The site pays homage to REAL baseball, when players played for the love of the game more than money - a time when the strongest drug on the field was coffee or an occassional belt, ie booze. We've seen , in particular one team continue to pull the wool over the eyes. It probably couldln't happen in any other city. It took a couple of brave reporters to temporarily slow the progression of illicit drugs in the game but it's all back again.
BASEBALL REALLY CLEAN? 4 New PED busts opening week of baseball more than all of last year
4 New PED Suspensions First Week,
Bonds Promotes ARod Passing Mays
From Mike Oz, Big League Stew...
#Giants PEDs, #PEDs, #steroids, Alex Rodriguez, Arod, Barry Bonds, Mays, peds, steroids
Alex Rodriguez is five homers away from tying the great Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time list with 660. Just what happens after that ball flies over the fence might be one of the season's best dramas. The New York Yankees are acting like the milestone doesn't exist — partially because it will help avoid paying A-Rod's $6 million "milestone" bonus.
If he's at home, Yankees fans will probably cheer A-Rod, since they've given him warm receptions thus far. If he's on the road, you can expect a chorus of boos. We'll wait and see what sort of media coverage it gets, whether folks act like it's as real as spring-training stats or they give it "milestone" coverage.
Despite all that, you know who will be happy for A-Rod? Another shamed slugger — Barry Bonds, who is a particularly interesting person in this matter because Mays is his godfather, A-Rod is a recent pupil of his and, like Rodriguez, he knows what it's like to chase a milestone without the public's support.
Bonds spoke to USA Today's Bob Nightengale about the chase for 660 and his comments were certainly polarizing. Bonds says everybody — you, me, the Yankees, etc. — should be happy for A-Rod. Something tells us not every baseball fan is going to heed Bonds' word.
"My godfather means the world to me. I love him to a T,'' Bonds told USA TODAY Sports in an hour-long telephone interview, "but when Alex hits No. 660, I'll be happy for him. Willie will be happy for him. Everybody should be happy for him.
"Any time anybody in the game does something that's a great accomplishment, the game of baseball should celebrate that. No matter what. Baseball is benefiting from that person's hard work, so baseball should at least celebrate."
But it won't. And neither will the Yankees.
"Why the hate?" Bonds said. "Why hate on something you're paying to see? I don't understand it. He's entertaining us. I wish life wasn't like that."
*
Bonds and A-Rod, circa 2007. (AP)
Why the hate? Barry, you know why the hate. You've been dealing with that question yourself since 2007. While Bonds is talking about A-Rod here, you have to figure he's talking about himself too. Hefurther told USA Today:
"This guy is not running for president of the United States," Bonds said. "He's not running for commissioner. We're not running for political office. We're just ballplayers. We're not God. We're imperfect people. We're human beings."
So are fans. They'll react from their heart, for better or worse. Some people will call A-Rod's spot on all-time list hollow (as is their right) and others will talk about how great of a talent he is, PED issues aside (also their right).
But as Bonds knows well, there will be no shortage of opinions.
20 NEW REASONS GIANTS USED #PEDS TO WIN WORLD SERIES
No one thing alone spells #PEDs but when you add them all up plus previous, well it’s pretty convincing stuff
1) #Foxgun RT @dmill885: @hankschulman: According to FanGraphs, Vogelsong’s fastball in 2012 averaged 90.8 mph. During playoffs and world series He was 92-94 Ryan Vogelsong’s 1.09 ERA in 24.2 IP this #Postseason is lowest since Orel Hersheiser had 1.05 in 42.2 IP in 1988 (min. 24 IP). #PEDS
2) Two teams have won 6 straight elimination games. Both – the 1985 Royals and 2012 Giants – got win #6 with a shutout of the Cards in Game 7
3.) Detroit had not lost a game at home in the last month and now the Giants SHUT THEM OUT 2 GAMES IN A ROW
4) The Tigers were only shut out twice ALL SEASON. Now they are shut out TWO GAMES IN A ROW by the #Giants
5) Lincecum FB suddenly up to 93 mph
6) Are Detroit fans on to it – booing Sandoval?
7) Only 10 pitchers have ever posted a lower ERA in a single #Postseason (min. 13 IP) than Tim Lincecum’s 0.69.
8) After Sandoval’s 3-HR Game 1, no HRs at all in 2 straight #WorldSeries games for 1st time since 1996 Games 5 & 6. Not so supprising last two games without homers in tough, cold park but SAYS ALOT ABOUT SANDOVAL’S 3 HOMERS in game 1
9) Two consecutive shutouts in #WorldSeries for 1st time since 1966 (Orioles shut out Dodgers in Games 2, 3 & 4). RT
10) The @SFGiants have now won 6 straight #Postseason games for 1st time in franchise history. #WorldSeries RT
11) The @SFGiants have not trailed for 54 straight innings, 6 full #Postseason games since NLCS Game 4 loss. This against some excellent competition that blew by Yankees and A’s, Cincinatti and Atlanta
12) The @SFGiants have not trailed for 50 consecutive innings, since losing Game 4 of NLCS.RT
13) RT If @SFGiants go 7 innings tonight w/out trailing, will be longest streak in #Postseason history (at 54 now, ’04 Red Sox went 60).
