Wake me up when the 2010 baseball season starts...

1403 The Phillies are in the World Series for the 2nd straight year. The Yankees might actually find their way back to the World Series if they don't figure out a way to have another epic collapse. *YAWN* No other sport is so tilted towards the people with big pocketbooks like Major League Baseball.  Sure, you will have abberations (the 2008 Rays, the Marlins 2 WS teams, the 1996 Cleveland Indians, etc.)  BUT...for the most part the teams that end up in the World Series are also among the top 10-11 teams in payroll. What makes the NFL so compelling is the turnover that happens from year to year.  Very few teams (the Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Giants come to mind most often) maintain consistancy in making the playoffs and winning from decade to decade.  That leaves more chances for other teams to step in and give their fans hope.  Yes, even the Lions. :) Of course, people trot out the arguments about "you have to pay to win".  Tell that to the Mets and Tigers this year, just 2 examples of teams with $100M payrolls that missed the playoffs.  The fact is teams like Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Washington, Cincinnati, Oakland and Cleveland now have to make PERFECT decisions...in scouting, in FA, in resigning their own rosters to have ANY hope of being competitive.  Or maybe it's all the cheating in baseball that's turned me off...all the steroid and HGH users, Barry Bonds and his "flaxseed oil" defense, Mark McGuire not wanting to talk about the past while he lined his pockets with millions in contracts and endorsements, Rafael Palmerio lying to Congress, Roger Clemens lying about Brian McNamee, and I could go on.  The fact there are 100's of guys who cheated and will not come forward.  Baseball still has no integrity. Or maybe it's umpires blowing what should be the simplest of calls (a fair/foul ball, a batter hit by pitch).  And the fact baseball is so boneheaded they can't embrace technology.  Memo to Bud Selig:  If you cared so much about baseball's "image" you would have shut down the cheaters from day 1.  Instead you hoped it would go away, like some girl you cheated with that got pregnant and says you're the father, and you go on the Maury show to deny it, when you KNOW you were the only one that slept with her. All in all, it's NFL and CFB season, and I could carealess who wins the World Series. Wake me on April 1st 2010. When the Pirates will be at .500 for the only time next season (0-0). true

2009-10-23T02:20:45Z

97133 0 Wake me up when the 2010 baseball season starts...

2009-10-23T04:26:28Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/JoeRevs300/blog/posts/97133

2008-04-10T03:49:15Z

1403 JoeRevs300's Blog

2008-04-10T03:49:15Z

91563

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/JoeRevs300/blog JoeRevs300 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/JoeRevs300 1384570 Is it just me, or is Alex Rodriguez bad for baseball? Every home run, every run batted in, every walk issued, every game he wins or simply influences is tainted. He is a known cheater and all the apologies in the world will not change that fact. He has had an unfair advantage for at least ten years, getting stronger and faster than his peers through illegal drugs. If Alex Rodriguez were clean, would we be watching the Minnesota Twins in the upcoming American League Championship Series? If the skewed stats and game altering performances were not bad enough, Alex Rodriguez is also making a ridiculous amount of money. Not only is he making an exurbanite amount of money, but he cheated to get that contract. The contract alone is bad for baseball, but the fact that he cheated to get said contract (not to mention earlier crazy contracts) makes it even harder to swallow. Steroids are bad for baseball. I believe the current rules and penalties for steroids are insufficient. Steroids should be a one and done violation. Not only are they illegal, but they enhance performance to an extent that changes the outcomes of games in an unfair manor. The playing field is no longer level when somebody is doing or has done steroids. As stated earlier, the steroid user has been getting stronger and faster at a much faster pace than his contemporaries thanks to the illegal drugs. Even after stopping, that does not equal a return to the levels of his contemporaries. It would be like giving one marathon runner a bicycle, but making him get off the bicycle after ten miles. I for one hope that Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and all of their ilk fall flat on their faces in an epic failure. They should not be allowed to play baseball anymore. It is bad economically as well as morally, not to mention all of the hypothetical questions that arise when a known cheater wins a ballgame. true

2009-10-16T16:10:15Z

96713 4 Punishment for Steroids Strikes Out

2009-10-23T15:18:00Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Onodera1980/blog/posts/96713

2009-10-15T19:41:03Z

Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1384570 Onodera1980's Blog

2009-10-15T19:41:03Z

9208532

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Onodera1980/blog Onodera1980 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Onodera1980 1199612 THE LEAGUE NAME IS BUCZ09, THE PASSWORD IS freeman, THE DRAFT DATE IS 8-28-09 AT 8:30 pm.REMBER THAT THE LEAGUE IS PRIVATE,NOT A PUBLIC LEAGUE. true

2009-08-19T14:25:19Z

91958 0 JOIN MY FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE ON NFL.COM !!!!!

2009-08-19T14:25:19Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/russelllong/blog/posts/91958

2009-03-18T11:52:23Z

1199612 russelllong's Blog

2009-03-18T11:52:23Z

6050363

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/russelllong/blog russelllong http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/russelllong 1271002 August 26 marks the 6-year anniversary of a tiny network that made its mark in the world of entertainment by debuting a documentary about one team's trials and tribulations in the NFL. The network? ESPN. The show? <a href="http://espn.go.com/eoe/playmakers/">PlayMakers</a>. Really, it was the original Hard Knocks. OK, maybe it wasn't a documentary, but was it really that far off? Take a look at the developments over the last 6 years since Playmakers was around. Adultery, steroids, domestic violence, etc. Below I am going to put in some player descriptions without names or saying whether they played for the Cougars (In hind sight, hilarious team name for the double-entendre, if nothing else) or an actual NFL team. See if you can tell which is which. Player 1 - Made a borderline hit that severely injured another player. Never the same player afterward. Player 2 - Hooked on crack. Even gets a fix during a game because the grip is so strong. Plays like a man possessed. Player 3 - Cheats on urine test. Player 4 - His "boys" shoot a dude at a nightclub. Player 5 - A highly respected league veteran isn't such a great guy, including allegations of adultery and domestic abuse. Player 6 - Punches a teammate in the face because he found out his girl stayed at the dude's place the night before. Player 7 - Rumored to be gay. Player 8 - Coach is diagnosed with Cancer. Player 9 - A linebacker is outspoken about facing a quarterback who routinely carves defenses with his legs on long scoring runs. Player 10 - Player sleeps with owner's daughter Player 11 - Teammates feud during the season because of one player's contract negotiations. Player 12 - Weight issues affect his chances of playing. Player 13 - Has a daughter that wife knows nothing about. Player 14 - Slams coach against a wall. Player 15 - Constantly eating pills and getting special treatment becasue his body is getting destroyed on the field. Tough right? Well, the truth is that you can probably find examples for any of these in either place, but all came straight from the PlayMakers episodes. At the time, many players, including Deion Sanders, came out and vouched for their authenticity and pure realism. Many stated that they could find players that represented parts of each character. I am not going to do that here, although I think they are fairly obvious. So why was the NFL so mad? Why did they get all crazy and “advise” the cancelling of the show? Simple, the truth hurts. Although the NFL has always been pretty up-front about player misconduct and the way they handle things, they didn't necessarily want an entire show based around pro football players and their indiscretions. And I don't blame ESPN for pulling the plug, either. You have to know where your bread is buttered. But I think that it would never have been such an issue had the NFL not turned it into one. The NFL made a fictional show into a much larger issue. It was their own fault. If you never saw the series find the DVD somewhere. It was a good show and well worth the watch, especially on it's 6th Anniversary. And I think all of the pro leagues can learn something from this show and the publicity surrounding it. If something happens--if a player breaks the law or fails a urinalysis, whatever the issue--don't hide it. Put it out there, let us all be appalled that our favorite player would ever do such a thing, then we'll all move on. You listening MLB? That list you have? LEAK IT! All at once. Then the whole thing will be over and we can go back to loving baseball. See? TV can be educational. And as the Cougars reminded us: Adversity Tests Character... true

