2009 MLB Season Thread

[RyanMcD29]

Switching gears from this steroid hoopla, the Mets look like they at least have a shot at a Wild Card run. Put together 5 straight before losing tonight, plus some of the guys on the DL will be returning soon. I don't think they'll make the playoffs at this point, but at least they look like they can be a part of this race. By the way, tomorrow's Fiesta Latina night at Citi Field, meaning the Mets will be breaking out the "Los Mets" jerseys. You've been warned

[philly97flyer]

Switching gears from this steroid hoopla, the Mets look like they at least have a shot at a Wild Card run. Put together 5 straight before losing tonight, plus some of the guys on the DL will be returning soon. I don't think they'll make the playoffs at this point, but at least they look like they can be a part of this race. By the way, tomorrow's Fiesta Latina night at Citi Field, meaning the Mets will be breaking out the "Los Mets" jerseys. You've been warned

I thought every night was Fiesta Latina night at CitiField. Or at least it seems that way looking at the Mets roster.

[BJ Sands]

Griffey was and still is clean. His career is too "normal" for it to be otherwise (I sure hope I'm not eating those words in the future. )

While I'm rather pessimistic over most players and steroids, I have to agree. No one on steroids would be injured nearly has much as Griffey was in Cincinnati.

Which is why Chipper Jones is excused too. Lord knows that man can't stay healthy for a full season EVER.

(Still wouldn't be surprised to see him on a list though.)'

With that said, I see the Cubs got the short end of the Pittsburgh Pirates firesale.

Griffey is someone I've always suspected is/was on roids because of all those injuries.

He was a slender guy who started to get big and then developed serious leg injuries when he went to the Reds. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here, but it's possible he felt a ton of pressure coming back to his hometown team the season after they just missed the playoffs, which led to him taking steroids or other PEDs, which led to his body breaking down.

As we know, steroids can cause muscles to grow too big for the body to support, leading to injuries. Check out his injury history before and after the trade to the Reds (from Wikipedia):

1987:15 day DL/Shoulder injury

1988:15 day DL/Strained Back

1989:30 day DL/Broken Bone In Right Hand

1992:15 day DL/Sprained ligament In Wrist

1995:73 day DL/ Two Broken Bones In Wrist

1996:15 day DL/ Broken Hamlet Bone In Left Wrist

-traded to Reds after 1999 season-

2000:15 day DL/Torn Hamstring

2001:50 day DL/ Torn Hamstring

2002:90 day DL/Torn Patella Tendon/Strained Hamstring/partially dislocated right kneecap

2003:110day DL/dislocated sholder/Ruptered Ankle Tendon

2004:80 day DL/Torn Hamstring off bone

2005:40 days missed/Knee issues

2006:50 days missed/Knee issues/broke hand in offseason

2007:15 days missed/groin injury

2008:20 days missed/Knee drained three times

Makes you think, doesn't it?

[pcgd]

Griffey was and still is clean. His career is too "normal" for it to be otherwise (I sure hope I'm not eating those words in the future. )

While I'm rather pessimistic over most players and steroids, I have to agree. No one on steroids would be injured nearly has much as Griffey was in Cincinnati.

Which is why Chipper Jones is excused too. Lord knows that man can't stay healthy for a full season EVER.

(Still wouldn't be surprised to see him on a list though.)'

With that said, I see the Cubs got the short end of the Pittsburgh Pirates firesale.

Griffey is someone I've always suspected is/was on roids because of all those injuries.

He was a slender guy who started to get big and then developed serious leg injuries when he went to the Reds. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here, but it's possible he felt a ton of pressure coming back to his hometown team the season after they just missed the playoffs, which led to him taking steroids or other PEDs, which led to his body breaking down.