14) Buster Posey was the only Giants player NOT to defend Melky Cabrera and his rather extreme violation of the drug test and his subsequent attempted coverup. Posey may be the only Giant , himself, not using PEDs
15) MARCO SCUTARO and his otherworldly numbers since joing GIANTS: .362 in over 200 at bats since August 1 which is leading the league, only 15 strikeouts as compared to batting .271 the first half season at Colorado where he struck out twice as often in the same amount of at bats.
Even though Scutaro has (purposedly?) cooled in the Series – actually striking out twice – it could be to make things look a little more respectable after his rather unbelievable prior three months to now.
16) PABLO SANDOVAL : What can you say about this guy who only hit 12 homers all season and now near-recordbreaking 6 in the postseason and 3 in one game against the best pitcher in baseball. Announcers also commented that Sandoval’s batting practice clouts in Detroit were Ruthian,hit further than perhaps anyone else.
17) PITCHERS SUDDEN SUCCESS in PLAYOFFS - Giant pitching .089 ERA in post season. After opening two blowouts to Cincinatti, the Giants have unnaturally ratched it up and dominated with eveyone pitching otherworldly, with higher radar readings and all. I mean there hasn’t been one pitcher NOT doing well. The guys who weren’t doing well in September, eg BumGardener, Vogelsong and even Zito are outperforming ace Matt Cain, perhaps one of two Giants most likely not using.
18) HITTERS who hadn’t been doing well are suddenly becoming the big guns. While Posey is holding his own, Sandoval, Pence and Blanco are suddenly getting the key hits, very reminiscent of 2010 when the Giants brought in Ross, who suddenly and inexplicably hit 5 homers in the playoffs.
Scutaro had been doing spectacularly until Detroit and the rest of the time since coming to Giants.
19) SAME PATTERN for GIANTS in 2010 repeated in 2012: Sabean brings in a couple of journeymen, cheap, other teams don’t want who are suddenly transformed into stars, ie Jose Guillen (until drug suspension) and Cody Ross in 2010 and this year Scutaro (.362 since coming to Giants after hitting only .271 at Colorado)) and now Pence hitting big in World Series. Meanwhile, team suddenly performs like world beaters late season – in 2010 they were .500 before August and this year they’ve become unstoppable in September-october with mostly same players who couldn’t hit a lick in June. Would have probably won Series in 2011 , too, if it werent for losses of Posey and Wilson (not that Wilson, or Cabrera for that matter have hurt them. they just go out and get another body to use, if you know what we mean…I.E.:
20: PERFORMANCE
ENCHANCING DRUGS! (PEDs)
20 New Reasons Giants Used PEDs To win World Series
CLICK HERE Tim Lincecum #No Hitter - Unlikely Coincidence? - #Tim Lincecum Fangraphs, Tim Lincecum, SanFranciscoGiants.com, SFGaints, No Hitter - #PEDs? It seems like whenever the Giants are on a skid, something like this happens, eg Lincecum no-hitter, the second in two years and against the same team. One just has to wonder at least a little bit... The Giants had just lost 10 of 13 and two in a row to San Diego and suddenly Lincecum, now 30, blows away San Diego, this year more with cut pitches more than the fastball. Last year he was suddenly throwing mid-90s fastballs and 140 total pitches, unheard of for most pitchers, especially the diminutive Lincecum. This year he did it with the cut stuff and seemed to do it effortlessly and as if he knew it it was coming. Tim Lincecum No Hitter , Tim Lincecum Fangraphs, Tim Lincecum Twitter, Tim Lincecum, SanFranciscoGiants.com, SFGaints, No Hitter, #PEDs?
