him, I guess he got sick of everyone coming down the stairs and looking at him.
Victor Conte of BALCO said he will reveal some names too.
I pretty much agree with what Peter said, except that the story won’t totally go away because Bonds still has to answer his perjury charges in court. That’ll drag out all season long.
Blunkness, not that it matters much, but, Koufax’ problem wasn’t a torn tendon, it was an arthritic elbow. It started after banging his elbow on the ground sliding into 2nd base in 1962, after getting a very rare hit.
sunny, how about some thoughts on moving Matsui and Igawa to SD for Chase Headley and some minor league arms, and spinning Headley as the center to a Twins package?
SD is known to have asked for Igawa last season, and he could slot right into the 5th spot in their rotation. Matsui is instantly the best OF they have on the team, and moves right intot he middle of their offensively challenged lineup.
you’d have to think a slugging 3B is more valuable to the Twins than a scrappy CF, right? Headley, plus IPK and a couple of moving parts should get it done over Ellsbury and Lowrie, plus some fill-ins.
I think BC is targeting the wrong NL West team.
How about forgetting Santana for the time being and trying to expand the San Francisco trade? Everybody gets what they need and NYY doesn’t strip the best of their top young players out.
The only way to do a trade like this would be to get either Cain or Linecum Something on the order of Kennedy, Marquez, Matsui and Betemit for Linecum or Cain, Sanchez, Wilson and Dan Ortmeier. Ortmeier is a good hitting rookie first baseman/outfielder, power, some speed and a switch hitter with a solid glove, and, he’s 26 years old.
With George in attendance yesterday at Tampa Bay Downs, two Steinbrenner horses from their Kinsman Stable celebrated trips to the winner’s circle. In the 6th race, Unfolding Wish was the winner ($3.00 – $2.40 – $2.10). In the 9th race, Massasoit was the winner ($14.00 – $7.60 – $4.60).
In other news, in the Tampa suburban community of Lutz, a school was named George M. Steinbrenner 111 High School.
Florida, that’s a good sign on both pArts. Put’s the owners in a good mood, increases karma and it wasn’t named George M. Steinbrenner III Memorial School.
Cain and Lincecum arent going anywhere. The Yankees and Giants dont match up; they each have young pitching, and the Yankees dont have the positional prospects the Giants need to rebuild.
Wilson is the future closer on the team, so he’s not getting traded, and the Giants have already said that… and if this Ortmeier is as decent as you say he is, why would the Giants move him when they need young positional players themselves?
Reading Howard Bryant’s piece on ESPN.com, the most disconcerting thing to me is the line of questioning these investigators employed when interviewing these coaches. Now I realize nothing’s been published yet, so there’s no way to be absolutely certain what type of information the report contains, but if the information in Bryant’s piece is accurate then they went about this the wrong way. Rather than getting at the systemic root cause they’re asking coaches to speculate on individuals without the weight of evidence. Well what good does that do? Are we trying to solve the problem or round people up for the paddy wagon? The names aren’t the point, here. Outside of a fan’s morbid fascination with finding out which of their favorite players are juicing, who cares about the names? It’s just like any other systemic-level issue in America—unless they have a cogent plan to deal with this issue at its roots, nothing will be accomplished.
people care. i care. i care who cheated and who didn’t. the history books care. holding people accountable is never a waste of time.
You are not going to see any change in the history books. So don’t hold your breath.
And Austin, what are you going to do if you see a Yankee player on there? Are you going to stop rooting for the Yankees? I’d like to know what the evidence is when they implicate someone? Is it hearsay? There won’t be postive tests, so how can we assume that everything that is in that report is 100% accurate?
and how is this report holding people accountable? the names will be released, and give everyone something to talk about for the next couple days until Johan Santana is traded, and then it will all be forgotten before the next season even starts.
is arbitration really today for Cano and Wang
HOW MUCH YOU think they will get
TurnTwo, that’s actually a pretty good matchup. They aren’t getting an outfielder like Matsui or Rios for Sanchez and Lowrey. If Wilson is a deal breaker then, NYY pulls Marquez, ans SF’s good young pitchers are AA and below. They have first basemen also, but, Betemit gives them a young power hitter for one of three positions. Ortmeier is never going to be a star, but, better than what NYY has now. When I said power, we aren’t talking 25-30 homers, more like 15-22 homers.
