Big Papi, Ramirez on 2003 List

        Two Red Sox who helped break the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004 have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs.  According to the New York Times, Red Sox DH David Ortiz and Dodgers (former Red Sox) outfielder Manny Ramirez are on the lists of players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003.

        I can't say I am surprised by Ortiz being linked to 'roids.  He was cut by the Minnesota Twins in 2002 and was signed by the Red Sox.  After that, Ortiz exploded, hitting 31 homers in a season he started as a backup.  He was no longer a backup after that and established himself as one of the best hitters in the game.

        Manny tested positive this year and is already back from his 50-game suspension.  Apparently Manny has been juicing for quite a while.  That's what this report tells me.

        When the Mitchell Report came out, everyone thought that the Yankees juiced themselves to championships because of their many players in the report.  Their bitter rival, the Red Sox, weren't exactly clean either.

        Ortiz was open about the report when interviewed after the Red Sox game today.  Ortiz said he will reveal details to the public about his PED use after he gets more information.  

        Big Papi's close friend Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said this about Ortiz being linked to PEDs: "This really, really hurts.  "I don't know what to think about this. I guess you just never know what people do in the dark."

        "I still love him but at the same time it's tough to hear that. I know it's going to be tough on him and tough on his family once this gets out. It's Big Papi, man, it's the Big Dog of Boston and he helped win two World Series with those guys, with the clutch hits. And now all those things are going to be tainted."

        Well said Torii, well said.

Selig Considering Reinstating Rose

        MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is considering reinstating Pete Rose back into Major League Baseball according to the New York Daily News.  Pete Rose has the most hits (4256) in his career than anybody.  He played 19 years with the Reds, 5 with the Phillies, and 1 with the Expos.  

        Selig should pull a Roger Goodell and conditionally reinstate Rose (as Goodell did Michael Vick earlier today).  Selig should let Rose be nominated for the Hall of Fame.  Rose, however, shouldn't be allowed to earn a paycheck from a MLB team.  Rose should be allowed to attend games.

        Pete Rose was banned from baseball 20 years ago for betting on the game while he was a manager.  This makes me think: Should players who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs be banned from baseball?  Players who test positive twice or more should be banned from the game.

        In baseball's current system, a player who tests positive once will be suspended for 5o games.  A second positive test will result in a 100 game suspension.  A third positive test results in a lifetime ban from the game. 

        The MLB should have only two penalties.  In my system, a player who tests positive once should get a 100 game suspension.  Another positive test for that player should result in a lifetime ban.  You should get a second chance but not a third.

        So that means is Manny Ramirez or J. C. Romero test positive again, I believe they should be banned from the game for life.  If my plan was put in place at the beginning of testing, only Neifi Perez would have received a lifetime ban for his two positive tests in 2007.   

Take it With a Grain of Salt

Alex Rodriguez made an official apology today while doing an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons. I listened to most of the interview, and I thought it was pretty sincere. Then my common sense kicked in and told me there was no way in the world it was sincere. A-Rod is not sorry he used steroids, he is sorry he got caught for using them. There is a big difference.

Rodriguez said that it was "stupid" and "selfish" for him to use performance-enhancers. But then, at the same time, he tried to make excuses for using them. He said he just wanted to keep up and fill in the expectations of his Mega contract. He said he only used them in the 2001, '02, and '03 seasons. Sounds a little fishy.

Was it just a coincidence that he said he used them only in the three years before the MLB put the ban on them? He also said that he has great respect for the game. You don't have respect for the game if you cheat the game. Period. He also, during the interview, called himself one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Can anybody honestly call a cheater one of the greatest. I don't care if he used steroids for three years or three seconds, he shouldn't be calling himself that right now.

A-Rod has also publicly said that he never used performance-enhancers in the past. He only apologized because he was caught. Don't you think for a minute that A-Rod would have said anything about it had this information not come into the public eye. So, to all you who think that A-Rod is really sorry, I advise you to think again.

A-Rod Tested Positive For Steroids

Sports Illustrated has reported that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003. Remember that back in 2003, the MLB did not punish players for the use of steroids. Starting in 2004, the league tested for steroids and punished the players they found to be using them. Their is a list of 104 players who tested positive in 2003. Right now, we only know the biggest name on that list: Alex Rodriguez.

Their have been whispers that A-Rod had used steroids, but nothing really definitive came out of it. This is the first legitimate evidence that proves that A-Rod used steroids. With Barry Bonds, it was obvious that he used steroids. But with A-Rod, a player at the top of his game, it wasn't as easy.

The real question everyone thinks of when they hear this story is: Well, does he still use them now? There is no way to know right now but, who knows, this may only be the first bit of evidence that links A-Rod to steroids.

This ruins A-Rod's legacy and his credibility. Everything he does from now will be questioned. He was once thought to be the opposite of Barry Bonds. He was the Clean Barry Bonds! Now, they are riding in the same boat together. The fact that fans thought Bonds was cheating didn't affect his game. I have a feeling it will affect A-Rod's game a lot more.

I hope that this is the last big name to be linked to steroids, but I know it isn't. In fact, it may just be the tip of the ice berg.

Olympic Preview

The 2008 Olympic games are set to start in Beijing this Friday with the opening ceremonies. Here are some of the major stories surrounding the games:

Micheal Phelps Chasing History: Swimmer Micheal Phelps has a chance to win eight gold medals. If he does, he will break Mark Spitz (another great swimmer) record for most gold medals in one Olympics (7).

I watched Phelps in Athens and I think he is the greatest swimmer ever. I think he will win the eight events. It seems like he breaks a world record every time he swims (and it's usually his record he breaks) It's not going to be easy, but he is definitely capable of doing it.

U.S. Men's Basketball Team Determined to Win: Our men's basketball team will be on the spot in these games. This team was dubbed the Redeem Team, and for good reason. The U.S. didn't win the gold in Athens and has struggled in international competition.

This team, stacked with NBA Stars like LeBron James (right), Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard, is clearly the most talented. But they're always the most talented, so let's see if they can translate that into wins.

The problem with the U.S. basketball team in the past has been lack of teamwork. The U.S. basketball program thinks it can just put together the best players and start playing in the competition. Too bad basketball is a team sport, and the players have to work together. Whoa! That's a surprise.

Coach K is urging the media that his team is ready to win gold in Beijing. I think they'll win too.

Air Quality: Everybody is talking about how badly polluted the air is in Beijing. This is a major concern among the athletes. Chinese officials are trying (but not succeeding) to reduce the pollution.

41-Year Old Dara Torres: U.S. swimmer Dara Torres says she feels better than ever at age 41. That's seems tremendously unlikely, because swimmers usually reach their peak in the early-to-mid twenties. The same question enters everybody's head: Is she doping? I remember another athlete who "peaked" when he was older (Barry Bonds, otherwise known as the King of Steroids)

Steroids Cast Shadow Over Games: Steroids are threatening to ruin track and field. Track and field used to be the top dog in the Olympics. But now many of its premier athletes have been uncovered to doping. This issue is driving fans away from the sport (including me). But let's not talk about the bad things until after the gold medals are awarded and the syringes thrown away.

Some Odd Olympic Events: Table tennis and badminton seem odd here, but they are very big events in China. Handball. When I saw handball on the list of Olympic events, I had to laugh. Something you and I played as a kid is now a profession. Imagine a guy applying for a job and for past professions, he writes pro handballer.

Note: I will not be able to post this weekend because I'll be away.

Clemens; Clearing his Name

Rogers Clemens is trying extremely hard to clear his name and keep his cool. Clemens was included in the Mitchell report. The report said that Clemens' personal trainer Brian McNamee injected Clemens' with HGH or Human Growth Hormone in 1998 and 2002. Clemens is fiercely denying any accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his long career. On a 60 Minutes interview Roger said that he swore that McNamee has never injected him with any performance-enhancers. He did say, however, that McNamee injected him with the pain-killer lidocaine and the vitamin B-12. Their is one thing suspicious about that. Your personal trainer is not supposed to inject you with anything. Injections are supposed to happen at a doctor's office or a hospital.

I don't think Roger used the drugs. I am not just saying that because I want to believe the game's greatest players aren't drugged-up freaks. I do believe that that baseball's so-called Home Run King (Barry Bonds) has been using drugs to get an edge over players for many year. Bonds is a self-coincided player, who mostly only cares about his own stats. Roger made a comment at a press conference saying that he "doesn't give a rat's ass about the hall of fame." And I can tell you that most selfish, steroid-using sluggers would not say that. Of course, he could have been lying. He could be lying on all these things, though.

On ESPN, they showed a taped phone conversation between Clemens and McNamee that was bogus. Clemens knew it was taped but McNamee didn't. If it wasn't taped, I think Clemens would have gone berserk on McNamee, whether he took the drugs or not. Clemens did say something like this: if he came down here I'd feel sorry for him. Back to the phone conversation, McNamee said to Clemens,"What do you want me to do?" like 20 times. Come on McNamee, it doesn't take a brain sergeant to figure this one out. Clemens wants you to take back your comments about his steroid use. The other thing vaguely interesting about the phone conversation is that McNamee never denied anything Clemens said about never using performance-enhancers.

Even if Clemens did use the 'roids, I don't think it's that bad. McNamee said he only injected Clemens twice. According to the book Game of Shadows, their were guys who were being injected multiple times a day and also taking like 25 pills to enhance their performance. I am not saying what Clemens did was O.K. by any means, he legacy should be tarnished if he did take steroids.

The biggest reason for me not thinking Clemens used performance-enhancers is this: Clemens agreed to show up to a hearing with his friend and admitted-HGH user Andy Pettitte and McNamee. Clemens will be under oath when he is asked if he ever used the drugs at the hearing. It would be downright stupid to lie under oath after what has happened to Bonds. Bonds will be in court for lying under oath in a court case against BALCO (for more on Bonds' chargers look for my article titled "*Bonds Indited*"). Clemens doesn't want to be in the same situation as Bonds is in right now. Clemens will do anything to clear his name and if he says he didn't cheat at the hearing, that will convince me. Even if he lies, I'm sure it will come back to bite him.

Mitchell Report Suprising

Senator George Mitchell released his findings this afternoon after 20 months of investigation of the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. The list came out today and there were about 80 players named. The list consisted of all-stars in this era and also former players. Of all the players listed, one of the most surprising was seven-time CY Young Award winner Roger Clemens. After the report was presented, Clemens attorney immediately denied any use of steroids by his client. A trainer admitted to injecting Clemens with steroids while Clemens was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 and the New York Yankees in 2000. Now, the question is with Clemens, is will this tarnish his remarkable, hall shoo-in career. We'll get to that later. Among the other names listed: Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Lenny Dykstra, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knobloch, Mo Vaughn, Miguel Tejada, Paul LoDuca, Kevin Brown, Eric Gagne, David Bell, Troy Glaus, and Matt Williams were some of the notables. You have to remember that some of these players are suspected of steroid use. They do have very strong evidence pointing their way and some have even admitted to their steroid use. Baseball is finally coming clean about the steroid era. It is trying to clean up the mess it started by not acting sooner when they had the suspicions. They are making steady progress, however, in cleaning up the mess. (But who knows who is using that undetectable 'the clear' stuff.) The only current Major Leaguer to talk to Mitchell was Giambi who admitted to taking steroids. Tejada just got traded to the Astros yesterday and today he is a steroid-user. (Merry Christmas Houston, Tejada is now coming with a public relations killing disease called steroid allegations). Their are some surprises about who is not on the list. Notably Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire.

With the coming of these reports raises some questions like: Should commissioner Bud Selig punish the current players on this list based on the reports? Mitchell urged Selig not to punish these players unless it damages the integrity of Major League Baseball. Although Selig sounded as if he will punish these players and he said he will do it "swiftly".

Another question is what should the league do when some of these players get on the Hall of Fame ballot. Their are some players whose numbers predict them to be sure-fire hall of famers like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Some have said that you put and asterisk or an acknowledgement that that player had been suspected of using steroids next to their name. Some have said that they shouldn't even be considered for the Hall of Fame. Now with Bonds, I will have to wait until the results of his trial come out. With Clemens, it is too early to tell if he should deserve a plaque in the hall (hey, he's only been in the steroid talk for a matter of hours). Only time will tell if this problem ever gets out of baseball.

The MLB is finally second-guessing itself for its handling of the steroid era. They waited too long when they knew what was happening. They said,"Well, let it go. The fans are happy and if they find out, ticket sales will go way down." Well, it seems that they were wrong two times. First, they waited even though they suspected something was happening when Sosa and McGuire were knocking them out of there a little too easy. They were also wrong when they said revenue would go down once fans found out about the dirty things that were going down in their sport. The total revenue has been higher every year, breaking the old revenue record the next.

This is a overall sad day for Major League Baseball and its fans because they are realizing their faults and we are seeing the truth about our idols. But this will help the MLB in due time because steroid use will continue to decrease until it is almost not even a topic. Of course that will take many years and players will start to find other ways to cheat. It is in human nature to try to get a competitive edge by any means possible even if it means destroying yourself. Their will always be players trying to cheat and their will always be commissioners stopping them. It used to be spit balls and now it's steroids. This is the beginning of the end of the steroid era.

*Bonds* Indited

So, the Bonds parade is finally unraveling into its true ugly self. Bonds was indited by a federal jury yesterday on counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. Now, how did the government finally get enough evidence to indite Bonds? Well, one theory is that his former trainer, who was in jail until yesterday, ratted him out to get out of jail. It might not just be a coincidence that Bonds' former trainer got out of jail just as Bonds got indited. Now, that may be the case, but I think the government has been collecting evidence and working on his case for quite some time.
The indites state that Bonds lied to the jury in the Balco case. He lied about taking steroids to the feds, basically.
If it is proved that Bonds took steroids, then I don't even think you put an asterisk next to his name in the record books. He should not be put in the record books, nor should he be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
This may sound like a tragedy for Major league Baseball now, but I think, if this goes to court and they find Barry guilty, it will turn out to be a good thing. 90% of the people in this country think Barry took steroids any way. They also thought that the truth would never be revealed, and the people deserve to hear the truth. This may also scare off potential steroid users in the world of baseball. The government cracked the most stubborn person and indited him. I also think this is good because Major League Baseball doesn't have to come up with a way to deal with Bonds. They can just forget about him and move on.
This is a very good thing.