WHY UNLIKELY TIM LINCECUM NO HITTER? 1) First Pitcher in 100 Years to Throw Two No Hitters for San Francisco Giants (Christy Mathewson through the other). Even the great Juan Marichal didn't throw two.) 2) First Pitcher to Throw Two No Hitters Against the Same Team 3) One of Only a Handful of Pitchers to Throw No Hitter After Age 30 On the Downside of His Career 4) Perhaps the only Pitcher to throw Two No Hitters Despite a near 5.00 ERA 5) Threw No Hitter Almost Effortlessly, Almost Expected
Lincecum is only the second pitcher in the history of the Giants to throw two no-hitters...and he nearly threw a third last year against Chicago and he's doing it well past his prime Cy Young seasons, which makes things seem even more odd. This year he's been able to throw 93 mph on occassion but used other pitches, too. In addition, Lincecum got two base hits, more than his total for the whole year. Again, one just has to wonder at least a bit how this could happen. We've seen Sandoval suddenly hit three homeruns against Detroit top pitching in playoffs and more homers in October than the rest of the season. We've seen other late career players like Cody Ross, Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell suddenly ramp it up for the playoffs and World Series -in fact the entire Giants team has almost magically 'caught fire' late in seasons with different cast of characters. It was very unlikely and perhaps unbelievable to see the Giants, led by players like Lincecum to blow out much better teams in those 2010 and 2012 playoffs and series. And, again, this time, when the Giants needed a lift, almost magically, probably the Giants weakest starter(near 5,00 ERA for the season) puts up a no-hitter, something he couldn't even during his prime - and now he's done it twice in two years at age 30. San Diego may be the weakest hitting team in baseball but they've been hot lately, beating the Giants twice. Tim Lincecum No Hitter - Unlikely Coincidence?, Tim Lincecum Fangraphs, Tim Lincecum Twitter, Tim Lincecum, SanfranciscoGiants.com, SFGaints The Giants are known to look for things like this to spark not only the team but the fan base - and have long turned the other way concerning the use of Performance enhancing drugs. No , we're not saying Lincecum used them, yet there are too many coincidences here. We can't say for sure - the fastball wasn't a key factor here by which we often use to help measure performance trends and likelihood of PED use - but PEDs work for other pitches, too, adding dip, curving action, etc. NOW WITH THE LATEST DESIGNER DRUGS- FOR WHICH MLB HAS STILL NOT INSTITUTED TESTS (WHICH DO EXIST) THAT CAN DETECT THEM - PLAYERS CAN GO ON AND OFF THE DRUGS ON A WHIM AND HAVE THEM OUT OF THE SYSTEM WITHIN HOURS, eg Lincecum can take a dose before the game and have it out of his systems hours later. Why do you think players like Sandoval and others have sudden spurts of success amidst failures. Furthermore, we can look at empirical data of known #PED users such as Bartolo Colon, comparing F/X (FANGRAPHS) (velocity) stats with those of Lincecum. We DON'T see an expeced increase in velocity, but a natural age-related decrease in velocity. For Colon, the fastball showed a drop from 92.1 to 90.9 and for Lincecum the fastball dropped from 93.6 mph to 89.8 in a seven year period from 2007 and 2014. No, we can't be sure Colon and LIncecum were users the entire seven year period but we can assume that Colon probably was. And, instead of an expected increase of velocity from the PEDs we actually see a drop. Likewise with Lincecum. Then, of course, there are different types of PEDs. Steroids such as creatine used by Mark McGwire , popular earlier, add mass and bulk, thereby especially enhancing one's bat speed, ie power, while also aiding in hand-eye coordination, ie seeing and hitting the ball better. SO, HOW DO THE NEWER DESIGNER PEDs HELP PLAYERS? Today , the newer designer drugs like testosterone may not add the bulk but ,rather, still improve accuracy/hand-eye performance , ie we may not see a huge rise in homeruns but we see improved batting averages and reduce strikeouts while on the PEDs. In pitching , with the newer drugs , we would see similar changes, including ball movement. Pitches will do unusual things such as giving exaggerated movement to the pitch/ball. Players have become smarter and have learned to 'hide' their improved performances. No longer do we see cartoon-like homerun totals but higher batting averages, take known PED user Melky Cabrera who suddenly raised his batting average 50 points when he joined Kansas City / San Francisco before being suspended as a Giant. The above is our take / opinion on a subject that we hope we can stop writing about one of these days , but for now we feel, as 'old-school' baseball fans, needs to be brought before the public.
According to limited news sources, Major League Baseball announced changes to the MLB drug testing program for 2014 March 28. There was little coverage of this in the media, only a few sources including NBC's Hardball.com, the Los Angeles Times and a few local newspapers which ran stories largely innacurate and incomplete. Which makes us wonder if people really care or are burned out on the subject of #performing enhancing drugs (#PEDs) and drug testing in baseball.
News sources like the Los Angeles Times report general player happiness with the new plan, of which the main feature considered by most is the added 30 game suspension (from 50 games to 30 games) for a first conviction.The problem is that if the tests are lacking it doesn't matter how many days the suspension; players will not be caught if these tests cannot detect the designer drugs (like the most popular one for testosterone) players have been using of late which are said to be undetectable to current MLB drug tests. There was a reported upgrade in the test for #HGH (#human growth hormone), as only the Hardball article even bothered to consider, but nothing to address the testosterone, which besides being undetectable is also said to be gone from ones system within hours after use. On top of that the test for testosterone was noted to be given as little as once to each player once during the entire season, last year, and we see nothing changed there.
Note that were were ZERO suspensions last year on the major league level after only 5 the previous year(two against the San Francisco Giants players). Baseball Commissioner Selig and MLB will tell you that this is because baseball is cleaner now, but we see it as because baseball testing has still not caught up to the players' designer drugs, particularly the testosterone. The man perhaps most knowledgeable of PEDs and who went to jail for dispensing them himself, has admitted, himself that baseball has lagged behind and even suggested the appropriate test for testosterone. To our knowledge, still nothing as been done.As a result you see World Series in recent years being affected by players likely using PEDs. San Francisco, Detroit and Boston all likely benefitted from drug use; one player, Jhonny Peralta was allowed back for the playoffs with Detroit after a mid season drug suspension, only to .417 in the playoffs, perhaps single-handedly knocking out the Oakland A's from the playoffs. Note also players well into the latter stages of their careers recently getting huge contracts based on stats likely inflated by drug use, in our opinion (and should be anyone's opinion when one looks at the unlikely stats ala Barry Bonds achieving sudden late career success. Then there are the younger players, like Peralta, who don't have track records to compare.
