Category Archives: Uncategorized

The PED Double Standard

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As you all definitely know, baseball was hit by a steroid scandal yesterday.

You may have also heard that such a thing struck the NFL, where news again surfaced that Ray Lewis had used a type of “deer-antler spray” that contained a type of illegal hormone for muscle growth. I say “again” because this actually isn’t news, it had first been reported in 2011.

Of course, you probably never heard that, because use of PEDs in the NFL is usually overlooked, or just dismissed, or, in some cases, openly rewarded. Yesterday, for example, Ray Lewis simply said that he’d “never tested positive” and then that was it. ESPN did cover it, but it was nowhere near the level of what would have happened if, say, the same thing had happened to a MLB player the day before the World Series were to start.

(Also, they don’t test for the PED that Lewis is accused of, since the NFL doesn’t have blood tests, so Lewis’ denial, while technically true, isn’t exactly a declaration of innocence.)

It doesn’t stop there (go below the jump):

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The End of A-Rod

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Today was the end of the Age of A-Rod. Oh, he might not realize it yet, although I suppose he might, but I would be shocked if he plays again, and if he does play, I doubt he will even be a shadow of the shadow of his old self. Because, today, he was named in a Miami New Times (a news weekly in… Miami) report on an anti-aging clinic called Biogenesis. In addition to Alex Rodriguez, the New Times noted mentions in files that indicate that Melky Cabrera, Yasmani Grandal, Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez as well as Jimmy Goins, the strength and conditioning coach of the University of Miami baseball team. Gonzalez and Cruz, to the best of my knowledge, had never been linked to PEDs before today, although Gio Gonzalez’s case is seemingly connected to things that may not be banned and they listed no specifics on Nelson Cruz.

However, make no doubt, this is a story that, at least initially, is all about Alex Rodriguez. Remember, in 2009, he had claimed that he had ceased using performance-enhancers in 2003, but this report seems to suggest otherwise. This also likely means that he was using PEDs during the 2009 postseason, the one postseason where Alex Rodriguez hit like the elite player he was during the regular season.

And so, Alex Rodriguez, who already could be out the whole season due to his injury, and who has a gigantic albatross of a contract, now has been shown to possibly be a liar and a continued cheater. The New York Yankees, no doubt, want him to just sort of disappear, and are no doubt going through his contract looking for something, anything that could provide them an out. It’s doubtful that they can.

But it’s possible they won’t need to: with his injury, Rodriguez could, maybe, decide to call it a career. While it seems unlikely that he will, it could be the only way he’ll be able to escape this on anything even remotely resembling his own terms.

Time will tell what happens.

Bizarre Baseball Culture: The Little Wise Guys and the Absent-Minded Natural

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In Bizarre Baseball Culture, I take a look at some of the more unusual places where baseball has reared it’s head in pop culture and fiction.

There is nothing new under the sun. That is one way to sum up the tale of “The Trick Baseball Bat” by Charles Biro (story) and Norman Maurer (art). It stars the comic sidekicks of a superhero named Daredevil (who’s name was later taken up by a Marvel character), it involves a magic bat (you know, like The Natural, only in this case it’s actually magic) and said magic bat is made out of a special type of wood that is incredibly bouncy (like Flubber in The Absent-Minded Professor). Oh, and that wood? It got it’s amazing powers from being nuked.

And the thing is, this story was from 1951. That was a year before Malamud’s The Natural hit bookshelves, a decade before The Absent-Minded Professor was in theaters and at the start of the 1950s, where every B-Movie ended up having some sort of monster mutated by atomic radiation, although to the best of my knowledge none of them were bouncing wood. It is a stretch to say that this story (in the public domain, originally printed in Daredevil Comics #77, found here) is the inspiration for those works (it has a significantly different ending), but it is a interesting coincidence. Too interesting to have been ignored up until now.

(more after jump)

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Danger lurks everywhere, if you are a ballplayer!

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Remember, folks, baseball players are not like normal people. When they get hurt, we find out all of the embarrassing details as of why.

If you had ruptured your spleen in a freak snow-shoveling accident, it would be known only to you, your doctor and maybe some family members that you would swear to secrecy. But if you are Carl Pavano, then Ken Rosenthal will tell the world about it.

Similarly, if you were to slip the bathroom and fracture your arm, it’s highly doubtful that it would be reported like it was when it happened to Francisco Liriano.