2009-08-13T13:55:44Z

91421 2 EOE PlayMakers vs NFL: The Truth Hurts and The Lesson MLB Can Learn

2009-08-13T17:39:29Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog/posts/91421

2009-06-24T20:26:15Z

A blog about sports and their relation to the rest of our lives. Touches on a little of everything. 1271002 Sport vs Life

2009-08-07T14:29:07Z

411359

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog thehunter000 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000 1271002 You know, every single day I see posts about how the SportsNation show is terrible. People bashing it for being the worst show ever. Saying Colin has a face for radio (OK, I made that one up myself). It's a whole lot of self-deprecating language. Why self-deprecating? Well, for one simple reason... WE ARE ALL SportsNation! This show can only be as good as we make it. Create a screen test, make a fake athlete phone call, write a blog, vote, post comments. It's all right there. And for some to decide that it is awful, well, you are part of the reason you don't like it. I really enjoy SportsNation (well, except the time slots) because it provides me with a cross-section of the fan culture from all over the world. It lets me see other opinions about Michael Vick or the Steroids era. It lets me have a voice to say what I do or do not want to see. It gives the fans a place to come together as fans of Sport, then divide as fans of different teams and sports. Hating this show is exactly like hating your self-portrait. The only person that can do something about it is you. I mean, have you seen the web site? You can do all sorts of thing with your profile. Start a weekly, daily, HOURLY blog. Tweet. Express yourself as the fan of the sport in the way you see yourself. And, yeah, make the case why everyone else should feel the same way! I challenge everyone out there who hates SportsNation (4 et and midnight et) to do the following things: 1 - Create a screen test telling us how the show can be better. 2 - Make an athlete fake call and have them tell SN how it could be better. 3 - Create a blog post of all the things that could make the SN better. 4 - Follow the web site and the fan feed on your profile page for one week. If every one of you that doesn't like SN does these things, they cannot be ignored. Me? I actually like the show and the forums a lot. They give me the chance to express my love/hate relationship with Sport to a whole lot of people, and to find out if others feel that way, too. I can come on a blast an athlete or and organization. I can tell the rest of the Nation how much I hate the current trickling of anonymous PED test failures. I can comment on a story just to say how much I agree or disagree with it. Or I can add content to the site and show by creating a blog and trying to write about something I find interesting, sad, outrageous, fantastic a couple times a week or so. And whether anyone reads it or not I can't say. But I can say that I am contributing to the answer instead of those that would simply state the problem while providing no practical solutions. Complete the 4 challenges I listed and the show is bound to get better for you. If you don't, it's because you didn't want the show to succeed in the first place. Which is sad, because you'd be giving up the one thing you have always wanted for as long as you have been a fan... The Chance to be heard. The chance to make a difference in the sports you love. The chance to share your opinion with the world. And yes, the chance to argue why you are right and they are wrong. Really, you will just be giving up on the one chance you have had to make a difference in sport. And that's a shame. The bottom line is that this is the only sports show that is giving us the chance to write it. So what are you waiting for? I'm taking my chance seriously and enjoying myself. Why aren't you? Don't just be a critic. Just throwing the negative out there, being the bad-vibe guy. Be a part of the solution. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and write and episode. We DARE you... true

2009-08-11T13:25:01Z

91217 7 SportsNation is People. IT'S PEEEOPLE!!!!!!

2009-08-17T02:18:14Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog/posts/91217

2009-06-24T20:26:15Z

A blog about sports and their relation to the rest of our lives. Touches on a little of everything. 1271002 Sport vs Life