In reacting to the new drug laws , players interviewed , such as Manager Bob Melvin and Jed Lowrie of the Oakland As, seemed to express positive reactions, noting , again, the lengthened suspension. No comment from the San Francisco Giants. Certainly players who are still using testosterone will be happy, as they will not have to worry about 80 games or 50 games since they will likely never be found out.
According to the article in Hardball.com, 'The enhanced testing procedures
The number of in-season random urine collections will more than
double beginning in the 2014 season, from 1,400 total tests to to 3,200;
Blood collections for hGH detection will increase to 400 random
collections per year, in addition to the 1,200 mandatory collections
conducted during Spring Training;
Carbon Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry tests will be randomly
performed on at least one specimen from every player. Basically, this is
an enhanced analysis of blood samples which are considered more
effective in detecting hGH in blood and are tests endorsed by the World
Anti-Doping Agency.
The enhanced punishment
A first-time violation of the Joint Drug Program will now result in
an unpaid 80-game suspension, increased from 50 games. A player’s
second violation will result in an unpaid 162-game suspension, increased
from 100 games. A third violation will result in a permanent
suspension from Baseball.
A suspension of 162 games will result in 183 days worth of pay
docking, to account for the fact that players are paid baed on a 183-day
schedule as opposed to being paid per game. This was implemented in
reaction to Alex Rodriguez still receiving some pay this year despite a
162-game ban.
Every Player whose suspension for a performance-enhancing substance
is upheld will be subject to six additional unannounced urine
collections, and three additional unannounced blood collections, during
every subsequent year of his entire career.
MORE: To read the full summary of the MLB-MLBPA joint drug program modifications, click here'
The hardball article goes on:
'There are also some advantages to players under the new system.
Specifically, if a player tests positive, he can argue to an arbitrator
that his use of PEDs was not intended to enhance performance. This
changes things from the “zero tolerance” policy which previously existed
and under which someone faced first-time discipline even if their PED
use was accidental.
Many anti-doping experts already viewed Major League Baseball as
having the toughest drug testing regime in all of U.S. team sports. This
only increases baseball’s lead in this regard. It does, however, present some reasons for concern. As we at HBT argued this morning,
the playoff ban for those players who tested positive and have already
served their entire suspensions seems somewhat draconian and will result
in harsher penalties for players on winning teams than those on losing
teams. It also punishes innocent players on playoff teams in ways the
previous system did not before. Moreover, merely adding games to first
and second offenses may make everyone feel like the system is tougher,
but it must not be assumed that the same basic incentive to cheat — if a
player can get away with it, it could mean millions of dollars — will
always persist. We execute murderers yet murder still occurs.'
HGH, #steroids, Drug Testing, #PEDs, peds, testosterone, MLB, baseball drug testing, Human Growth Hormone, Drug Testing, Biogenesis, New York Yankees, Alex Rodrigues, san francisco giants,
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ALEX RODRIGUEZ FINALLY GETS HIS DAY IN COURT - ON TV's 60 MINUTES Alex Rodriquez never did get the trial he probably deserved. So, his case went before TV's 60 Minutes Sunday night, January 12. Rodriquez has sued the Commissioner of baseball calling his suspension of 211 games (later reduced a still whopping 162) 'a witchhunt.' When Selig is questioned by 60 Minutes whether Rodriquez is being 'singled out' Selig simply replies that Rodriquez'actions were 'beyond comprehension,' without giving specifics. Well, there certainly was no trial and not a whole lot of justice as we could see it. Now, mind you, we're not defending Rodriquez purported use of PEDs, by any teams; in fact, we're vehemently against their use , which we feel has been the ruination of baseball today.
