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All posts for the month January, 2014
Next summer, when the Baseball Hall of Fame commemorates its players in Cooperstown, NY, and players are inducted into the Hall of Fame, there will be quite a few who have either been linked to steroids or have actually tested positive. These players are Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and the infamous Rafael Palmeiro who pointed his finger while being asked questions by Congress members on Capitol Hill, only to test positive for a performance enhancing drug months later.
“I used to love the Sosas and Bonds but now I hate them,” says Hector Ortiz, 32, a resident of the Bronx. “They should not be in the Hall of Fame and I hope they all never make it in for lying to us fans.”
Why not let these players in? They have contributed in major ways to the sport of baseball. The amount of fans not only increased and was at its peak during this period of steroid use, but a tremendous amount of money was also generated whether through jersey sales, or autographed merchandise that the fans brought for each of their respected teams.
I’m sure other players have either done drugs before these guys, so why single them out?
Paul Molitor and Ferguson Jenkins, who were voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in previous years, were busted in the 1980s for using cocaine. They were first ballot Hall of Famers, so obviously the offense was overlooked.
We all know that people are willing to do whatever it takes to reach the top of the pedestal and be the greatest.
And since the dawn of baseball, players have used whatever substances they believed would help them perform better, heal faster, or relax during a long and stressful season. Zev Chafets, a contributor at the New York Times, writes that as far back as 1889, pitcher Pud Galvin ingested monkey testosterone, and during Prohibition, Grover Cleveland Alexander, also a pitcher, calmed his nerves with federally banned alcohol, and no less an expert than Bill Veeck, who owned several major-league teams, said that Alexander was a better pitcher drunk than sober.
Mickey Mantle developed a sudden abscess on his left hip, that kept him on the bench in 1961, and even caused him to be hospitalized, during his home run race with Roger Maris. Where did the abscess come from? In his book “Cooperstown Confidential,” Chafets writes that the abscess came from an infected needle used by Max Jacobson, known as Dr. Feelgood, a fraud who injected Mantle with a home-made brew containing steroids and speed.
Hank Aaron once admitted to taking an amphetamine tablet during a game. Amphetamines are used as a performance and cognitive enhancer. It also induces physical effects such as decreased reaction time, fatigue resistance, and increased muscle strength. Willie Mays was accused of keeping something called “red juice” by former teammate John Milner in his locker. What was this “red juice?” It was a liquid form of speed. Sandy Koufax admitted that he was often “half high” on the mound from the drugs he took for his ailing left arm.
That is a list of a few great players who have widely been known as guys who changed the sport of baseball, and who are credited with being among the all-time greats who have had negative gossip around their careers, but it is rarely brought up.
Why? Could the voters who select the Hall of Famers be so hell-bent on getting the steroids and their history out of the game? Or do these voters have their own agenda because they were all seemingly lied to? No one can know for sure, but the conclusion that can be drawn is that baseball is full of heroes, and it is also full of bad guys. These voters are probably voting in the players whom they viewed as heroes. Seems a little biased to me.
The voters should allow players such as Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, and McGwire into the Hall of Fame. They did change the way the sport was viewed throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
It was actually an enjoyable sport to watch. Players were hitting balls 500-plus feet almost every time. Pitchers were at their best during this time period as well.
Give these players that have been accused or tested positive and have the numbers to get into the Hall of Fame their rightful spot. Just designate it as the “Steroid Era” and put asterisks next to each stat and each name that corresponds to it. For goodness’ sake, paint the room black and dim the lights if you have to, but do not erase these guys from history.
We now realize that it was a dark time, but we should remember what happened and move on.
The New York Knicks who have been struggling this year and who were recently blown out and just out played and out coached by the Brooklyn Nets in their own home, Madison Square Garden, need to trade star Carmelo Anthony.
As things are right now with the team being under .500, and things only getting worse as they continue to show little heart, it would be beneficial to trade him. A few years back, when they traded for Melo, they practically gave up their entire team to get him and also let the NBA know that they meant business and were going to win now. But as time has passed, with Amare being injured and his play declining from when he first arrived in New York, and the team not really having any direction right now, why not trade him?
