A few assorted items for you
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- February
- 10
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One of our readers, a guy named Vincent, was volunteering at Tom Glavine’s annual fundraiser for the Georgia Transplant Foundation a few days ago. John Smoltz was there and Vincent took the opportunity to get a photo taken.
“With a Bic and spare sheet of paper I made the picture one that all Yanks fans could be proud of,” he wrote.
Nice job by Vincent and it looks like Smoltz was a good sport about it.
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You fans of Don Mattingly will get a kick out of this YouTube video. It was produced by the people at Mattingly Baseball to help promote their products.
Thanks to Skip from Mattingly Baseball for sending over the link.
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Another friend of the blog, Robert, wanted me to let you know about some game-used and signed Staten Island Yankees jerseys that are available at Baby Bombers.com
They have an assortment of players including Dellin Betances, Ian Kennedy, Wilkins De La Rosa and Chase Wright. Prices range from $85 to $165. It certainly would be a unique thing to wear to a game.
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Meanwhile, if you’re a glutton for PED punishment, here’s the complete A-Rod transcript from his ESPN interview.
OK, that’s it for today. Check back tomorrow for more from Tampa.
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on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 11:00 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Alas, no Yankee news.
For a $20 donation you could play pool with him, Glavine, Franceour or Andruw Jones. I skipped the game of pool and went straight for the picture. Smoltz found it funny and I cant help but wonder if it was his first taste of the rivalry.
Dang Smoltz looks like hes gettin old.
I am a huge Yankee fan but Smoltzie is one of my all time favorite pitchers in the game…It will be wierd to seem him pitch for Boston. He is a Hall of Famer for sure.
It also looks like Pedroia recommended a barber in Boston.
So if the Angels sign Abreu, what pick would the Yanks get? Anybody know?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
This would be justice. This doesn’t mitigate A-Rod using steroids, but he really is clearly a target and he shouldn’t face this alone. That’s a good quote by Youkilis – I give him a lot of credit for that. What it comes down to is that, despite being on other teams, these guys are all members of the same TEAM (the Union). If Alex can be scapegoated (not that he didn’t use, but that he’s the face now of the steroid scandal), then that can happen to anyone.
Buddy, None. Abreu was not offere arbitration.
haha.. good job Vincent.
You should have written an “anti-Boston” on the other side and quickly turned it around.
Belly full of guts signed with the Dodgers.
Tom-
Doh! Thnx!
A-Rods greatest revenge on the hateful media is another MVP season and finally getting some hits in October.
Ha, I think Arod’s greatest revenge on the media would be to allow full interview access anytime and then being really, really boring. Plus that winning stuff, yeah.
GMan,
Agreed. I really like Smoltz. I was not pleased he signed with Boston because he is a great pitcher. His injuries might get the best of him but he is a dominant pitcher when healthy and seems like a good guy.
Betsy- what’s the full link? I can’t seem to paste it in…thanks
Betsy,
where is the full link?
Hey guys, I have a completely random question, but does anyone know how many games Leiter will be doing for YES this year… Im curious if the number of games will be decreased since hes on MLB tv..
Sure thing, Al. The last thing I want to do is cover a good team that wins games in October. That would be horrible. Such a thing would advance my career, make money for my employer, maybe earn me a bonus and be fun. I hope that doesn’t happen.
I’d much rather sit at home in October or write sidebars on Mets games or have to sit in the auxilliary press box in Philadelphia and freeze my ass off. That would be much better.
It would be a great story is A-Rod played well in October. It’s gotten boring writing about how he chokes.
“an MLB team which employs a named player could seek to void his contract under Section 7(b)(1) of Article 3 of the Uniform Player’s Contract. This clause empowers a team to void a player’s contract if the player fails, refuses or neglects to “conform his personal conduct to the standards of good citizenship and good sportsmanship or to keep himself in first-class physical condition or to obey the Club’s training rules.”"
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
Nick
I’m picturing E-Trade baby commercial with Jeter’s cliches coming out of A-Rod’s mouth. Would that be really, really boring enough?
Pete what year did you start covering the Yanks?
I thought it was Bob Schimmel in the picture.
Arod is living proof that no amount of roids can make you clutch in the postseason.
I feel a little hurt that the guy is wearing a Dodgers foam finger in the Mattingly video. I know Donnie is a Dodger now, but he wouldnt be who he is today without the Yankees
Christina – I don’t know how many games Leiter will be doing on YES, but it will mostly likely be home games –
he had this quote –
Both opportunities and jobs coexist,” he said. “It’s just a matter of scheduling. My plan is to do both, with the Yankees right there in New York and the studio right there in New Jersey.”
http://www.broadcastingcable.c.....amming.php
Jose Canseco- Steroid Czar?
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....p;c_id=mlb
Pete- I wasn’t personally attacking you. I was mostly referring to those calling for A-Rod to be banned from the game or those calling for the Yanks to void his contract. He is a great player even without the PED’s and now everyone acts like the Yankees don’t need him! He is a human being who made a mistake, granted it was a pretty big one but it was something that was certainly not an isolated incident in MLB. The way some writers portray Alex you would think they never cheated on a test or their taxes in their lives. Apparently the media is made up of flawless people, who knew?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....index.html
Here’s the full link – sorry!
I can’t deal with the media anymore, by the way. Pete Caldera raked Alex over the coals (I won’t be reading him again anytime soon), Verducci continues with his vendetta (it’s rather hard to take him seriously about Roberts as she works with him at SI.com), etc…….. Mediots are reactionary, sensationalistic clowns who are on the lowest rung of the evolutionary ladder. They serve, frankly, no useful purpose. Michael Kay made me sick today – are there no reputable journalist left?
A-Rod confessed – that’s enough for me. If it’s not enough for the mediots, so be it.
ty DT, I appreciate it. He brings alot to the yankee broadcasts, I hope hes gonna stick with both.
“Such a thing would advance my career, make money for my employer, maybe earn me a bonus and be fun.”
Pete – you’d just blow that bonus on Red Bull and Blackjack, you know it – don’t start thinking positive.
You need to start thinking big. Join SI and then do a tell-all book on a superstar athlete. Maybe you should start work on your Angel Berroa “profile” now. The kid was a Rookie of the Year you know…
Gman – Have you seen arods stats in the playoffs before the yankees and with the yankees before Game four of the 2004 ALCS? He was pretty solid at one point it just has not been in NY for the past 3 playoff series. That is not so big of a sample size though and it was pitching and not hitting that resulted in our demise. Arod could have the best performance in the history of the ALDS and if the pitchers dont perform we probably lose.
I am relieved to hear that congress will not follow up with arod in a congressional hearing. THANK GOD! That was a hugely important decision for us as fans because something like THAT having over arods head for god knows how long would be devastating to his focus and concentration at the plate I would think. Plus, I think the government would have more important things to do with their time but after the mitchell report you never know.
Thanks, Tarheel and Pat M. I guess my feelings about Romine and Montero weren’t too far off. I was surprised not to see closer Jonathan Ortiz and 1B Brandon Laird listed.
Less Leiter, more Cone please.
Al,
The media are all god’s children – flawless in every way. So of course, they have the right to sit up on their pedestal and judge how good of a person arod is or how worthy he is of being in their good graces. Frankly, the media is doing more harm than anyone right now with the incessant arod chastising and the fans constant talk I think is more in response to the media than anything. Why is the media being so harsh? Its like they never saw anything like this before. I dont get it. ANd they are treating selena like she is a princess that can do no wrong.
I think the media is driving me to attack her by their constant defenses – they act like nothing was done wrong when this info was uncovered and like selena is a perfect angel with solid integrity. The documents were anonymous and sealed – someone broke the law. The book she is writing seems hateful and she was an ardent media supporter of the duke lacrosse team being convicted of guilty in the court of public opinion which likely altered their lives forever as the media did almost as much harm as anyone else in that matter. Frankly, she is not the picture of perfection and arod is not the devil himself but the media would have us believe both of those as fact.
Gman is not GMAN.
Gman is a fraud.
I am the original GMAN…accept no substitutes.
I love Al Leiter. I’d rather see much less of Michael Kay.
Leiter and Cone are by far my favorite YES broadcasters. O’neill and Singleton also do a good job.
dave- I still dont like the fact that writers get to vote for the HOF because a writer will always dislike some players and a bias is almost guaranteed. Thinking about someone like Bill Madden or Mike Lupica deciding whether or not A-Rod goes to Cooperstown upsets me.
Do you people actually expect less of an attitude from the self-appointed, self-annointed “Keepers Of The Game”?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3896888
Great article – very informative. It actually points to how unfair it is that this reign of terror is solely coming down on arod because out of 104 player list, somehow only one name was outed. There are 103 other players that should be sharing the overhwelming burder than is being placed on only arods back. The uncovering of the entire list is going to be in court now. oF Course, one reporter along with anonymous sources is all it took to get arod in the papers but to get the other 103, we need a lengthy and expensive case. i GUESS its because this is a LEGAL matter and arods name was obtained ILLEGALLY. But none of the media seem to care about that outside of this article so I guess its not relevant to all this. It doesnt make it hard to realize how the entire media failed to write about roids during the steroids era – its the same reason barely anyone is writing about the illegal actions to obtain arods name. If it is not a central story in the media, it doesnt seem like most reporters even care.
GB7, Appears that Austine’s feet are still an issue from behind the plate, as we’ve mentioned here several times in the past..No Brandon, what’s up with that….
Al,
I totally agree. Didnt maddon or one of them write a story about how they would not vote arod on the day this article came out? They did not wait for arods reactions, find out what drugs he took or their effects, find out the full extent of the story or even compare arods stats in texas and ny to see if they actually made a difference. He just flat out no known roids users in the hall. Shows how much thought some of these guys put into it – zero. But there is an inherent fallacy in that – The voters will NEVER know who did and didnt use in this era for certain.
So they are really only punishing the players who used and GOT CAUGHT. That is ridiculous. The media is also some of the most bias of anyone – liking certain players way more than others which increases their vote and scorning others. 880 is doing a poll right now to see how many fans would vote arod in if they had a vote – the score is something like 85 percent in favor. Yet, the media does not reflect the wishes of the fans in their vote in the least. i THINK BBWAA should keep all of their voting right except for the vote for the hall – that vote is too sacred to give to some people who act like fools about this whole thing.
gb
Therein lies the problem I guess.
Here is something to chew on before you nod off to sleep.
All the media is talking about Arod and the Hall Of Fame. (along with Bonds, Clemens etc…) Should they get in? Are they moral enough to achieve this high platitude?
The writers are the ones who vote, and character and integrity are one of the criteria.
“Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, *integrity, sportsmanship, character*, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played”.
For the past 45 years, writers also are recognized at the Hall Of Fame via the J.G. Taylor Spink Award. The criteria for that award?
The award honors a baseball writer (or writers) “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing”.
http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/spink.jsp
There is no criteria based upon integrity or character. It doesn’t matter if a writer enhanced his writing with Red Bull or had a plagiarism incident when he was 22. It doesn’t matter if he chased strippers or gambled.
It’s based upon a body of work. Did they make a contribution to the game?
Maybe the BBWAA need to re-think their present player criteria and use the same formula they use to judge themselves.
dave- I agree 100%. The HOF vote is too sacred to be in the hands of bitter old men like Madden or uneducated loons like Lupica. I dunno who should vote but it shouldn’t all be in the hands of writers who have agendas.
what difference does it make what he took? He admitted to taking ‘roids, which is the big news. That’s like asking a serial bank robber which banks he robbed. Who cares??
he is still a great player and will still go down as the best
PAT M.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:25 am
GB7, Appears that Austine’s feet are still an issue from behind the plate, as we’ve mentioned here several times in the past..No Brandon, what’s up with that….
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I’m glad we aren’t as senile as some thought we were. I always thout his glove hand was a tad slow, too. Can’t understand the slight on Laird. I think that he’s going to sneak up on people’s/scouts perceptions. Considering it was his first year at 1B, defensively, he did well. I guess corner outfield will be his spot after this coming year. I’ll tell you what though. They have a kid that now plays right field and center, Austin Krum, that there’s just something about him I like. Numbers weren’t flashy, but, he’s fun to watch. Not much power, but really good fielder and arm…has speed and he’s always running.
Gaylord Perry and many other pitchers who cheated every time they took the mound are in the Hall of Fame. The roiders did things that made themselves able to work harder to one degree or another, people like Perry, Ryan, Sutton and Ford cut up or otherwise defaced the baseballs to gain an advantagee from pitch to pitch and the writers who voted them in were aware of that. Now a bunch of writers, who missed the story and don’t know anything about what steroids did or didn’t do are up on their high horses. Ridiculous bunch of drunks.
Peter,
There have been plenty of people here challenging you on your anti-ARod bias lately, so I haven’t felt the need to pile on.
But no one has yet chastised you for this little gem: when you say ARod is reduced to “. . .chasing around wizened old pop stars. How much lower can he go?”
From the very beginning you have taken this alleged relationship very personally. Why is that? First of all, who cares? Second, both he and Madonna have denied a romantic relationship, and even Cynthia (through her lawyers) denied there was a sexual relationship.
Even if he did have a relationship – why the hostility towards older women? You have relentlessly mocked ARod about this and in particular, harped on Madonna’s age (including that horrid sexist joke you made about Minka and Madonna).
I generally like this blog, but it would be much more enjoyable if you did not make your personal issues so much a part of it.
The court case is about 4th amendment rights. Not a light weight matter by any means. This could end up going to the Supreme Court of the US. A tough issue and the leak that happened could result in contempt of court charges being sought out.
I don’t care that this is out there. Sooner or later it would have happened. Players like A-Rod would always be caught at some time. I do care that the government prosecutors allowed this to leak out, as they always seem to do in order to force their agendas.
Selena Roberts is one whom I never respected as a reporter. Her answers don’t ring true and yet the media paints her as a saint. A-Rod took issue with her methods and means, not that she got this information out. She is talking to any and all who had marginal contact with A-Rod. She has been seeking dirt on him for at least 6 years.
She was seeking to speak to him face to face for no other reason than to rub it in and be able to report that. Her motives are suspect. Her methods are suspect.
well said, dave and al from bk.
so maybe we should do an investigative report about writers on viagra and whether it impedes their ability to vote. of course we’d have to investiage cialis, too.
I think the name of the drug is somewhat relevant but not all that important. The main thing is that it kind of hints at the depth of the cheating – was it some very borderline thing that they used to sell at GNC or is it one of the better known and highly advanced steroids? It kind of speaks to how willfully the player cheated. Also, it is important to know the effects. is it significant changed to the body or just minor ones? Some roids may change the player more than others and possibly, the game of that player. I for one dont think roids make any one a great player – I think the player is already a great player and maybe the player gets a little edge from being able to put on a mass of muscle to hit the ball a little farther. But i am highly suspicious of people saying that a player can improve their all around game. I think power is the only thing that may chance and that is still a big IF.
I REALLY dont see arod doing all that much better in his time in texas. Actually, it appears he has had more overall success in NY and his two best seasons took place in NY and seattle. So did roids reallly make arod a great player? No way. Did it have any effect on his game at all? Maybe a few more homeruns or some slight advantage but nothing extensive i dont think. The major thing that roids probably does for baseball players is boost their confidence – like the placebo effect but I mean a lot of things could be used to do that. I think people give far too more credence to the idea that roids will completely change a person’s overall game. It is more likely that with long users, the person’s body is so destroyed with discontinued use and the player has such an epic collapse or splurge of injuries that it appears that his game went downhill after stopping but that speaks more to the detrimental effects of roids than the potential benefits.
it’s as if they are all being fed the exact same lines. and those lines all say how mad the fans are. where are these fans?