Joe, I’m guessing a raise to 2-4 mil a year.
I agree Pete. Nobody cares about this situation and you really cannot blame the fans. This is the reality of it all and there’s nothing that can really be done about it (well there is, but the steps will never be taken for a variety of reasons).
Well put, Peter
so I get my butt to work and this site is becoming a drug to me, GOD I BLEED PINSTRIPES
I am really concerned that players names and reputations will be tarnished by innuendo, hearsay, and circumstantial evidence. If this report comes out and the only proof they have is the word of some weasel trying to cut a deal, well that is just wrong.
We know that none of the players talked except Giambi and he said he did not name any names. Executives couldn’t name players without implicating themselves, or their teams as being if not complicit then negligent.
So other than Radomski who gave these alleged 50-80 names?
We need kill-schilling or another attorney to weigh in on this.
I don’t see how they could suspend any players without hard evidence. I know it isn’t a court of law, but I don’t see the players union taking this lying down.
Mitchell Report is going to be MLB’s version of the 9/11 Commission. An exercise in self-interested smoke screens.
I question whether those drugs had a significant effect on the performance of the players.
Barry Bonds was a great player, hitting lots of home runs before he went on drugs and has been a great player and hit a lot of home runs after he cam off drugs.
Perhaps major league baseball could do the world a great favor and do the analysis that shows that even though drugs beef up a players body, they don’t improve performance,
More strength increases bat speed. Increased bat speed will in affect increase reaction time, allowing the batter longer to react to the pitches. More strength, better bat speed increases distance. It increases pitchers ability to recover faster after a game, allowing him to do more weight work/exercise.
Why you gotta hate on Jeopardy Pete? The influx of DVR eliminated the need for hate amongst tv in the same time slot… get with the times and tivo yourself some Jeopardy.
So if Ortmeier is going to hit 15-20 HRs, and wont ever be a star but projects as a decent player, why would they trade him for exactly the same player in Betemit?
It doesnt match up.
If the Giants are going to trade Cain or Lincecum, they dont want Betemit or Marquez; they want players like Cano, or a package including Melky and Tabata or AJax. Young, high ceiling positional prospects. They dont want Wilson Betemit for the same reason you are trying to upgrade from him.
They are asking about Matsui now to help fill seats until they are halfway decent; but they arent going to trade the young stud pitchers to do so, because their offense will still be subpar, only now they dont have the great young starter to stay competitive.
yanks-tigers.
Why are so many in the media discounting the validity of the report before it’s even released? Pete’s view is exactly what 99% of the media people on TV, and on WEEI here in Boston are saying. That without a positive test there is no proof. Well, to me, that’s inaccurate. Maybe in a court of law that would be the case, but not here, in the court of public opinion. Does anyone in here think that Gary Mattews Jr didn’t do steroids when he had them delivered to his house? If names are dropped with cancelled checks, and delivery slips as proof, the public will assess guilt. It will hold water. My only concern with Mitchell is how deep he’ll go with the names, and whether or not he’ll name any prominant RedSox. He’s been seen on the bench in a Sox jacket, chatting it up with the players in the past, and I question if he’d name any of them. By going deep with names I wonder if he has to run his list by Selig and the Union first. Can he name a historic icon like Clemens? Would a Cal Ripken be exposed (just an example)? I wonder if they will protect some names because of their historical value, or to save their image.
Every beat writer in every sport has a conflict of interest too (reporting vs continued access). Get over it. So does about everyone on this board. Brokering Peace in Northern Ireland gets you a big free pass for a thankless job like this, IMO. It isn’t like MLB v the Players Association is a centuries-old blood feud with real people getting shot, blown up, burned out, etc.