It is our belief that Commissioner Selig, who appears to be a very nice man, personally, never was able to control performance enhancing drugs in baseball. The problem has gone on probably as long as Selig has been commissioner -almost two decades- and doesn't seem to have improved, though he tells us that he is now proud to have 'the strictest drug policy in all major sports.' As far as singling people out, others, such as Barry Bonds, have tried to obstruct justice. In fact Bonds was even convicted in his court case NOT for using steroids but for OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE. Others like Rafael Palmeiro lied under oath during the Mitchell Hearings. As for Rodriquez, guilty or not guilty as he may be of steroid use there were no court hearings of which we know. If the man wants to appeal that group (Biogenesis) conviction, he should be allowed a fair trial. With the commissioner's reign coming to an end he no doubt wanted to finally put an end to what has ruined baseball in the eyes of many, including our own. He thought he could pick on one man, Rodriquez, and scare off everyone else. By so doing, Rodriquez has had to ratchet up his case and say some of things that probably should have been saved for the court room. What's had to come out in the media, instead, has probably infuriated Selig, but it's his own fault for the willy nilly way he has handled PEDs in baseball. Sure, there's a good chance that Rodriquez used steroids but just because he's the 'golden boy' big name of the 20 or so Florida lab cases, he shouldn't\ have been singled out with a stiffer penalty (players normally get 50 games for one PED infraction and 100 for two). Rodriquez, to our knowledge, has not been personally convicted of PED usage. He was just one of many whose name was turned over by the Biogenesis lab in Florida, after its owner , Tony Bosch, was ratted on by a disgruntled employee. As Bosch feared for his life he came forward to major league baseball. There was no court case for Bosch, either. He could be lying for all we know. Selig has approached the whole matter in a very unscientific manner. As the lawyer we believe him to be, he should know better, innocence until proven guilty And, as far as Selig being proud to have the 'best drug testing' in baseball, there wasn't a single PED conviction at the major league lever this past season, to our knowledge. Don't tell us , Mr Selig , that the problem is cleaned up, that nobody is still using. Your most recently updated drug policy barely called for a single testing during the regular season (2013) after testing was only given during the preseason during prior years - this after a decade and dozens of PED convictions, including the Mitchell report findings (At least the government did a formal hearing, from which little was done by MLB, thereafter, to change things , to our knowledge. What would stop players from continuing to use PEDs - especially the new designer, now undetectable ones - when they knew they were unlikely to be tested more than once during the season-and normally with warning (the latest testosterone drug can be out of one's system and undetectable within hours)? The main reason we make an issue of the Rodriquez-Selig case is that it brings to a head what's been going on for years, mishandling of drugs in baseball to the ruination of the game. Sure, some newer fans, especially, have only grown up to see baseball played one way, on steroids. But many of us vintage fans remember when the Golden Era of baseball when games were played on a level playing field. Living in the Bay Area and having to see an otherwise mediocre San Francisco Giants team, sans PEDS, steal two World Series in three years with THREE CONVICTED PLAYERS doing enough on their own to put the Giants over the top has been difficult. (At least we had a team across the Bay, in Oakland, with only one KNOWN user.) ALEX RODRIGUEZGETS HIS TRIAL ON TV's 60 MINUTES
MLB COLLECTIBLES, APPAREL AND EQUIPMENT - Major League baseball and sports teams memorabilia, collectables Perfect Gifts...any sports, fitness, exercise, team sports, fan gear PLAYOFFS POST-MORTEM , WORLD SERIES and PEDs
Oakland A's maverick GM, Billy Beane- the so-called 'Money Ball' guy - says that getting into the World Series is a 'crap shoot.' He also said, a few years back, that managers don't make a difference in winning and losing baseball games, this after hiring one Bob Geren, who 'led' Oakland to four lost, sub .500 seasons before fans revolted and Beane finally fired Geren and hired Bob Melvin, who has had two remmarkable, winning seasons.
And, after Detroit and Los Angeles started off like they were going to go all the way to the World Series, the truly better teams seemed to win out in their 6 game series. There may be other factors involved, too, such as PEDs - we still believe any number of players were using during the playoffs, as reasoned in previous posts. Then there were factors like injuries to Miguel Cabrera and Dodger's Matt Kemp that had their teams scuffling a bit. Nonetheless, seeing a team like Detroit go out and throw four no-hitters in a row through 5 innings, we would have expected more out of them. PEDs or not, Boston was too smart for Detroit, playing intelligent, scrappy 'old school' ball, making pitchers work and getting Detroit's best (Scherzer, Verlander, Sanchez) out of the game and taking advantage of Detroit's weaker relief corp. Hard to say that Boston doesn't dabble in PEDs itself; when you've got one suspect like Big Poppy - popping them out when a player of his ilk would normally be on the way out - there are usually others (the 'cockroach theory') like him nearby. The truly best teams won their series this time, and the far majority of the time, especially in the longer seven game series. The San Francisco Gaints were an anomoly in 2010 and 2012 due to unfortunate (in our opinion) mitigating (non baseball) circumstances.
As for St. Louis, one wonders how they came up with all those 95+ mph pitchers , but , again, PEDs or not, they managed to combine smart ball with power ball which Detroit did not. Glad to see no immenent signs of PEDs on the Dodgers but they certainly lack in the smart ball department, leaving way too many on base and making poor managerial moves; don't be surprised to see Dodger manager Mattingly finally gone by next year. Here's where managing could have made a big difference. The Dodgers have the talent - they've spent enough for it - but bonehead moves denied them when they had many opportunities to score and beat the weaker hitting St. Louis team. St. Louis, on the other hand, is run more like Boston, with a smart manager in Methaney and staff. St. Louis has a winning tradition.
