Wednesday, May 27, 2009

When Your Headline Isn't Entirely Accurate

Yahoo! Sports is probably the worst edited site on the internet, as has been evidenced here multiple times. Typos are one thing, but giving a headline the opposite meaning from the intended is another. Case in point:
Nats' Johnson would be opposed to returning to New York

Nick Johnson has some fond and some no-so-fond memories of New York City.

The first baseman for the Washington Nationals broke in with the New York Yankees in the Bronx. He suffered a broken leg in a horrific collision three years ago at Shea. But the ex-Yank isn't averse to returning to New York if the Mets seek to acquire him from Washington as a possible replacement for injured first baseman Carlos Delgado(notes), according to the New York Daily News.

"I can't worry about rumors or any of that stuff, I just have to go play. If it happens, it does; if I'm here, great," Johnson said before going 0-for-4 in the Mets' 6-1 victory last night. "I don't deal with anything until it happens.... But I enjoyed (New York). Fans are into it, they want to win. It's all about winning and that's what I want to play for, to get that ring on my finger. I definitely had a good time while I was here those three years."

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:24 AM   8 comments







 

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Jose Canseco Gets the Crap Beat Out of Him

No, that is not hyperbole. Canseco comes out carrying a baseball bat to "Wild Thing."



The announcers seem impressed by his "nads."

UPDATE: Looks like the URL changed - I fixed it and have a better version embedded now.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 3:04 PM   2 comments







 

Friday, May 15, 2009

When is Willie Mays Getting Kicked Out Of the HOF?

Just saw a report on ESPN that Willie Mays and Willie Stargell are being investigated for giving out and using amphetamines during their playing days.

Amphetamines are uppers, and thus performance enhancers.

So, Willie Mays is being investigated for taking PEDs.

This shouldn't be news... Jim Bouton spoke about greenies (uppers) in "Ball Four" which came out in the mid-70's.

If they'll keep guys like McGwire and Bonds out of the Hall for suspected PED use, I would assume Mays can start packing his bags out of Cooperstown as well, right?

Doubtful. Voters have a double standard.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:45 PM   3 comments







 

Monday, May 11, 2009

Wonder Why George Mitchell Never Interviewed This Guy

You know, George Mitchell, the objective and thorough investigator assigned by Bud Selig to investigate PEDs in baseball. Who also happens to be a VP on the board of the Boston Red Sox, and found no evidence of any Red Sox ever cheating but focused his investigation solely on New York.

Lou Merloni, former Red Sox, describes a team meeting in which the Sox arranged for a doctor to show players the proper way to take steroids.

Guess Paxton Crawford - who Mitchell didn't even investigate - wasn't totally full of shit.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 11:37 AM   6 comments







Peter Gammons is Just Ridiculous

Gammons: Sox Don't Believe Manny Was On Steroids

Gammons on ESPN: "I checked (with) somebody in the Red Sox front office asking if they had heard and the response was 'there's no way Manny would', that they believe that Manny would test positive for steroids. So I mean, he didn't exactly leave Boston on the greatest of terms and they thoroughly believe that he would not be doing steroids, in any way."
There goes ol' Gammo, defending the Red Sox and saying it seems Manny just decided to start juicing in LA, without a shred of evidence except "the Red Sox said so." Ridiculous.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 11:36 AM   7 comments







 

Friday, May 08, 2009

A-Rod Sucks!

What a bum!

It's well into May already and the jerk is only hitting .250 with 1 HR and 3 RBI!

Someone needs to call Scott Brosius.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 7:38 PM   2 comments







Yep, Time to Asterisk Those Boston Championships

It is really a shock to anyone that Manny Ramirez was juicing? Of course the press is still somewhat giving him a pass on everything (being Manny and all) but you knew he was using.

I can't wait until the full 103 player list is leaked, because you KNOW Ortiz is on there.

I can't wait for the Boston fans to eat crow knowing that the entire heart of their team was tainted during their championship run.

Sure they chanted "STEROIDS" at Giambi, but what did he ever win?

Time will prove me right.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:30 AM   0 comments







 

Thursday, May 07, 2009

The Ramifications of Ticket Prices Dropping

Yes, amazing but true!

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:22 AM   0 comments







 

Monday, May 04, 2009

I Can't Believe I Agree With Jim Caple

But... I do.

And enough with the "A-Rod needs to make himself the center of every discussion." The guy hasn't said anything in a long time.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:54 PM   2 comments







Buster Olney's read the A-Rod Hatchet Job

Bear in mind that Olney worked with Roberts at the NY Times and considers her a "friend."

Buster really gives the impression that besides the failed test that everyone knows about, there's no evidence and there are silly leaps of logic throughout.

Listen for yourself:

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:12 AM   0 comments







 

Friday, May 01, 2009

One Last Post Tonight About the A-Rod Stuff

One of my favorite bloggers, Lisa Swan over at Subway Squakers, has some good info and did some research (gasp!) over at her blog.

There's evidence of Roberts lying about what she even put in the book, stretching the truth or flat-out lying and then denying it as well as sensationalizing a story, and lying about what she even put in the book, and a nice analysis of the issues Rodriguez should face.

I admit freely I blatantly stole this from her as well:
A-Rod’s stats with the Rangers were actually, for the most part, WORSE in blowouts. If he was getting help in those games, it didn’t appear to do him much good:

Total numbers
Season AB Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB HBP K SH SF GDP CI BA OBA Slug%
2001 632 201 34 1 52 135 75 6 16 131 0 9 17 0 .318 .399 .622
2002 624 187 27 2 57 142 87 12 10 122 0 4 14 0 .300 .392 .623
2003 607 181 30 6 47 118 87 10 15 126 0 6 16 0 .298 .396 .600

Trailing by Four Runs
Season AB Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB HBP K SH SF GDP CI BA OBA Slug%
2001 34 8 2 0 1 6 3 0 1 8 0 0 1 0 .235 .316 .382
2002 28 8 1 1 4 5 0 0 1 6 0 0 1 0 .286 .310 .821
2003 37 17 6 0 6 13 3 0 0 9 0 0 2 0 .459 .500 1.108

Trailing by Five or More Runs
Season AB Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB HBP K SH SF GDP CI BA OBA Slug%
2001 48 12 3 0 4 6 10 0 2 11 0 1 4 0 .250 .393 .562
2002 45 13 0 0 2 5 6 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 .289 .373 .422
2003 61 14 1 0 2 4 7 0 3 15 0 1 0 0 .230 .333 .344

Leading by Four Runs
Season AB Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB HBP K SH SF GDP CI BA OBA Slug%
2001 21 4 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 .190 .227 .286
2002 23 6 1 1 0 4 2 0 0 9 0 1 0 0 .261 .308 .391
2003 21 7 1 0 4 7 5 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 .333 .462 .952

Leading by Five or More Runs
Season AB Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB HBP K SH SF GDP CI BA OBA Slug%
2001 45 17 0 0 5 17 6 1 1 5 0 2 1 0 .378 .444 .711
2002 41 11 2 0 3 6 5 1 1 6 0 0 1 0 .268 .362 .537
2003 40 14 1 0 1 6 5 0 0 9 0 1 2 0 .350 .413 .450

By the way, that's an average of 147 AB per season in "blowouts." How many players was A-Rod "conspiring" with? If we put it at, let's say half of the American League (which as we all know is ridiculous), and we can assume that about a quarter of the time in blowouts the manager plays backups, we're looking at 55 AB total, per season. His teammates were "picking up" on that?

I think the biggest evidence against Roberts here is that she's fully willing to name Rodriguez... but what of the other players with whom he was conspiring? Why wouldn't Roberts name them?

Oh, they don't help sell books.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 5:42 PM   3 comments







Eyechart Weighs in on the A-Rod Rumors

High School teammate and major leaguer Doug Mientkiewicz says there's "no way" A-Rod used steroids in high school:
Dodgers utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz said that he, Alex Rodriguez and their teammates on the Westminster Christian High spent as much time together as possible.

They were always together in school, Mientkiewicz said. They often ate dinner together. Many players, including Rodriguez, frequently slept over at Mientkiewicz's house, which was only 10 minutes from the private school in suburban Miami.
Mientkiewicz said he never saw any signs that Rodriguez was on steroids, as is being alleged in an upcoming book by Sports Illustrated's Selena Roberts, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

"From my perspective, it would be 99.9% impossible for us not to know," said Mientkiewicz, who was a year ahead of Rodriguez in school.

Mientkiewicz lashed out at Roberts, who broke the story that Rodriguez flunked a drug test in 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. The report forced Rodriguez to admit in February that he took banned substances from 2001 to '03.

Rodriguez put on 25 pounds of muscle between his sophomore and junior years in high school, according to the book.

"You're basically accusing every kid that's gone through puberty that they're on steroids too, huh?" Mientkiewicz said. "He gained a couple of inches height-wise too, if I remember right. . . . I knew what he looked like in ninth grade. He was skinny. Who isn't in ninth grade? He was very dedicated back then, he worked harder than anyone else."

One of Roberts' sources was a high school teammate of Rodriguez's, according to the Daily News.

"If you're going to have the [guts] to come out and say something like that, of that magnitude, whether it's a high school teammate or some of the Yankee teammates that have said something, be a man and put your name on it," Mientkiewicz said. "Don't give me the anonymous source [stuff]. Be a man. Be a man and say who you are. That way there's no questioning whether it's real or not."

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 4:39 PM   5 comments







Selena Roberts Doesn't Really Have a Reliable Track Record

Whether or not anything - or everything - Roberts writes about Alex Rodriguez in her character assassination book is true, there seems to be a certain number of people (PeteAbe, for one) who are calling anyone who questions anything Roberts presents as "blind" or "homers" or being "in the tank."

The always excellent ShysterBall has a great piece on Roberts, and her history of smearing for only A-Rod but other athletes.

I strongly recommend reading it, as it details how Roberts pulled a Nancy Grace and buried the Duke Lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape in the press, and when it was revealed that they were innocent, essentially continued to bury them rather than admit she was wrong.

I'm sure the initial leak of the steroid test was sent to Roberts because people had read her hatchet jobs in the past, and figured she'd bury Rodriguez (come on, why else would only his name of 104 surface?). Rather than print that report in the paper, she decided to cash in - cha-ching - and write a full book about it. How best to flesh out the book? Well, you're going to need to find more things to assassinate his character with.

Does Roberts reveal any sources, or back up any of her claims? No, of course not.

She sets up targets and continues to fire, regardless of evidence to the contrary.
ShysterBall also reminds us that this isn't the first time that Roberts has gone after A-Rod either, as is evidenced by her hatchet job from 2007.

Again, I strongly suggest you read the ShysterBall article. It's a great bit of work to get you thinking that things printed in black on white aren't always so black and white. Whether or not A-Rod is a jerk or a liar or a cheater isn't so much the point as where Roberts tries to mix in her own opinions frequently in with facts to present a completely slanted picture.

****************
Update: Roberts explains the pitch tipping. If you didn't think her evidence was flimsy before....

Roberts explains that Rodriguez (then a shortstop) was tipping pitches too early. Normally a shortstop will let his teammates know what pitch is coming or the location
of said pitch so they can adjust their defense accordingly. She goes through a complete explanation for most of the "evidence" of how Rodriguez tipped pitches. Well, he's supposed to. Jeter does it. It's how you let your teammates know what to expect.

She's claiming Rodriguez tipped too early. And as evidence:

At least one teammate in a very gentle way did say, "Hey, you might be tipping a little too soon out there." But one player trying to be diplomatic told me that he said, "I think you're tipping a little too soon," and the response from Alex was, "What are you talking about?" I don't think Alex was irritated at the player; I think he felt that he had been scrutinized too closely, that someone else was trying to tell him how to do his job.
One guy says "hey, you might be tipping too soon" and Alex says "what do you mean?" BAM! There's your gotcha moment!

Also, here are some reactions from former teammates:
Both (Doug) Glanville and (R.A.) Dickey were reluctant to believe the allegations, which are a part of Selena Roberts' forthcoming book "A-Rod," until further information is made available, but neither could be sure that it didn't happen either. "I certainly didn't know or see anything like that," said Glanville. "Obviously if that's true that would be insane. I don't remember hearing anything about that when I was there. Of course it would be egregious and unforgivable."

"From personal experience, I can tell you I've seen nothing or heard nothing that would support any chapter in that book that says that," said Dickey. "Then again, it's not so far outside the realm of possibility where you could dismiss it because obviously it could happen. It's mind-boggling."

Not to (Shane) Spencer. The journeyman outfielder said that while he never saw or heard of other players doing that, he wouldn't have been surprised if Rodriguez wasn't the only one doing so. "I'm sure it does happen. There are friends of friends. I'm sure there are catchers out there that have told guys what's coming. Hopefully it didn't happen [in Texas] and hopefully it didn't happen that often."

The allegations, which were first made public in a New York Daily News story on Thursday, are in Roberts' book, which will be released on Monday. In a phone interview with SI.com, Roberts said that over the course of a couple years, some people with the Rangers began to detect a pattern whereby Rodriguez would appear to be giving away pitch type and location to hitters, always middle infielders who would then be able to repay him in kind when he was at the plate, with his body movement. According to Roberts' sources, "If it was a changeup, he would twist his glove hand. To indicate a slider, he would sweep the dirt in front of him and he would bend in the direction of where the pitch was going to be, inside or outside." Roberts' sources stressed that this only occurred in games that had long since been decided and was done for "slump insurance. You can count on your buddy to help break you out of your slump. There was no intent to throw a game or change the outcome."

That explanation wasn't sufficient for Glanville or Dickey, who said "There's no situation that would ever justify him doing that on any level. That's somebody's ERA that's somebody's livelihood, that's somebody trying to provide for their family. I'm holding on to the belief that it's not true. No one with a conscience could do that. Blows me away."

Dickey does, however, have first-hand knowledge of Rodriguez's involvement with calling pitches. "My first year there (2001) there were a couple of games where he called the pitches from shortstop or helped the catcher called pitches, in a couple of my starts I know he did that," he said. "Einar Diaz was our catcher and Alex did that on occasion on a couple of my starts. I never knew it until after the fact but he helped [our] catcher out a couple times. But as far as giving away pitches I couldn't speak with any amount of knowledge on that subject."

Damning evidence.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 8:23 AM   5 comments







Further Evidence Baseball is Becoming Professional Wrestling

"Rowdy" Joe Mauer is letting the world know he's unveiling his new personalized theme song.
When Joe Mauer steps up to the plate for the first time this season Friday night against the Royals, it won't just mark the catcher's debut this season.

It will also mark the debut of Mauer's newest at-bat song, which was written by his friend and local recording artist Antonio Richardson, who goes by A&R for entertainment purposes.

At-bat music is something that many players take very seriously. But Mauer's song is unique in that it was written specifically for him.

What Richardson created was "The Joe Mauer Theme Song," which played every time Mauer came to bat last season. The song contained references to Mauer's career accomplishments, his trademark sideburns and other facts about the hometown catcher.

"I was just going to make a song that he could go up to at-bat to," Richardson said. "Once I got the music for it, it really took a life of its own. Once I heard the beat, the words just come out of the air for me and it grew into 'The Joe Mauer Theme Song.'"

Mauer won his second American League batting title last season, and while it wasn't necessarily the song that helped him do that, the catcher asked Richardson to create a new version for the 2009 season.

"The new one that I made, it was more the beat that Joe likes," Richardson said. "He likes a lot of hard-hitting, really musical driven beats. That's what I gravitated toward with this one. I made it a little more personal to him. This time I mention his mom and dad in it and a couple of his friends. It really becomes another adaption to what he likes."

Mauer isn't the only Twins player to have Richardson write an at-bat song for him. The hip-hop artist also created an at-bat song for Brendan Harris this year.
There's no way it will ever be as cool as the NWO theme.

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posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 12:41 AM   0 comments








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