Last I checked, the NY Times had a bigger financial interest in the Red Sox than Mitchell. I guess they’ll cover it up too.
Morning sarcasm agrees with me.
The report will get a lot of notoriety, but there isn’t anything that it can do to change the history books. What’s there is there, and baseball really doesn’t even need to use asterisks if a record holder such as Barry Bonds is named. The asterisk will always be there in the mind of the average fan, and I think that is nearly as powerful as an asterisk in the record books. Public perception is one thing that you just can’t change and shouldn’t try to change.
GreenBeret7
Joe, I’m guessing a raise to 2-4 mil a year
other places claim somwhere between 7 and 10
some places say a contract
Two quick things before I start work:
1. I LOVE Jeopardy. I even tried out for it once (got to the second round before I got beat out by people who could work the buzzer a lot faster than I could). Pete, don’t hate.
2. The Mitchell Report is a total conflict of interest. No lawyer would ever take a case under those same parameters (if he had a financial interest in one of the parties that he was supposed to be investigating). No way. I think it’s a big show to show that MLB is trying to fix its steroid problem, but everyone here is right – it’s a slap on the wrist, and it doesn’t pose a solution.
Look for Kevin Mench’s name on the Mitchell Report…suspicious power numbers in ‘04 and ‘05, he just got DFAd by the Brewers yesterday…and he had the biggest hat size in Major League Baseball.
You heard it here first…
“Well you mentioned recently that you wouldn’t vote for McGwire for the HOF, but we don’t have any irrefutable proof tht he used steroids.”
in fairness to Peter, he said his McGwire vote was not related to steroids.
i disagree with Pete’s position, since i think steroids would be the ONLY thing keeping McGwire out of the HOF, but i think you are mischaracterizing his position.
YanksRule57 wrote:
That’s what the meat of Mitchell’s report will be. Like Pete, I think the bulk of the report will be a review of what we already know. The part on which we will focus will be the names, and the names will be the product of hearsay. There will be no proof, no trial.
Let’s play ball. George Mitchell’s team has a title to defend, and his report won’t name Manny or Papi or Schilling or Lowell. And it wouldn’t matter if it did.
RealWorld,
How would you feel if your name and reputation were tried in “the court of public opinion”? Ask the Duke lacrosse players if they got a fair hearing in that court. Your comments are beyond naive, they are ignorant of how the modern media work.
Cano and Wang won’t get a 6.5 million dollar a year raise after less than 3 years of service time. If they do, I’d be surprized. Next year, yeah. I think they’ll be signed to multi-year contracts, though, to at least buy out their next 4 years of arbitration.
There may have been 2000 different MLB players in the ‘steroid era’. If the report said ‘we estimate 15% of all players used PEDS’, I think this would be informative. However, to select 50 players who had a ‘certain’ level of ‘proof’ against them, and not mention or count all the others, is simply to shine a light on a small group who will receive all our collective anger, when many will get off without mention.
Here what I do.
I go to EVERY PLAYER on every team.
I say, NO NAMES. Just Numbers. I ask 2 questions.
1) How many Players on THIS Team do you KNOW used PEDSs?
2) How many Players on THIS Team do you SUSPECT used PEDSs?
I ask EVERY PLAYER who about the Team they spent the most time with.
That would be 1000+ ‘opinion’. Large sample size. With NO Names asked for, hopefully players would be honest. I throw out the top 5% and the bottom 5%.
I average up those 2 questions and release the finding.
“According with over 1000 interviews with players:
It was found that XX% of players used PEDs.
It was found that and addition YY% of players used PEDs.”
Based on this, we, the fans can get an idea of how pervasive PEDs is and decide how much it impacted the game.
Furthermore, the naming of Players will take the spotlight OFF the 2 greatest offenders… the 2 people who perpetuated this and could have easily stopped this WAY before it got to this level.