WORLD SERIES While PEDs are still a scourge to baseball - there will be, no doubt , any number of players taking advantage of baseball's NO DRUG POLICY for the series (drug tests are not given in the playoffs and World series and this is one reason you sometimes see unlikely numbers put up as we saw with the normally weak-hitting San Francisco Giants in the 2010 and 2012 playoffs and Series), we're at least glad to see the better two teams in there in the Red Sox and Cardinals. It should be a good , close series, likely to go six or seven games, unless Boston can't handle St. Louis pitching; they were able to adjust to Detroit's so we think they will do similary with St. Louis
10-14 Sorry Commissioner, but it seems ever more apparent with the baseball playoffs, in our opinion - to be rather blunt - that certain 'cultures' are alive and strong among a number of major league baseball's teams. Playoffs are when teams are especially under pressure to win in short , season-ending series. We've seen signs of secondary evidence of PED (performance enhancing drug) use with unusually improved on field performance, especially in pitching this year and number of strikeouts and high velocity. How is it that these players, after long seasons can not only continue to throw baseball's in the mid to high 90's - but even ramp up their performances to the tune of three no-hitters through five innings for three games in a row! Unheard of!
It's the last gasp, at least this season, for players several games away from season's end - most will NOT win the coveted ring - and not only do they want to do well, themselves, but are concerned about their contracts for next year. So, they are especially inclined to take extreme measures that they might not during the season. Another reason for this is that there is no apparent drug testing during the playoffs . ( in fact the latest bargaining requires only a minimum of one drug test during the season !). Add to that the drug tests that ARE given may not have kept up with the latest designer PEDs, undetectable only hours after taken, which are, purportedly the current drug of choice. There a number of other aspects that make us have these politically incorrect thoughts of our baseball players which we have outlined before and won't repeat here and now.
So, if you're wondering why the grand old game has taken on an unusally dark, less competitive air with one team blowing out the other with fastballs , perhaps this may be the answer - or at least part of it. Sure, we only see the the top pitchers in the playoffs but the same can be said of the hitters. Teams pull out all stops but its not only pitching but hitting, too. Sure, the weather is a little colder, perhaps , and balls don't fly out of the park quite as well in Northern cities but hitters still hit and pitchers pitch.
We first noticed the trend to unusual dominance with the unlikely San Francisco Giants in 2010 and then again in 2012. This team of mostly journeyman players dominated the teams expected to win. Many players on the Giants with average numbers during the season became superstars the last months of the season and in the playoffs, e.g. the starting staff, except perhaps Cain and Bumgartner, seemed to raise their performances - and velocity (which is generally a pretty set number). Even Barry Zito reenacted his old Cy Young-like performance for a rare moment in time. Pablo Sandoval, who had only hit 10 homers all season hit three in one game and seven in the playoffs against top pitching.
Marco Scutaro, who had only hit .262 through mid-season before being traded to the Giants, suddenly began hitting close to .400 and cutting his strikeouts in half living up to his 'Giants' name - and only got better through the playoffs, this for a 37-year-old journeyman who had never hit better than .299 in a single season with a lifetime average in the .260s. In 2010 it was the same pattern for the Giants but, even more surprisingly, with a largely different cast of characters. No-names like Ross, Uribe, and Renteria performed sudden damage on their openents with other-worldly numbers (Ross hit eight homers his last month, about half his year's total) . Over-the-hill guys named Burl and Huff suddenly performed like it peak career players only to fall flat the next year. Just the two INDICTED Giants, Jose Guillen in 2010 and Melky Cabrera in 2012 were enough by themselves to make the difference in the Giants getting into the playoffs... We could go on.
Perhaps Detroit , a very similar team in makeup to the Giants, caught wind of the Giants' propensities when THEY got blown out by the Giants in last year's playoff because, this year, Detroit looks like a carbon copy of the Giants in the 2013 playoffs. It's pretty odd, to say the least, to see a playoff team (Detroit) throw three no-hitters in a row through the first five innings of the playoffs; in fact, it's never been done. Also, it was the first time that a grand slam decided a game that late into a contest. The St. Louis Cardinal pitchers have performed a similar act against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League playoffs; there may not be the no-hitters, but Los Angeles has fared even worse, scoring all of one run in the first two games. If this trend continues either ALL the teams will have to do whatever Detroit and Saint Louis are doing or we'll have to put those teams in a separate league, perhaps with the 2010 and 2012 Giants - and maybe even the 1919 Black Sox. At least if the Cardinals and Tigers play each other in the World Series they should be evenly matched; perhaps it will be the first World Series that no runs are scored thorgh nine - or, the fewest runs scored, anyway. A final note on this topic... it's interesting to note that guys coming up with the big hits in playoff games have been indicted drug users Johnny Peralta (beating the A's) and Big Papi, bringing Boston back in the second game against Detroit.
The above is our opinion. We would love to be wrong as what we have seen - save the end of the second game with Boston and Detroit- is not good baseball or good FOR baseball, perhaps not even true baseball. At this rate, so much for the many prognosticators who expected the truly best teams, Boston and Los Angeles, to meet in the World Series. Let's see how the rest of the playoffs play out before we make any further judgement. So far NOT so good.
There's something about the San Francisco Giants. Perhaps it's the city they're in and their political approach to running the team. We're talking Larry Baer and Brian Sabean in particular.
