Watch out for the mall cop
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 20, 2009 
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In previous springs, I’ve posted about the security at Steinbrenner Field. It’s harder to get in there than it would be to bust out of jail. I saw a woman put her feet up on the dugout roof today and I thought they were going to taser her.
Anyway, the head of the security army is this guy. He rides around on a Segway like Robert E. Lee on Traveler during the Battle of Gettysburg. He routinely — and I kid you not — zips around the warning track of the outfield when there is nobody on the field.
Some folks in the organization this year have dubbed him “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”
————
Meanwhile, the son of Felix Lopez is a convicted steroids distributor. Lopez is George Steinbrenner’s son-in-law. That has not been a position with a lot of job security.
Highway Patrolman
Holy Traveler reference!
I can’t wait to be down there for spring training. My grandmother is great friend with a man named Bob Schrade who runs the local dog track. He is good friends with Mr. Steinbrenner who can be seen frequenting the dog track and sometimes gets my family tickets into Mr. Steinbrenners box on the field at legends field.
The kid was convicted before Lopez married Steinbrenner’s daughter.
Wow that’s hilarious
Lmao! Thanks for that one pete!
how much you think that guy gets paid?
What kind of access are you getting now that he has his feature story and picture on the prestigious Lohud Yankees Blog? The Daily News needs to get on that story!!!!!?!
That’s some job
Did anyone watch the Sox preview on MLB network tonight? I didn’t (nor did I intend to), but I was wondering if MLB did a good job. How was the format? Did they have multiple guys at camp? Did they interview players? The Yankees one is coming up soon, but we all know that that will be all about A-Rod….
Anyhow…..I adore the MLB network. I usually tape the WS highlight shows and watch them over the weekend. I thoroughly enjoy immersing myself in the past and just watching some great (and not-so-great) players duke it out in the biggest games of the season. The older ones from the 40′s and 50′s are really cool because it’s just very dramatic – the narrator (Lew Fonseca, who apparently did these things for years) is just perfectly suited to the job. The ones from the 60′s and 70′s have animated credit/title screens introducing the highlights – very neat
I didn’t seem to notice proper tags on that contraption he’s driving. Maybe he can be detained awhile tomorrow tending to that matter and you can sneak a few of us in? (if we promise not to put our feet up atop the dugout?)
Did anyone see Reggie, Mike Witt and Brian Downing on the Jeffersons last night? Classic old tme tv.
Jeffs don’t hold up nearly as well as the Odd Couple though.
That’s hilarious Pete. I remember you posting about this dope last spring training.
“I used that word for a reason: I can’t believe anything he says without verifying it first. I called MLB and they didn’t get back to me. Until I get confirmation that no date is set, I just can’t believe what he says.
I’m trying to be as fair as I can. But once somebody you interview proves to be a liar, you have to approach it that way. Given all that has happen, you really expect me to just believe him?”
What a bunch of non-sense.
Why don’t you just tell the truth (or do not lie) that you hate the guy.
You are trying to be as fair as you can. What a joke.
arod and swish hug it out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/l.....164420538/
Teix smiling like always:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/l.....120668025/
Pete has been very fair in his A-Rod coverage.
Everyone’s anger is misguided. Blame A-Rod for lying and disgracing the franchise. He conned Hank/Hal into giving him a record contract to break a record which was tainted this entire time. Do not blast Pete for reporting the facts in an accurate and objective manner.
As they say… don’t shoot the messenger.
Hahahaha
His name is Randy. I think it’s Randy Baker. He’s a real… well, let’s just say he’s not nice to fans. And he goes out of his way to be not nice to fans, even children. He does everything in his power to make a visit to the ballpark a less pleasant and less enjoyable experience than it should be.
Repost from last thread:
“MLB interested in A-Rod’s current associations
Speaking Friday at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., Rodriguez said he expected the meeting will be in the Tampa area. MLB would like to speak with him before he joins the Dominican team early next month ahead of the World Baseball Classic.”
Can MLB ban Alex from the WBC? That last sentence makes me wonder if that is where they are heading. It might be a way for MLB to look serious about steroids, while also sending a message to Dominican players that PED use is no longer tolerated. Possibly, MLB has some greater control over rosters/players in the WBC than they do for the regular season?
Most of these Arod supporters think that OJ is innocent. How sad.
BBfan,
I think Pete just hates you.
I want one of those to get me around campus!
I don’t know if it was brought up at all but Jim Kaat was doing Hot Stove on MLB tonight. I hope he decides to start doing Yankee games again.
The Selena Robets book is what should worry people. I doubt it is a 100% tabloid report like people claim. I’m sure there are actual baseball-related passages in there (relationships with teammates, more steroid use etc.) that will be very salacious.
There is a reason she moved up the release date… to strike while the iron was hot. If the Yankees were 30-15 in May and A-Rod was hitting .320… the book would be an afterthought. Now, it puts pressure on the Yankees and A-Rod to absolutely get off to a fast start. Otherwise, this dark cloud will hover over us and this will take center stage.
The fact that he was not 100% truthful in the Gammons interview or his own press conference doesn’t make me confident that Roberts’ book won’t contain a different version of the steroid events. We are already seeing new stuff coming out by the day that make ARod look bad. This may be just the tip of the iceberg.
The Selena Robets book is what should worry people. I doubt it is a 100% tabloid report like people claim. I’m sure there are actual baseball-related passages in there (relationships with teammates, more steroid use etc.) that will be very salacious.
===================================================
Oh trust me. I am worried about that book.
http://msn.foxsports.com/other.....to=9242822
sports movies anyone?
Ugh enough with A Rod. You know I always support him, but he missed a golden opportunity to tell the truth on Tuesday, but he blew it. I’m done with him if he did roids in 07.
I can’t see how someone ISIN’T worried about the book. She has been working on this for a long time and clearly is out to expose him. I shudder to think about what she uncovered.
Happy Gilmore is Number 9 above Bad News Bears
Best in show is on the List
This List is Crapola
They did get Worst right. Benchwarmers HORRIBLE!!!!!!
“Salacious” means lecherous, pornographic or obscene.
If the material described in the book, especially regarding relationships with teammates, turns out to be “salacious” that will definitely make tabloid headlines.
The book will amount to nothing if A-Rod told the truth. If he didn’t, god help him.
April 6th in Baltimore… CC throws 7 shutout innings
Joel Sherman: Hey CC, congrats on your 1st one. So what did you think about what you heard about A-Rod today in the book?
Mark Feinsand: CC, did what you read about ARod concern you at all?
Bob Holtzman, ESPN: CC, I know this must be special moment for you, winning the season opener, but the Selena Roberts book that came out, does any of that shock you?
Bill Madden: CC, what did you say to A-Rod after you found out what was in the book?
::sigh:: I can see it now.
according to the leaker(s) – Arod name was on a 2003 report for steroids.
Arod said he used in 2001 and 2002 also.
According to many Arod can’t be believed.
Hopefully the media will be digging the dirt to prove that Arod really *didn’t* use in 2001 and 2002. He was just lying again. You can’t trust anything he says.
“Most of these Arod supporters think that OJ is innocent. How sad.”
Where in HELL did you get that?