The players are just dumb smucks trying to make the bigs, or trying to get a bigger contract, or trying to win for their teams. They are like people who speed on the highway. It’s illegal and wrong, but LOTS of people do it, and it’s accepted policy in many ways.
GET THE 2 PEOPLE WHO ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN.
BUD SELIG AND DONALD FEHR.
If these 2 guys REALLY wanted this dealth with in 1990, they could have avoided EVERYTHING that has happened to date, INCLUDING the One Year and Career HR records.
BUD SELIG AND DONALD FEHR are the ring leaders.
If anyone thinks the Mitchell report is going to name players at will, you’re joking. It’s a smoke screen. Pete is right, they picked Mitchell because he’s a Senator. They don’t need to worry about congress becasue since the hearing two years ago, MLB is lobbying (bribing) congress for favorable treatment to the tune of half a million dollars a year.
You can’t expect MLB to take itself down anymore than you can expect Exxon-Mobil to take itself down.
It’ll apprear tough, but it won’t take down names like Pujols, Fielder, Papi etc. You’ll see names like Sheffield, Giambi, Pudge etc. Guys who’ve had their day and are close to retirement anyway.
That should read:
I would average up those 2 questions and release the findings.
“According to over 1000 interviews with players:
It was found that XX% of players used PEDs.
It was found that an addition YY% of players were suspected of using PEDs.”
~Adam,
SO you think they have selected their targets and are naming those selected to satisfy Congress and the public?
Interesting theory…..we shall see.
ok Mark Prior to be a FA soon ? (he should recieve alot of offers)
and TurnTwo a hellllllllllllllllllllllll no on that trade AJAX and Tabata go nowhere
The big story I dread is that the Yankees – who had a dynasty at the height of HGH/Steroid mania – have several of thier players from that era named in the report. Then the second-guessing can begin.
Turn-Two, Betemit plays 4 positions the Giants need. Ortmeier plays two. They also get a cost controlled high end pitcher (Kennedy would be a high end pitcher in the NL) and another starter, a starting outfielder that will bring in fans, which, right now is a big concern for them, according to Sabean. Sabean also said he was not interested with only down the road but to be able to put a representative team on the field in ‘08 and beyond, not in ‘09-’11.
I’ve been clamoring about Mitchell’s Red Sox connection this entire time. Glad you mentioned it, Pete.
Motown Yankees Fan has it right: Even if Mitchell is honorable, he could conveniently ignore evidence against prominent Red Sox—or come down harder on Sox players who are caught because of the conflict of interest (or mere perception thereof).
I think it might actually be a third scenario: Some random Pawtucket utility infielder with a .223 average gets nailed for steroids and Mitchell feels relieved.
Yanksrule57-
I absolutely do. I doubt any young stars will be named.
MLB wants to show two things.
1) They’re tough on PEDs.
2) The problem was largely in the past.
Don’t expect any of baseball’s young stars to be named. MLB will need all those new stars to rebuild their image.
Go to ESPN, CNN, MSNBC. Members of congress (at least the ones taking the MLB PAC money) are already positioning themselves. They’re all saying something like “Mitchell’s report took a long time, hopefully they’ve learned to police themselves.” Those are the magic words for MLB “Police Themselves”
The reason they chose Mitchell is becasue he’s an ex-Senator, not because it looks good to congress and the public, but the same reason ex-Politicians become lobbyists. ACCESS and INFLUENCE. Mitchell knows exactly what is needed to satisfy congress. Money (the MLB PAC) and good public image (a report that looks comprehensive and tough like the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group). Done and done. MLB gets to police themselves and the congress men and women get to say they cleaned up drugs in pro sports.
Are Bob Watson and Sandy Alderson, or, for that matter, ‘Milwaukee’ Bud Selig impartial? Please. Baseball is the epitome of the good-ol’-boys club. I ain’t saying it’s right, but, please, buy a clue.