So Brian Wilson was upset he didn't get his ring?. I would to after waiting a year . Apparently the Giants wanted to look good, as we see it, in having a ceremony where they would publicly give Wilson his ring. This makes the Giants appear on the outside like good guys, even with ex-Giants they may have alienated. Perhaps Wilson didn't want to deal the Giants directly after being dragged through the dirt with the local sycophantic media (pro Giants) which suddenly turned against him after he became a Dodger. Couldn't the Giants must FedEx the ring to him or giveit to one of the Dodgers admin as they finally did? No, the Giants, as usual, wanted to stand on ceremony and look good in the press - and probably get away with it.
But it was probably more than just the ring that got Wilson-normally a likeable team guy- so upset with the front office. So they didn't like some of Wilson's quirkiness? It was Wilson's unique persona which made him ('The Beard') the logo of the team as it were - the guy that best represented an entire bunch of off-beat, hirsuit largely rejects from other teams (and, if you will, suspects of more than quirkiness). Ever get really upset when you think someone is taking advantage of you and you want to tell them off? Surprising the Giants wouldn't sign Wilson for the reported $1 million rather than let him get away to the hated Dodgers.
The Giants, in all their effort to seem 'warm and fuzzy' have hurt a lot of feelings along the way.
So, Wilson did things a little differently, perhaps, but then so do the Giants - in their way. There should be accommodations for both but , apparently, both the Giants and Wilson didn't see it that way. Despite Wilson's fun /quirky ways (however you look at it), by all accounts he got along well with his teammates, coaches, broadcasters, etc., except for the front office. Perhaps the Giants should refocus its approach to dealing with its players- or ex-players. Maybe some don't want to have come back / have a ceremony in order to get their ring. The Giants may want to look good , like they get along with everybody when they really don't. Just give the guys their rings and be done with it. Don't stand on ceremony, as the saying goes.
These are the same Giants, again, Larry Baer and Brian Sabean in particular, who have alienated people like former boss Bill Newcomb, trainer Stan Conte, announcer Hank Greenwald and now Brian Wilson, not to mention other ex-players. Sure, they've always come back to 'play nice' and , again, act 'warm and fuzzy' with reunions for their 'ex's', many of whom fall for the ploy. These are the same Giants who have looked the other way when it comes to their players using PEDs (having more indicted and suspected users - Mitchell Report - than any other team.) These are the same guys who turn up the PA when the Giants are at bat. These are the Giants who continue to claim 'sellouts' at the end of a lackluster season when half the upper deck is empty for games of late and tickets are still available at inflated prices throughout the game. These are the Giants who charge different 'dynamic' prices for the same ticket , taking advantage of tourists and first times who know no better than to go try another window a time or three. These are the Giants who hire 'homer' announcers who go out of their way to criticize umpire calls that go against the Giants and are sarcastic of other team's players. These are the Giants who are quick to hold a little symbolic tribute for a Dodger fan who is killed by a Giants fan after the Giants-Dodgers game Sept 27 but offer little other mention of the incident as compared to the Brian Stow beating in Los Anegeles, for which they continue to hold benefits.
Call them the all-business, win-at-all-costs, political San Francisco Giants. These are not the nicest of guys. Ask ex-Giant's announcer Hank Greenwald about his dealings with Larry Baer. Ask Bill Newcomb how he was pushed out of the top spot after he was most responsible for bringing the Giants their first World Series in 50 years (aside for the PED players hired by Sabean). Ask Stan Conte about his days having to kiss butt with Barry Bonds and his cast of drug characters. Neucomb and Conte are gentlemen who chose who, rather than comment , simply left the organization rather than try to fight the politics. Greenwald has had a little more to say. Ask other teams who have tried to deal with GM Sabean and have difficulty getting a return phone call from him . Even Peter McGowan, who ran the team with Baer for many years , was a good guy who probably got tired of the same politics and sold his share of the team earlier than he otherwise might have . And now, it's Brian Wilson, who has come out, even in the face of the sychophantic media, to criticize to Baer's face. Of course, the Giants' 'homers' thought it shameful for Wilson to embarass his former boss. Perhaps Wilson had had it up to here and was trying to make a point and be done with it. (He refused to discuss the incident with hounding press.) Good for Wilson , we say. And we feel bad for Barry Zeto, the way he's been treated . He will be one of those who goes quietly, although he showed a little anger on his last pitching assignment, given him by a schedule 'opening' and was unceremoniously lifted from the game against the Dodgers after only five innings in which he was pitching well and were winning, before he could get a last ovation from the fans. (Bochy promised to make this happen later) Sure, Zeto got the money but to be kept off the squad for the 2010 World Series and be left out many times as a punching bag, only being allowed to pitch if there was an opening and then being pulled from games prematurely? All business. Your San Francisco Giants
San Francisco • Federal officials say the San Francisco Giants have paid nearly $545,000 in back wages and damages to dozens of clubhouse and administrative employees for violations of minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping laws. The U.S. Depart... Full Story
By contrast, across the bay you have the Oakland A's. Maybe with as curmudgeonly and an all-business owner like Lew Wolf, at least the Oakland A's aren't run with a tyranical -like power. The A's have built a legitimate contender (with the possible exception of one veteran pitcher) by good old wheeling and dealing by Billy Beane and associates. S
We're still not clear if #Ryan Braun is being suspended for this year or last year. As far as we know,baseball's still weak drug testing has even suspended anyone this year after only a handful were suspended last year. We see the Braun suspension as more of a political play by Selig and Co to try to scare other players by suspending one of the biggest names for something he did LAST YEAR! Old news. Get the many culprits still out there cheating and ruining the game! Two of the last three World Series winners got there through because of PEDs.