As we know, steroids can cause muscles to grow too big for the body to support, leading to injuries. Check out his injury history before and after the trade to the Reds (from Wikipedia):

1987:15 day DL/Shoulder injury

1988:15 day DL/Strained Back

1989:30 day DL/Broken Bone In Right Hand

1992:15 day DL/Sprained ligament In Wrist

1995:73 day DL/ Two Broken Bones In Wrist

1996:15 day DL/ Broken Hamlet Bone In Left Wrist

-traded to Reds after 1999 season-

2000:15 day DL/Torn Hamstring

2001:50 day DL/ Torn Hamstring

2002:90 day DL/Torn Patella Tendon/Strained Hamstring/partially dislocated right kneecap

2003:110day DL/dislocated sholder/Ruptered Ankle Tendon

2004:80 day DL/Torn Hamstring off bone

2005:40 days missed/Knee issues

2006:50 days missed/Knee issues/broke hand in offseason

2007:15 days missed/groin injury

2008:20 days missed/Knee drained three times

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Could be Roids...could be he was on the wrong side of 30 when he was traded to the reds too...

Actually I'm betting it was the age thing...most players start to break down after 30.

[njmeadowlanders]

ESPN is reporting that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz both tested positive for PED's in 2003.

Time to vacate all the Red Sox wins from that date

I'd be all for that once the Yankees are forced to do the same.

Doesn't surprise me that a Beantowner would say that.

Here's something I'm surprised no Beantowner--or anyone, for that matter--has mentioned thus far...now watch this one very closely:

The New York Times reported that two Boston Red Sox players tested positive for PED's in 2003.

Conspiracy theorists and Beantowners...have fun with that one.

Not as much of a conspiracy as one would think though. The New York Times owns a nice little piece of New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Red Sox, Fenway Park and NESN. Althought they are VERY actively trying to unload that.

It should also be noted that in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS (The Aaron Boone Game/The Grady Little Game) Jason Giambi hit 2 HR's for the Yanks...so it goes both ways. In other words, STFU. Nobody wants to hear it.

[Cujo]

The Cubs put up another 12-spot on Houston, while the Dodgers finally win a game, edging the Cards in 10 innings.

Chicago regains first place going into today's trade deadline. (Any takers for Milton Bradley? )

[JayJaxon]

Griffey is my favorite player of all time. I would be crushed if he was named as a user. But Griffey got bigger in kind of a chubby way. He got big in like a "ate a little too much and worked out too little" kinda way. His head didn't grow to the size of a watermelon like Bonds' did.

Another thing to consider is that everyone else that was using didn't have the same injury track record. So either he was clean or he just didn't know how to use the stuff properly, and when it comes to that I would have to side with the former. The ones that used either knew exactly what they were doing, or they had someone there that knew exactly what they were doing. There is no way that any of those players decided to wing it themselves without knowing exactly what was going to happen.

Griffey spent 470 on the DL as a Red. Think about how many home runs this guy lost because of the DL. If he doesn't get hurt, we are talking about 800 home runs total for him. If he uses, it would be near 900.

So for the time being, I'm not buying that he was on anything. I don't care if I'm right about anything else on here, as long as I'm right about that.

[Audiodrama]

First trade of the day...

Detroit acquires P Jarrod Washburn from Seattle in exchange for P Luke French and P Mauricio Robles.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4368815

[epper]

First trade of the day...

Detroit acquires P Jarrod Washburn from Seattle in exchange for P Luke French and P Mauricio Robles.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4368815

Good for them. Solid #3 option in a short series behind Verlander and E-Jax. I think they can take that division.

[JayJaxon]

The Red Sox are trying to work some crazy deals. A. Gonzalez, V. Martinez, and R. Halladay are all on their radar.

[DDR]

Very much looking forward to Bill Simmons' inevitable meltdown column.

[epper]

Very much looking forward to Bill Simmons' inevitable meltdown column.

You and me both. Jack-O is gonna have a field day (any subscribers to his Podcast will know exactly what i mean).

[infrared41]

I don't know why this took so long to occur to me but it just did. I have a chronic medical condition that requires a variety of treatments. Earlier this spring part of that treatment involved being on a cycle of steroids for a month. I might be one of the few people in here who can actually speak to the question of whether of not steroids do in fact enhance performance. The answer is a resounding yes.

Unfortunately my ball playing days ended years ago. I can't say for certain that the steroids would have helped anything although based on every other aspect of my experience with steroids I'd have to say they would have. What I can tell you is that while I was on steroids there was a very noticeable difference in how much energy and strength I had. I was able to easily perform physical tasks that prior to the steroids would have been very difficult and quite painful. I felt great every day for 30 straight days. All I know is that my physical condition on the steroids was far superior to what it was (and is now) without them.