You can probably get some pretty good deals if you put Melo out on the market. Sure, you won’y be getting anything of his value back, and you’ll probably get a couple players who will not be of his skill level, but you can get some draft picks and get the future heading in the right direction.
The Orlando Magic were in this predicament a couple years ago with Dwight Howard who was eventually traded to the Lakers and is now with the Houston Rockets.
They waited and waited, and they received a few average players with some draft picks. This is most likely what will happen if the Knicks do trade Melo but that is better than losing him this upcoming offseason for nothing.
Maybe you can get a couple young players who have promise and a few draft picks. We all know that draft picks are a key trading chip so they could possibly deal those for players in the future as well. Who knows, you could even move up in the draft with those picks.
Get as many assets as you can or else be sorry when you lose him for nothing.
Seattle Seahawks’ Star cornerback Richard Sherman who tipped a pass from 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick which was intercepted to seal the victory for the Seahawks, took exception to something said by 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree and wanted the world to know exactly how he felt about him.
The rant was met by tons of criticism but I say who cares. It was in the heat of the moment, after a game in which the winner would be going to the Super Bowl.
A great, young player, expressing what he thought. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Over the past several days, Sherman has been called classless, arrogant, and he has even been hit with racist remarks on twitter, which I find ironic. Call a man classless, then turn around and say some ridiculous racist comments? Yeah that’s real class right there.
It’s actually pretty funny because Tom Brady just a few months ago after a call went against the Patriots, was seen cursing and chasing down the referees. That’s real sportsmanship and class. Oh I mean competitive spirit…. Yeah Right!
People can be so ridiculous.
Is it a matter of race? I really don’t know. All I do know is that a young man who happens to be a minority, is being thrown under the bus for something that we might not hear, but that we see all the time.
Was it over the top? Maybe, but nothing is wrong with letting the world know how you feel. Especially if its after making a huge play that has led your team to the Super Bowl.
New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for the entire 2014 season and playoffs.
After months of bickering back and forth with Major League Baseball (MLB) and it’s commissioner Bud Selig, and his own team, the decision has been made to suspend Alex Rodriguez.
Fredric Horowitz, who was the arbitrator during the saga, reduced the suspension from 211-games to a full season.
Rodriguez has filed a lawsuit against baseball and the players’ union alleging that Horowitz was biased during the arbitration process.
The lawsuit can be read here: http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/ARODMLB01132014.pdf
Denver Nuggets forward and a key piece of their future, Danilo Gallinari will miss the remainder of the season after having reconstructive knee surgery on Tuesday.
The surgery comes nine months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.
Gallinari, 25, suffered the injury in April in a game against the Dallas Mavericks. He had surgery to repair a torn meniscus but decided to delay the surgery on his ACL.
Doctors originally believed that the ACL could be strengthened and the the surgery would not be required.
This is a huge blow for Gallinari, and an even bigger one for the Nuggets, who believed that they have a young core of players that will lead them to the playoffs and further in years to come.
Gallinari, who averaged 16.3 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Nuggets last year, is expected to be back in the Nuggets lineup early next season.
After months of discussion on whether or not the Japanese pitcher would come to the US, he has decided to join the New York Yankees, disappointing the fan bases of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs, who were all rumored to be in the mix to land Tanaka.
The deal is worth $155 million over seven years and it includes an opt-out clause after the fourth year, according to reports.
Tanaka, 25, was dominant during his time in Japan. He went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in the Japanese League last year. Many also believe that his talent translates to him being a top of the rotation starter in the US.
The Yankees on top of the $155 million, had to pay a posting fee of $20 million to the Rakuten Golden Eagles, Tanaka’s team in Japan, just to be able to talk to him.
Tanaka will join outfielders Carlos Beltran, and Jacoby Ellsbury, along with catcher Brian McCann, on the revamped Yankees roster. According to many baseball analysts, Tanaka will be either a number one or two starter for the team.
The Yankees beat the Friday deadline of 5 p.m. for when a deal and physical had to have been completed.
In 175 games (2007-2013) for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, Tanaka was 99-35 with a 2.30 ERA and had 53 complete games which included 18 shutouts.
It is a risky deal but only time will tell whether or not it was the correct choice.