Congrats Craig Biggio - my thoughts on the Hall

With 68 percent of the vote in 2013 - you are probably getting into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 or 2015 at the latest.

The fact no one is getting into the Hall of Fame this year except these dead guys and/or ones honored as writers and broadcasters is disappointing but not surprising - the writers have finally taken a stand [at least for one year] and have refused [at least for one year] to let numbers [boo hoo stats guys] bully their judgement of guys who played in the Steroid Era.

It doesn't mean guys like Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens won't eventually enshrined - but they aren't sailing in with the stats alone and even the guys fans / writers assume have done things the right way might be scrutinized because of the era they played in.

I think it's even sadder for guys like Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa - those two schmucks look like they'll never get any serious consideration despite 3,000 hits / 569 home runs for Palmeroids and 609 home runs for Sosa.

It might be unfair to the standouts of the mid 1990's through mid 2000's - but as much as I enjoyed watching Bonds personally and recognized others' excellence [even through suspected PEDs], it doesn't pain me to make any those guys wait.

Mark McGwire - a plight of a tainted man looking for redemption

I'm not so much worried about the details and what Mark McGwire may have not said in his statement or to Bob Costas in their MLB Network interview - regarding his use of steroids and PEDs.

With McGwire's admission, at least now there is finally some transparency - we don't need to know what McGwire was using and when he was using. Just getting him to admit to using steroids and PEDs means a whole lot more than if he'd continued to sit back and be ignorant of his situation.

Of course, McGwire needed to talk about the past, in order to move ahead with his new position as hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals - I believe he sincerely wants to be the best hitting coach in the Major Leagues and he doesn't want any distractions from the media. 

I'm happy McGwire confessed because now we can go look at his numbers and make our own conclusions as rational thinking baseball fans - to whether or not PEDs helped him with his God-given ability to hit a baseball.

Just like with Alex Rodriguez' admission, there is some timeline of PED use established and those who can vote for players to be inducted can kind of figure out where McGwire's numbers stand - with their own subjective standards of what is a great player and what is a Hall of Famer. 

Admitting his use of steroids and PEDs might serve as closure for McGwire - he might want to see it that way.  

However, if McGwire doesn't say more than what he has already admitted to - he still has a long way of garnering the support of anyone who can legitimately argue his numbers as Hall of Fame quality and can actually vote on the matter.

Mark McGwire - an enigma

It is not really worth griping about at this point - I just wonder why there are people feeling sorry for Mark McGwire, who has apparently joined the St. Louis Cardinals staff as their new hitting coach.

There seems to be more apologists coming out - five years after he stiffed the congress - it was pretty clear he was evasive in his statements about his PED use, "I'm not here to talk about the past."

McGwire most likely used - ask his brother [not Dan, the NFL bust, but Jay McGwire.

What about Curtis Wenslaff?

So McGwire wasn't in the Mitchell Report - that story was other can of worms involving different sets of players.

So McGwire wasn't in the 103 names who failed some kind of testing back in 2003 - Big Mac had stepped out on Major League Baseball long before there was testing.

Some experts on the sabremetrics side don't believe in the PEDs - find any performance enhancement from the use of drugs as sort of a myth.

Maybe it makes more sense for the statheads to be skeptical - they need numbers and they haven't figured out a formula whether PEDs really help you hit 15, 20 or 25 more home runs a season.

However, the point here is McGwire still comes any mainstream baseball fans as sympathetic - still reverential figure apparently persecuted unfairly by the man.

The hypocrisy shouldn't be stunning, but I guess McGwire is the new Pete Rose - when he should have more things in common with Barry Bonds, who is generally referred to as a scumbag and is persona non-grata to most Major League Baseball fans.

To hear people on the Internets commenting on how McGwire is unfairly bashed - that he got only 25 percent of the Hall of Fame vote is a joke because he made his bed.

He has lived a comfortable life, playing golf and generally no one is clamoring for him to be lynched - unlike Bonds or anyone whom we [as MLB fans] might lampoon, mock and/or deride.

Yeah, maybe McGwire will be the most scrutinized hitting coach in the Major Leagues in 2010 - though I bet not one fan challenges him or one media member asks him the questions we all really want to know.

I'm not here to talk about the past.

I'm not here to talk about the past.

I'm not here to talk about the past.

We'll understand and empathize with his plight and will watch this man wander behind the batting cage, try to do his work with Cardinals hitters and the past won't even matter - if he survives through the season, maybe the 25 percent will start creeping up and one day he'll get to the magical mark of 75 percent.

And the beat just goes on.

Titch Bits

I'm way late to the party, but found this trading card image from a message board and with the new A-Rod revelations, found it apropos. My only question is whether or not the actual image was Photoshopped.

Why we care about performance enhancing drugs

I got around to seeing A-Rod's press conference later in the day - apparently there is a 'phantom' cousin who introduced him to some stuff. Only they knew about it and conspired to experiment on their own, for a prolonged period of time [2001-2003].

I don't think anybody missed much if they didn't see A-Rod's press conference on Tuesday - I honestly think he is telling us to read between the lines and make up our own minds. That maybe even more dangerous to the perception of his damaged legacy, but the fact it has come to this point should be something of a revelation. People want him to be implicate others, name substances he took and say he shot himself with all sorts of cringe-worthy stuff.

He has told us what he taken, but we are resigned to the fact he is not going to get himself into more hot water and he can only go so far - he shouldn't be so naive to think, 'I'm young and I was stupid' is going to cut it with those who have an interest as fans of the game or someone who looked at him to endorse a product.

With all this fuss about A-Rod, I've come to the realization baseball may get tedious and boring as far as the day-to-day things going on in a game played in 30 cities, 162 games a year - but it is still the pasttime of guys who can identify with strong, valiant icons of the past.

Baseball fans can rattle off the legends/icons associated with history of the game - whether they saw them play or not.

The game has its faults, but its foundation isn't strife with 'thugs' and 'black eyes' but stoic pioneers [like Jackie Robinson] who played the game right and with integrity - baseball is built upon its history and people are always looking to size up any modern marvel and judge whether an iconic modern player of today passes muster with the likes Babe Ruth or Ted Williams.

If someone like Barry Bonds or A-Rod comes along - there is a self-fulfilling prophecy to tear down and dissect their numbers because it just doesn't add up, when there can be no player as great as Ruth or Williams.

There probably is a sentiment of 'I told ya' running around - in a way the icons of the past are validated for their accomplishments once again as the true torch bearers of the game.

Collecting personal favorites: Alex Rodriguez

You make up a list and follow your favorite players by collecting their cards because you like watching them play - or they present a particular image you can identify with in some way. However why chase after someone's cards when you feel like if they appear unreasonable or merely unaccessible?

I was on the Alex Rodriguez bandwagon because he is either the best and most identifiable baseball player in Major League Baseball or at least he is 1A to a guy in St. Louis named Albert Pujols - I found it disappointing for A-Rod to become the most prominent face of the Steroid Era in baseball when he was outed with his positive steroids test.

I was eager to see if he would react by admitting fault or taking the road to denial - he ended up taking the initiative and apologized during an interview with Peter Gammons of ESPN.

During the interview on Monday, it wasn't a surprise A-Rod didn't really answer the pointed questions about the 'who, what, where,' of his PED use specifically - Gammons would ask a question and A-Rod would take a bird walk and call himself out as 'stupid or naive.' Sometimes he'd cite the culture of the era. It seemed like he was more clear about lying about his use [with an interview with Katie Couric in 60 Minutes in 2007]

However, what was surprising is he established a definite time period of his use [2001-03] and if he really couldn't be any more clear about what he took for whatever reason - he did admit to taking PEDS.

Come to think of it, as a guy on the A-Rod bandwagon, I didn't know what to make of his Texas Rangers' years after signing a $252 million contract - he was supposed to be the man down there, but even as he juiced up and put up monster numbers, his teams went nowhere. It was kind of a joke as far as being the best baseball player in the world playing on some garbage teams that weren't able to win. If we are to believe A-Rod's word, his PED use in 2001-03 really is the nail in the coffin to invalidate whatever he did as a Texas Rangers' player.

In the end, some guy named Jose Canseco was again proven right - I snickered when snippets of Canseco's book were starting to come out and he was accusing A-Rod of:

*Being a scumbag for ogling and showing an unhealthy obsession for Canseco's wife.

*A-Rod not being the guy who we thought he is and he may have partaken in some steroid delights.

I can just laugh now because it is all true - and also kind of disappointing.

All the controversy swelling up with tabloid pictures of him with strippers on the road, cheating on his wife, getting a divorce and hooking up with Madonna pissed me off because he was the face of the game - if for nothing else, at least show some class, though he was no different than a Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, who were no saints, but at least have bounced back from their personal problems.

I thought about being petty and in my mind, leaping off the bandwagon - in recent months, things were relatively quiet and I thought it was the end of it. Maybe A-Rod's ability to hit 40 home runs and stink it up when it counts in October was something to watch again as far as drama playing out in Major League Baseball was concerned. I kind of enjoyed the drama of a guy making so much money making the game so simple, yet struggling in the key moments during the postseason.

We thought Joe Torre's [with Tom Verducci] book was the start of a new controversy, but with I don't know what to say - I think people are more disappointed than angry. As much as people don't like A-Rod, he was a golden child compared to Barry Bonds.

Now there will always be doubt and silent critics - no matter what A-Rod does.

Here are my personal favorites - who knows if any of these guys are 'pure,' but certainly there hasn't been anyone outed for PEDs except for A-Rod, right?

Vladimir Guerrero
Tim Salmon
Jim Edmonds
Cal Ripken Jr.
Alex Rodriguez ?
Derek Jeter
Ken Griffey Jr.
Rotating interests [non player specific] - maybe Manny Ramirez, Ichiro, Albert Pujols

Featured card: 2003 Studio Big League Challenge Materials Barry Bonds NNO

I found the following image in a trading card folder - I'm probably in the minority and would be considered a 'Bonds apologist,' but I thought the card was funny [and appropriate], in light of the events taking place behind the scenes, before good ole' Barry Lamar Bonds' trial on March 2.

I didn't not create the card image - I probably found it on a baseball card forum and saved it for posterity. I like how Bonds is smiling like he just doesn't give a hoot. Of course, the image was taken during the time when he was popping home runs left and right as the most feared slugger in the Major Leagues. Of course the card is a parody created in Photoshop and does not have anything to do with the image featured.

Long after Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee [trainer], Kirk Radomski [supplier], Mark McGwire, Brian Roberts, Shawne Merriman [NFL], Lance Armstrong [bicyling], Marion Jones [track and field star], Chuck Knoblauch, Andy Pettitte, Jay Gibbons, Eric Gagne, Paul LoDuca, Dave Justice, Mo Vaughn, insert name of athlete here, et al - the government is still bent on making Bonds the Michael Vick of performance enhancing drug use among professional athletes in America.

Featured player: Mike Golic
1990 Score #519 - I was going to throw this card away, because it is a new [as in 19 years old] card and it is in 'beater' shape. On the other hand, Golic has become this star in the media as a former NFL defensive tackle turned commentator on Mike and Mike in the Morning. I've sort of warmed up to the show broadcast on ESPN 2, because it is on, when I'm up at night and it is nice to find a live-broadcast show - instead of endless stream of informercials for "getting bigger."

I really don't pay much attention to the things going on in the show, other than what he and co-host Mike Greenberg have to say as far as an 'immediate reaction' to maybe the latest sports news. As a baseball fan they have Peter Gammons, Tim Kurkjian and Buster Olney on different days. As a whole, Golic has some interesting things to say all-around [not just about football and/or the NFL] and comes more across as a every day guy talking about sports, rather than some 'holier than thou,' ex-jock.

Not to make this like a Wikipedia entry, but he also admitted to steroids and was subject to a roast gone wrong.

Featured pickup
2007 Upper Deck Premier Patches Miguel Tejada patch card serial #'d 38/98 - I really believe Tejada is going to have a 'bounce back' season with the Houston Astros this year. It will be interesting to follow his statistics through the season because he might be in jail for lying about his involvement with steroids.

His batting average is probably going to hover around the .285 mark. He is going to hit around 20 home runs and drive in around 95 runs. His on-base percentage will probably be around .340, with his slugging percentage around .460. Those aren't great numbers, but post-steroid era, that is a decent year. I expect him to be as durable as he once was, especially when 2007 was a fluke as far as getting injured was concerned.

After signing a big free agent contract, Tejada toiled for some forgettable Baltimore Orioles' teams through this decade. While he was obscured in a number of ways, despite performing well, he is now is strictly seen as a 'has been' with a shady steroid past.

I picked the card up for $5 at a local show running two times a week. I thought it was a sharp card and I almost didn't care who was pictured, as long as it was an 'okay baseball player.'

Ironically, I saw a similar card last month, at a card show/fanfest the Seattle Mariners/San Diego Padres have in Peoria Arizona. It wasn't a good enough pick-up then at $5, because I thought the card is irrelevant. He's been traded the Astros and people had soured on him. Of course, a $10 Vladimir Guerrero patch card [from the same set] wasn't good enough either.

I do remember him when he was hitting his prime in Oakland, where he'd be as accomodating signer as anyone in the game, though his signature wasn't that great. I got a picture with him myself and a single-signed baseball. After his Oakland days, the autograph even got worse and he strictly dictated when and where he would sign.

Looking back, Tejada sort of falls under those players who lulled fans into 'believing the hype,' where he posted monster numbers through his prime. Maybe he wasn't a pure home run slugger, hitting 40-50 home runs, but a guy who fanboys may have projected monster career numbers for, because he was doing it for several seasons, not considering he was Mr. B-12/Mr. Steroids.

Update [4/18/08] - Tejada was ambushed by ESPN's E:60, but was caught in another lie when age was brought up and the E:60 correspondent actually had a copy of his birth certificate revealing he was born in 1974. What was Tejada supposed to say, when apparently the only thing noting his actual birth year was legal documents i.e. than his green card. Either the teams he played for were ignorant or it was common knowledge, not just to the general public, where available information on players can be inaccurate [i.e. height/weight].

I don't think it affects his playing career much at all. He might have been losing a step defensively but he was still pretty consistent - part of that maybe due to steroids/PEDs, but he played in 162 games a year, had something like 650 at-bats a year until he got hurt in 2007.

He got his big contract and he was worth the money he was being paid - if he was Jose Ortiz, then he'd be shining shoes back in the Dominican right now, but if he made it because of lying and possibly taking PEDS, he also made it in spite of it.

I was looking back when the Oakland Athletics brought him up to the Major Leagues in 1997 and while he was actually 23 and not 21, it would be in-line as far as the age an 'average' prospect is called up - someone in the Athletics' organization must have known his true age or else the organization would have waited perhaps a year or two later.

What this incident really does, is just adds onto the distrust fans have for particular [types?] of players - what else is he lying about or players of his ilk lying about? Fans don't care about your hardships in trying to make it unless you are Josh Hamilton, great hope, et al. It wouldn't be a leap for them to assume Tejada was lying about the steroids/PEDS he might or might not have been using.

Next up: Vladimir Guerrero and Albert Pujols