The point I suppose is that, unless 100% of the players in the steroid era were juicing, there were players who, based on my experience with the drugs, had a clear competitive advantage over those who were clean. We can spin it however we'd like but from my perspective the era is irreversibly tainted. If these guys were on even the mild stuff I was on then it has to be.

Just thought I'd throw that in.

Not to get too personal, but how athletic/in-shape were you prior to this spring? Steroids may have had a hand in increase physical stature, but part of the performance may be mentally-driven.

However, I simply do not believe steroids played much of a factor in enhancing stats as people seem to believe. The only stat in baseball that seems to get questioned/targeted in the steroids issue is homeruns. How come base-stealing hasn't increased? How come pitchers aren't throwing 105+ mph fastballs? Wouldn't muscle mass make players more prime to stealing bases and throwing faster fastballs?

There are more factors that have led to the increase in homeruns the past 20 years:

-Smaller, offense-oriented ballparks being built

-Diluted pitching staffs due to expansion

-No restrictions on protective padding for batters

-Players today simply being in better athletic shape/taking better care of their body

-Tighter-wound balls

-Batters no longer fearing to strike out

Today's ballparks are being built smaller. Houston went from the expansive AstroDome to tiny Minute Maid Park. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia went from large multi-purpose stadia to smaller baseball-only parks. Arizona and Colorado play in ballparks at high altitudes, causing flyballs to travel farther. Detroit shortened the dimensions of Comerica Park because not enough homeruns were being hit. New Yankee Stadium is proving to be a homerun oasis.

Pitching still hasn't fully recovered from the two rounds of expansion in the 90's. Adding 44-50 MLB-ready pitchers in six seasons is an impossible task. Pitchers that should have been in AAA rosters were facing established MLB batters....advantage goes to the batters. Matt Williams was ahead of Roger Maris' pace for single-season HR's in 1994, and Tony Gwynn was batting over .390 in mid-August, until the strike wiped out the rest of the season. And of course, McGwire and Sosa broke Maris' mark in the expansion season of 1998.

Look at the amount of padding batters get to wear, especially players such as Craig Biggio and Barry Bonds. With so much elbow and leg padding, batters now have no fear or reason to not get off the plate when a pitcher throws an inside pitch. Instead of players getting brushed back and not swinging, batters now can turn on the inside pitch. You never saw Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth wear a ton of armor when batting.

Take note of how fit today's players are, in comparison to players in the 80's. Players are keeping their bodies in shape year-round, and as a result, are extending the length of their careers. You rarely see the body shapes of a Kirby Puckett or a Terry Pendleton these days. Even relief pitchers are in better shape these days than before. It can be argued that today's ballplayers in too fine of shape, as the common occurances of pulled hamstrings and strained shoulders in today's game didn't happen as often before.

Finally, gone are the days of choking up on the bat with two strikes. The ballplayers of old would be ashamed to strike out. Nowadays, you have batters swinging with all their might, regardless of the count, because there's simply no shame or embarassment by striking out.

No offense Hedley but I think you're being a bit naive. I'm not saying steroids turned me into superman. What happened was everything was much easier. I didn't get tired. I was able perform physical tasks more easily and for much longer periods. If I had to put a percentage on it I'd say my strength increased by 10-20%. I'll give you an actual example of the difference. I work at a TV station and we cover sports. In the spring we were televising a track meet. Part of the setup is to move equipment up to the press box which is at the top of the bleachers that hold around 3000 people. I'd say there are roughly 50 steps from the ground to the top. Normally my crew has to carry cameras etc. from the station to the press box while I plug in wires etc. in the control room below. The track meet took place in week two of my steroid cycle. I was able to carry two cameras (around 40 pounds each) and a tripod (20 pounds) up those 50 steps without so much as breathing heavy. Then I went back down and did it again. One of my crew said "wow those steroids must really work." The funny thing is I hadn't even realized what I had done. I just did it. As I said before, there was a profound difference in the ease of which I was able to do things while on the steroids. If steroids had that type of effect on a 48 year old who is in average shape what do you think they would do for a professional athlete?