So, really, if you are a ballplayer, be warned that danger lurks everywhere. And if you aren’t a ballplayer, be glad that your stupid injuries aren’t revealed to the world.

Picture of the day: Old Baseball Cards were weird

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Many old baseball cards were done back before cameras were all that good, especially in outdoor conditions. So instead, the action was staged indoors, like this card of Billy Sunday, who would later become a noted evangelical preacher after his career ended.

This image, from the Library of Congress Flickr feed, has no known copyright restrictions.

Dear MLB Network: Steal these three ideas

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In 1928, sliced bread hit the market. Presumably, the phrase “best thing since sliced bread” was started shortly after. Amongst the things better than sliced bread: MLB Network.

But MLB Network isn’t perfect, so, if anybody from MLB Network is reading this, here are some suggestions:

1. Bring back Baseball IQ, open it to fans.

Baseball IQ was a tournament on MLB Network last offseason where representatives from the 30 MLB teams as well as organizations like the Hall of Fame had a trivia tournament, with the winning team getting money for charity.

Bring that back, only open it up for fans. Scour the Internet and SABR for people to play it. The winner of the whole thing would win a “golden pass” that allows them to attend any MLB event free of charge (these are normally given only to presidents and Hall of Famers, although they were also given to the Iranian hostages, Charles Lindbergh, etc.)

2. During the season, occasionally have “breakfast baseball” by showing games live from Japan.

Would give early-risers something to watch, and increase the exposure of international baseball to an American audience. The announcers would be in New Jersey calling it off of a Japanese feed. Wouldn’t cost all that much.

3. Have a minor league show

Most people have no idea what is going on in the minor leagues, and to most fans, even the best prospects are just names on paper. Why not have a show that showcases Minor League players and games, a sort of mini-version of MLB Tonight for the most extreme baseball aficionados who want to know how well the number seven prospect for the Royals is doing, or what’s going on in the Eastern League pennant races.

I mean, it can’t hurt, right?

Justin Upton to the Braves: Brothers in Baseball (and the many inexplicable appearances of the Padres)

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Well, that escalated quickly. I wake up, turn on the the TV, and then, BOOM! Upton family reunion in Atlanta.

No, seriously, after seemingly endless rumors and innuendo over the last year or two, Justin Upton is finally leaving Arizona. The Diamondbacks aren’t exactly getting pennies back from the Braves, either, as they are receiving Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, and some minor leaguers from the ATL.

Now, of course, is an excuse to run a feature on the best brother combos in baseball. I don’t mean cases where two or more brothers both played baseball, I’m talking when brothers played on the same team. Y’know, like how the Uptons will starting this season.

(JUMP!)

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WBC Roster Analysis: Australia

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In 2006, Australia went 0-3 and in 2009 the Australians only did slightly better, going 1-2 (upsetting Mexico and then losing two straight, although they came close to upsetting Cuba). So how might they do this time around?

Well, Australia won’t have it’s most notable pitchers, but it’s still a team that could pull an upset or two, although it’s unlikely that they will get past the first round group that also has Korea, Taipei and the Netherlands.

Go below the jump for the analysis:

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WBC Roster Analysis: Puerto Rico

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While Puerto Rican baseball has, as I’ve said before, seen better days, the roster that Puerto Rico has in this WBC will have plenty of MLB experience, and will have at least two genuine stars: Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina. So as they host the first round Pool C, they won’t be lacking for talent.

The question, though, is whether that talent will be enough to help them escape the “group of death” that also features the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. While on paper they seem to be the third-best team, this is baseball, and it certainly is possible that Puerto Rico will be able to escape the first round… and perhaps beyond.

Go below the jump for the rest of the analysis.

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WBC Roster Analysis: Dominican Republic

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The Dominican Republic, like the USA and Venezuela, has yet to live up to it’s baseball pedigree when it comes to the WBC. They went down in the semifinals in 2006, and were embarrassed by the Netherlands twice in 2009. Can they do better this time around?

Well, that remains to be seen. For one thing, the roster for Team DR that was released is only 23-men strong, probably due to the fact some players (most notably Albert Pujols) are still of an uncertain status due to various issues, such as insurance clearance. For another, they will be in a group of death, as Pool C also has Venezuela, Puerto Rico and (to a much, much lesser degree) Spain.

So, how’s it look? Go after the jump to find out:

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