Or did you go to the Pete Abe broad brush school of posting?
How much you want to bet the entire staff at ESPN will have to get clean underwear once they find out about the Lopez story?
Remember that Serena Roberts publisher says there’s new, unreported info about Alex and steroids in the book.
Selena and Tom Verducci have to sell books and what better way than slam the Yankees.By the way,I have tried to post on the Boston Globe site(owned by the Red Sox) and they shut me down every time.I am never out of line but as long as I don’t sing the Red Sox line I am out of there.Of course,here in New York we love ripping our locals as long as it sells.Newspapers are going out of business by the day and they will do whatever it takes.I am sure a lot of beat guys have one eye on the door as they report.The Arod story will not die.Why? Because there’s too much gold in them thar hills.Arod did steroids.Did he do them more than he said? Who knows? Probably.We all know he did them so,by all means,let’s keep John Henry,Theo and the city of Boston happy and keep flogging the boy.Papi said he didn’t know what was in the shakes he was given back home.Someone must have given him the all clear as not being one of the 103 otherwise he wouldn’t of started yapping the other day.Hey but let’s keep beating on the guy that we know who did them rather than finding out who the other guys are.Journalism at it’s finest.
“Remember that Serena Roberts publisher says there’s new, unreported info about Alex and steroids in the book.”
Stephen, all Arod has to do is say that whatever is printed in there is not true.
I don’t know if it was brought up at all but Jim Kaat was doing Hot Stove on MLB tonight. I hope he decides to start doing Yankee games again.
————————————-
In his blog he said he’s hoping to come back and do a few games this season.
Ultimately, the only person in this world who has credibility is Jose Canseco
“Journalism at it’s finest.”
And this is truly what bothers me the most. The press is out to crucify one player. They are not at all bothered by the fact that 103 other names are on the list that was obviously important enough for them to feel the need to bring their lynch mob to Tampa.
Yeah, like anyone will believe ARod is he says the contents of the book isin’t true.
Say what you want about Roberts’ intentions, but her accuracy cannot be questioned. She is a journalist, she probably has dozens of sources. She isin’t going to risk a defamation suit.
“Say what you want about Roberts’ intentions, but her accuracy cannot be questioned. She is a journalist, she probably has dozens of sources. She isin’t going to risk a defamation suit.”
Google “Selena Roberts Duke” and then tell me her accuracy cannot be questioned.
Selena’s journalism credentials might be questioned at Duke University.
Could the commissioner even get the legal approval to release the list if he wanted to? I imagine it’s not realistic considering they were supposed to be anonymous. Why would the MLBPA allow the names to leak?
“Yeah, like anyone will believe ARod is he says the contents of the book isin’t true.”
Unfortunately you’re right about that.
“Say what you want about Roberts’ intentions, but her accuracy cannot be questioned. She is a journalist, she probably has dozens of sources. She isin’t going to risk a defamation suit.”
Fortunately you’re wrong about this. I guess you don’t know about her part in the lynching of the Duke lacrosse team.
It will be interesting to see how that book does in terms of sales.
I would surely hope that no Yankee fan would buy it.
I really do get the sense that all real baseball fans, regardless of team, are really sick of the whole steroid story. Hopefully that really hurts the sales of this garbage for her.
stop talking about it,don;t buy the papers & change espn or any other station as soon as it comes on.
all the yankee players,gm,etc when asked about it should unify & say it is over & i will not talk about it.
this would go away in 5 minutes.
“In his blog he said he’s hoping to come back and do a few games this season.”
Really? That’s awesome.
Which players nicknamed him that? Spill.
Why couldn’t this guy travel with the team to keep Angel Presinal away?
Guess he didn’t want to leave the Segway behind…
In the court of public opinion, Selena is lesser of the two evils vs. ARod. And really, thats all that matters.
ARod is a proven liar. She has the entire media in her corner to prop her up (notice that not one journalist called her out for the ARod stuff?) and at this point, she has more credibility than ARod.
Aside from a few Yankee fans in this world, who else is going to side with ARod in this ordeal?
I have been to workouts a since 2003 but didnt make it this year because of college. But honestly that guy is the one guy i do not miss. He is such a hard ass. however theres a bigger guy with a huge nose he couldnt be any nicer i guess they level off at one normal person.
“Aside from a few Yankee fans in this world, who else is going to side with ARod in this ordeal?”
Actually the most important people in this entire scenario are the Yankee fans. The only people who really worship the press are – the press!
By the way, I’m not saying she’s wrong about what she has on A-Rod, but you can’t just rubber-stamp her. You have to hold her work under the same scrutiny you hold A-Rod’s words, because she’s been badly wrong in the past, and remains defiantly unrepentant.
Guard
February 20th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Could the commissioner even get the legal approval to release the list if he wanted to? I imagine it’s not realistic considering they were supposed to be anonymous. Why would the MLBPA allow the names to leak?
——————————–
I have a theory about all this. It’s just a crackpot theory, so take it for what’s it’s worth and shoot it down if you want.
I think maybe MLB leaked A-Rod’s name. Why? Because they hoped the fact that the Union didn’t destroy the tests would anger enough members that it would cause in-ighting. With the CBA expiring in 2011, a union in disaray would be much easier to beat.
Hey Bru,I am with you I have not looked at a paper or sites for days.I love baseball and I come back to this site and I get snide innuendo from the guy writing the blog.How many hits are they getting on this site and all the other sites.They are making money on this never ending swill.That’s Selena is rushing her book out and Verducci is milking the cow.Follow the money.
“Actually the most important people in this entire scenario are the Yankee fans. The only people who really worship the press are – the press!”
…as you post on a blog….from the….press….
Bob,
Not ridiculous at all. Conspiracy could have been involved. Infact, it often is in cases like this.
The Knicks won by 30 this evening
“…as you post on a blog….from the….press….”
pal, because I post on a forum that is run by someone who purports to report doesn’t mean that I am beholden to whatever kool-aid he sells on any given day. It is a place in cyberspace to be. Maybe you come here because it is “somebody’s blog.” I come here because Yankee fans I happen to enjoy are congregated in this particular place. It could be run by Charles Manson and it would all be the same to me if it was where Yankee fans hung out. Get it?
E-Man
February 20th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
“In his blog he said he’s hoping to come back and do a few games this season.”
Really? That’s awesome.
————————————
Here’s what he wrote:
“I am more excited about this season because I am making an attempt to come out of retirement after a two-year absence and get involved again (in a small way, that is). Maybe working some games, hosting a show or two, possibility heading to Europe and China for MLB International and doing more blogs right here on the YESNetwork.com.”
http://kaatskorner.mlblogs.com.....nkees.html
A-Rod should get “No comment” tattooed on his palm and just hold it up everytime a non-baseball question is asked from here on out.
People are going to continue to talk, dig and speculate. SI attorneys most likely have a higher burden of proof than Harper Collins so who knows what they turned down that Roberts can use in the book. He’s lost any deniability so he just needs to stop talking, take his public beating and play baseball.