2009-08-07T14:29:07Z

411359

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog thehunter000 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000 13889 During the press event that was David Ortiz’ public apology for being linked to a positive test in 2003, the baseball player’s union signaled a shift in stance, moving from a decidedly defensive posture to one of controlled aggression. The larger question evolving from the event will be David Ortiz’ credibility – whether it is possible that reckless use of vitamins and supplements might have included ingesting steroid precursors or masking agents might have produced false positive results. On the face, the assumption seems far fetched, yet entirely possible at the same time. There was a more subtle move by union chief counsel and heir apparent to the head of the MLBPA, Michael #### (EDIT: ESPN language policy apparently will not allow the use of this person's name). In statements made during the event, #### offered that the leak of names from the now infamous list is illegal. Further, he claimed, the popular assumption that 104 names are on the positive test list is misleading; that the ‘104’ number comes from a separate seizure of names by the government in the BALCO investigation. The actual number of tests, according to the latest union reporting, is that 96 names appear as positive, but some of the names might be duplicates. The intent by the union in this instance is an attempt to explain and perhaps mitigate the damage to public perception that positive tests have had, even if the tests occurred prior to the penalization of performance enhancing drugs. The shift in public policy proves the old adage that if you corner a wild animal, it will eventually strike back. However, the logic behind the union’s new stance is eerily reminiscent of that used by a cheating spouse, when they tell their original lover that the new interest was just a transient passing that ought to be forgotten because it is so insignificant. In short, the union’s new stance amounts to telling the listening public that the steroid era was not as bad as we are making it out to be, and, really, it didn’t mean that much to the players. It was, after all, just a passing fancy. Or a mistake. #### and the players may have factual evidence on their side, but by choosing to gripe over minutiae, they only come off as petty. In the end, the new stance smacks of a cheap façade and an attempt to shift blame away from its proper source. It is simply childish and petulant. While the illegality of the leaked names remains disputable, #### may be correct on the other two bombshells he dropped during the Ortiz press conference: that supplement use may have triggered false positives and that the actual number of names is lower than presumed. What #### and the rest of the union have conveniently overlooked, however, is that every single major superstar that emerged during the post-strike era has now been linked to performance enhancing drugs in one way or another. And, while the MLBPA may wish to deconstruct that point with evidentiary hearings, subtlety rarely plays well in the eyes of the public. Instead of exactitude, the public eye focuses most closely on the larger picture, and the revisionist analysis of the time period in question is crystal clear: there was a pervasive drug culture that was overtly condoned by all interested parties; this culture took hold shortly after the 1994 stoppage, and it played a vital role in bloated statistics, ticket sales and salaries until around 2003. As well that some players may still be trying to cheat the system. How much stronger would the union’s message have been if it stated that while the number of positive tests remains disputable, that nevertheless there was a problem in the pre-testing era, but that the union, ownership and baseball as an institution have take serious steps to ensure the purity of the game? The American public is a surprisingly forgiving lot, but the union, to this point, has not attempted to tap the compassion of baseball fans. The union, instead, has gone the opposite direction, and is now lashing out and fighting back against the media and the weight of public perception. The entire steroid and PED saga in baseball has by virtue of inertia taken on a life all its own. The stewards of the game have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. But rather than simply say sorry or begging forgiveness – or even focusing on the good that may come from this disastrous situation – each guilty party (the players, the owners and the commissioner) have fallen on a defensive mindset. Any sense of sympathy for the players has simply eroded under the weight of evidence suggesting just how pervasive drug use was prior to testing. The initial silence from the union, owners and commissioner was deafening and only served to turn off the public. And now that the MLBPA has realized that the steroid saga will not simply go away, they have shifted to telling us that ‘it wasn’t as bad as you think.’ That tact, however, is equal parts insulting and offensive. It is also dismissive of the fact that illegal drugs have forever tainted the game of baseball. The game of baseball is due for a history lesson in public relations. The owners, the players and the commissioner could learn a lot from the 1982 Tylenol Crisis, when the public became skittish after seven deaths in the Chicago area were linked to tampered Tylenol doses. Johnson & Johnson, manufacturer of Tylenol, through its subsidiary McNeil Consumer Products, issued an immediate recall at a cost of $100 million dollars. The company, though not even at fault, adopted a proactive approach, and later reintroduced the product to the market after inventing the tamper-proof seal. Today, Tylenol has regained its position as a market leader, and more to the point, their handling of the crisis is used as a case study in effective public relations. It appears that baseball’s response to the steroid saga could also be studied in public relations circles, though for all the wrong reasons. Just for a moment, imagine if Johnson & Johnson had, in 1982, released a statement denying all liability in the tainted products, sat on their hands and said it wasn’t that big a deal because only seven people died. Would the public ever trust their products enough to put them in their bodies? No one has died as a result of the steroid saga, and no one has been harmed physically by a continued faith in the game of baseball. But at the end of the day, the game and its stewards have destroyed the game and they have only themselves to blame. Sadly, this all could have been avoided. But because it was not, it will live on in infamy. true

2009-08-10T14:19:37Z

91157 0 Baseball player union’s new stance is not laudable

2009-08-10T14:23:02Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/BirishB/blog/posts/91157

2008-03-24T17:05:11Z

13889 BirishB's Blog

2008-03-24T17:05:11Z

1356694

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/BirishB/blog BirishB http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/BirishB 1304668 The Baseball Hall of Fame should and will induct known steroid users. The HOF is about enshrining the best players a generation had to offer and if those who were proven or unproven PED users aren't put in, this generation will be tainted further. This is the Baseball Hall of Fame, not the Good Person Hall of Fame or the Honest Guy Hall of Fame. Those who played the best baseball should be in. Not all the Hall of Famers were the best upstanding people. Ty Cobb was a known bigot and terrible person, Gaylord Perry would throw his famed "Vaseline Ball," and Whitey Ford would cut the ball and throw his "Gunk Ball." All three of those men were elected into the Hall of Fame, so why do they get in and none of the PED beneficiaries get in. The Hall of Fame is for remembering the greats, flaws and all. If Baseball leaves out Barry Bonds, Mark Mcgwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens, or any of the rest of the PED group, then Baseball is being inconsistent with its standards. The fans/media who care about the Hall of Fame already know about the different time periods of baseball, and they know how each time affected the records. If baseball want to cancel out the careers of steroids users, why wouldn't you go back and cancel the numbers for Babe Ruth, who hit in an era when blacks couldn't play in Major League Baseball? These players, believe it or not, made the game better by bringing fans back from the 1994 strike, and bringing MLB and the players association together to make a drug testing policy. The Baseball HOF needs to include these players in Cooperstown. Like them or not, they are immersed into baseball's history and deserve a Plaque in the Hall. true

2009-08-10T13:50:30Z

91155 3 The Hall of Fame needs to let in the steroid era.

2009-08-12T21:15:27Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Redsox634/blog/posts/91155

2009-08-09T17:51:35Z

A blog about a New England sports fan's outlook on the big topics and debates. 1304668 The View from Vermont