Oh, Clare. Always so dramatic and put upon, a valiant defender of poor Alex. It is charming that you believe Alex’s denials. It’s not like he ever lied about anything … oh, wait. And it would seem Cynthia had some concern as she divorced him. Was she OK with the Toronto stripper? I can’t remember.
Yes, I take it personally. For I have always wanted to date Madonna. And I have a great hostility to older women. I can barely bring myself to talk to my mom.
It’s just a little sarcasm, Clare. I’m sorry this gets you so distressed.
I do love how you think you have any knowledge of my “personal issues,” especially given that I have never discussed my personal life on this blog and never will.
But, as always, I’m happy to give you a reason to post. Do you even like the Yankees? I can’t tell as you never actually mention them when you come off the mountain of goodness and decency to grace us with your posts.
GB,I think that’s called hustling…He’s now on my radar…I look forward to your mid-summer scouting reports, actually with all the crap the past two weeks, I’m EVEN ready for bp & pdd’s….
The media has collectively lost their mind over this arod story.I would not judge pete on this one week of sports talk – i think it has taken a lot out of everyone. Give him some slack. It is almost impossible to keep your own opinion of this issue private because this whole situation sparks soo many emotions. As pete continues to say, arod is a very polarizing figure and he is dead-on. Whether you like him or you hate him, you cant help but feel very strongly about this whole thing. I think petes comments reflect that sentiment and it is certainly understandable.
Wow, the anti-media stuff on here is thick among you nite owls.
I know it’s not a battle I can ever win, or our industry can ever win. So I won’t even try.
But let me say, with complete sincerity, that I appreciate you guys reading what I write, whether you agree with it or not. I am under no contractual obligation to update his blog more than once or twice a day but I enjoy doing it because so many people read and I like that you all have a nice network. I’ve had a chance to meet many readers and y’all have been nice folks to talk to.
With that, I am going to sleep. Hope you all have a nice evening.
Even you, Clare.
Until a week ago Dave, most here disliked him and took great joy in bashing him…Only Ian Kennedy followed by Phillip Hughes gets more bashing that # 13….Now they rally behind him which I think is a display of Yankee nobility…However it losses some credibilty when the attacks take on the entire media….Some of then are hacks in my opinion, but for the most part are bringing to light an issue that the facts speak for themselves….I am not in favor some of the tactics that are used to get a story at all cost, but take the blinders off…Pete I believe is in a position of defending the integrity of his profession so that is to be respected…To a degree of course…..
dave- I respect Pete a great deal as it is his blog that has given me a forum for my nonsense. However I think the media on the whole is too busy having a feeding frenzy over this to put things in perspective. A-Rod is not the first person in baseball to use steroids, and although its upsetting you cannot treat A-Rod like he murdered someone.
Pete,
It is definitely NOT all targeted at you – some is but most isnt. Some of the stuff on the radio is just overwhelming and I dont think the media is accurately representing the view of the average fan on this one which definitely gives off the appearance that they care far more than we actually do but i cant speak for everyone. it just seems to be the general trend that the media is taking a VERY strong line against arod and for selena. I think the fans have a much, much more mixed reaction. We think what arod did was wrong but outside of that, it varies greatly.
The media seem to be far more unified. It is just getting to the point of being shcoking with some of the things that are said – arod should be outright released and no one will pick him up?? What reasonable person would ever say that nevermind a reporter. Even the talk about the yanks trading arod is pretty ridiculous from the yankee fans perspective – he is such a huge part of our offense. The media is considering the moral aspect when yankee fans or at least I am far more concerned with the actual baseball and the yankees winning.
Here in Southern California, most meadia talking heads are applauding him, and the local writers as wellas tv sports people have accepted his admittance as a good postitive measure…He could have offered more, but in NYC, it’s the hot topic….Time to move on
Al and pat
I agree with both of you.
Peter,
Since you lack the self-awareness to acknowledge your bias against ARod, I’m not surprised that you are not aware just how much you’ve revealed about yourself on this blog, particularly in your comments.
But thanks for the (sarcastic) well-wishes.
PAT M.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:53 am
GB,I think that’s called hustling…He’s now on my radar…I look forward to your mid-summer scouting reports, actually with all the crap the past two weeks, I’m EVEN ready for bp & pdd’s….
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Hey, my pleasure, Pat. I enjoy doing the impromtu reports. It keeps me in the game.
I’m diggin’ the mutual LoHud Yankees Blog love for Smoltzy. In addition to being a superb pitcher, he’s always seemed like a classy, fun, stand-up guy, well-respected by teammates, opposing players and media alike. I was bummed when Boston signed him because not only does he have quite the upside as a player but also as a positive influence in the clubhouse.
Other current and recent Sox I’ve admired: Papi (except when he’s crushing the Yanks on the field), Nomar, Lester and Pedroia. OK, there are probably others, but because most Sox fans would never list even one recent Yankee they admire, I won’t give them the satisfaction of extending my list.