The Yanks trade Damon, Mussina, Betemit, and $13M ($6.5M/yr.) for Chipper Jones who becomes the Yanks’ starting 1B and insurance 3B and reliever Manny Acosta who follows Hawkins in the Yanks’ bullpen.
Atlanta’s rotation would be Smoltz/ Hudson/ Glavine/ Mussina/ Hampton or James. Damon would be their veteran leadoff hitter, CF, and replacement for Andruw Jones for only $6.5M/yr. through 2009. Mussina and Jones would be a wash ($11M each for ‘08 according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts). These two would ensure another division title for Atlanta cuz their rotation would bury the Mets’ who are so desperate there’s a rumor of them signing David Wells. While Damon wouldn’t be as good as Beltran or Alou offensively, he doesn’t have to be with Matt Diaz in LF and Jeff Francoeur in RF cuz he’d be better than the Mets’ RF Carlos Gomez (newbie) or re-signed Shawn Friggin’ Green. Atlanta could sign Lamb for 3B and have Betemit either back him up or platoon with him, or they could make Betemit the 3B or part of a platoon with someone else. I can’t see Mussina and Damon balking at going to Atlanta who they’d instantly turn into division winners (Philly overachieved and the Mets are fading and probably still shaken up by their chokejob). Damon wouldn’t have a choice if Atlanta wasn’t on his no-trade list.
The Yanks would shed $37M (Damon’s remaining $26M through ‘09 + Mussina’s $11M for ‘08) – Jones’ $11M for ‘08 =
$26M – 13M they pay Atlanta = $13M ($6.5M/yr.) They could sign Corey Patterson for CF (2 years
$3.5M/yr = $7M?) and still have $3M/yr. left over for the bullpen (Mahay 2 years$3M/yr. = $6M?). Cabrera becomes the leadoff hitter and moves to LF cuz Patterson is a better CF than Cabrera. The Yanks upgrade LF and CF defensively and age-wise. Giambi remains at DH.The starting nine/ batting order could be Cabrera/ Jeter/ Abreu/ A-Rod/ Posada/ Cano/ Jones/ Giambi/ Patterson.
The bullpen would be Rivera, Farnsworth, Hawkins, Acosta, Mahay, and 2 t.b.d. (Ohlendorf and Karstens)?
The Yanks could still make a play for Santana.
Mussina and Damon become Jones (1B/ insurance 3B), Kennedy (#5 starter), Patterson (starting CF and potential 40 SB/yr. #9 hitter), Cabrera (leadoff hitter/ LF or #9 hitter if Patterson bats leadoff), Acosta (RH reliever), and Mahay (LH reliever > Villone, Myers, or Henn). For Atlanta, Jones becomes an N.L.D.S. rotation of Smoltz/ Glavine/ Hudson/ Mussina, Hampton, or James and an N.L.D.S. offense started by Damon who’s been to the big dance before.
Adam, Mitchell is still the wrong person in every way. Jim Bunning, former US Representative, US Senator, HOF pitcher has been trying to get steroids and drugs out of baseball for years. He has no axe to grind, he has no connections with players of this era and no connections whatsoever to the owners. What’s more, he doesn’t care about ruffling feathers or hurting feelings.
I’m not as worried about the conflict of interest though. The last thing the Report needs is to look like a hit job or conflicted. The Players Union is too powerful and if there’s even a little bit of shadiness or bad info, they’ll discredit the whole report. I expect it all to be fairly legit and benign. I highly doubt you’ll see them make the Yankees look horrible and the Red Sox look great. It would be too obvious and too easy to discredit. A lot of what you read from teams and GMs is posturing to protect themselves. It’s a lot of fluff.
Think of the timing. It’s supposed to be released tomorrow, on a thursday in december. This thing will be in Friday newspapers (typically the least read). This thing will be over by noon on Sunday when the NFL talk shows come on.
Watson and Alderson are both Selig’s bought men.