2009-08-10T18:56:02Z

1310093

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Redsox634/blog Redsox634 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Redsox634 1271002 Let's talk about you, your career, and what you would sacrifice to make sure your family is well taken care of. You are doing well, keeping a steady job, and making ends meet. We join our show in progress. Dave and Bob, longtime friends from college who are now both accountants, haven't seen each other for years. They meet one day by chance and decide to have lunch. Dave: Man, I can't believe I ran into you. Bob: Yeah, it really has been too long. But you look exactly like you did in school. Dave: Thanks, I think. You sure don't. You look better! Man, you must be really hitting the gym. Where do you go? Bob: Nah, I'm just lucky. Good metabolism and more running than I have ever done. I stay too busy at the firm to do much gym time. I do have a personal nutritionist who has me on a special diet and taking supplements, but that's about it. Lot's of Vitamin B-12 and Ginko. How's work with you? Dave: Well, decent. We are definitely making ends meet, but I really have to work at it. Constantly training and all that. It's tough. So you are doing well, huh? Bob: Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't see the feature on me in Accounting Illustrated. I just signed a new contract for 5 years, $75 Million dollars. Things couldn't be sweeter, brother. Dave: Holy Shnikees! That is HUGE! Congrats! Bob: Thanks man. My family is definitely set for life. It was a huge deal. Feels great. I have to thank God, first of all, that gave me the strength to work the numbers. Then my agent, who has stuck with me through it all. And of course my family, Without them, I mean, I'd be nothing. Dave: Alright. Dial it back a notch would ya. You've certainly gotten a big head. Bob: I try to stay humble, but.... Dave; No, I mean your head is enormous. What size hat do you wear now? 17 5/8? Steering wheel cover? Bob: Well, we all make small sacrifices. But really, the side effects are totally worth the gain. Dave: Side effects? From what? Bob: Let me let you in on a secret. I have been taking Calculoid. It's a Performance Enhancer. It has made a huge difference. Dave: What? Are you kidding me? Isn't Calculoid illegal? Bob: Yeah, but it's been in the field for years and, really, there is very little punishment for getting caught. if you get caught after you have already made all that money, who cares anyway. They can't take it back. Sure, you'll get suspended for 4 months with no pay, but that's 4 months over a 5 year span. Basically, a $1.25 Million Dollar fine and some R&R.  All the great ones used it in one form or another. You've heard of Herb Poindexter, right? Dave: The one in the CPA Hall of Fame and the guy that the Golden pocket protector Award is named after? No way... Bob: Oh yeah, he was a biggie. And now he's the biggest name in the game. Dave: But if you get caught, you are NEVER getting into the HOF. Bob: So? The HOF ain't paying my bills. And they can't take my records off the books. Even if the put an asterisk by them, that only makes them more visible. People will remember me more than the guy whose name is right under mine. Guaranteed. Dave: Yeah, but there has to be side effects. I mean, other than the planetoid sitting on top of your neck. Right? Bob: Well, the worst is it will probably take some years off your life. 5 or 10. But they are the old, wrinkly, depends-wearing years. Also, your brain will get larger so your head will grow, like mine has. But the good side effects are your pockets get full of cash and your physique will change. You will lose the gut and have more of a Mathlete's build. Dave: But people will see that stuff, right? They'll know just from looking at you. They have to notice. Bob: Yeah, they'll notice. Then they'll ignore all the signs. Probably talk about how your new training regiment is unprecedented and how you have really come on and become one of the greatest accountants of all time. There will be a little backlash from accounting purists, but who cares about those guys? You'll be rich! And the fans of your accounting office will totally ignore all of it. They will just be excited to have you aboard. Getting them huge write-offs and setting all kinds of records. They'll just be glad they are with a winning team. Dave: Man, this is mind-blowing. I make like $45,000 a year right now but do great work and train harder than anyone else. It's so disappointing. Bob: Look man, let me hook you up. Take some Calculoid for a while and see if it helps. I guarantee it will make you a better accountant. If you get busted, tell them you took an ove rthe counter supplement and had no idea this was in it. Dave: i don't know man. I haven't ever done anything illegal like this. Bob: Ask yourself this: Do you want to be able to send your kids to college? By your dream house? Retire someday, when you can't quite make those cuts you used to? 5 years and you are set for life. It was good enough for Herb Poindexter, right? What do you say? Want some Calculoid? Fade to black... So in this scenario, laying out the risk and reward, what would you do? Could you refuse? Even if you knew it would mean enough money so that you and your family are set for life after only a few years? If you get caught, you have to be out of work for 4 months, but then you come right back at the same salary doing the same job. And since you are on contract, you will be getting your money. Could you ignore all that just so the integrity of your career field survived? That's what we are looking at with the PED scandal in MLB. Is it always for money? No. Sometimes, it's just for ego or to squeeze out a few more years as "The Man". But sometimes, it's to get to that next level. To make the kind of money that sets you up for life. So I pose the question again...would you have the strength to say no to Calculoid? Or would you take it, just like many others before you had, and live with the knowledge of what you did to become great at what you do? That's a pretty tough question to answer. And not just for us. It's a tough question to answer for athletes, too. Sometimes, the lure of the dollar is just too strong. Even when it may cost you your reputation or your life. true

2009-08-07T14:19:26Z

90975 1 PEDs: Could you say No?

2009-08-07T14:22:11Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog/posts/90975

2009-06-24T20:26:15Z

A blog about sports and their relation to the rest of our lives. Touches on a little of everything. 1271002 Sport vs Life

2009-08-07T14:29:07Z

411359

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog thehunter000 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000 13889 It’s come high time for someone in baseball – someone … anyone – to make a strong statement about performance enhancing drugs. I’m not talking about Bronson Arroyo ridiculously arguing that steroids leveled the playing field, making the mediocre average, the average respectable, and the good players great ones. And I’m not talking about Jose Canseco and his self-vindication tour, and his recent insinuation that the baseball Hall of Fame now houses a steroid junkie. The kind of statement that will raise the stink off of baseball is a collective statement, one signed by a collection or group with a vested interest in baseball. It would be a unanimous statement and admission of guilt in complicity defrauding the public and the game itself. In a perfect world, Bud Selig, Donald Fehr and a representative of the owners would hold a joint press conference at 9 a.m. on a Monday morning where they would release a joint statement that would state the following: <ul> <li>Owners, players and the commissioner’s office knew of the drug culture that existed in baseball in the 1990s</li> <li>All parties involved knowingly and willfully avoided confronting the problem in the manner in which they should have</li> <li>All parties involved were influenced by self-preservation and greed in some form or other: the Commissioner to keep the game competitive with the growing popularity of football, the NFL and other entertainment avenues; the owners to increase revenue; and the players to keep growing both the minimum salary and benchmark salary payouts</li> <li>And, finally, that all parties involved understand the full ramifications of their ineptitude and stupidity in allowing this mess to become the dark shadow that may forever taint the game</li> </ul> In a perfect world, such a daring mea culpa would send a strong signal to fans that a plight does exist within baseball, and that the responsible parties are working to resolve the issue. Presently, however, the culture of drug use has been followed by an era of plausible deniability, lawyering up, Congressional hearings, mixed signals, and little to no successful damage control. The interested parties have perpetuated their sin through lies, deception and cover up, and in so doing, have allowed a black cloud to become not just a brewing storm, but a full-blown perfect storm that has destroyed all safe harbors. For now, steroids and other PEDs seem to be the issue that all interested parties want to just go away. Except that it won’t. Ever. To make matters worse, the interested parties are deeply entrenched and stymied by their historical context. All three – the owners, the commissioner and the players – are playing defense against a maelstrom of accusations and suppositions, while also protecting their eventual legacy against future generations that may look back to reflect on their actions. Which is worse, these same parties, being the powers that be of baseball, are also looked on as the ones who ought to fix the mess they have created. Yet, that is like asking the fox to investigate why the chickens are missing. In all likelihood, we will never see the powers that be sit at a podium and face the music. When the ubiquitous baseball landed itself in a drug culture mess, they were given ample opportunity to clean their own house, but when they failed to do so, they were dragged kicking and screaming before Congress to answer questions that remained unanswered. Baseball – in the person of Donald Fehr and Bud Selig – failed to live up to their respective charges, and so outside influences were forced to clean up the mess. And, oh, what a mess it is. The PED era is not just a culmination of inflated statistics and broken records. There is potentially criminal activity involved here. Prior to the MLBPA and owners agreeing on drug testing, the collective bargaining agreement stated that baseball would follow all laws of the land in regards to drug policy. If there was a pervasive drug culture within baseball as well as a construed effort to cover that culture – as recent evidence has made all too clear – then baseball is guilty of criminal negligence. And the topper is that baseball ignored its problems and put the players’ health and lives (not livelihood, but actual lives) in danger so they could make sure the fans continued to stream through the turnstiles. The potential criminality, then, extends to the level of economic and financial malfeasance. If baseball profiteered as a result of its criminal negligence, one could make a reasonable case that baseball in the 1990s represented a fraudulent product and that consumers were deceived at the time of purchasing a ticket. It is impossible to say how successful a legal challenge to baseball might be. Nevertheless, the perception remains that baseball as an institution faces some troubling questions. And it will take extraordinary, herculean and unprecedented action to renew the trust with fans that has been irrevocably shattered. Sweeping the matter under the carpet has not worked. It’s time to shift gears and take dramatic action. So, if the baseball powers fail to answer the call, then it must be one of the parties involved that makes the first step. Which of the three will step forward and offer full contrition while challenging the other entrenched powers to make significant changes? The strongest move would come from the players themselves. Owners making demands would only play in the court of public appeal as a desperate PR move. Bud Selig and the Commissioner’s office have proven too ineffectual and gutless to make hard decisions that might tick off the ownership group. But the players themselves … they are the ones taking the hardest hit every time one of names of 104 positive tests is revealed. Every player, as the face of the game most recognizable to the average fan, takes a hit every time a David Ortiz or a Manny Ramirez is linked to steroids. Fair or not, when one gets busted, every single player gets indicted. The best move now for the players and their union is to finally declare that enough is enough. The 104 players that the union is currently trying to protect have done unbelievable harm to the remaining thousands in the players union, and it’s time to stop sacrificing the innocent to protect the guilty. It’s time to release the full list of names and to make clear that these people tested positive for various substances before they were explicitly made illegal in the game. It’s time that the union separated itself from its protectionist mindset and it’s time for some honesty. It's time that the union stopped condoning drug use for the sake of higher salaries. Presently, the perception exists that baseball players union is a greedy group of cheats, and until they distance themselves from that perception, that perception will remain a fair reality. In a perfect world, the owners and the Commissioner himself would join union, sit in front of the American public, and finally apologize for all the harm they have created. And then they would get down to the business of making sure that they never again made the same mistakes.   true