Trisha, what a horrible shrew you are. I love the Yankees and I hope A-Rod has a great season and puts in their faces. But it’s pretty obvious reading the Daily News and ESPN story that this trainer is a bad character that the Yankees should not be hanging around with. A-Rod has lied and lied and he needs to shut up and play and yet you never shut up with your senseless posts and drivel.
If you are married, go check the basement. Your husband is probably hanging himself. Poor bastard. You stupid harpie. Shut up!
bobmac and bru I am with you. At least I live by a grounded code of ethics and am not swayed by obvious innuendo and rotten suggestion put out by disgruntled media types who feel they didn’t get their pound of flesh at the Arod press conference.
“Trisha, what a horrible shrew you are. I love the Yankees and I hope A-Rod has a great season and puts in their faces. But it’s pretty obvious reading the Daily News and ESPN story that this trainer is a bad character that the Yankees should not be hanging around with. A-Rod has lied and lied and he needs to shut up and play and yet you never shut up with your senseless posts and drivel.
If you are married, go check the basement. Your husband is probably hanging himself. Poor bastard. You stupid harpie. Shut up!”
Steve27 -
Time for your diaper change!
“You always worry about the character of the people around your players – always,” Girardi said. “It’s similar to worrying about the character (of people) around my children. It’s something you always worry about because there are a lot of people that want to latch on. Players have to be guarded. We all have to be guarded.”
A-Rod should get “No comment” tattooed on his palm and just hold it up everytime a non-baseball question is asked from here on out.
——————————–
Actually, I think he should dig out that shirt his wife got photographed wearing at a game a few years ago.
If I had a choice of watching ESPN and reading the Daily News OR – listening to Trisha – I’ll choose the latter.
in the words of an esteemed blogger –
Don’t shoot the messenger.
I think it’s kind of cool that Pete lets us come here and talk about anything we want. Did I really see that another Yankee site deletes off topic posts?
I like that Pete challenges us and we question him at times as well.
No offense to Pete, but he doesn’t mold or shape my opinions. But it’s cool that he gives us an inside look at the Yankees.
When he tells us that Wang gave him a look, we can all picture that look. Whatever a “What a dumbass question” look is in Taiwan.
So when he says that Alex is not as credible as we would like to believe, it’s probably got some merit. He’s actually done the leg work or i-phone work to do his work. Just because it’s not what you want to hear doesn’t mean it doesn’t have merit.
People who don’t want to read about Alex should come back in about 18-24 months. The dust should have settled by then.
The New York Times is trying to sell it’s 20% stake in the Boston Globe. They have no buyers because everyone knows the NYT is almost bankrupt and that the Globe is bleeding money.I bring this up to shine a light on the state of newspapers and media.No one is buying ads and they are desperate for survival.What to do,what to do? Whatever it takes to keep selling newspapers ergo ads.I don’t know what’s going on with LOHUD but my guess is not too great.So I’ll do my part to keep the hits coming.
Steve27 February 20th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Trisha, what a horrible shrew you are. I love the Yankees and I hope A-Rod has a great season and puts in their faces. But it’s pretty obvious reading the Daily News and ESPN story that this trainer is a bad character that the Yankees should not be hanging around with. A-Rod has lied and lied and he needs to shut up and play and yet you never shut up with your senseless posts and drivel.
If you are married, go check the basement. Your husband is probably hanging himself. Poor bastard. You stupid harpie. Shut up!
————————————————————-
Dude, WTF?
How did Felix Lopez become a Vice President of a baseball team?
CC_Sabathia Lots of fans coming out to watch us. It’s different then what I’m used to and it’s very cool!
I don’t take pleasure in watching Arod go through this and watch my team get dragged through the mud, but….
Is anyone else fascinated by this whole ARod drama? It’s like a real-life episode of CSI.
You have reporters following A-Rod’s every move…. sending reporters to the Bahamas, to the Dominican Republic, to Miami etc. to try and dig for information.
In the meantime, the player is the biggest star in the sport and plays on the most illustrious franchise in sports with other big stars. Everyday new info comes out. You have a mysterious cousin, illegal leaking of information, a corrupt trainer, a female reporter on a witch hunt, incompetent Bud, Jeter etc. so there are so many characters. ARod also has a strange off-the-field life, so that plays into it as well.
This is actually kind of fun to follow.
m, it’s not that people are considering Alex credible, it’s that he’s getting crucified beyond the scope of the evidence. I respect Pete’s opinion a lot, and when I disagreed with him in the previous thread, it was because things weren’t adding up for me, not because I had some kind of disrespect for his opinion. If I didn’t respect him, I wouldn’t be here.
I wish Teixeria or AJ had twitter accounts and/or facebook pages.
I said this to cc
@CC_Sabathia Just wait till you play on the road, they’ll be lots of us there as well. Especially in Baltimore aka Yankee Stadium south.
jennifer,
i love the twitter site, you can tell that swish and cc try to update it everyday, its very cool.
I can not take that security force seriously. Segways always make me crack a smile. They make you look ridiculous.
“How did Felix Lopez become a Vice President of a baseball team?”
The same way Chauncey Gardener had the president’s ear in Being There.
I don’t know what’s going on with LOHUD but my guess is not too great.So I’ll do my part to keep the hits coming.
—————————
I have a feeling Pete is singlehandedly keeping the paper alive. lol
LeBron James has 49 points through 3 quarters
Kevin,
That’s cool. I wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular. But people sure were crucifying Pete and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because they want to believe that Alex is pure as the driven snow. And I wanted to get rid of the Peter on a cross image swirling around in my head.
You’re absolutely right that this is getting to be a big circus, but Alex is the one that left the locks off the elephant cage. Putting the elephants back is difficult and may take some time.
Jen, what’s CC’s Twitter site? I tried googling it, but nothing came up – thanks!
Boy, I can’t wait until tomorrow’s baseball threads; this one is depressing.
Maybe to Protest all this Steroid BS, We should have “No one comments on this board day”. Just like “No Steroid Talk Day”. How would that go over?
LoHud’s doing just fine. But thanks for your concern.
“m, it’s not that people are considering Alex credible, it’s that he’s getting crucified beyond the scope of the evidence.”
mel, this is EXACTLY it. If Arod gets brought down, at least some of us want it to be because there is proof that he did something (beyond what we already have learned from him) to cause it.
CC twitter:
http://twitter.com/CC_Sabathia
Swisher twitter:
http://twitter.com/NickSwisher
Betsy
http://twitter.com/CC_Sabathia
Pete, Ignore the haters.
You are the best beat writer in sports. ARod is a liar, yet the fans here want you to portray him as a saint that has done no wrong. He cheated the game of baseball and is 0-2 as far as telling the truth is concerned.
Please continue reporting the facts about ARod, Pete. Don’t let the delusional ones stop you. Everyone here knows what ARod is, its just a matter of choosing to accept it or living in a fantasy world with daisies and sun flowers.
Pete,
Thank goodness I like Hawaiian Punch better. Haven’t drunk Kool-aid since…
m
People also have to realize that this blog is not indicative of what Pete writes in the paper.
In print for the paper, he’s a beat writer- just facts and observations. On this blog, it’s facts, observations and opinion- educated opinion – but opinion nonetheless. Some people don’t to see the difference.