Oh, and, uh, Peter, you kind of sound like an apologist. Our best tool in preparation for the future is the past. History is important. A baseball writer should know how important history is to the game. And this specific era, no matter how much it hurts, had to be investigated. You can whine about impartiality, but that is only because it involves the Red Sox. Had Mitchell been on the board of directors of the Devil Rays, Royals, or some other sad sack also-ran, rather than the rival of your lifeblood, I have a feeling you wouldn’t even mention the word impartiality.
“people care. i care. i care who cheated and who didn’t. the history books care. holding people accountable is never a waste of time”
guess what, EVERYONE cheated. or mostly everyone.
naming 60-80 scapegoats is silly. there are hundreds who are guilty.
Yanks joy = Mets misery
You obviously spent a lot of time and effort on your post and I hate to “pee in your wheaties”, but what makes you think that the Braves want to trade Chipper in the first place?
He is a franchise player who took a steep discount to stay there. He is a team leader who has close ties to management. Not to mention with Andrew gone, he and Smoltz are the faces of the franchise. While your numbers make sense I think you started on a false premise.
GreenBeret7
Mitchell is only wrong from a fans perspective. He’s perfect from MLB’s perspective. This isn’t a hit job.
Why would MLB take down the New York Yankees? It’s their biggest asset. It would be like the NFL taking down the Cowboys, or GE taking down NBC. I don’t think the Sox-Yanks rivalry extends to the business and political aspect of Baseball. The Red Sox need the Yankees as much as the Yankees need the Red Sox, as much as MLB needs both of them.
The Player’s Union will be looking for the smallest hole and they’ll drive a truck through it. If it looks like Mitchell was hitting the Yankees too hard or not hitting the Sox hard enough, the Player’s Union will discredit the entire report and congress won’t be satisfied.
GB7,
Senator Bunning, while an honorable man, suffers from a situation similar to George Steinbrenner unfortunately. It was an issue in his most recent bid for reelection.
Very thoughtful points Pete, thanks.
I’m personally more interested in an investigation of how on earth Mitchell got the job of heading this up despite his ties with the Sox than the performance-enhancing drug investigation itself.
YanksRule57, the only thing wrong with Jim Bunning is he has a very strict thought on rules and right and wrong. Yes, he’s opinionated and irritates people in power. He’s outspoken to the point of bluntness. If you want a yes-man, don’t ask for Jim Bunning. He was the same way as a player, 50 years ago. He won’t rubber stamp anything. People are still upset because of what he said about his senate opponent a few years ago, when he said he looked like one of Hussein’s sons. He apologised for that.
Sorry Pete. I have to disagree completely this time. It’s all about accountability and the truth seeing the light of day. When Canseco first came out with this steroid stuff it was met with “he’s nut’s and a liar” then “it’s just a few” and” it really doesn’t help, so it wasn’t widw-spread”. Now we expect 50-60 to be named (how many more didn’t they catch) and even if only 10% are big names we haven’t heard before it shows, it’s not isolated and that those specific baseball players were willing to break the law to get an edge. I want my kid, and every other kid ,to know who those guys are and then baseball can move onto to catching the HGH guys and exposing them some day too. I also think the owners should make Selig resign since he was asleep on duty.
I am with Pete on this, the Mitchell Report is going to be a joke and the best thing that MLB could have done is acknowledge negligence, work on an effective testing program and move forward. Now, we are going to see Selig grandstand like he couldn’t fathom that players were on PED’s (which is an absolute joke and an embarrassment), and act like he got to the bottom of the problem. Please.
For those that think the report is going to be helpful, you should check out the article on espn.com right now that quotes trainers and other team employees on how the interviews were conducted. Interviewees were encouraged to GUESS as to who was doing PED’s. Now, we’ll see if accusations such as these are included in the report but that is not the most reassuring way of collecting information.
Bud Selig is a joke and the Mitchell ‘Report’ will just be another on a long list of embarrassments on his resume.
Future Man makes an important point. Today’s players have an incredible advantage over players of earlier eras due to superior nutrition, training, and medical science. Breakthroughs like Tommy John surgery and Lasik eye surgery can actually enhance players’ physical abilities beyond the limits of what could be achieved with a perfectly healthy body. Helping players recover from injuries is just one narrow aspect of the phenomenon. The overall effect of modern science is to equip today’s players with physical abilities that were simply unattainable in previous generations.
The ONLY thing that separates steroids from this trend is baseball’s ambivalence about their legality. I say “ambivalence” because, for all practical purposes, steroids WERE legal until a couple years ago. Players could (and did) use them, there was no testing, and any on-field accomplishments attained through the use of steroids, from individual stats and records to team wins, still count. In effect, baseball’s policy toward steroids was “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Baseball hasn’t demonstrated an iota of concern over the way PEDs have changed the game, any more than it demonstrated concern when weight-training started turning the average middle infielder into a legitimate power threat. The concern over steroids relates to the dangerous side effects. If steroids had been safe (and thus presumably legal), baseball would have welcomed them with open arms, Hank Aaron be damned.
I think a lot of the lamentation over steroids misses this point. Steroids are no more harmful to the game than any other development that has increased power production in recent years (although all of these developments have made it more difficult to compare players of different eras). Yes, they should be banned, but only because they’re unsafe. Moreover, as I’ve said, they weren’t really illegal in any practical sense, so about the worst one can say about the players who used steroids is that they were gambling with their own health. Most players (presumably) chose not to use steroids, but they never called out the players who did, and so they can’t be heard to complain about it now.
Deal with it and move on.
Chase Headley I don’t think would make a good centerpiece to a Santana trade. If the Twinkies were looking for Hughes and Kennedy or Lester and Ellsbury for Santana, Headley wouldn’t be enough. Nor would I believe that Kennedy/Headley would be enough. It would probably still be Hughes/Headley/Melky just to get them to notice us. Not worth the price of admission IMO.
True, but I don’t think the Yankees would view this as getting enough in return. The Yankees would more than likely ask for another MLB ready player. Matsui’s 20+ HR and 100+ RBI would be worth more than just Headley and some minor arms IMO.
Again, this is all just my opinion, but I doubt they would view a Kennedy/Headley package as an upgrade to an Ellsbury/Lowrie package. If anything, they probably view Ellsbury>Kennedy at the moment. Taking the Marlins/Tigers trade as a reference, it would probably take at least Hughes and Headley (if the SD trade happened) as well as Melky just to get their attention, but don’t count out the mechanizations of Theo. I’m sure he’ll raise the price to make it distasteful enough for Cash to bail. Bill Smith is also known to covet Ellsbury almost as much as Theo does. (ew.)
In the end, two things: one – I don’t believe we’d be getting enough return in the Matsui trade idea and two – I don’t think the Twins would value a Kennedy/Headley trade as enough or equal to a Ellsbury/Lowrie trade based on everything that I’ve read so far. It’s an interesting idea, but without another top prospect in there (Lincecum or Cain for example), Smith is probably not going to bite.
Howard Bryant’s article is pretty good. I don’t think he’s a good writer, but he’s a good investigator, so it reads poorly.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3142651
He made it seem like Mitchell was on a witch hunt. Just looking for names so they could try to find evidence on players.
Interesting that they asked Bryant to interview. He refused. I wonder if Pete was asked to interview. Either way, would he agree to interview? I doubt it.
Lots of great posts on this. For a story that reporters continue to say people don’t care about there certainly seems to be a lot of buzz about it. I think a big reason that this is important is for the young fan; they need to know this is wrong and that an even playing field is important in all areas. I hope parents, counselors, and P.E. teachers take the time to explain to these youngsters that though baseball was late in entering this story that these drugs were illegal (as in against the law) before baseball had a testing/enforcement policy. It is surprising just how many kids don’t understand this entire episode; it is an important learning tool.