2009-07-31T15:46:18Z

90396 0 Someone needs to make a statement

2009-07-31T15:46:18Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/BirishB/blog/posts/90396

2008-03-24T17:05:11Z

13889 BirishB's Blog

2008-03-24T17:05:11Z

1356694

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/BirishB/blog BirishB http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/BirishB 1177442 After the breaking news yesterday that former Red Sox teammates David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez tested positive in the infamous 2003 sample testing I was not taken by surprise. It's just two more All-Stars added onto the guilty party that includes past and present MVPs, current All Stars, and former heroes to millons. In my opinion, I do not believe that this "list" should come out. First, it's illegal to release names and ruin careers when the test was supposed to be completely private and anonymous. Second, we need to move on as fans and not dwell what happened in the past. Enjoy the wonderful game of baseball the way it is now, with speed and defense ruling the game like never before. Sure there are still guys like Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder who are still bashing balls out of the ballpark but Pujols and Fielder are hitting over .300 and have well-rounded skill-sets. The people say that the championships and hall of fame careers during that era should have an asterisk are physco-paths. In 2004, Manny and Papi were the two main players in the Red Sox breaking the curse but you can't tell me that guys like Pedro, Johnny Damon, and Curt Schilling didn't help. In 2007, Josh Beckett was completely dominate in the postseason and was the main reason that the Sox won the WS and Mike Lowell won WS MVP. As a Red Sox fan, I don't even want the Yankees championships to have an asterisk even though they have several players who have been found guilty including Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. You will never convince me that guys like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez should not be in Hall of Fame in some way. Even if you put a section in the Hall of Fame commemorating the steroid era and educating young fans on the era. Barry Bonds was one of the best hitters of all time even if he took steroids, he hit for average (batting .370 in 2002) and power (career-high 73 HRs in 2001). With or without steroids, it takes an extremely talented baseball player to hit 73 HRs. Steroids did exist and I am not denying that hundreds of players cheated to gain an advantage on the rest of the league. With the current steroid testing policy, it would be extremely ignorant to take steroids. Well people are pointing out that Manny Ramirez just tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but if you take a close look at the drug he took it was a female fertility drug. Now how will a female fertility drug help you swing a baseball bat and produce more power. I am from this day forward officially done paying attention to the steroid era and I advise you as fans to do the same. true

2009-07-31T12:50:00Z

90383 4 PEDs No More

2009-09-12T00:26:50Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/manny24435/blog/posts/90383

2009-02-11T18:34:37Z

I post a new blog about once per week so stop by and let me know what you think. 1177442 manny24435's Blog

2009-06-08T20:18:57Z

773882

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/manny24435/blog manny24435 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/manny24435 1129178 Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz became just the latest names to be leaked from the now infamous list of player who tested positive for banned substances in 2003. I, like many other baseball fans I know, was not the least bit surprised with the two players named in Thursday's New York Times report.  I am passed the point of surprise when any player pops up in the news as the latest user; sadly, it is to the point the more a player denies his use the more I suspect he is dirty. However, it is time we as fans, as well as people in the media, started asking more important questions about the steroid era and this list in particular. It is evident to me and should be evident to the people who cover baseball on a daily basis that the average fan, and in many cases the hardcore fan, does not really care about performance enhancing drugs in baseball.  No matter how much sports writers and talking heads tell us to care, most of us simply do not, just look at attendance numbers in ballparks across the league.  Before the current recession, Major League Baseball had four straight years of record attendance. Perhaps it is numbers like these that kept the MLB from implementing a PED policy that actually stemmed the use of the drugs, or perhaps it had to do with how these drugs may have saved baseball after the '94 strike.  There is no denying the home run chase between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire in 1998 pushed baseball back to the forefront of the American sporting mind.  So how are fans and MLB executives supposed to grapple with the fact that one of the most memorable summers in baseball history centered around two men that we now almost certainly know were on some kind of PED? The answer for fans is generally apathy.  Everyone who watched baseball that summer was treated to one of the most compelling sports stories of our generation.  We just realize that neither the accomplishments of Sosa or McGwire compare to Roger Maris and his 61 homers.  Does anyone recognize Barry Bonds as the true home run king?  In fact I would guess that at least half of the people who follow sports regularly do not even know the number of home runs he finished his career with, but everyone knows 755. The jury is still out on how MLB officials are dealing with these issues.  They put up a facade of self-righteousness, even though I find it hard to believe that as rampant as PED's were in the 90's, they knew nothing.  If the owners and Bud Selig truly were ignorant of the situation I find it hard to believe they possess the mental capabilities needed for the positions they hold. Concerning this 2003 list specifically, I do not find as much fault with Major League Baseball and their decision to not release the whole list as I do with the cowards who release the names, then hide behind a shroud of anonymity. I understand MLB's decision to not release the list, after all, it was originally intended to stay anonymous and the releasing of the names could mean serious legal ramifications for the league. I am disgusted, however, by the people who possess this list and find it necessary to release names at their discretion.  If these lawyers or whoever has the list feels compelled to release the names of these players, then they should step up like men and accept any consequences that accompany that decision.  I will say again, and I shall say it to anyone who asks, these people are nothing more than cowards. This point falls far outside the realm of sport, it is purely an ethical point.  These people who released these names have effectively tarnished and destroyed the legacies of these players.  I am in no way defending any player who took these drugs, but do they not at least deserve to know who is leaking the names, so we can know for sure that they have this list and that the names they are leaking are the correct names of the players on the list? There is no way to expunge baseball’s past and its dirty little secrets, but what we can do is take the last two centuries of baseball with a grain of salt and if nothing else maybe it can make us appreciate the century of baseball that came before it.  true