No one who posts on this blog is right 100% of the time-that includes Pete.
pete:
have to give you props. Your description of the mall cop, have me LOL
I have no reason not to believe Selena Roberts regarding ARod.
The book will hopefully clear up some of the lies Arod has spread in the past couple of weeks.
I really hate to partake in the “unmentionable” discussion rather discuss the on the field stuff and totally understand why some of you do discuss it. HOWEVER i did find Robbie Cano’s quote in the SI article about that trainer a bit disturbing. Someone linked the article in the last thread. To paraphrase he basically said the guy knows what he is doing, I dont care about the past and ifI have to go back thre and work with him I will.
I certainly hope someone from the Yankees sits him down tomorrow and discusses the problem with his quote.
We all know there is a HUGE problem with PED’s in the DR. Amngst other poblems down there. If you follow at all the Biz of Baseball site they have followed this issue for well over a year now and if you look at the list of players that have been suspended over the past few years it is very heavy on DR players.
With everything else the Yankees have going on Robbie does not need to be dealing with this and to be honest I can only assume based on those coments that he has worked out with him quite recently.
“I don’t know if it was brought up at all but Jim Kaat was doing Hot Stove on MLB tonight. I hope he decides to start doing Yankee games again”
I don’t.
I care about what is taking place in the game i’m watching. Not the one that ocurred in 1937.
And in fairness to me, here is a response I wrote to Pete, based on an email that Pete wrote to me. If I sound unbalanced and you all find this “kid of sad” then perhaps I have overstayed my welcome here.
******************
Of course I am not comparing you to Charles Manson! I am telling the poster that because I post on someone’s forum doesn’t mean that I have to agree with their views.
I am sick and tired of the press (the people writing the actual stories) throwing out provocative stories in an effort to bring Arod down. JCA, do you guys have proof that Arod used after 2003 Pete? Do you? Don’t you see the danger in trying to imply that since he hung out with that trainer that it means something more nefarious? What is happening to Arod is planned character assassination. That is just wrong.
Many of us are keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t hear anything more that is actual proof of wrongdoing. We’re hanging on by a thread, but we’re hanging on. Do you deny us even that? Don’t we have the right to hold off on any further lynching unless and until there is actual reason to lynch? Because you guys don’t believe anything Arod says is reason to keep trying to take him down?
That’s how I feel. And I feel passionately about it.
Thanks for writing. You can trust this about me. I do know how to separate the message from the messenger. You couldn’t care less how I feel about you as a person, but I actually like you very much. I don’t always have to like the stuff you write, however.
Pinstripes Jay
That’s what she’s counting on. Well, that and your $20.
Personally I’ve abandoned blind faith long ago but to each his own.
i always wanted to ride on a segway
Honestly, I don’t care what Roberts’ says about ARod in the book. He made his own bed in that regard.
I just hope she doesn’t reveal scandalous information about his relationship with teammates or things that went on in the clubhouse.
I remember reading a quote about Roberts’ book somewhere saying “If you think being called AFraud was bad, wait until you read Selena’s book. That is light compared to other things that were said”.
These things are what can derail the team… moreso than any individual scandal that ARod is involved in.
I think Pete is keeping it alive and I respect how he allows all opinions to fly.I’m packing it in but to Bru,Trish and all others who couldn’t wait for this season to start I have to say that this past month starting with Torre/Verducci through the non ending AROD swill has been tough.I think AROD deserves what he gets right up until it becomes a money making vehicle for so called journalists who suck the marrow out of a story already told.Now this is a Yankee site so I put to our fans,would Red Sox fans keep flogging one of their own or would they ask why that there is no mention of a Red Sox in any of these reports.Verducci went out of his way to sing the praises of Theo and the Sox while bashing the Yankees.I read the book(library,I wouldn’t give him a dime) and it is pathetic.George Mitchell is on the board of the Red Sox and had control over a lot of info.One man out of 104 has become public.Where is there the outrage? Why aren’t Yankee fans demanding the other 103 become public? What about Papi,Varitek,et al? Okay,I’m out of here.
interesting read…
http://tinyurl.com/dywknr
“It is not up to individuals hiding behind a cloak of anonymity to decide who suffers the stigma of public accusation of conduct related to criminality. The Constitution leaves that decision to grand juries and trial juries.”
of course if you are looking for Arod scandal crap – skip it.
“Where is there the outrage? Why aren’t Yankee fans demanding the other 103 become public?”
Because the violation of one man’s privacy does not justify the violation of another hundred and three’s.
The book doesnt matter. Unless he has a positive test after 2003, i say stick with your story. you confessed already, leave it be and dont bury yourself.
stop talking about it,don;t buy the papers & change espn or any other station as soon as it comes on.
all the yankee players,gm,etc when asked about it should unify & say it is over & i will not talk about it.
————–
I rarely agree with bru on anything but this is exactly what we fans need to do.
Let the media chase their tails if they want. People are already starting to tune them out because they are sick of this story.
Stop feeding the stray dog and he’ll go away eventually.
If Rodriguez had a hot test from 2004 and beyond, it would have been already out, because MLB would have released it.
Why aren’t any enterprising reporters tracking down the leak that lead to the violation of ARod’s rights?
And in fairness to Pete, I do need to clarify one thing. When I responded that he “purports to report” I was certainly not meaning to question his veracity as a reporter in the big world. I was meaning that I questioned his objectivity in some of the stuff he writes on this blog. As Pat pointed out, what Pete does as a reporter is writes stories based on fact. That differs from what he does on his blog, where he of course is free to inject his opinion.
Peace out.
Isn’t this what we were told about Jorge?
David Ortiz out for 2nd day with sore shoulder
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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)—Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been held out of spring training workouts for the second straight day with general soreness in his left shoulder.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona says Friday that Ortiz is much better than Thursday, when he slept on the shoulder awkwardly. Francona says Ortiz also is feeling the effects from throwing during fielding practice earlier in the week.
Francona says the soreness isn’t considered serious and won’t require an extensive exam. He says Ortiz has been getting his work done indoors.
Ortiz has said he expects to return to full activity over the weekend.
“Why aren’t any enterprising reporters tracking down the leak that lead to the violation of ARod’s rights?”
Newspaper writers take the cue from their management.
In the current climate of TMZ, Spears, Paris Hilton etc.. the Constitution is not a hot topic.
The NY dailies can put Alex’s cousin on the back page and it will sell papers. If they found the sealed document leaker it would be buried on page 12. Sad but true.
Hmmm.
Drew has an aching back. Ortiz has an aching shoulder. Beckett usually has an aching something. Lowell has a long history of health issues.
Sounds like the Red Sox have more question marks in their everyday lineup than the Yanks do.
Yeah it is pretty much the same. The only difference is that Ortiz doesn’t have to throw like Posada does and the fact that Girardi has been known to downplay injuries.
You have to take Posada out in the late innings for defense.
So, DT you’re telling me they suborn criminality in the advancement of their careers and sales, and focus all of the moral outrage they can gather on a minority who happens to be more talented and wealthy but less educated than they are? Is that their bag?
Still- It got to the point where it hurt Jorge to swing the bat.