The question isn't just how much do steroids improve strength. It's how much do they improve overall ability. Steroids increase everything, strength, stamina, awareness, speed, energy, it's an overall improvement. Let's say the average player starts wearing down a little in mid August. On steroids that's not going to happen. You're going to be every bit as good in your 15th at-bat of a series as you were on the first. Your 500th at-bat of a season won't seem any different than your 50th. In other words, a player on steroids is like the energizer bunny, they'll just keep going and going. Do you really think that isn't going to have an effect on performance? Let's say that steroids are only good for a 10% increase in overall strength. Don't you think even 10% is enough to make a fly ball a homerun?

I'm not saying that a .230 hitter will suddenly become a triple crown threat if he does steroids. He might become a .250 hitter. The ability has to be there first. What the steroids do is make a player able to perform more consistently at their peak level. A 35 homerun season suddenly becomes a 50-60 homerun season because there are none of the normal peaks and valleys associated with a 162 game season. The juiced player is operating at 100% physical capacity at almost all times. That's where I think the difference is.

Finally, I'll just ask you this. If steroids don't really help anything then why do athletes use them in the first place? What would the point be?

[Audiodrama]

Another trade...

OAKLAND trades SS Orlando Cabrera to MINNESOTA for prospect Tyler Ladenorf.

[Bmac]

Good job Twins. Carbrera is a great pick up.

[Audiodrama]

BIG rumor...

Various sources are reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Indians C/1B Victor Martinez....without giving up Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard.

This one has my interest.

[TBGKon]

BIG rumor...

Various sources are reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Indians C/1B Victor Martinez....without giving up Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard.

This one has my interest.

I've also heard it's possibly a 3-way deal. Wonder who a 3rd team might be? Would either team let a division rival be a 3rd trade partner?

[BaltimoreFan]

Not to get too personal, but how athletic/in-shape were you prior to this spring? Steroids may have had a hand in increase physical stature, but part of the performance may be mentally-driven.

However, I simply do not believe steroids played much of a factor in enhancing stats as people seem to believe. The only stat in baseball that seems to get questioned/targeted in the steroids issue is homeruns. How come base-stealing hasn't increased? How come pitchers aren't throwing 105+ mph fastballs? Wouldn't muscle mass make players more prime to stealing bases and throwing faster fastballs?

I remember someone telling me something about Bonds homerun distances. Basically there was data that Bonds had never hit a homerun further than 450 feet before the age of 35, but did it multiple times after the age of 35. I'm not sure where you'd find that data but I think that would be a decent indicator of steroid performance. If it true, it certainly would have turned alot of flyballs into homeruns.

Also for pitching I'm not sure if it has the same effects. I'm not sure if there it can increase your fastball speed. I'm not even sure if it is physically possible to throw a baseball much faster than 102. I've only heard of one guy that was clocked faster, Steve Dalkowski, and he had no control and was never able to get out of the majors. Also maybe its the case that alot of lower 90s pitchers moved to the upper 90s. I think the biggest effect steroids has on pitchers was the increased endurance. I remember a few years ago people were talking how amazing it was that so many pitchers were still pitching, and in many cases dominating, in their 40s. It may be the case that steroids made that possible.

Anyway, this whole steroid thing has become a giant mess. I think the best thing to do is clean up the game completely right now. Do the best to ensure that steroids are gone (or at least very scarce). Then come back and look at this era again in 15-20 years and decide how to honor the records and players. Things will be clearer when looking at them from the next "era" of the sport.

[Cujo]

BIG rumor...

Various sources are reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Indians C/1B Victor Martinez....without giving up Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard.

This one has my interest.

I've also heard it's possibly a 3-way deal. Wonder who a 3rd team might be? Would either team let a division rival be a 3rd trade partner?

I believe San Diego was rumored to be the third team, which could put Adrian Gonzalez in play for this afternoon's trade deadline.

[Audiodrama]

BIG rumor...

Various sources are reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Indians C/1B Victor Martinez....without giving up Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard.

This one has my interest.

I've also heard it's possibly a 3-way deal. Wonder who a 3rd team might be? Would either team let a division rival be a 3rd trade partner?

I believe San Diego was rumored to be the third team, which could put Adrian Gonzalez in play for this afternoon's trade deadline.

Latest reports say it's Victor Martinez for Justin Masterson and prospect Nick Hagadone.

Wow.

(Buchholz still in Boston...to be dealt for Halladay, possibly? Thinking out loud.)