2009-07-31T06:05:24Z

90374 0 Same old list, two new names, one big "I don't care"

2009-07-31T06:15:22Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/buckifan927/blog/posts/90374

2008-12-07T21:34:40Z

1129178 buckifan927's Blog

2008-12-07T21:34:40Z

275628

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/buckifan927/blog buckifan927 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/buckifan927 1280682 David Ortiz was found to have tested positive for the 'anonymous' 2003 steroid list, along with former teammate Manny Ramirez. They join Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez as names that have been leaked from that list just this year. That leaves about one-hundred names yet to be revealed, and you've got to hope they don't keep on releasing these names one or two at a time. Yes, steroids is banned, blah blah, but this test was in 2003, and there are a lot more players who are still in the dark. Is there a plan to personally humiliate each one of these guys one by one?  If they would give the rest of the names up, we all know we'd see it on ESPN, along with all the news stations. We'd see the names, and we would make our judgement as a whole. Do you think it's a coincidence that Ortiz and Ramirez were revealed together? Come on, that's a bread and butter news story. They were the saviors of Boston baseball, they broke the curse and every Yankee fan's heart many times in the last few years (I'd know). Whoever is responsible for giving out the names is doing so to make a splash in the sport. They sure are succeeding. They waited just enough time for Ortiz to break out of that terrible slump he began the season with. Release the list. Baseball is American sport, but lately, it's been more like the Great American Scandal. We need to put that generation of players behind us, but that cannot begin until this list is cleared. Baseball is a sport full of heroes, and we need to know who we can believe in. Don't make the fans suffer for those idiotic players who made bad decisions. Give us fans a chance to embrace the sport we once loved.  true

2009-07-31T02:55:26Z

90368 0 RELEASE THE LIST

2009-07-31T02:55:26Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/allikskat/blog/posts/90368

2009-07-11T12:44:35Z

In Kat''s Words... 1280682 Allikskat's Blog

2009-08-13T18:41:16Z

88180

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/allikskat/blog allikskat http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/allikskat 1088456 I've been thinking about my relationship with baseball for sometime now, and it was nice to see a guy like Mark Buehrle add a perfect game to his resume today. But after the dust cleared, I decided that no better was a time to announce my official divorce from baseballl/MLB/or any other sport involving bases. This feeling of frustration has been growing on me like a cancer for a while now, and recently, this frustration has mutated to a tumor of antimosity and disgust.   Now to clarify things, I don't hate baseball, I love it. But the game played by Babe, Jackie, Ted, Roberto, and Sandy is long gone, and has been replaced by a monster that as it seems, cannot be fed. Baseball was a beautiful game in it's heyday, played by gritty, working class men. Players were paid handsome salaries, but nothing coming close to the garagantuan paychecks handed out to today's best and brightest stars today. Games were short and scores often resembled those of soccer matches (1-0, 3-1, etc.). Hot dogs cost a nickel and box seats at Fenway reached as high as the unthinkable cost of a whopping $8 PER GAME. Stick that in your pipe and suck it Yankee Stadium. Stadiums were unique such as the Green Monster at Fenway, the ivy fence at Wrigley, and the 500+ ft outfield at the Polo Grounds. There were fewer franchises and teams were often loaded with All-Star talent. Today, it would be nearly impossible to assemble a Murderer's Row team such as the 1927 Yankees. In the Glory Days, men were men, but ballplayers were gods, heros, and true icons.   Wasn't that some nice nostalgia? Well wake up, cause it's 2009 now. I hate to admit it, but this entire generation of players from 1990-2008 are tainted. Not each individual player, but the first thing popping into the minds of baseball historians in the year 2100 about this generation rhymes with shmeroids. When the public became aware of a steroid problem in baseball after 98' season, fans were gullible and oblivious. We've heard the same story a million times this decade when a player gets caught red handed. "I though it was vitamins", "My doctor gave to me", "This is the only time I've done it, I swear". Fans have been lied to from players who promised they stayed clean too many times. Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, Clemens, Pettite, Canseco, Ramirez, Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield, Gagne, A-Rodriguez, Pettitte, and Tejada to name a few. World Series champions, All-Stars, and sadly, frauds.    America's beautiful game has been commercialized (brought to you by VIAGRA: man's favorite "relief" pitcher). I'm sick of 1.5 BILLION dollar stadiums, $2500 seats, $30 parking, and $9 beer. I'm sick of players getting paid 20+ million dollars per year, who cheated to get there, while guys who played clean spend their careers waiting for a shot down in AAA. The fun day at the ballgame has gotten pricey, and a funny thing about money, it takes the fun out of everything (except in Vegas).   And not helping, my NY Mets continue to plunge into despair in a lost season. Not that our team sucks, but when you're missing 3 All-Stars in your starting lineup, and a couple of quality pitchers, things kinda head south. If anything, I'm very proud of the David Wright and the Triple-A Ten team. The fact that we're hovering close to .500 is quite an acheivment considering the circumstances. But still, 10 games behind Philly aint numbing the pain for me.    Of all of this, the man I blame most?: Bud Selig, and no contest. This shmuck sat on his #### and watched Barry Bond's head swell like a balloon, and his gnads shrink to tic-tacs. He counted his Benjamins after each Home Run Derby and did nothing but laugh all the way to bank. Well Bud, what you got to say to the heartbroken kids in NY, who've found out their hero, A-Rod, is a fraud. The kids in LA crying over Manny, and the San Franciscans mourning over Bonds. Was it worth it Bud? I'm sure it was, cause I'm leaving.   As for me, I thank god for Mark Sanchez. true

2009-07-24T05:50:04Z

89828 3 My Divorce from Baseball

2009-07-27T17:49:30Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/windsormountain/blog/posts/89828