There are a number of players who have been suspended and come back with no scorn, such as Bartolo Colon, who is doing as well as ever. Not sure that lots of fans really care about PEDs... though many do like us.
Even though good 'ol #Bud Selig and others think they're cleaning up the PED mess, testing has hardly changed, as we explain here @ http://wheredidyougojoedimaggio.blogspot.com with probably as many players still using PEDs as last year. One must look to telltale signs beyond beyond just homeruns as we explain.
Selig, who we like as a person, is nearing retirement and certainly wants to go out on a positive note. Braun and Biogenesis is old news... What's being done about rampant PED use this year?
There are many more players out there who aren't being caught due to ineffective drug testing as per none other than #Victor Conte, in our opinion...http://wheredidyougojoedimaggio.blogspot.com/
Commissioner of Baseball, #Bud Selig did a number of interviews during the All Star break, including appearing on Late Night with David Letterman. He expressed is pleasure in how , in his opinion, how improved #drug testing has been cleaned up baseball 'more than ever' and how attendance has been up, except this year, due to a lot of 'rainouts,' according to Selig
We counter this by asking Mr Selig, 'How many players were caught this year? '
Zero is the answer
Mr Selig, we like you . Youre an old school guy like us and want to see baseball cleaned up but
We don't think testing has improved . Last year at least you nabbed four or maybe seven including a few marginal/minor league players. And we know there are still plenty of users especially with the new synthetic testosterone which can be out of one's system in hours . Nothing has changed about this with your drug testing. Yes, you test for HGH now, but your tests still are not fool proof as even #Victor Conte explained to us earlier this year (which can be found in these pages)where players can have testosterone out of their system within hours - and usually players are given ample notice prior to testing.
And just how many tests have been done this year? Maybe one? None. Haven't heard of any or anyone getting caught. You and the players union agreed on a minimum of only one mid-season test, which is the only real change, along with the HGH test, in the past few years.
You say you've tested players over and over - primarily in the minor leagues yet nobody's been caught - not surprising as the drug tests have not improved, other than the addition of the HGH test. You say the owners are not to be blamed , despite teams like the Giants, who seem to repeat the same 'mistakes' over and over (four players caught and suspended in three years - Cabrera, Mota twice, Guillen ) which enabled them to go to the World Series. Without those players the Giants would not have even made it to the Series.
We have outlined how certain players on one team in particular have continued to play over their career numbers - and this for several well beyond their prime having had career years last year, ie Scutaro, Sandoval, Blanco, Pagan, Vogelsong, Castilla, Mijares. Yes, we're talking about the San Francisco Giants here, who have been leaders in the field of PEDs, in our opinion. Certainly many other teams are implicit as well. The Giants are down now but think where they might be without a little help from their 'friends.'
Last year Melky Cabrera single handedly made the difference in bringing the Giants to the World Series. Scutaro, a mid season acquistion , picked up where Cabrera left off, post suspension,. with a unlikely .350 average since coming to the Giants (after never hitting over .299). That's but one example. You can see more examples elsewhere in these pages. (Our main site was inexplicably removed by Google/? earlier in the year and this one may, too, soon, so read it while you can). At least four other Giants have suddenly been hitting 30 points or more above their career averages or pitching well under their career ERAs.
We are pointing all this out to help you, Mr. Selig. The numbers are there. We know it's hard dealing with the Baseball Players Union but we must 'tell it like it is,' as Howard Cosell liked to say. All the research is
available on the internet. Just look at pitcher FX velocity and other stats and hitters higher averages and
lower strikeout totals, indicative of PED usage - as compared to previous seasons and career numbers.
Attendance in baseball HAS been up in recent years as there's more population in the country and the many new ballparks are magnets for attendance the first few years plus a new era of promotion and extraneous peripheral activities and free tickets given away. Just because homeruns aren't up as in the Bonds era, things are different now. Look at Melky Cabrera, for example. Low homerun numbers but high average and RBIs. Different PEDs and emphasis today. It's no longer as much about homeruns as hand-eye coordination and not striking out . With more balls in play there will be more hits.
So, you're an old school guy, Mr. Selig. Good, so our we, though we have adapted to email and use of the computer, which we find critical in doing our research. A little worried when we read that people in important places, like yourself, and Homeland Security Chief Napolitano don't use email. http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-16/mlb-s-bud-selig-proudly-joins-the-executive-no-email-crowd Hope we've been of some help in your efforts to stamp our drugs in baseball. That's why we write this Pick One:
