Vote for this guy
-
-
- March
- 5
-
Saw this on the AP wire:
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York) said today that the FBI is too busy with more important crimes to spend time trying to determine if Roger Clemens lied to Congress about taking performance enhancing substances.
“Roger Clemens has been shamed. I think the public record is replete with examples of how he did not likely tell the truth. What is the public benefit of continuing with an FBI investigation?†Weiner said.
Weiner also suggested his fellow lawmakers had gone far enough with inquiries into steroids use by professional athletes and should let professional sports league handle the matter.
In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Weiner wrote: “Whether or not Roger Clemens may have committed perjury should not compete with real national security threats for the FBI’s time, attention and resources.â€
National security issues and actual crime more important than whether a retired ball player took steroids a decade ago? Careful there, Congressman, making too much sense could get you impeached.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 5:52 pm by Peter Abraham.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
What a Weiner.
Ha! I kill me.
…Can we get types like him in Jersey?
Pete, no “Vote for Weiner” headline??
Anyone know what Congressional District he represents?
Oh, and I think this is the same Weiner that ran against Bloomy
Boy this is like double-reverse “irony”. A politician getting publicity for bashing politicians looking for publicity.
Mike – Good thing I’m not stoned or that would occupy the next 4 hours of my day.
He’s such a weiner!
The mayor’s race is only a year away.
Yes, this is definitely the guy that ran for mayor. I’m sure he’s hoping Hillary gets the nomination so he can run for the Senate; he has ambition.
Imagine the chanting at the Repubican National Convention …”We want Weiner …. we want Weiner”
Ranting guy-
what’s so hard about that?
after all, those drunk frat boys were chanting ..”We want bush.. we want bush”
I’d have to agree with him. I’ll support this matter when I get to Congress. I happen to be running in Arizona.
I wonder if Roger will hold a fundraiser for wienie?
I’m curious to see how much DH/defense time Giambi (1B/DH) Shelley (1B/DH) and Matsui (DH/4th OF) get between the three of them. About 400AB each, if Matsui plays about 1/4 of the games on defense between the 3 other guys? I guess it’ll depend on pitching matchups and who’s the hot bat.
Huh? What? He asks “What is the public benefit of continuing with an FBI investigation?â€
Well, allow me to tell you. Clemens perjury was just about the most publicized barrage of lies under oath this country has ever seen. Let him off the hook and you create a dangerous precedent. It’s illegal, we all saw it, he has to be prosecuted. What, do you want to pick and choose who will be allowed to lie under oath and who will be prosecuted for it? That’s nuts.
I’d agree w/ you Pete, if Clemens hadn’t been the one to insist on the hearing. He obviously perjured himself. He should be investigated.
Does Shelley look like he could become an adequate glove at 1B? Will he at least be better than Phelps was last year? Better than Giambi in any case?
Doing my best to avert a congress/politics thread …
Jimbo-
don’t go overboard. roger’s lies pales in comparison to iran-contra, watergate, vietnam, WMDs, etc.
ranting guy-
anyone going south for spring break???
Roger, for the common good, and so that everyone’s ears can stop bleeding, please just admit you are/were full of something. The FBI really does have actual criminals to attend to. And Congess really needs to get back to work…
Well, the FBI thing is true anyway.
“Does Shelley look like he could become an adequate glove at 1B? Will he at least be better than Phelps was last year? Better than Giambi in any case?”
He’s looked pretty decent, and he’s certainly working hard. I mean, he’s no minky…but he actually brings something to the plate with the bat, so that’s a plus.
Steinbrenners have another Kentucky Derby hopeful
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:37 PM EST, March 5, 2008
Article tools
E-mail Share
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: The excitement in her voice was unmistakable.
Jessica Steinbrenner was chatting up her 3-year-old colt Majestic Warrior, and wanted it known that her father is caught up in more than just spring training.
“He is absolutely ecstatic he could have another shot at the Kentucky Derby,” Jessica, the younger of George Steinbrenner’s two daughters, was saying the other day by phone from Florida. “He had a great chance a few years ago with Bellamy Road but that didn’t work out. He’s excited all over again.”
At the races
Newsday at the races
While the 77-year-old Steinbrenner recently turned over the day-to-day running of the New York Yankees to sons Hal and Hank, Jessica has been managing dad’s Kinsman Stable the past few years.
On Saturday, the Steinbrenners will find out whether Majestic Warrior moves forward on the road to the May 3 Derby when he runs in the $600,000 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds. It will be the colt’s first race since finishing sixth in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 6, when he most likely developed an ankle injury that set back his training.
“If you love horses, these are the most exciting months of the year,” Jessica Steinbrenner said. “I can hardly think of anything else.”
It seems dad is loving it, too. Jessica says she gave her father a picture of Majestic Warrior, and it’s “hanging above the mantel in his bedroom.” And, she added, the blanket from winning the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga last Sept. 3 hangs over the Boss’ office chair.
“He’s always said his dream is to win the Kentucky Derby, and that hasn’t changed,” Jessica said.
Steinbrenner has been in the thoroughbred business since the 1970s. Kinsman Stable currently has about 25-30 horses in training as well as about 40 broodmares, many of them in Kentucky. The 750-acre farm in Ocala, Fla., has a private home for each of Steinbrenner’s four children.
Three years ago, Bellamy Road was Steinbrenner’s sixth and best chance to win the Derby. The colt went off as the favorite but finished seventh.
Majestic Warrior came along last year, a striking son of 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy. He won his first start by 3 1/2 lengths at Saratoga on Aug. 4, then captured the Grade 1 Hopeful by 2 1/4 lengths. The offers to buy the colt poured in, but the Steinbrenners did not want to give up total control. They sold a 50 percent interest to Coolmore Stud for an undisclosed amount.
The sale has not dampened Jessica Steinbrenner’s enthusiasm for the colt, a homebred who was turned out in the paddock next to her farmhouse.
“He was the Alpha male of the group,” she said. “Always does everything right. He naps when he’s supposed to, he’s well behaved and does whatever is asked. He’s everything you want, and he’s well bred to boot. A terrific specimen.”
Two-time Derby winner Nick Zito trained Bellamy Road, but this time fellow Hall of Famer Bill Mott was chosen to handle the Steinbrenners’ top colt. Mott is best known as the trainer of two-time Horse of the Year Cigar in the mid-1990s, and he has excelled with older horses, especially fillies and mares. Both have been training for the Steinbrenner’s for years.
“We chose Bill because it has been a constant that he gets our fillies and the colts were going elsewhere — and he deserved a shot with our best colt,” Jessica Steinbrenner said. “He takes great care of horses. He won’t run them too soon, and he won’t run them if he doesn’t believe it’s a safe choice. … I really look up to him. He is a great trainer.”
Mott trained one of Steinbrenner’s Derby horses — Blue Burner, who finished 11th in 2002. While Zito is Derby driven with 19 starters since 1990, Mott has sent out four since his first one in 1984.
“They have given me a lot of support for a long time, and recently Jessica has given me a big chance with a couple of colts,” Mott said, adding that Majestic Warrior has trained well at Payson Park in Miami in the weeks leading to the race.
Mott has Derby hopefuls for other owners as well. Among them are Court Vision and Z Humor, who ran third and fourth in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream on Feb. 24.
“We’re glad to be able to have some potential horses for all these prep races and we hope we come out of it in good order and have something to run on the big day,” Mott said. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Majestic Warrior could put Mott and the Steinbrenners a step closer to Churchill Downs with a big effort in New Orleans. Risen Star winner Pyro is the morning-line favorite in a nine-horse field.
“I’ve been to Louisiana, but never for the races,” Jessica Steinbrenner said. “This is an exciting time.”
(from Newsday)
“anyone going south for spring break???”
Hey, you gonna check out the Sandbar while you’re there?
It’s this place that lets sixteen year-old kids drink.
Ensberg’s OPS is right up around .900, which is cool.
Shelley’s, on the other hand is around 2.100. That is absolutely ridiculous. He is MINDBOGGLINGLY hot with the bat.
i think plenty of people here including pete described phelps as “a butcher” at first base.
i liked the guy at the plate though…
AMEN TO THAT. I can’t believe this situation is dragging on… time for the FBI and Congress to let this go, and focus on the ‘real’ issues that affect all Americans.
his saying should be,
Enough of these weiners on steroids. Vote for the natural born Weiner. ANTHONY WEINER. Where a Weiner goes a long way to solving our real problems.
I could not agree more Pete. Honestly… it’s embarrassing how whacked out this country’s priorities are.
Also, thank you for not holding back on your political views. This is YOUR blog, after all, and it’s nice to see some of your personality etc shine through in addition to the news – like your constant raves about Springsteen (thought I would be happier if you were obsessed with Bad Religion, but oh well…)
whozat – if he’s at least an average glove but an above average bat, that’s definitely a plus.
SoS
Oh OK … at first glance I thought you said ‘where a little weiner goes a long way … ‘
that’s my weiner!
With all due respect to YC, mixing politics and sports is never a good idea.
I couldn’t care less what side of the political spectrum you reside.
This blog is divisive enough when discussing Yankee Baseball that we don’t need an even more divisive topic.
… and that’s WITHOUT the Sox trolls Giuseppe.
luv ya pete, but you’re wrong on this one. he had to go to congress and lie, now he has to pay for it. 76% of your readers believe he lied to congress.
guys:
i tried listening to the podcast of sweeny on mike and lapdog today, but couldn’t finish it. they are so uninformed it is embarrassing.
Once the can of worms was opened, there’s nothing else to do but pursue the perjury charge. Better that Congress should not have held the hearing in the first place. Better that Mitchell should not have released names. Better that baseball should have policed itself better. Ah, well.
Heres another one.
Who do you want to answer your call at 3 in the morning.
WEINER. A.WEINER.
ok ill stop.
Mike and Chris where yelling at Sweeny about Joba. Those two act like they know a lot about Joba. It was embarrassing.
It’s all about precedent. No matter how “small” the issue is, you can’t have someone lie repeatedly to members of congress, while under oath, in front of the entire country, and let them get away with it. Then the whole idea being under oath can become subjective: “sure I lied to the President while under oath, but it wasn’t about something important.”
Furthermore, just because there are terrorists out there and our economy is in the gutter doesn’t mean this doesn’t apply to members of congress. Both the MLB and the NFL (with spygate) are granted monopolies in this country. The flip side is, they are governed by congressional oversight and, if not policing themselves adequately, the congress must investigate. If the leagues don’t like it, they should give up their Sherman anti-trust exemption. I don’t think they’d make that trade.
I am a die hard Yankee fan. But I’m sorry, if you lie to congress under oath on television, you deserve to do the time. It’s about respecting our country.
Talking about perjury. Has anyone heard of any team picking up Bonds? Last i heard was the Rays.
yay bad religion
I also heard Mike and Chris. They were saying that they can’t wait to have Girardi on next week to blast him for the way the Yanks are handling Joba. These “experts” maintain that the Yanks have to make up their minds this week on whether or not Joba starts or relieves, but they are convinced he should be in the bullpen all year.
lokolobo,
Very well put.
Boy, if I lived in New York, he would be losing my vote. How dare he suggest the FBI concentrate on real problems! Doesn’t he know that athletes are the real problem in this country?
Lokolobo,
Even if Clemens did lie, there would have to be a significant amount of NEW evidence to prove it. Is it worth a possible 2 year investigation if Clemens will likely not be charged? Again, they have to prove he lied. It’s not easy to do. Further, there may have been unethical practices employed by IRS agents and/or the FBI in this whole thing if it really was a Clemens witch hunt. It could be a messy, multiple year long ordeal.
I would be in favor of the people who want an investigation electing to fund it with extra tax dollars out of their pocket. But I personally don’t want my tax dollars going towards it. I also won’t be voting for anyone who is affiliated with any of these Congressional hearings involving sports. All I can do…
Where is murphydog when I need him to make sense of my legal nonsense?
i’ll look forward to girardi giving them back some smack…oh wait i forgot, they fawn all over their guests
( sweeny doesn’t count, he works for the FAN)
Joba’s a difficult subject because what he really SHOULD be doing in spending a season in the minors since he can’t throw more than 150ish innings. But he’s too dominant for the minors, so the best option is probably bullpen then starter. But I’m sorry, as great as he is out of the bullpen, he’s a potential ace. There’s nothing more valuable than that in the current market. If they try him as a starter and it doesn’t work, it’s easy enough to send him back to the bullpen, but the Yankees have to at least try.
Kyle,
Is anyone suggesting that he should stay in the bullpen permanently?
I think the consensus is bullpen then rotation, no?
Pete, next time you see Sweeny Murti, give that young man a hug. Mike and the Mad Dog went off on him in regards to Joba’s status. Unfortunately for Sweeny, he’s not allowed to scream the reality of the situation which is that Mike and the MD are idiots and do not know much about anything.
Ok in regards to the real issue, M & the MD think that Joba should be the 8th inning guy and eventually close for Mariano (which they think is this year, I don’t think it is until 2010). The Yankees dilemma is this, the Yankees never have a real number one starting pitcher and Joba has the makeup and stuff to be that. Problem is the innings limit for this year. Solution is that Joba works the 8th for half the year, then gets stretched out and starts and a new flamethrower is found for the 8th (not farns or hawkins as m&tmd insist). Who is to say another arm won’t develop or a guy isn’t traded for? I don’t see why this is so hard for them to understand? Sometimes they are so dumb, I just don’t get it.
sorry, didnt see Fran’s post.
Finally someone calls a spade a spade and had the balls to open their mouths on this.
It is a complete waste of time and money.
On the other hand, Roger should probably be thanking the Gods.
Dave, I believe Mike and Chris, as well as a few writers I’ve seen whose names escape me, are on the “Bullpen permanently” bandwagon.
Kyle – I too have seen and heard sportscasters and writers saying this about Joba. Their feeling is that the Yankees have no one else for the 8th inning bridge to Mo (certainly not Farnsworth). They keep comparing Joba to Papelbon and how he went to the bullpen.
Kyle,
you’re right. I have never heard Mike and Chris but it seems that most people agree that they are clueless. I agree with you that they need him to get in 140IP this season and position him to be a fulltime starter for the future.
People may point to Papelbon but he doesn’t currently have the 4 pitch repertoire that Joba has. The Sox also don’t have Rivera and they also don’t have a guy like Melancon on the rise. No way do you not at least try Joba in the rotation.
Fran,
Papelbon is working on a slider and honestly, if he is able to throw 3 plus pitches, he would likely add more value as a starter. But since he has excelled as a closer they will be compelled to keep him there.
Nolan Ryan would have made a good closer too. Should he have been one?
I was about to say the same thing about Papelbon, Dave. He just doesn’t have the 4 pitch arsenal. He might be a serviceable starter, but he’s probably not a potential ace unless he started developing more pitches. Joba could be.
I get the argument, I’m sure it’ll come up every time Farnsworth or whoever blows a game. But Jobas just too potentially valuable as a starter to not at least try him there.
Boston Dave,
I would like to see Joba as a starter. I think that he could be a #1 starter – that shutdown ace that the Yankees are looking for.
I was referring to Mike and Chris and other sportswriter to are comparing Joba to Papelbon.
I just saw this article with another perspective on prospects. Thought I’d share it …
Yankees Back to Building From Within
“Oh, I wish I was oscar meyer weiner, then new york would vote for meeee..”
seriously, if roger goes to prison, will he be a catcher or a pitcher? what? I mean, on the prison baseball squad.
Let’s try this again,
I just saw this article with another perspective on prospects. Thought I’d share it …
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.....;fext=.jsp
Fran,
no I know you had it right. I meant to say Mike and Chris are clueless.
Kyle Litke it’s a good point Joba is considered a starter but the problem is he doesn’t have enough minor league innings to be considered a ML starter now.
Some people will say that the government should investigate important issues but to me, steroids is an important issue because it affects our kids.
Joba might be better as a closer, but that’s no reason not to give him a chance as a starter.
The debate shouldn’t be whether Joba is a starter or a closer, but how many chances he should get before the decision is made.
here’s a thought:
since NYC pols are weighting in on Roger’s legal jeopardy, some beat reporter should get Giuliani on the record. Now, he’ll probably dodge the question, but who knows, if he doesn’t, it’ll make good copy, either way.
exactly Rebecca.
Pistons vs. Celtics, NOWWW.
When Papelbon came up, he was touted as having a “4 pitch arsenal.” And he did indeed throw four pitches. Unfortunately, his curve was inconsistent, and his change was lousy. Last spring, when the Sox were preparing him to start, his 3d and 4th pitches improved some, but not a lot. His fastball and splitter were easily his best pitches, and he went to the closer role using those two pitches exclusively.
I saw Joba today on ESPN, and it reminded me of Papelbon. Maybe it was just a bad outing, but Joba didn’t show a four pitch variety today. If he was throwing a changeup, it was disguised as 92mph fastball. I admit I don’t know much about his curve, but, if he was throwing it, it looked a lot like his slider (from last year).
Again, maybe just some work to do. But Papelbon doesn’t really have four quality pitches (in spite of the initial hype), and I didn’t see four ML-quality pitches out of Joba today. If his alleged 3d and 4th pitches are really in a developmental stage, maybe he would be better off in the bullpen.
Go Tampa Bay Rays
Sean, if I actually thought any of them HONESTLY cared about the kids, maybe it would be more of an issue. But if they actually did, they would get guys like Pettitte, or whoever, to go up in front of Congress, admit their mistake, and make a plea for kids to not do it. They surely would not have Clemens and McNamee yelling at each other and everyone else, because that doesn’t do anything but get TV and newspaper coverage, which unfortunately is the real goal for them I suspect.
“Kyle Litke it’s a good point Joba is considered a starter but the problem is he doesn’t have enough minor league innings to be considered a ML starter now.”
I know, he’s on a limit, but the issue is, if you leave him in the bullpen all year, that limit isn’t going up. He’s not going to throw 150 innings out of the bullpen, and you’re right back in the exact same mess next season, and then the season after, and the season after that…
The bottom line to me is, if you leave him in the bullpen all season, then you may as well leave him in the bullpen permanently and forget about him as a starter, because he’s never going to get his innings count up to where he can start for a full season. The Yankees need to either send him to the minors or do the bullpen/switch to starter thing if they want him to be a starter long term.
Brian: He has a plus curveball, not as good as his slider but still a plus pitch (He actually threw a few last year out of the bullpen, notably I remember him striking out a couple of Red Sox players with the curve…Pedroia I think, and maybe JD Drew?). The changeup is the pitch that is a work in progress. I didn’t get to see him pitch today though, so I’m not sure what he threw. If I catch the replay I’ll see.
I don’t think he should be in the pen all year. Like you said he really should be in the minors getting his innings up. But that’s not going to happen.
Brian,
i’ll never forget Joba freezing Youk with a curve last season. His curve is good. I don’t know enough about the change.
Pap says he’s working on a slider right now.
Beckett dominated with a fastball and a curve. Even if you only have two pitches you can do very well if those 2 pitches are great. I am sure Papelbon would be an effective starter but the Sox aren’t likely to find out.
Joba HAS to be given a shot to start. I think he will be an all-star but what do I know?
Kyle – I’m just saying, beware of the scouting reports. I check in on Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, etc. and they have Bucholz with a 97 mph fastball. He throws 91 – 93. And the scouting reports on Jon Lester have nothing to do with the guy who I see pitch.
I haven’t seen Joba a lot (who has?), but I haven’t seen a quality 3d and 4th pitch yet. If you do get to see today’s effort, you won’t see many, if any, good changes or curveballs. I’m not sure that he was even working on them. He didn’t have his best fast ball, and couldn’t throw it by people, even up in the zone. But that shouldn’t be an issue. To me, the issue is that I’ve read about Joba’s 4 pitches, but I’ve only seen two of them.
Weiner represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, including Breezy Point; where McNamee is from.
Anyone who listens to Mike and the Mad Dog deserve what they get.
Brian,
I think Joba’s heater and slider are so good he doesn’t need a 3rd or 4th pitch to be a dominant starter. His curve last year, when he threw it, was outstanding. I think the change is the one he needs to work on.
Regardless, if he can throw 95+ with decent location (as he did last year), and throw his slider, he will be a very effective reliever or starter this season. If he develops 3 and 4, he could be dominant. So the only question, hopefully, is whether he’s very good or great.
Brian Joba does have a good curve. He threw a couple of good ones today. Which Michael Kay wrongfully called sliders. It is ST. Mostly everyone is throwing inconsistently. Well except for Hughes he’s been very consistent early on.
I live in Anthony Weiner’s district. He is a lifelong Mets fan. He has aspirations of running for mayor of NYC but is currently in last place in the polls.
I am listening to it now. They are nasty people! Don’t they ever shut up?
The notion of putting Joba in the pen any longer than is needed to cap his innings is so ridiculous I don’t know what to say.
It’s mind boggling.
There is no comparison between Papelbon as a prospect and Joba. None.
Papelbon was a very good prospect – Joba is a great prospect. Not just good – a great prospect.
John Manuel at baseball america said that Joba is the best pitching prospect that he has evaluated over the past 10 years. Better than Mark Prior and better than Josh Beckett.
The idea of keeping that kind of talent in the pen and having him throw 70 innings in a year makes no sense. None.
Anyone who tries to derive any serious negative conclusions from his performance today has no idea what spring training is for.
The results don’t matter.
It was his first outing against major leaguers and overall he looked very good. He threw very loose and easily and his fastball looked very good.
He was working on his curve and change all day. You could see it – he wasn’t “pitching” he was consciously working on throwing those two pitches.
And even today, during what was clearly a first spring training outing, you saw flashes of how good his curve and change up are going to be.
His curve has a nice downward bite and its a completely different look from his slider. I’ve seen him throw it to minor league hitters and it completely buckles their knees. There is no way that a hitter can try to sit on his fastball, worry about his slider and then hit his curveball.
On top of that his change up is a good pitch. Does it need work – sure. But he’s 22. All 22 year olds need to work on secondary pitches. And you can see how its going to become a devastating pitch.
His curve is 18-20 mph slower than his fastball and his change is 25 mph slower than his fastball. He generates great velocity differentials with consistent arm motion between pitches.
Part of the knock on his curve and change are just comparative. He has an 80 fastball and slider. The number of pitchers with 2 80 pitches in all of baseball can be counted on one hand. Justin Verlander doesn’t have 2 80 pitches. I don’t even know if Beckett’s curve would be an 80.
So sure in comparison the change and curve are behind – but that’s only because the other 2 pitches are so phenomenal.
I used to think that Felix Hernandez was going to be the pitcher of his generation if he stayed healthy. Or at least he was going to be the pitcher of his generation with the best stuff. I didn’t think there would be anyone even close.
Joba has better stuff than Hernandez because he has much better command of his fastball.
Joba is that good.
I emailed Sweeney, at least I hope he is his email address.
Boston Dave and Jax – As I admitted, I don’t see Joba as much as Yankee fans. I believe that his slider has a distinct downward tilt (like K-Rod’s), so it probably resembles his curve.
His two pitches remind me of Beckett’s top two (fastball, curve), and Beckett relies primarily on those two (occasional two-seamer, change and cutter). So Joba could well be a successful starter with what he has. And he may have to be …. he apparently isn’t yet comfortable with pitches 3 & 4, even in ST.
BUT, Joba has to hold his stuff through 6-7 innings and at least 3 trips through the lineup. Beckett has proven he can do that, and Joba has yet to be given that opportunity. So time will tell.
P.S. Do you think he threw at the guy the pitch after the 450 foot HR? Shades of Pedro!
No it slipped.
“I check in on Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, etc. and they have Bucholz with a 97 mph fastball.”
Scouting reports give a range of fastball velocities – which are usually capped by what was the highest velocity a scout recoded with a gun. Gun’s vary a lot.
But the more important scouting number on velocity is where the pitcher sits.
Bucchholz has alway been said to sit at 91-94 mph.
Joba tops out at 101 but as a starting pitcher in the minors he was sitting at 96-98. In the seventh innings of games he was throwing 98 with ease. He has the same stamina that Verlander and Beckett have.
My favorite Sweeny response:
Mike: If Chamberlain is such a good starter, why was Phil Hughes the top ranked pitcher last year ( according to Baseball America) in the minors?
Sweeny: He was still in Nebraska Mike!
LOL Mike got owned on that question.
CB – Be wary of radar guns as well. A couple of years ago Alan Embree was released by the Sox. He had lost his velocity, rarely getting over 90. The Yankees picked him up, and within a few days he was pitching against Boston (in Yankee Stadium).
Mirabile dictu, Embree was throwing 94mph, even though the pitches certainly looked the same and were being hit as hard as the previous week (w/Boston). I’ve never trusted the YS radar gun since.
Besides, movement, location and differentiation between pitches is more important than sheer velocity. And I do like Joba’s command.
Brian,
No doubt Joba still has to prove he can be a starter in the big leagues and last 7 innings. He dominated in the minors as a starter last year but that’s the minors.
Still, given his stuff, his apparent mental makeup, potentially having 4 good/plus MLB quality pitches, you have to like his chances.
I think Buchholz is in a similar boat. I still think his change will be his best pitch.
Brian,
I was at a Yankee game last season and Rivera was hitting 100.
The YS gun is definitely not trustworthy.
Brian: No way Joba intended that to hit someone. In Spring Training? No way.
That was a great response!!
Hey if it gives the pitchers a mental edge, what is a mph or two?
“Where is murphydog when I need him to make sense of my legal nonsense?”
Boston Dave:
In view of the not-so-subtle hints that nobody wants to read anymore posts about this, I’m trying to lay low on the topic until something new breaks. No sense beating a perjured horse
The current “new” thing is McNamee’s motion to dismiss Clemens’ defamation suit, because (and I thought this was original) McNamee’s statements about Roger were somehow rendered “inactionable” because they were part of a quid pro quo exchange of information between McNamee and Mitchell and McNamee and the Feds. Emery and Ward apparently believe that whatever a rat tells the Feds and/or Mitchell automatically becomes the truth, or somehow earns the rat an affirmative defense that beats a defamation action. I’m not buying, but I don’t blame them for trying. I think they lose.
Failing that, Emery would like the case transferred to Federal District Court in NY. The legal basis is that McNamee’s statements were made in NYC, but it’s more about Emery a) not wanting to spend money and time to travel to Texas for the trial when his office is in midtown NYC and b) the fact that he is far more comfortable with the Federal Judges in NYC.
Emery also wants to deny Clemens his choice of attorney because for a week or two Hardin represented both Clemens and Pettitte and now Pettitte will no doubt be called as a defense witness by McNamee in the defamation case. How McNamee has standing to raise a conflict of interest as a vehicle for removing Rusty Hardin is beyond me. If anyone has a gripe it would be Pettitte, but he’s not a party so I don’t see how he was prejudiced by the temporary dual representation. And if Pettitte isn’t griping, what’s McNamee’s problem other than to cause trouble. But what do I know?
Rebecca – the Twins aren’t so sure. They may have seen the cult film, “Kevin Youkilis as a Target.”
Murphydog – Why would McNamee’s lawyers want Hardin removed? A couple more months of Hardin’s legal advice and Clemens will be on his way to life w/o parole.
FWIW, I was very impressed with Anthony Weiner last time he ran for Mayor. Sounds like he’d be bi-partisan, practical, and use common sense. Think Bloomberg, but without the money.
thanks murphydog.
I know most people don’t want to hear about it but I appreciate your insights and still, for some crazy reason, find this stuff interesting… at least from a legal perspective. though, i seem to be losing faith that anything involving our legal system ends up being fair.
wow what is the nation coming to when a politician actually has some common sense????
Brian: LMAO!
Brian,
I always wondered about the Joba vs. Youkilis thing. I watched the pitches in slo-mo and it really did seem like they slipped out of his hand. the odds are against that, but joba really doesnt seem like the kind of guy to do that. rocket did take him under his wing a bit last season so who knows…
“CB – Be wary of radar guns as well.”
I agree. I really don’t put that much into them. I was just responding to what you’d posted before about Buchholz and his 97 reading. I never really bought into that at all.
I do think that when you have consistent reading over time on different guns that means something. Beckett is generally always 94-97, for instance.
By the way – and this pains me to say – I really like Buccholz a great deal. Very impressed. You guys have got a gem there. His change up is fantastic.
My only concern with him is that his delivery is so, almost abnormally, over the top. He really comes straight over and that is the least natural arm slot to throw from. It just worries me when i see him throw.
“Why would McNamee’s lawyers want Hardin removed? A couple more months of Hardin’s legal advice and Clemens will be on his way to life w/o parole.”
If the second part of your premise were correct, there would seem to be no reason for the motion, other than bad faith.
I’m not seeing Roger in prison pinstripes just yet and Team McNamee cannot afford to assume that outcome either and neglect strategy in Texas. I’m not ruling out general shoe-breaking as the motivation for this motion, but I suspect that Team McNamee feels that Hardin is a real asset with a Texas jury pool. So if they can’t remove Rusty, they want that case out of Texas where Roger and Rusty are still considered Good Ol’ Boys when it comes to lawsuits against former NYC Cop-drug dealer-date rapers.
CB,
I agree on Buchholz. The A’s were reportedly trying to dump Harden for him last season and I was praying the Sox bit. Of course they knew better. Hitters are going to have to hit his fastball when he throws it because they are going to look silly when he throws the change up.
Brian that is so true!! Rusty is a moron! If he stays on as Roger’s lawyer he’ll be in jail for sure!!Oops Roger watch out for the soap.
CB – re: Bucholz After seeing Pedro pitch for many years, I’m VERY fond of pitchers who can throw that screwball-like changeup. It makes all of the other pitches so much better. It certainly adds mph to his fastball. The net effect is that his fast ball, change, and curve are markedly different from each other, and he’s comfortable throwing all of them in any count.
His over-the-top delivery is extreme, but, on the positive side, it gives him the arm angle for an excellent 12-6 curveball. It does seem like there’d be a lot of strain in that delivery, though.
But who knows? Everybody loved Mark Prior’s delivery, and he’s broken down more than Pavano.
im all for joba starting as many games as possible this year. i’d guess that means something like 45 innings out of the pen and then around 12 starts. with some innings left for the playoffs. i would have done it the other way, but whatever lets them use him all year and use all his available innings, im down with.
he actaully threw a few very good changeups today, i was pleased the way he looked. he really did look like he was ignoring the count and throwing the pitch he was working on.
damn, that guy really tagged that hanger though, didnt he?
We do hear a lot about Joba’s curve & change but he only used a few at the major league level last year. No denying his slider and fastball are top notch. But it’s true, most fans really haven’t SEEN his enough of curve & change on TV to get an idea of how effective they are.
I hope his curve and change are good enough to keep guys from thinking strictly about his 1-2 pitches. They don’t even have to be devastating by themselves, as long as they can make his slider/fastball seem that much better.
He can be very good without them, but if he could throw a dozen or so good curves (and as many good changes) per game, hitters won’t be able to do anything but guess. And look bad trying to.
That went out of the Stadium! I don’t know if it came down. Better now than in April.
Murphydog – My tongue was in my cheek during my comment on Rusty.
You’re right about moving the venue. There’s no question that Hardin has made his money navigating the Texas legal/political system, and not arguing constitutional law in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“His over-the-top delivery is extreme, but, on the positive side, it gives him the arm angle for an excellent 12-6 curveball. It does seem like there’d be a lot of strain in that delivery, though.”
You’re exactly right. With Buchholz what makes him so good the ability to use that extreme arm slot while still throwing strikes. Its that arm slot that gives him that wonderful downwards fade on his change and that extreme 12 to 6 action on the curve.
At the same time its so unnatural when I see him throw I just wonder how long it’ll be before his shoulder goes.
But who knows. Although on Prior I still think that was Dusty more than genetics.
Harden for Bucchholz. Sounds like classic Beane. I was also pulling for the sox to trade Clay but I knew theo never would.
Brian – Do you have any confidence in Dice-K? I really don’t like his stuff at all and think he’s going to have a tough year. He just throws the ball up in the zone too much and doesn’t have great command.
Y’s guy – it wasn’t a hanger. It was a fastball, up. Joba didn’t have his good fastball today, and the Twins were on it. He threw a lot of fastballs with two strikes, and only got foul balls (and a called strike). Couldn’t get swings and misses. Not his best day.
CB – DiceK’s command is a problem, but, unlike Lester, he tends to lose it (big-time) all at once. (Lester is always struggling.)
His stuff is good, not great. In the World Baseball Classic, he regularly used an excellent changeup (screwball action) and an occasional splitter/fork ball. It set up his harder stuff. In Boston, he got away from both pitches. Maybe the bigger american ball affected the grip – I don’t know.
But he became a fastball, cutter, slider, curveball pitcher, and there really wasn’t that much distinction between his pitches.
This ST, they are supposedly working on his changeup, trying to put it back in his arsenal. We’ll see.
I still like his moxie. He was under a lot of scrutiny last year, and handled it pretty well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him improve this year.
One last point. You mostly see him pitch against the Yankees. The Yankees can REALLY hit. He’s better against the other clubs.
I wouldn’t read too much into how good or how bad Joba was today. Watching him today it was clear he was somewhat soft tossing the ball to Posada. He wasn’t really giving max effort.
But he was likely working on something, no worries here.
It’s one thing to say Congress is wasting it’s time with all this steroids nonsense, but if Clemens committed a crime, and the statute of limitations has not yet expired on that crime, then the FBI is absolutely not wasting its time investigating that crime.
That’s the FBI’s job. To investigate crimes.
CB,
what are your thoughts on Buchholz having consistent, good control with his arm slot and somewhat jerky follow-through (i prefer to reserve “jerky” for beckett comments but couldnt think of anything else)?
which arm angles, if any, tend to yield the best control?
Kurticus Maximus,
I have committed plenty of crimes that the FBI shouldn’t be investigating. If we had unlimited FBI resources, then maybe. Should the Supreme Court hear every case as well? Sometimes you need to be selective.
Boston Dave – I don’t think that you committed your crimes in front of the U.S. Congress on national TV. That type of crime might warrant a little investigative scrutiny.
Brian,
my crimes were worse than using hgh. should the primary criteria for FBI involvement be the publicity of the case, or the severity of the case?
sorry guys, the federal government is not gonna let a guy lie to congress on national tv after he’d been specifically advised about the threat of purjury. and they shouldn’t.
Bosto Dave: Several posts on this thread have hit at the heart of the problem – if people are allowed to blatantly perjure themselves, our entire system of jurisprudence is threatened.
The issue isn’t PEDs; it’s lying under oath. And remember, there are ample 5th amendment protections. So if probable perjury does take place in front of Congress and on national TV, the argument that it should be investigated is pretty persuasive.
Did someone hit the snooze button? Where’s everyone? Wow. I guess this Clemens, Congress talk is driving everyone away. Later.
It was a waste of time, resources and energy to drag players, the Commissioner, and others before Congress to talk about steroid use in baseball when there are more pressing issues facing the country, we can all agree on this. That is a different question than the Congressional call for an FBI investigation into alleged perjury. When Congress issues a subpoena and the person sits before the committee and lies, that person needs to be held accountable. Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee or both lied to Congress. If Congress lets the lying go on with no consequences, then they offer no incentive to tell the truth when its hard. Anthony Weiner misses the point. Of course it is a waste of time for the FBI to investigate whether Clemens used illegal substances; it is not a waste of time for the FBI to ensure that Clemens didn’t lie to Congress.
“what are your thoughts on Buchholz having consistent, good control with his arm slot and somewhat jerky follow-through”
I think this is the question on Buccholz, though he went a long way to answering that last year. His control was better and his command overall improved.
I think the downside to his arm slot (outside of injury) is that when you come that over the top your fastball really flattens out.
And I think you see that some with him in his HR totals – for a prospect with such great numbers he gave up a surprising number of home runs. I assume that’s related to him throwing a flat fastball up in the zone.
Fastball command was the thing people used to talk about with him in 2006 quite a bit.
Again, these are nit picks. People can call him laptops or whatever, but he is going to be a very, very good pitcher for a long time.
He and Beckett are a formidable top 2. Fortunately Boston’s other pitching prospects are a significant drop off.
Organizations have different development strengths – Boston’s strength is with position players. Their track record on pitching is very mixed, IMO.
on a serious note, Marion Jones was recently sentenced to six months for lying to the feds about PED.
if the feds went after her for lying in a private interview, then its hard to see them giving Roger a pass.
Nobody feels sorry for Roger Clemens. He built a house of cards out of lies and it’s falling down on him.
There are other crimes to be dealt with, but really they have no choice.
My question is why the FBI? Doesn’t the DOJ have their own investigators?
wow, i just listened to (most of…)that m/md chat with sweeney. it was rough. mike’s criticizing sweeney for saying hes a good starter based on not many minor league innings, then he’s saying joba is the next mo based on 14 ml innings…
14 mlb innings
Good evening Ms. Mel.
mel:
DOJ has some of their own investigators, but they are not police and to my knowledge do not really get involved in this kind of matter. This new case is an FBI thing, with an assist from IRS Criminal Investigations Division (CID) who started the BALCO case as a money laundering investigation.
“Y’s Guy March 5th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
sorry guys, the federal government is not gonna let a guy lie to congress on national tv after he’d been specifically advised about the threat of purjury. and they shouldn’t.”
But the federal gov’t lies to us all the time.
Brian,
I think my original point was that they should be pretty certain that they’ll be able to gather NEW evidence against clemens, because there is no way they convict him currently. I don’t know how I feel about a 2 year long, multi-multi-million dollar investigation if they dont find evidence quickly and fairly easily.
i certainly dont trust the FBI to be honest in this either. I think with a high profile case like this they will “make sure” they win. if they were investigating Joe Schmo, they do a quick investigation and call it quits if there is nothing there.
the whole thing stinks, and if you want to fund stuff like this, you should have the option to throw in a few extra bucks. i dont want my tax dollars paying for this crap.
murphydog,
the IRS started the BALCO case as a money laundering issue, they finished it as an all-out witch hunt. Barry Bonds should get off because of how badly his case was handled. The government, IMO, should be the ones on trial in both the Clemens and Bonds cases.
Karma:
Re: Marion Jones, I don’t recall the evidence exactly but there were records and blood test results obtained at BALCO on a search warrant that connected Jones to steroids. But Marion also had other problems (some fraudulent check scheme) so she was more likely to plead guilty than go to trial on two separate charges.
There are allegedly positive blood tests in the Bonds case.
There are as yet no positive blood tests in the Clemens matter.
That could make a big difference in how the FBI and DOJ react to Roger.
Boston Dave:
The Attorney General should put a very high bar in place before he green lights any more products of this cottage industry Novitsky and the others have made out of steroids/BALCO case spinoffs.
The Feds are known for exotic or boutique cases. Once they understand how to make the case, they take the pattern and try to make as many more of them as they can before someone stops them or they run out of viable high profile targets. Usually when the evidence starts to get thin, one case goes too far on too little proof, they lose it and then suddenly they’re not so hot to make them any more and move on to the next “priority.”
This isn’t like the war on organized crime or war on drugs or war on terrorism. The Feds know that. This little infatuation with steroids cases will run its course and something else will be the flavor of the month. How soon I don’t know.
But I do see differences between the Bonds case and the Clemens case, starting with the lack of positive blood tests for Roger and the fact that Bonds failed at least one test and played games with his immunity agreement. We’ll see what happens.
hello, ray…
This has likely cost him the Hall of Fame, I think he’s paid his price. And that means the right message has been sent to the kids. But I don’t think it matters because just like any other drug thousands of people will always try to get away with it, and many do, for a while.
murphydog-
thanks, man.
Y’all are missing the point of the prosecution.
This is not about PEDs anymore. They’re totally incidental now.
Congressmen/women think he lied to them. There is no higher crime in the land than lying to Congress — that is, if you’re one of the self-important buffoons who sits in Congress. It’s practically a capital felony to lie to Congress, no matter how trivial the matter you’re alleged to have lied about. (See Clinton, William Jefferson). McNamee got off (of this one, anyway) because he groveled. So did Andy. So did Knoblauch. Eat humble pie and make your sacrifice to the Gods of Hubris and move on. Roger, bless his headstrong soul, even tried to argue with Waxman during the closing statement. Trying to make the chairman of the committee look bad. Not smart. Even Tom Davis signed off on this investigation, which surprised me given his performance in the hearing. Roger would have done far better to have considered the lineup and their approach to hitting, as he has done thousands of times before, before trying to throw his fastball by them. They know how to hit that pitch.
Weiner is showing perspective, and it stands out because of its rarity. Poor guy probably stands no chance of reelection.
Jim in CT:
Congress, the knaves and fools that they are, certainly have the discretion to refer the matter for further investigation. The correct question however, which you identified, is whether this exercise of discretion was a wise one.
It all reminds me of the traffic stop scenario. Everything in a cop’s training tells him or her to keep it simple, to keep a traffic summons in perspective and not let it escalate. Write the ticket, be professional and get it over with. The driver is not a bad guy, he’s a citizen. Don’t give him an opportunity to be a bad guy by failing to control yourself and the situation properly.
Cops expect that a certain number of drivers will react badly and be insulting and uncooperative and lie, lie, lie about the infraction. “No, I didn’t know my tail light, headlight, turn signal was out. No, I wasn’t speeding.”
The driver’s denial of doing something illegal, denying that he was speeding or that he made an illegal turn or lying about vehicle equipment, doesn’t result in a perjury charge even though the driver is fairly obviously contradicting a lot of proof.
With all due respect to Congress, Novitsky and the rest of the Feds, Roger got his speeding ticket by being named in the Mitchell report. Lots and lots of other speeders got away with doing 75 in a 55 zone. It’s bad form to now heap more on Roger’s head just because he is fighting the ticket.
FYI, Weiner is the former roommate of Jon Stewart, and is the only politician to have received campaign contributions from him.
hahahahhaaaaaaaaaaa “making too much sense could get you impeache”
yea they need to jump of clemens sack and let him live…. all this steroids allegations is BS anyway ….I say let them run the risk of messing their bodies up …it makes the game more interesting more amazing stuff happens with people who may be on the juice…baseball can be boring at times it needs some excitement on the field and no drama off the field
The Federal Government should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Just because we have grave national security issues to address doesn’t mean that we should let perjury and obstruction of justice go by the boards. These kinds of statements present a false choice, really: Taken to its logical extreme, we should only address the most serious crimes.
“Taken to its logical extreme, we should only address the most serious crimes.”
No, that argument still begs the question of which things to address because what’s serious to you may not be serious to me. So, taken to its logical extreme, disagreeing with the choice to go forward on Clemens does not necessarily mean that we should address only the most serious crimes.