2008-10-25T17:18:44Z

1088456 windsormountain's Blog

2008-10-25T17:18:44Z

266233

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/windsormountain/blog windsormountain http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/windsormountain 1271002 A funny thing happened when I took my kids to the movies a few nights ago. We went to see UP, a truly good, funny, entertaining movie...animated or not. We were watching and all of a sudden there are dogs talking. It was extremely funny and well done, and my kids, 2 and 4, were laughing loudly at it. And that's when a thought occurred to me. I have been worried about sports and their relationship with my kids. The tough questions I'll have to answer while defending the best players of my time from the "Then why aren't they in the Hall of Fame?" questions. Watching the Yankees trot out another player that had gone through a 50 game suspension for banned substances only to be rewarded by a call up from the Minors. Gamblers and liars. Killers and abusers. Steroids, HGH, and Meth. It's a harsh world in that stadium. What watching that movie with them made me realize is that there is a good chance they won't care, as long as they are entertained. Isn't that what it's supposed to be? Kids don't care about the extra-curriculars as long as they are entertained. My kids didn't care that the dog had to wear a performance-enhancing collar so that he could talk. They just cared that he was talking. And I think that is where we are as a country, isn't it? Pay your $10 to see the Freak Show. I don't want to see the strings and makeup that made the bearded lady real, I just want to see the bearded-lady -- to borrow a phrase from Big Mac in the Simpsons -- "sock some dingers". Want proof? Well, the "Dreaded-Lady" hit a pinch-hit Grand Slam last night and the place went nuts, even prompting Vin Scully to say it was the loudest he had heard the Dodger faithful in 20 years. No one cared how he got there. They just wanted to be, and were, entertained by Manny Being Manny. Mannywood. The Freak Show. We all saw what McGwire and Sosa looked like back in the day. Big Mac was a college PITCHER for goodness sakes. They were rail thin, then they were ENORMOUS! It was like they read the ad in the back of the comic book to turn 98 pound weaklings into Charles Atlas...and it WORKED! There were signs. We didn't care. We just wanted to see them sock some dingers. Save baseball. I even wrote a paper back then about Sammy Sosa caring the weight of a country on his back. Countries are heavy. Of course he needed a little help. Cork, Andro, whatever. "Step right up! Come see the Rhino Man!" And we all paid our nickel. And where does that leave us? Well, entertained. Although, some will argue that it feels more like being enterTAINTed. Me? I'll just watch and grin with my kids. Enjoy the game and let the rest work itself out. Even in Up!, sooner or later all the balloons pop. When they do, you are where you are. After that, you choose the way to approach the place you landed. Eyes full of newness? The eyes of a kid just enjoying his hero playing as hard as he can play? Or, the kid that watches the "Magic's Biggest Secrets Revealed" shows and says things during cartoons like "Dogs can't talk. Please!" You know the kid. A real know-it-all, ruin-it-for-everybody jerk. (We know him as NY Fan) So here we are, folks. The Freak Show. MannyWood. ESPN's "PlayMakers" (which, by the way, seems a little more non-fiction now-but that's a different story entirely). Let's just try to remember it's a kids' show with moments where we get to laugh, too. And quit trying to pull back the curtain. We don't care if it's kinda artificial. We just care that we get to enjoy it right now. Or, at least, we get to enjoy our kids enjoying it. And that's good enough for me. true

2009-07-23T13:23:51Z

89763 2 MLB vs UP! - Welcome to the Freak Show!

2009-07-23T14:03:41Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog/posts/89763

2009-06-24T20:26:15Z

A blog about sports and their relation to the rest of our lives. Touches on a little of everything. 1271002 Sport vs Life

2009-08-07T14:29:07Z

411359

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000/blog thehunter000 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/thehunter000 1139671    Alright I'm taking a little break from my Nfl Preview (it'll be back tomorrow) and I'm going to talk about baseball.My question is why isn't Pete Rose  in the Hall of Fame?Is gambling really worse than using steroids?I don't thinks so,as far as I know that didn't really change his performance on the field.I don't know all the detail of his story but he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.Another question I have is why was Manny suspended 50 games for not technically using steroids or HGH?He hasn't had a positive test for steroids.I understand that what he took is for when you come of a steroid cycle but I'd like to believe what he said it was for.Manny doesn't seem like a steroid guy to me.Also if Manny gets suspeded for 50 games why doesn't A-Rod?A-Rod for sure used steroids.Although he took it 6 years ago he still should get suspended.I think any active player that is using or used steroids should be suspended.Back to what iI was saying before there's no reason that a great player like Pete Rose shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.If there's KKK members in the Hall why shouldn't Rose be?This is ridiculous get him in the Hall of Fame now. true

2009-07-20T04:09:15Z

89464 0 Steroids vs. Gambling

2009-07-20T04:14:04Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/SlyCooperPTI/blog/posts/89464

2008-12-18T16:46:45Z

hi i'm connor i'm 16 and this is me talking about mostly the nfl but other sports as well my dream is to become a sportswriter 1139671 NFL and More blog

2009-09-08T21:42:37Z

1020290

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/SlyCooperPTI/blog SlyCooperPTI http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/SlyCooperPTI 1280682 Although baseball has now becomed riddled with crime and punishment in the last couple decades, we can't forget the stars who were able to shine through this dark era. Steroids and PEDs have gone hand-in-hand with home runs now for a long time, and recent players have eclipsed all home-run records, whether you choose to recognize them or not. Bonds, Sosa, Mac, A-Rod, and Manny have all sat on the top of the mountain, and have all been exposed as cheats, and we certainly all know what has happened to Roger Clemens. As I watch in preperation for this years' All-Star Game, I notice that there are fewer players on the rosters who have been accused of anything so far. We don't have to just look at the young guys for still-clean records, there are some veterans who have been able to make quite a name for themselves while staying clean. Pujols, Mauer, Fielder, Howard, those guys are the future. They are the stars who will have the responsibility of making us forget about steroids. I agree that blackballing those found guilty in some way or another is a good idea, to give the real athletes their due. Instead of remembering all those controversial players, remember these guys- Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Tim Wakefield, Ichiro, Roy Halladay, Kevin Youkilus, etc. These guys are All-Star's still, and it may be because the real fans know who did what and who should be respected... It would be a shame if the careers of these fantastic players ore overlooked because they played at the same time as those who used performance enhancing drugs. Remember those asteriks everyone wanted to put in the record books? How about just crossing the cheaters out, and putting asteriks next to the clean ballplayer's who should be remembered for being exceptional while playing with unfair odds. true

2009-07-14T18:25:20Z

89134 1 Jeter, Rivera Always Steroid-Free

2009-07-14T22:36:18Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/allikskat/blog/posts/89134