Let’s not make this a race issue. I don’t recall Mark McGwire getting a pass on this steroids issue.
btw Jack Curry says Presinal did work with the 2006 Dominican team in the WBC.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02.....ref=sports
Giuseppe, do you recall McGwire ever getting this kind of press scrutiny during his playing career?
DT
February 20th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
“Why aren’t any enterprising reporters tracking down the leak that lead to the violation of ARod’s rights?”
Newspaper writers take the cue from their management.
In the current climate of TMZ, Spears, Paris Hilton etc.. the Constitution is not a hot topic.
The NY dailies can put Alex’s cousin on the back page and it will sell papers. If they found the sealed document leaker it would be buried on page 12. Sad but true.
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First Amendment rights are sacred. Fourth Amendment rights mean nothing. Everyone knows that.
Franco I agree with you.
The Sox have WAY more holes and question marks going into the year than the Yankees.
Don’t forget the decline of Varitek, the fact that Pedroia and Youk had career years in 2008, and the injury risks to the back end of the rotation (Penny, Smoltz, Wakefield).
Plus the Rays can’t possibly duplicate ’08. The Yankees are primed for a division title. And hopefully a deep playoff run.
I went to Legends field and the security was tight and the experience awful. Unless you have a ticket for the lower bowl seats (below the walkway), they won’t let you withing 100 feet of the dugout. Changes of getting a player autograph are probably better in the Bronx.
Off topic here, but I’m loving the MLB Channel. Think I’ve watched ESPN once since MLB debuted.
Thank Jen and S.A.!
I really like the format of Twitter – short and to the point. CC certainly seems to enjoy the attention – that’s good, because it’s only going to intensify when the team heads north.
I have hardly listened to sports radio lately – the minute I hear A-Rod/steroids, I turn it off. I’ve been avoiding all newspaper articles regarding same……..and frankly I’ve been quite a bit happier.
We can’t blame Pete for talking about it when various posters continue to post every quote/links, etc……about this. It’s up to the posters to monitor themselves. If we want to talk baseball, no one is preventing us and we can easily ignore posts that don’t interest us. This speculation is going to continue in the media, but we don’t have to engage in it if we don’t want to.
miggs, that foolishly optimistic. Actually, the Rays absolutely can get better, and there’s no reason to expect regression from Youkilis and Pedroia. They’re all young, and would be expected to keep improving.
Actualy Babip provides us with an excellent reason to expect regression from Youklis and the ironically named Pedroia.
Phil
February 20th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Why aren’t any enterprising reporters tracking down the leak that lead to the violation of ARod’s rights?
I was gonna post this before.
Phil,
It was a different time. He retired in 2001.
McGwire also never played in NY (where the media loved to pile on him already) or was considered the best player of his generation.
It took all of one day to destroy his entire career and legacy with his infamous performance in front of Congress.
He has also been in isolation ever since that day and hasn’t spoken to the media about it.
That’s a big reason why the story eventually faded. The media can’t keep coming back for more fodder if he’s not talking – which is why everybody needs to stop feeding this media troll and focus on the action on the field.
McGwire got just 25% of the vote for the Hall of Fame. He’s probably never getting in.
All of this is clear evidence that McGwire didn’t get a pass on this issue. Not by a long shot.
Don’t make this about race. It’s not a legitimate argument at all.
Will Selena Roberts be signing autographs when the book is released?
“If Rodriguez had a hot test from 2004 and beyond, it would have been already out, because MLB would have released it.”
Greenberet makes a VERY good point here.
No, it doesn’t. Not at all. Pedroia’s BABiP went up .002 last year. Youkilis’ BABiP’s the past four years have been .356, .335, .334, and .347. It might go back down a little, but there’s no reason to expect any big regression. Batter BABiP isn’t nearly as luck-dependent as it is for pitchers; better hitters can post higher BABiPs consistently. You expect a regression when you see an anomalous spike, a la Swisher last season.
The list of 103 is confidential information. The testing was supposed to be ANONYMOUS. Just because one leaked, doesn’t mean they all should. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Let’s say David Ortiz was the name that leaked, rather than ARod. Would we still be so outspoken in favor of the entire list being released?
Giuseppe,
I’m not making it about race, I’m just pointing out what the situation seems to be. ARod is a minority. And, though he has told us more about his steroid use than anyone else who’s been “caught” he’s taking the full furor of a bunch of witless morons who missed the actual steroid era as it was going on under their noses.
McGwire wasn’t bothered because he retired and holed himself up in his compound. Literally. The man was a recluse for years.
One could argue that Youkilis’ Iso jump might be due for a regression, but it’s not unheard-of to make a leap in one’s age-29 season. Banking on him coming back to earth seems foolish.
ARod could still be taking undetectable substances.
What else was that banned trainer doing around him? Was he one of ARod’s 500 advisers?
TurnTables
February 20th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Will Selena Roberts be signing autographs when the book is released?
————————————————————
She will personally place her hoof print on every copy.
Giuseppe,
and as per McGwire, in 1998, at the height of his glory, they found a bottle of Andro in his locker. Five minutes of research would have shown them that’s what roiders were doing between cycles to preven estrification. He told them a bs story and they gave him a pass. Why the separate standard?
miggs, that foolishly optimistic. Actually, the Rays absolutely can get better, and there’s no reason to expect regression from Youkilis and Pedroia. They’re all young, and would be expected to keep improving.
————–
Kevin,
Read this piece by Jayson Stark today. It may not be impossible for the Rays to sustain their winning ways – but history tells us that a regression by TB this season is very, very, likely.
It’s extremely difficult for a franchise to make such a dramatic jump in one season and sustain it.
I see TB as a third place team this season. Not a huge regression, but enough to finish behind the Yanks and Red Sox in this tough division.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....ark_jayson
The winner of the AL East will be the team that is the healthiest.
Expect the Rays to IMPROVE. They are a team of young guys just hitting their prime, and they’re adding Price to an already solid rotation.
The Sox, however, have an aweful lot of players on the downside of their careers AND too many injury risks.
The Jays have regressed and the Orioles still stink.
Anything is possible, but I’d expect the Yanks will primarily be battling the Rays for the division.
The winner of the AL East will be the team that is the healthiest.
======================
Or the deepest. I’ve very comfortable with our pitching depth.
The guy looks like a complete tool.
All the rotations are stacked
Sabathia
Wang
Burnett
Chamberlain
Pettitte
Beckett
Lester
Matsuzaka
Smoltz
Wakefield/Penny
Price
Kazmir
Shields
Garza
Sonnenstein
Hey,I was on my way to the rack and I saw a headline.”Ortiz admits link to banned trainer”.Papi mentioned that Angel Presinal and he would train together.He mentions how Angel is a good trainer and “how he gets your body ready to go”.It is unclear when Papi trained with Presinal as he was banned in 2001.This can all be seen in the Boston Herald.Papi di like his shakes.
The Rats will be good this year.
They have Power, Speed, Excellent defense, top notch starting pitching, good middle relief, good bench. No weaknesses in them except closer.
Giuseppe,
and as per McGwire, in 1998, at the height of his glory, they found a bottle of Andro in his locker. Five minutes of research would have shown them that’s what roiders were doing between cycles to preven estrification. He told them a bs story and they gave him a pass. Why the separate standard?
————-
As I said, it was a completely different time.
McGwire’s last major public appearance was baseball’s first step in actually trying to clean up baseball. A lot has happened since.
But this is also why I’m disgusted with the sanctimonious media these days with their moral outrage over steroids. Everyone knew this was going on but MLB, the owners, and the media didn’t care.
The fans are to blame as well for the same reason.
There is plenty of blame to go around. But, again, it has zilch to do with race.
It has everything to do with hypocrisy by the holier than thou folks who want to crucify A-Rod and make an example of him.
No more fodder and the media will stop. It’s as simple as that.
RSM
February 20th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Expect the Rays to IMPROVE. They are a team of young guys just hitting their prime, and they’re adding Price to an already solid rotation.
The Sox, however, have an aweful lot of players on the downside of their careers AND too many injury risks.
The Jays have regressed and the Orioles still stink.
Anything is possible, but I’d expect the Yanks will primarily be battling the Rays for the division.
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Tampa also lost a top starter, a clubhouse header in Cliff Floyd, Percevil isn’t going to be ready, so they have to move their setup guy in to close and lost a lot of bench production in Eric Hinske. They picked up Burrell, who may hit some homers or be even more overly matched in the AL East than he was in the NL East. They need to hope that Pena doesn’t drop this year as much as he did from ’07 to ’08.
Giuseppe, Jayson’s control (win jump) is utterly useless. Which is ironic, because he’s all about useless info. It’s fun, but it’s no substitute for legitimate analysis. The Rays are still a young team, and virtually every player on their roster would be expected to improve on their previous season. Not every one will, of course, but they also upgraded several holes. Also, that was a true 93-win team last year. The Cubs and Padres teams on his list all out-performed their Pythags in their jump seasons, meaning the jump was somewhat overstated. The D’backs team was loaded with aging players, leaving just the ’06 Tigers and ’02 Angels. Two teams doesn’t prove a trend. The Rays should be a legit 90-win team this year.
GreenBeret, what top starter did they lose? Edwin Jackson? Ha! David Price is an upgrade over him. Oh, and for losing Hinske and Floyd? Joyce (beast in a platoon) and Burrell easily cover that. I’m just not seeing how the Rays are worse this year.
Nick,
I meant I like our pitching depth 1-8. If something (heaven forbid) should happen to any of our starters, you have Hughes, Aceves, and Kennedy. Before anyone laughs, Hughes and Kennedy are pitching well again. Aceves is a burro. He could go 9 strong if they let him.
The Rays may or may not be better. But one thing’s for sure, other teams will take them as seriously as we did last year. Wins won’t come so easy for them.
Kevin,
The point is that everything went the Rays’ way last year. Their pitching staff from top to bottom had several guys with career years.
They were also remarkably durable as evidenced by five pitchers starting a whopping 152 of their 162 games. I don’t see them duplicating that again.
I do expect their offense to improve – but I think their pitching will regress a bit for the reasons I mentioned above.
By no means am I saying they won’t be a good team. I just think they will regress enough to finish behind the Yanks and Red Sox.
They could certainly be a 90-win team and miss the postseason in this division. It happened to the Yanks last year (89 wins).
ORTIZ ADMITS WORKING OUT WITH SAME TRAINER AS AROD.HEY,YOU KNOW HE WAS A NEIGHBORHOOD GUY.I MIGHT HAVE HAD A SHAKE OR TWO BUT I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT’S IN IT.Let the spin begin.BOSTON HERALD
The Rays won 97 games last year. It’s hard to see how they could be better-record wise.
I’ll believe the Ray’s can repeat with over 90 wins next year when I see it. They face stiffer competition in their own division this year and having their entire starting rotation stay healthy all year is probably next to impossible to repeat.
As for the Red Sox, I generally dislike doing this, but let’s go position by position. At catcher, there are two big fat question marks. Posada actually has decent upside if he stays healthy, though. At first, Teix really isn’t that much better. Gets the nod because he’s done it longer, but don’t be shocked if Youk winds up out-doing him this year. Second is theirs. Move along. Even if Cano returns to his ’06 level, Pedroia’s the much better fielder. If Jeter’s woes were injury-related, he’ll win shortstop, but if he’s represented a true decline, the bad glove makes it a wash. Third is ours. Jason Bay is younger, healthier, and better than Johnny Damon. Gardner’s ceiling is probably what Ellsbury did last year. Drew always comes with his Tin Man caveat, but he’s better than Swisher, even if the dude rebounds. Both benches are kind of uninspiring. Pettitte = Wakefield, Hughes = Buchholz (sans laptops). CC, Wang, Burnett matches up about even with Lester, Beckett, Dice-K, and Burnett’s fraility gives the top of the order to Boston. They don’t really have an answer for Joba, but their depth guys are proven when healthy. Chances are, they only need one guy to be healthy at one time. Yanks take the bullpen.
I’m not seeing Boston as having significantly more question marks. Looks like another season of being pretty evenly matched for the rivals.
The Rays may or may not be better. But one thing’s for sure, other teams will take them as seriously as we did last year. Wins won’t come so easy for them.
———–
Exactly. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season.
It’s a completely different ballgame to be the hunted rather than the hunter.
Also, Edwin Jackson did throw 183 IP at the back end of that rotation. The Rays would be thrilled to get 140 IP out of Price. Other pitchers are going to have to pick up the innings slack.
Giuseppe, point on the pitching health, although they do have their own depth. That said, their pitching is all young, too. They should also be expected to improve. Bullpen could catch up with them this year, though.
And I don’t know how you can survive a whole season with a closer by committee. Unless they signed a closer? Or will they use David Price?
Wait, do you really think the Rays won games last year because teams said “Oh, it’s just the Rays” and didn’t give a crap? Really? And the chances that lasted any more than three weeks, even if it was true? C’mon.
Ortiz trains with steroid guru.
Ortiz does not get grilled by press over possible steroid use.Why?
And for as much as Boston was killed in the media for the “closer by committee” strategy, they still won 95 games. I don’t know that that was their Achilles Heel (although maybe Grady pulls Pedro if he has somebody reliable out there). Anyway, what James actually said was that the closer role was overrated, and that teams should use a “bullpen ace” who comes in for high-leverage situations, instead of waiting around to get three outs with a three-run lead. People constantly misinterpret what he says because they’re afraid of numbers (Jon Heyman comes to mind).
Are the Boston Press in the bag?
Is John Henry leaning on the Globe to lay off Papi for steroid use?
Okay, Kevin, I take back everything I said.
Beckett has been on the DL eleven times during his career. Why is he generally viewed as being more durable than Burnett?
Beckett has just as many health questions as Burnett does.
The walk totals are going to eventually catch up to Dice-K. He’s a bullpen nightmare because they know they are going to have to throw three or four innings every time he takes the mound.
Say what you want about Wang not being an “ace” and not having the pure stuff of Dice-K – but he makes up for it because he saves the pen a lot of innings.
Also, Lester had one breakout season. Before we hand him any Cy Young Awards, he’s going to have to sustain that greatness.
When the Yankees have pitching they win.
Again, Giussepe,
I agree that the public was just as delusional as the press was irresponsible during the steroid era, but the reality that the rage agains the past is all landing in ARod’s lap is completely unacceptable to me, or anyone else with a brain and ideals.
What a great example of what Boston fans do when one of their’s is attacked.They ignore the barbs and act like it isn’t happening.When they attack you for the same offence you would think it was a capital offence.That game is over.Papi is a cheat and all of Boston knew that last year.You can tell when Boston gets off one of their icons as they get real quiet before they kill him.Can you hear it Papi?Sorry,Dude your time is up.
Phil,
It’s unacceptable to me as well. But A-Rod being a minority doesn’t have squat to do with it.
Kevin
February 21st, 2009 at 12:11 am
GreenBeret, what top starter did they lose? Edwin Jackson? Ha! David Price is an upgrade over him. Oh, and for losing Hinske and Floyd? Joyce (beast in a platoon) and Burrell easily cover that. I’m just not seeing how the Rays are worse this year.
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I didn’t say they’d be worse, but, they didn’t improve either.
You might want to look at how well Jackson pitch going into Septemeber. Where else were they going to get a sub 4 ERA and 11 wins through August? Price may or may not replace those numbers, and Burrell is a brutal defensive outfielder. Floyd provided a leadership that they’d better hope that Pena picks up. If he drops another 10 homers, 20 RBI and 25 points in average, he’s not going to be of much value.
It appears the Twins could be adding Juan Cruz.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....-offe.html
A Cruz/Nathan 1-2 punch would be pretty filthy – but ya gotta wonder if those insane walk totals are going to catch up to Cruz in the AL.
The game begins.
Beckett’s averaged almost four more starts a year than Burnett since each respectively became a full-time starter. That’s not insignificant. Dice’s BB was bad last year, very true. He’s probably Wang’s equal. I really don’t see any reason to doubt Lester’s performance, except to be contrarian.
Um, why are we arbitrarily discounting Jackson’s last month and a half? Looks from here like his poor K-rate finally caught up with him. As for Burrell, he’s clearly a DH. Leadership doesn’t really matter. Players don’t need Uncle Cliffy to tell them to try hard. That’s why Joe Maddon makes a lot of money.
Giussepe,
You are more sure of that than I am. His, and only his name was leaked, and leaked intentionally, and he is the most well payed minority in baseball.
He’s the best payed PLAYER in baseball, regardless of race. You’re just looking to far into it and seeing whatever you want to see.
Shdw, but why, out of 104 was he selected, just cause he’s the most highly paid? I’m not convinced of that.
ARods name was probably leaked by the government. The case against Bonds is falling apart for them and after all this money being spent they are looking for something to distract from that. A lot of evidence against Bonds is being disallowed, and it was looking more and more likely that the rulings were going to go against them.
Would you put it past Novitski to act heavy handed and step on constitutional rights? It hasn’t seemed to bother him to this point.
Phil,
Pete is Hispanic and dislikes A-Rod a great deal. He made that clear many times before this revelation.
Is Pete piling on because A-Rod is a minority?
A-Rod is being unfairly scrutinized because he’s the best player of this generation and was viewed as the clean savior to take back the home run record.
That’s now gone and he’s paying a price for it.
Not saying it’s right because I’m sickened by the charade as well – but we need to past the whole race card crap.
What does the government gain by leaking a name? I mean, I don’t trust the people handling this case, but it’s not like A-Rod’s being prosecuted for anything. Also, as much as Selena Roberts wants to sell a book, if she had dirt on government official violating the court order, that’s an even bigger scoop.
Kevin
February 21st, 2009 at 1:04 am
Um, why are we arbitrarily discounting Jackson’s last month and a half? Looks from here like his poor K-rate finally caught up with him. As for Burrell, he’s clearly a DH. Leadership doesn’t really matter. Players don’t need Uncle Cliffy to tell them to try hard. That’s why Joe Maddon makes a lot of money.
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Um…nothing arbitrary…just stating that his ERA went from 3.81 to 4.42 because of three starts in September. The Yanks would have won the division with him pitching. 16 starts with 2 runs or less.
And just lopping off three starts from anybody is arbitrary. Given his K rate, that looks more like a regression to the mean to me.
Yanks win the division if their pitching stays healthy. Most of their normal rotation would have been better than Jackson.
I was under the impression that his name was not just randomly leaked but that Roberts specifically asked if his name was on the list and she just happened to ask the right people. If that’s true than that is the reason why A-Rod’s name was the only one leaked. She didn’t ask for the list, she asked specifically for dirt on him for her book.
Giuseppe,
I’m not focusing my curiosity on Pete who neither broke the story nor is at the forefront of the idiocy. He had the privilege of either being in school or covering college hoops while the steroid era was ongoing. The people I don’t excuse are the sports writers of the era, one of them is one of my best friends, who didn’t report it when they knew it was going on. Heck, if they had outed Brian Downing back in the seventies or early eighties this ridiculous post mortem investigation wouldn’t be going on.
Shdw,
if your scenario is the case, she is and will be profiting from criminal activity. The theory going around is that the government, after a bad day against Bonds, leaked one, not that Roberts asked the right person the right question, she’s not that smart.
I just checked out his game logs. He put up a six-spot at least once every month except August, which probably explains why he got down to the 3.81. He was wildly inconsistent all year, wound up being pretty much a league-average pitcher.
Well I wouldn’t put it past any reporter to push the limits of the law. How much money would she stand to make? And not only that, barely anyone has looked into how she got her information.
If the government did it, then I still doubt it was due to race, they probably would have figured his name would get the most media attention due to his player status, salary and the team he is on.
Kevin,
I think you’re really missing the point of the Stark piece. There’s an underlying reason why such a dramatic jump in wins is rarely sustained.
That is because said teams have greatly overachieved and couldn’t recapture that magic again. Those things happen in every sport – not just baseball.
Simply put, maybe these Rays just aren’t as good as that team we saw last season?
The odds are against them doing it again.
Everyone thought the Tigers were here to stay after the 2006 season. That obviously didn’t happen. Same thing with the 2007 Indians. Ditto.
I know the Rays are the feel good story for baseball because they took down the mighty Red Sox and Yanks.
But the Rays have been a great team for one exactly season. They are now under a lot of pressure to sustain that greatness and that’s far from guaranteed.
I am surprised she hasn’t been asked for her sources. It’s pretty unethical.
Giuseppe, the Stark piece doesn’t control for any other factors, and simply lumps every team that makes a big jump into one category. Seven teams isn’t a significant sample anyway, and there’s too much variation in the types of teams to draw any conclusions from it. It’s a fun exercise, but there’s nothing meaningful to it.
Novitski represents the government in this case. He was in charge of the over aggressive seizure of information that went beyond the scope of their warrants. He has bullied his way with witnesses and made threats that are being questioned.
Who has access to the list and test results when they are being kept in two different states? Players? I don’t think so.
Is it the administration directing this? I doubt it, but a forceful agent who has shown numerous times to overstep the bounds… it doesn’t sound so far fetched.
The lists aren’t still kept in two different places, though. The government had them, and either still does, or put them wherever until the appeals all go through. Regardless, they aren’t still in separate states. And I agree Novitski is slime, but I’m just not seeing his angle here. Word is that Roberts sources were players. Don’t know how true that is, but I doubt that’s how he would have leaked the name.
ARod being outed wasn’t racial unless its a racial issue that Roberts has against him personally. I see it as a means of creating a distraction. Its working no?
Backing up what Green Beret said, the New Orleans Hornets are another team that had a falloff after a huge season.
Also, part of the reason all the Rays’ pitchers had career years was the remarkably-improved defense. Seriously, look at those guys’ FIPs and compare to their ERAs for ’07 and ’08. For Shields and Jackson, the FIP barely moved at all, but the ERA fell. Sonnanstine’s FIP fell a little, but his ERA plummeted. Garza’s ERA and FIP both stayed put, but that’s because he pitched 2007 in front of a very good Twins defense (and brought Jason Bartlett with him). The defense also masked the fact that Scott Kazmir got worse last year. His K rate fell, while is walk rate, home run rate and FIP all rose. Yet his ERA only went up .01
Kevin the lists are sealed under court order. The last report I heard was they were in separate states in order to keep it that way. Part of the appeals process that the issue is going through is to get all these names though the process through which the government got them was exceeding their warrant. The government is supposed to be the only group that has had full access to the list.
While there might have been players who talked about ARod using steroids, they wouldn’t have access to the lists nor know who was tested positive on it. Another point is that it was specific to what the test result said, that he took Primobolan and had raised testosterone levels.
Novitski didn’t have cause to take all he took from Balco which is why this issue is to the supreme court now. It may go further on appeal.
Millions of dollars have been spent on this, but the big question is why? The reason for investigations like this is to get the dealers. Yet here we are seeing the players as the targets.
Novitski had also been said to be planning on writing a book on this, but then said he was just joking.
A basketball team doesn’t compare. Seriously, why are we looking at comparables that have nothing meaningful in common with the 2008 Rays? They changed their defensive people, the defense got much better, and now they’ve kept those new guys. Defense doesn’t regress, and when you consider that most of the pitching improvements were defense-related, why would you expect pitching performances to regress? Yes, they probably won’t all get through the season healthy, but they’ve got Niemann and Howell, who should be able to fill in those missing innings so long as too many starters don’t go down.
The sad reality is that it’s very unlikely that the source will be found.
I don’t think the other guys on the list will be revealed.
Oh, I didn’t realize the court order had re-separated the lists. Yes, I understand Novitski’s seizure grossly violated the Fourth Amendment, I’m just not seeing what he gains by the leak. Remember the guy who leaked the BALCO testimony? Everybody thought it was the government, and it turned out to be one of the defense attorneys? Let’s save the accusations until we have a clearer motive beyond Novitski’s sociopathy.
Eh, misspoke a couple posts back. Defense certainly can regress, but it’s much more stable than pitching.
Okay, Kevin, you win.
But I’d put down money on the Rays not winning as many regular season games as they did in ’08.
I’m not asking you guys to just give up, only looking for legitimate baseball reasons to expect a regression.
I don’t think they’ll win 97 games in 2009, either. They did outperform their Pythag by four games, and their pitching did stay remarkably healthy. Other than that, though, they’ve improved on their weaknesses and not really lost anything too integral to last year’s team. I think this is still legitimately a 90-win team, and will be in the hunt down to the wire.
Another question worth exploring is how will the Sox do without a full year of Manny? IF Lowell repeats his career year and IF Bay continues to do well and IF Papi’s wrists aren’t rice crispied and IF Drew’s healthy for most of the year, then they should be okay.
I’m still waiting for the lawn ornament to regress.
Kevin,
We’ve given you plenty of reasons to expect a regression but you’ve downplayed all of them.
Well, that’s your prerogative but I see them as a 3rd Place team in 2009.
I guess we’ll see if their pitching staff will sustain that kind of production and my best guess is they won’t.
We’ll find out for sure in about 7 1/2 months.
LOL @ the segway guy you have to be kidding me
“At first, Teix really isn’t that much better. Gets the nod because he’s done it longer, but don’t be shocked if Youk winds up out-doing him this year. Second is theirs. Move along. Even if Cano returns to his ‘06 level, Pedroia’s the much better fielder. If Jeter’s woes were injury-related, he’ll win shortstop, but if he’s represented a true decline, the bad glove makes it a wash.”
Kevin MUST be a Red Sox fan, this is pure garbage.
Tex isn’t that much better based on what? Youkilis had a career year and it still wasn’t better than Tex’s year and Tex is the better defender.
Second base is theirs? lol Even with Robbies horrible defensive year he was about 1 run worse than Pedroia on defense. As good as Pedroia’s year was last year Robbie Cano has already had more years where he put up better production than Pedroia, and prior to last year Cano was the MUCH better defender.
You make yourself look really silly at the SS position. Jed Lowrie is no defensive whiz at all. He also had a 90 OPS+. A 90 OPS+. Get real. Jeter’s off year was still MUCH better than the year Lowrie had and who knows what Lowrie will become?
LOOK OUT PEOPLE! derrik jeter is going to have the kind of renaissance year this year that posada had in 2007. hes going to go from ‘should he be moved’ to coming in top 5 in mvp voting. then he’s going to sign a lifetime contract extention in the offseason.
oh and he’s gonna cover that thumb.
I’ve seen that guy before…he is SUCH A TOOL!!!
He yells at people all the time and sounds exactly like Dave Chappel’s immitation of Samuel L. Jackson!!!
What kind of tool rides around on a segway all day and tries to be RoboCop???
Real nice Brah
Johnny Damon gets my vote for center field,he sure is my man.
Now,can i ask some kind gentleman to go to YouTube type in fivegallon22 and post on this board the new song “I am the Man” (Steve Mcqueen picture)
Love the player. Great song for the Yankees and ohhhh Johnny, love Alicia
I’m not a Red Sox fan at. Please. I just don’t like underestimating the competition. Pedroia was closer to two wins better with the glove last year than Cano. Lowrie (limited sample, certainly) was very impressive last year, and Jeter is a butcher. If league-average hitter is Derek’s new baseline, short’s a wash. I also said if it was injury-depressed and he bounces back, the Yankees win the spot still. I just don’t know what his career trajectory is at this point. Teixeira and Youkilis were really close last year, and actually even closer in value the year before, if you trust Fangraphs’ Value Wins. I said Teixeira gets the edge for having done it longer, but don’t be surprised if Youk is better when it’s all said and done this year. I’m sorry I don’t wear the pinstripe-tinted shades.
Giuseppe, I haven’t been given a reason that really holds up, other than that their starting pitching is unlikely to stay as healthy this year, and I think their depth will help cover them there.
I meant Lowrie was impressive with the glove. Obviously not so much with the bat.
The Paul Blart: Mall Cop references need to stop. The original mall cop was LaFours.
You don’t know who Lafours is? They don’t know who LaFours is. He’s only the most feared security guard in all the business. 228 collars, all convicted! I heard he’s even got two kills!
Not that anybody’s still reading this thread, but PECOTA agrees with me on the Rays: http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb.....id=3904451