I agree that there could have been a better choice than Mitchell. As a Yankee Fan, it just doesn’t sit right with me. Having said that, I am told Mitchell is very honest and that his investigative background and other experiences made him a logical choice for the job. We’ll also have to see how many Red Sox are in the report. Selig kissing up to Congress? I think he is just trying to clear his name in history which is what baseball and the records are all about.
The proof – either Mitchell will have spent a good amount of time making sure he has covered himself or he has more than we know. Radomski was the lucky part (for him). There must be more or they will still only be allegations – the allegations about players whose size changed significantly while their performance improved – well, that will speak volumes though it may never be proved. These 10 – 15 game suspensions are ridiculous. Punish these guys or just forget it – don’t make more of a joke of this than it already is. I think where the real problem for Selig may be is with the Players Union.
This can really hurt some players, think of a player that is getting near the end of his career or on who has recently retired and had the stats to get into the Hall of Fame or a player in pursuit of a baseball record but most of all it should hurt the player with a family that has some self-respect.
Yanks – Tigers—right now, that one scares me a bit ;-).
As long as Arod’s name isnt on the list this wont effect baseball.
Mitchell has a vested interest in making sure nobody on his team (Boston) is named. He has to go to board meetings and hangs around the owners all the time.
How will it effect his ability to hang in the owners box and drink scotch with the front office people if a few Sox players are implicated and have to serve suspensions during a Yankees series? Will he still be getting a WS ring if he names two or three previuosly unnamed Sox players that suddenly have a drop of in production. did he warn a few guys beforehand so they wouldn’t get in trouble? Did he give the Sox front office the lowdown on players in the free agent market?
The opportunity for impropriety are endless.
This entire thing stinks, the man has no incentive to be objective at all.
I don’t remember any Yankees fans complaining when Giambi hit two home runs in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. I’ll tell you what, you have a right to complain about Mitchell being associated with the Red Sox, if the Red Sox have a right to claim they won the 2003 ALCS. Sound fair?
Peter,
I care, and I care and I care.
I’ve met George Mitchell a couple of times, and have worked with him and/or his staff on numerous occassions over the years. He may love the Sox, but most of all, he is an honorable man. I have no doubt he’d be fair – the media, more than most anyone, manage the perception. Let’s be fair to the Senator.
Mitchell’s financial interest in and ties to the Red Sox constitute an obvious and undeniable conflict of interest. Even the appearance of conflict fatally compromises the credibility of an investigation, no matter how exalted the reputation, CV, or stated good will of the investigator. That little has been said about this glaring disqualifier is disgraceful, although unfortunately not surprising. Moreover, as Pete points out, flogging the dead horse at a cost of millions does little to deal with the problem now and going forward. Better indeed to spend on development of a reliable test for HGH that can be accepted by all parties concerned (ownership, players union, MLB).
Re Jim Bunning: No former players (issues re missing the free agency gravy train), execs (connected to the power structure), or any other such, please. An honest outsider with no ties to any part of the system would have been the wise choice.
Why did MLB not bring in Jim Bunning to lead this commission?
It’s such a no brainer that the fact that he was not leading the commission…makes one wonder.
All due respect to Senator Mitchell but he is clearly a sub-optimal choice.
Frankly, I think the NFL should also be subject to an investigation.
For that matter all athletes pro and college…should be subject to a strong PED testing program that is adminstered by an impartial non-political body.
The current regime of testing is a joke.
Anyone who thinks Mitchell will have been biased in his investigation is a crack smoker. Period.
Sorry yankee fans, but this is a day that should be as dismal for you as the breaking of the BlackSox scandal almost 90 years ago. Tarnished division.leage and World Series Championships over the last dozen years. the list is a veritable who’s who of your stars. Petitte, Clemens, Justice, Knoblauch, Sheffield, Giambi, key role players like Stanton and Velardi. The Yankees would likely have won nothing over the past dozen years without these cheaters. I want to print a new tee-shirt and sell it at Fenway. On the front will be a hypo needle through the Yankee logo and on the back will list the 26 championships with asteriks next to the last four. I could be a miilionaire.