2009-07-11T12:44:35Z

In Kat''s Words... 1280682 Allikskat's Blog

2009-08-13T18:41:16Z

88180

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/allikskat/blog allikskat http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/allikskat 1250302 Happy 4th of July, everyone! Manny Ramirez returned to the Dodgers lineup last night. Didn't do that great. Went hitless. Must suck when the PEDs wear off. The Dodgers won anyway. There was an even mix of cheers and boos. What's with all the cheers? If the Dodgers have any road games against either New York team or Boston later this season, you know the crowd will rip him big time. Don't believe me, just ask A-Rod. Staying on baseball and it's steroid users, two former baseball players are flat-out denying using steroids. Rafael Palmeiro claims that his positive test result in 2005 was the result of taking a B12 shot. Right. If any kind of B vitamin is a performance enhancer, I would have more muscle mass than most WWE wrestlers from taking my B vitamin supplement, and yes it does contain B-12. I personally know at least one person who has to take B-12 shots for a medical condition and she doesn't look like a big mass of muscle. Roger Clemens is once again on the denial trail. His lawyer is insisting that Clemens tested negative for steroids back in 2003 and is not on the list of 104 players that did test positive. If that is true then why is a grand jury trying to decide whether or not to indict Clemens on perjury charges for denying steroid use in front of Congress? Funny thing about all of this is that both Palmeiro and Clemens are both on the list that's been leaked and all over the internet. If the NFL doesn't want Michale Vick back, the new United Football League does as long as there are no pending legal issues. If he does end up playing in the UFL, he'll be playing for Orlando. That would sure create buzz not only for the team, but maybe for the whole league. Gonna enjoy some fireworks tonight. Hope everyone else will be too. true

2009-07-04T13:20:30Z

88555 0 Just What We Need, More Steroids In Baseball Stories

2009-07-04T13:20:30Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/the_sports_gossip/blog/posts/88555

2009-06-08T18:55:48Z

The dirt on and off the field. 1250302 The Sports Gossip

2009-06-29T22:44:09Z

7255289

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/the_sports_gossip/blog the_sports_gossip http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/the_sports_gossip 241543 The relationship that fans have with athletes is amazing. The bond is strong. If the fans embrace you, there isn't anything that someone can say about you that would sway their thinking. Like any relationship, trust is a huge factor. we (as fans) need to be able to trust that we're not being lied too. We will pick you up when you are down, and we will support you will no one else will. We just ask one thing: don't lie or cheat on us. Wasn't it amazing how much we loved Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire? Home run after home run, we tuned in, we bought tickets. We really loved you guys, until... well... until your secrets came to light. You didn't even deny the rumors, it broke our hearts. You cheated on us all and we didn't even see it coming. Next there was Barry. There were rumors. We wanted to believe you. You denied everything and we wanted to trust you, but there was so much. Then, it became messy: FBI investigations started. It was over, and whats more is that you took something that we wanted. A few things actually. We want you to return our records, but we don't even know how to ask you. Our love affair with Rafeal Palmeiro was over before it began. Just as you were telling us how true you were, it blew up in your face. This might have been our easiest break up. Roger Clemens was heart wrenching. We gave you year after year of our best. We treated everytime we saw you as if it were our last. We never wanted to let you go. You seemed like everything we wanted in our athletes: passion, determination, no-nonsense winner mentality, and championship swagger. You had it all. And then out of the blue, Mitchell told us that you weren't being so truthful about everything; then Andy and Brian agreed. You did everything you could to tell us different, but more and more kept coming out. Finally, we just couldn't believe you anymore. It was over. Alex Rodrigues was supposed to be the one that made us feel good again. He told us that he wasn't lying, and we believed him. We never even suspected a thing. At least he admitted that he was wrong (about something), when we found out about him lying to us. Albert Pujos, please understand that we want to believe you, but we've been lied to and cheated on so often that its hard to know who to believe. Manny just broke our hearts again. David Ortiz hasn't been the same, since Manny left and has been hanging out someone who is known for helping people cheat. (i'm not saying i'm just saying) There has also been rumors about Raul Ibanez. (i'm not saying i'm just saying) Albert, if you have lied to or cheated on us please just tell us; we can handle it. If you've never did anything wrong, just understand that its so hard for us to tell the difference. Everyone has seemed truthful, just like you seem. Everyone else has seemed believable just as you are. If your not lying to us, please get all of our records back. As long as you stay true, with time we will eventually "love" again. true

2009-07-03T21:54:02Z

88543 0 The Fan-Athlete Love Affair

2009-07-03T21:54:02Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/OR.GSW.OA./blog/posts/88543

2008-05-07T20:03:36Z

241543 OR.GSW.OA.'s Blog

2008-05-07T20:03:36Z

1498360

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/OR.GSW.OA./blog OR.GSW.OA. http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/OR.GSW.OA. 5986 It seems as if MLB has been tarnished over the past decade with the use of steroids, HGH, and other illegal performance enhancing drugs.  With the fall of great players such as A-Rod, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Manny, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmero, who can we trust to be clean in the game of baseball today? That is why I bring up the topic of the Hall of Fame.  All of the players that I mentioned above were sure to be in if they hadn't of gotten caught, but do any of them still deserve to have the honor of being in the MLB Hall of Fame? true

2009-06-25T16:03:55Z

88095 0 Hall of Fame?

2009-06-25T16:03:55Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/jray_2007/blog/posts/88095

2008-04-10T03:49:24Z

5986 jray_2007's Blog

2008-04-10T03:49:24Z

1302020

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/jray_2007/blog jray_2007 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/jray_2007 1236127 What would prompt a young, fit professional football player to use steroids, especially with the new, stricter NFL rules? The NFL released a newly revised steroid use rule booklet earlier this year, which means that they're even more on top of catching these users than ever before. They may perform random drug testing, when the players least expect. Unusual behavior or sudden, noticeable increases in performance or strength may trigger suspicion at any time, resulting in drug testing for one of all of the players on the team. The use of steroids in sports is not a secret now. The BALCO scandal is eye opener for baseball buffs. The Game of Shadows, a book written by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle, reveals the facts about use of performance-enhancing drugs, including several different types of steroids and growth hormones by several baseball stars. The use of steroids in football is believed to have started in the early half of 20th century. The anabolic steroids came into sports arena in the 1940's and 1950's. FIFA banned the use of steroids in football in 1966, and the body has very strict policies on steroids. There hasn't been any high profile case about the use of steroids in football, but steroids in football are reportedly being used at school, college, and university level football. High use of steroids in football has been reported among young footballers. The lower agencies will have to little more vigilant to curb the use of steroids in football. Steroids are extremely dangerous drugs, and are nothing to play around with. They can cause heart disease, blood clots, strokes, liver damage and even cancer. Maybe some NFL players feel that since they are so young and healthy that steroids couldn't possibly have such serious effects on their bodies. This is a misconception, and they need to realize that they are not invincible. It doesn't matter how young or healthy a player may be; steroids will damage his body. They can even alter the production of testosterone in their bodies, resulting in decreased sex drive, low sperm count, enlarged prostate and even impotence. true

2009-06-14T05:53:33Z

87375 1 Steroids in American Football

2009-06-17T00:43:25Z

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Daniel12543/blog/posts/87375

2009-05-26T18:06:43Z

1236127 Daniel12543's Blog

2009-05-26T18:06:43Z

7198384

http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Daniel12543/blog Daniel12543 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Daniel12543