Obviously we all love the blog, Pete! We spend all our time here!
Personally, I often come on here to argue and to fight, because I think arguing and fighting about the Yankees is fun. The blog is an awesome place to do that.
And second, I can’t speak for the other anti-mediaites on here, but even though I strongly disagree with your treatment of A-Rod on Sun and Mon ( Tues was much better), I still do put your coverage of the A-Roid scandal in a whole different league than “The Media”–i.e. most at SI, ESPN, Daily News, WFAN, NY Post, MLB Network. I mean, you are writing/taping, so you don’t have time to watch/listen to this nonsense but we losers here on this blog do and we are really fed up.
Serico,
Pedroia does not belong on that list. He’s a $!!@!& Take him off immediately! You can replace him with Mike Lowell or Tim Wafefield. Both are good guys.
It also bothers me that Selena is going after the union for not destroying the results. this makes it sound like she has an agenda.
i’m sick of all the writers sucking up to the Owners/GMs and doing their dirty work for them.
Boton Dave,
I’ve never been a Mike Lowell fan. I know he has a reputation as a good guy, but I think his take-out of Doug M. plus his tackle of Robbie were both unnecessary (and I’m as big a fan of hard slides to break up a double play as anyone).
Also, his comments after the Cano play were really smug and annoying (something like, I was just doing what the Yankees taught me).
Got to admit, I was totally surprised by Youk’s comments on A-Rod. But you are completely right about Pedroia.
Clare,
I forgot about those Mike L. occurrences. He is a nice guy, and definitely doesn’t hate the Yankees as a team… but does have those “black marks” on his record.
I’ll replace Lowell with Rocco Baldelli then (though I’ve never met him he seems alright).
BoSton Dave,
Sorry about the typo. Rocco does seem like a good guy. Too bad he’s on the Sox.
Congrats to Stump, Westminster Kennel Club dog show winner!
(insert joke about Stump being the only champ the Garden will see this year here)
Peter and Claire = Lohud’s version of “The Honeymooners”
Nick,
Not as cute as the beagle who won the last thingy.
Pete has an anti-beagle bias too. I’m told.
Nick in SF,
Forget that…
the Ugly Dog contest is in your neck of the woods this July (Petaluma, CA)
I’ll be attending the SoCal Ugly Dog contest in San Diego next month
I’ll be attending the SoCal Ugly Dog contest in San Diego next month.
************************************************
Katherine Harris is the heavy favorite.
Arod fa,
I also agree that I dont consider “the media” that I speak of and pete in the same class. When i say the media, I mean the radio, tv and other sites and when I say pete, I mean lohud. I would like to make that distinction as well. Pete is on a whole different level than guys like Lupica, Maddon and Francsesa. He is usually much more informed about the yanks and far less bias in his posts which is why this blog is so well loved in the yankee community. Every other blog i go to refers to this one when they actually want real coverage of the team. And this is the only blog that I actually spend time posting in on a daily basis. It is because this is the best yankees blog there is and often, the most fun and exciting in the comment sections.
Another good point is the lack of criticism of the owners involvement in this roid situation. A caller brought that up today on 1050 and he was basically dismissed because Brian Tierny said that he didnt think the owners knew. That is probably a crock of $h^t. The owners must have known something if not the full extent. And even arods trainer in texas reportedly told the owner that he thought arod was on roids. Now, I dont know if that is true but even if he did, what was Hicks going to say? He just spent 250 million on the guy and he wanted him to be the best there ever was. I have a feeling if he knew, he didnt do a thing about it. Is he not guilty then? Doesnt he deserve some of the massive blame going towards arod? There are soo many people that are guilty of either doing roids, standing idly by, doing nothing to stop the pervasiveness and/or pretending to be ignorant and the owners certainly fall into one of those categories.
Selena is so strange – she did say that it was the players union’s fault that arod was outed for not destroying the evidence when they had the chance even though a federal warrant was issued to confiscate the evidence and they may have been charged with obstructing justice if they did that. You would think the woman would have her facts straight about that considering the article she just published but the thing is, why is she blaming the union for the story being leaked? They may have been indirectly involved for not shredding the list and the government officials may have been directly involved by for some reason deciding to leak the contents of federally sealed documents but where does she fall in all of this? I was just doing my job so I was forced to destroy somebodies reputation. One, no one forced her to dig this deep as she did this on her own and two, I find it almost impossible to believe that arods name was stumbled upon in her investigation while the rest of the 103 names were not obtainable (The overwhelming burden of all of this may not have had to fall on one player but selena did nothing to prevent that from happening). She did not stumble onto this while writing a story, she dug for it and possibly even bribed for it as I cant see why any government official would risk their job to advance selena’s career.
And if she really wanted those other names, there is no reason whatsoever to think she couldn’t have gotten them. She didnt even deny that she couldnt get them when asked why she didnt uncover the whole list. She said she had to nail down arods guilt. She wanted to spend every waking second making sure that the evidence against arod was undeniable and flawless. And of course, she didnt even have time to go digging for all those other steroid abusers who are just as guilty as arod because she was too busy hammering arods hands to the ground. If she is so concerned about the issue, one would think she would like to be the reporter who outed a hundred users but instead, she wanted arod to bear the weight for the entire sport – bear the burden for selig, the MLBPA, the owners, the management, the media and the thousands of players from the 70s to around now who used.
And the media does not ever question her methods, her motive, her ethics or her intent. I only hear that she is a great writer and a moral person. And of course, the media would rather have one scapegoat than thousands just like in that movie arlington road. The people or mainly the mainstream media would rather blame a small select group like Mcgwire, pudge, Sosa, Bonds and their poster boy arod and let it fall all on them because it is easier to point a figure at those few and say they destroyed the integrity of the game, it was only them and they should be punished for it but it is weak and ignorant. It is avoiding the reality of the situation.
If one person deserves the blame it is selig for ignoring the entire thing while it happened as the players just wanted an edge in a game where most of the greats already had an edge and the media may have just been ignorant. The union did their job fighting for players rights no matter what the cost (which is what they are supposed to do be it right or wrong), they never made the MLB rules against roids between the union and the MLB and the players just assumed since their was no rule against it and everyone was doing it that it was fine or at least it wasnt horribly wrong.
Yes, Bud selig and NOT arod should be the face of the roids era for doing nothing to stop it because the profits were so great and he was raking in the dough but the truth is everyone with an ounce of guilt should share the burden of this mess. It is definitely not the fault of one player no matter what the media wants us to think and it is ridiculous to think that out of all the good things that have been accomplished to end steroid use in baseball that right now, arod stands as the scapegoat for all to throw stones and rotten tomatoes at when they want to blame someone for roids abuse in baseball. I cant believe the media is pushing this onto the public like it has a single thread of truth.
Rumors has it Stump, Westminster Kennel Club dog show winner has failed a urine test! Looks like Stump was on PEDs
Your picks for people you admire on the sox are lester and baldelli? Those are pretty safe choices – they both overcame difficult and/or life threatening diseases.
Phil,
I cant believe it – I am shocked and outraged. You know what, i THINK i am going to swear off dog shows forever and then, grab a microphone and talk about this controversy for the next two weeks without pause. What was that dog thinking to destroy his life like that? I think the kennel club should just pay off his salary and outright release him. How could he be any help to them now? What a tragic atrocity? I am just stunned, floored. I think I am going to go running down the street screaming out his name when my hands stop shaking.
I knew other dogs had done stuff but i NEVER thought it would be Stump. That dog was such a competitor. He was basically the face of the sport and now, what is he? The face of the dog PEDs era thats what. Im going to cry myself to sleep now while i dream of days when dogs can be pure again like the dogs of old.
dave,
I know enough from internal sources to form an opinion that Lester, Baldelli, Wakefield, and IMO Mike Lowell are the only guys worth not hating on the Sox. Doesn’t mean I don’t want all of them to fail miserably.
I got to hang out at Jason Varitek’s house this past summer and he was a good guy but I know better than to suggest that I don’t despise him.
Yea, Lester seems like a good guy and not only because I feel for him about the cancer but he just seems very nice. I dont know anything about baldelli’s personality. Im not a huge fan of lowell but i dont pretend to know a heck of a lot about him as a person – just as a player. Is it my imagination or has lowell looked the same his entire career? I never remember that guy looking young or any different than he looks right now. I dont think this blog would take offense if you said you think Varitek is a good guy – just dont say you root for him. Its mainly the fact that he has fought against the yanks that yankee fans really dont like him. I dont think most of us could even pretend to know what the guy is like in person. Outside of the yankees, I dont think I really know the personalities of most players just a few here and there.
RGR
February 10th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
I feel a little hurt that the guy is wearing a Dodgers foam finger in the Mattingly video. I know Donnie is a Dodger now, but he wouldnt be who he is today without the Yankees
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Watch those Yankee blinders. Donnie would have been a great player regardless of whatever team he was on.
PAT M. February 11th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Here in Southern California, most meadia talking heads are applauding him, and the local writers as wellas tv sports people have accepted his admittance as a good postitive measure…He could have offered more, but in NYC, it’s the hot topic….Time to move on
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Maybe people in SoCal have a life and have learned how to keep sports in perspective. He cheated, it sucks, and he should be punished fairly to include his public humiliation. But thats as much as I’m going to care. People act like these guys lured their 3-year old into a van with a piece of candy.
1. Roids were in baseball before Bonds and A-Rod were alive.
2. Real journalists, and we have very few these days, would make sure they put steroids in baseball in perspective instead of acting like this generation introduced them to the game.
3. These old-timers like Goose running around did not play in a clean era and I’m tired of their historical revisionism. Nothing like time to turn your days into the “good old days”.
Lara,
I heard the other day, a caller mentioned the pine tar and all the other crap that pitchers used to use to gain an edge and how everyone of them who deserved it with the stats made the hall. This guy was actually an old time too and he was saying how those guys also cheated but were never crucified like this. I find it very interesting that with the explosion of technology and the media gaining a lot by it including influence have decided to use that power to really shoot down sports. I mean 75 percent of the time, they are complaining about a player or an owner or a fan and the players have nothing personal anymore whatsoever. Mickey Mantle probably could have spent his night drunk as hell making a complete fool out of himself, woke up the next morning, hit two homeruns in a game and not a word was said about his life. No one could get away with that now. The whole game we would have to hear the broadcaster blabber on and on about the horrible example he is setting for the younger players on the team and why kids out there shouldn’t look up to him. Its just annoying already sometimes. In the end, this is a game that we watch to get away from real life. We dont want the media constantly shoving all of baseballs problems into our faces 24/7. I am really getting sick of it.
there were 103 other names on this list, it has been 3 days since we all found out about this list. Their silence is deafening…
Dave,
I so agree. Sports media loves to get on its soapbox but they talk about this stuff incessantly because it makes money not because they care about ridding sports of cheating and dysfunctional behavior. Its hypocritical for a newspaper to rip A-Rod for his behavior while printing A-HOLE in big letters for kids to see.
And its not even just pine tar, some of those guys were doing the same thing these guys are doing. Using supplement, hormones, etc.
migames,
While I dont expect any of them to come forward I would be highly impressed if they did because no one admits guilt until faced with their wrongdoing. You made me think of Ken Rosenthal’s moronic article in which he criticizes A-Rod for admitting steroid use because it puts the other 103 in a tough situation. If they want to continue to hide in the weeds thats on them.
Okay kids play nice. I’m spending the morning shopping!
Gammons has become the Larry King of baseball.
john updike, the author who died late last month, wrote an increadible essay in 1960 describing ted william’s last game. boston.com reprinted it and it is a MUST MUST read for any fan of sportswriting or just anybody who loves GREAT writing:
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....eu/?page=1
my thanks to bob ryan who pointed this out in his column on 1/30
Good morning, all.
Wow – I missed a lot (dave!) last night by going to sleep early.
First thing I noticed, thanks Boston Dave for your link to the sports law article, was that my thinking that it could be possible for the players to take action to get the names released has some basis. (No big deal to anyone but me!)
I don’t like the way Selena Roberts presents herself. I don’t like the book she’s going to write on ARod. I think her methods may be sketchy. However, most bombshell investigative reports only occur because the journalist walks that thin line someone spoke of in one of these threads. It really, ultimately, makes no difference that she may or may not have a vendetta against Alex Rodriguez. And I do have to wonder what the reaction would be if it was a player not on the Yankees, or a subject a little more important than steroids in baseball. (Not that I think it’s not an important subject, but I would guess most would agree that there are subjects that have more bearing on our lives.)
I will root for ARod to succeed. I will hope that he can face down the negativity that is going to wash upon him for the rest of his career. And I hope he is prepared, and has prepared the Yankees, for what might be covered in Selena Roberts book, whether what she writes is true or not. Because we all know that once something is written, it almost doesn’t matter whether it is true. I hope that the Yankees as a team can remain focused on the ballfield.
As much as I always wanted Alex to do well as a player, and as much as I often thought that he was “misunderstood,” it is difficult to ignore that this guy has a history of not quite doing the right thing, and certainly of not being able to say the right thing (or saying the right thing the wrong way). If he told the truth that he only used from 2001 to 2003, great. But even with that, what I always condemned Bonds for was being stupid and egotistical. Alex is the same. He’s a Yankee, so I’ll support him during a game, but at some point having grown up without a dad stops being an excuse for stupidity and questionable behavior. I hope he was sincere about wanting to finally grow up.
We’re all human, we all make mistakes. So, Alex is no different in that respect. But he has to earn back any good will that people had for him. He has to work at it. And that’s fair.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....595.column
I thought Jeter did a bad job in 2006, but this isn’t 2006 and he’s come out with a couple of public statements in support of Alex. The media is seriously paranoid at this point and definitely looking for another reason to resurrect the Alex/Jeter “rift”. Maybe Jeter wants his teammates behind behind him (physically, I mean) when he makes his statement. Maybe he’s spoken with Alex already – I’m not saying he did, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. The fact is,. perhaps Jeter is going to come out with something more than the pat “I support Alex, he is my teammate” answer. Did Davidoff (or other mediots) ever think that maybe the man wants to put some thought into this? Ho hum, yet another media manufactured controversy.
Did Rosenthal really say that?? So arod is the only one out of all of them to take the roasting and he is basically taking this beating for hundreds of others that are hiding whom he probably knows the identity of some and rosenthal is criticizing arod for apologizing because he feels bad for the other guys on the list? Wow, can anyone make a dumber comment without really trying? I hope that was a joke. Arod is being portrayed like the destroyer of baseball while hundreds of other players run for cover to hide their face and we should feel bad for the guys playing hide and seek? I DONT THINK SO!! Sometimes you wonder how some of these guys have a job writing when they cant even think.
Migames,
None of those guys are going to just pop out and say suprise, Im a roids user baseball player. iT doesnt happen like that. You give these guys too much credit. The media has to now work to out them if they can using sources or this thing has to take two years in the court in order for the court system to out them. Either way, it will probably happen eventually but the question is before or after one of them is elected into the hall? And doesnt all this just exemplify how illegal it was for Selena, her source or both to out arod with an article. I mean the list is now going through the court system so that the players can be identified so everyone clearly realizes there is a major legal issue involved here but no media is really saying what selena did was wrong AND that we should investigate and uncover who her source was an charge them and maybe even her because one if not both of them certainly broke the law. Where is the cry of outrage from the media?
The protector of the innocent and the leaders to justice. I guess the story isn’t salacious enough or wont sell their newspapers. Are they having moral issues with taking up an issue with one of their own? Which one is it? Its clear the morality is not what the media care about because if they did, I would think they would have something to say about this gross violation of privacy and the fact that this test was given with the assumption that it would remain anonymous. I guess the strong ethics the media holds sacred as the keepers of the highest ethical standards goes out the window when it involves enforcing it on one of their own. So they criticize arod’s actions as immoral but dont take one second to realize the gross ethical issues going on with how this story came about or why this list is now going through the court system to be revealed. Funny how that works.
I have a question for you all. One of the things people have been debating is whether or not, 14 years minimum down the road, if Alex will be voted into the Hall of Fame.
But I am wondering this: how likely is it that Alex will ever win another MVP award? And I don’t mean, how likely is it that he’ll put up MVP numbers again – I mean, literally, how likely is it that he’ll get enough votes to win an MVP ever again?
At some point, we have exhausted all there is to say on the subject.
Selena Roberts aside, Alex better be telling the truth about not using since 2003.
If he isn’t, no matter who is reporting the story, and how they are doing it, he is ruined.
Alex has has the pen in his hand to write the script for the rest of his life. Hopefully, he writes a happy ending for himself.
If you think Alex has problems, try reading the Post and Daily News re: Roberto Alomar.
It makes Alex’s problems light mighty small in comparison.
Betsy -
I think it’s even simpler than that. I think people need to take Jeter at his word when he says he wants to say what he has to say once, and not have to revisit and repeat on a daily basis for the next week or so.
Betsy,
Jeter is ticked off. He should be. Its just another distraction he has to answer to and nobody likes being put in that position. Especially Jeter.
There is only so much “hugging” one can do. Sometimes, a kick in the butt is much more effective than a hug.
Jeter will, as he always does, say the right thing publicly.
However, I can’t blame him for being ticked off at Alex on this one. Nor should anybody else.
Doreen,
For every Bill Madden out there, there is a Rob Meyer. In other words, those who have perspective on PED use in sports and those who don’t. I think MVP voters will be split along those lines.
I’m always humored by the Madden’s of the world who conveinently forget the 30 year period of Greenies in the game when they rail against PED use.
You have guys in the Hall of Fame who were addicted to greenies. Last I checked, that was a PED.
You have a convicted drug dealer (Orlando Cepeda) in the HOF. IIRC, Bill Madden voted for him.
None of this excuses Alex. Just offering some perspective on how these guys sometimes fall over themselves with their “reasoning” for their opinions.
SJ- I guess you missed this as well.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02.....154534.htm
Alex has nothing on the 86 mets.
i think we may be coming to a concesus here. sj and i disagreed quite abit, doreen was probably somewhere in between us. but we’re all coming to the conclusion that its over, whatever happened happend and in the long run, the determining factor of what happens from here on out is in alex’s hands.
hes still our guy so no matter what perspective we had throughout this ordeal, i think we are all rooting for alex to pull out if this, find himself, succeed and enjoy life.
o and win a few rings.
SJ,
I guess they write soo much that they just begin to write whatever the facts are that supports their opinions at some point. It is so convenient how some of the reporters basically omit huge issues to make sure that their point holds true. WHat does history or reality matter when they are trying to make a point? Mike Francessa does that all the time too. He will sometimes not even acknowledge when someone brings up an excellent point if it contradicts his own. He will just brush it off using some backwards logic and ridiculous thought. The way some of these guys talk, you would think this is the first we are hearing of roids and alex is the first guy to really cheat at this game. I guess the thousands of players that came before him dont count in this line of reasoning.
Pete,
If you want to see less “media bashing” on this site, just take a more objective tone on ARod.
You run a Yankee news blog. The vast majority of your readers are Yankee fans. If you write that ARod is a pathetic loser, you will stir up some crap. It’s that simple.
I guess it depends what you want from your blog. If you want lots of people visiting the site to vent against you, then keep doing what you’re doing. If you want a more rational discussion about PEDs in baseball and the media’s role, then don’t write posts and comments that read like they came off a Red Sox fan site.
Just my opinion. By the way, I don’t think any of your readers want you to pretend ARod never took PEDs or that taking PEDs is ok.
sj is right.if arod used in other years it would be a colossal mistake not to admit it with gammons.
nobody would ever believe a word he ever said again & his whole baseball career is in question.
at least now people are making an argument that he put up great numbers before & after his admitted ped years,had a great 2007.
also with arod’s name the only name out is benefitting him with fans & reporters because i heard the interview with selena roberts & she was asked why only arod.
she said we were doing a profile on only arod.what a bunch of crap.
she is doing a book & arod is the highest profile player in the game,makes the most money & the more dirt uncovered the more she benefits.
arod does more good for people than bad,he doesn’t beat women,get caught drinking & driving,doesn’t really talk bad about people.
there are a lot of mean nasty people in this world who hurt people every day & selena roberts has a book coming out about arod doing what,sleeping with women,using ped’s,choking in the clutch,not saying the right things??
Shout out to Vincent and Smoltz for the picture.
Should’ve signed Smoltz.