The Sammy Sosa BS ...

[Bubba]

I realize that it is quite possible that Sammy used performance enhancing drugs. I can't deny that. I am not a Sosa fan, necessarily, nor a Cubs fan. But, I think this news coming out is all BS.

First off, these tests were supposed to be anonymous. Why is this information getting out. It is not fair to the 2 players who have been identified. Why are these the only 2 who have been released (including A-Rod)? If this list is floating around, why are some being protected while others are being identified? It makes me skeptical.

My point here is that I don't trust the media very much these days. Look at the publicity this guy from the NY Times is getting right now. With their rep, who knows if this guy is even providing accurate info. Of course, his source will be confidential and nothing will be able to be verified. It's all about making news and selling add space. I'm tired of it.






On another note, it is refreshing that Donte Stallworth accepted repsonsibility for his actions in the drunk driving accident. I wish that more professional athletes would be willing to accept responsility when they do something wrong instead of hiding behind their well paid lawyers. Thanks for listening ...

 

[WabashFalcon]

True... but if ANYONE other than a pro athlete cops to a drunk driving manslaughter, the sentence is going to be much, much more harsh.

 

[Steve]

True... but if ANYONE other than a pro athlete cops to a drunk driving manslaughter, the sentence is going to be much, much more harsh.

they said a lawyer or a doctor or anyone else with a bunch of money would've gotten the same deal. he payed the family a ton of money.

 

[IrishAlum1997]

Yes, it is too bad that the report was leaked when they are supposed to be confidential. But I have a hard time buying that Sammy Sosa (or any other 'roided up athlete) should get any compassion for cheating to further their careers (and incomes). You get caught cheating, you're fair game. Make the info public and let the fans that support you decide if they want to continue to support you buy going to games and buying your jersey.

Yet another reason why unions are bad.

 

[leahy's lads]

In my humble opinion, these steroid busts are old and played out.......we need to move on from here. This is something that gets too much attention. Each week, I wonder to myself, who will be a target of this tiresome BS????

 

[BGIF]

they said a lawyer or a doctor or anyone else with a bunch of money would've gotten the same deal. he payed the family a ton of money.

Like a U.S. Senator drunk driving a date into the drink.

 

[BGIF]

... But I have a hard time buying that Sammy Sosa (or any other 'roided up athlete) should get any compassion for cheating to further their careers (and incomes). You get caught cheating, you're fair game. ...

It's not like Sammy has rep for cheatin'. It wasn't his fault the he used a loaded practice bat during a game and got caught. An honest mistake. That bat just happened to look like all the rest of his bats.

 

[TDHeysus]

In my humble opinion, these steroid busts are old and played out.......we need to move on from here. This is something that gets too much attention. Each week, I wonder to myself, who will be a target of this tiresome BS????

I agree it is played out, but take a look from the side of a player who didnt use steriods. who went thru all the workouts, and the back to back games, who lost out on a big contract because ppl like Brady Anderson hit 50HR's. But at the same time, these non-users kept their mouth shut and didnt rat anyone out(except canseco, and that was only after he was hippocritically blackballed). What did they get for all this? they got to play in an era that almost every stat is questioned, they got lumped in with the guys that brought everything down. Even though they did the right things, they are still guilty by association. At the very least, their numbers are seriously questioned.

Sosa and Bonds both are poster boys for steriods. Look at bonds when he was with Pittsburgh, and Sosa when he first started. Both of them were 'small' guys. Both of their belts looked like they wrapped around them 3 times! Now look at Sosa during those HR years, dude had huge shoulders, upper body, and an alarming block-head. Same with bonds, a smaller guy, who blew up over the years, and he had the same block-head that Sosa had. Bonds didnt have that size, or that blockhead while in Pitt.

I know they have never officially tested positive for 'roids, but that doesnt mean that it didnt happen. and they make it look bad for everyone that was actually following the rules. (which is beginning to look like a very small number)

 

[jason_h537]

This is a complete shocker, Sammy Sosa used roids. Gimme a break screw all these guys who cheated. How can you have sympathy for guys like Sosa, or Sheffield, or Canseco who have their names on top of the Home Run lists with the greats. Griffey never cheated, he should be the home run king but poor guy got injured.

 

[Bubba]

Don't get me wrong. I don't feel sorry for any of these guys. They cheated and they deserve the ridicule they get. But, how can we know the validity of this list if names are being leaked as they are. Did this writer see the list? And, if so, why did he only point the finger at Sammy? I just think that one way or the other something needs to change. Either the whole list needs to be published for all to see, or it needs to remain anonymous as it was intended. Imagine if you had to take an anonymous test at work and only your results were leaked to everyone while all the others remained anonymous. I just think it's BS.

 

[BGIF]

...I know they have never officially tested positive for 'roids, but that doesnt mean that it didnt happen. and they make it look bad for everyone that was actually following the rules. (which is beginning to look like a very small number)

a very small number indeed.

 

[jason_h537]

Don't get me wrong. I don't feel sorry for any of these guys. They cheated and they deserve the ridicule they get. But, how can we know the validity of this list if names are being leaked as they are. Did this writer see the list? And, if so, why did he only point the finger at Sammy? I just think that one way or the other something needs to change. Either the whole list needs to be published for all to see, or it needs to remain anonymous as it was intended. Imagine if you had to take an anonymous test at work and only your results were leaked to everyone while all the others remained anonymous. I just think it's BS.

If you took a drug test at work and the results remained anonymous to the public, the people who failed the drug test would still likely be fired.

 

[TDHeysus]

......Griffey never cheated, he should be the home run king but poor guy got injured......

Let me first state, I dont think Griffey, JR used Steroids, but in the end, I dont know. Junior is one of all time favorite ball players

Junior is a perfect example of what this steroid era has done. Look at his career, he was great right from the start, hitting HR's like a HR king. Then his body broke down, and broke down again, then broke down again. he has never been the same since the mid to late 90's(except 2005). You could make the argument, being it is in the steroid era, that steroids broke his body down. at the very least, it has the appearance of a possible steroid abuse.

Again, I dont think junior used steroids (it certainly would NOT shock me if I found he did) but from the outside looking in, you could make the argument that steroids was the reason his body broke down, and in today's era the cloud of suspicion is all that is needed.

That is how the 'good guys' get lumped in with the 'roid users. Let us not forget, A-Rod and Maniaco was one of the 'good guys' until recently too.

I still like Manny Ramirez tho (ode lea Maniaco!!!!)


Steroids nowadays is like marijuana - you shouldnt be surpirsed when you hear that someone is using it.

 

[Bubba]

If you took a drug test at work and the results remained anonymous to the public, the people who failed the drug test would still likely be fired.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. The MLB tests were non-retribution type tests. I was going with the same scenario, however unlikely that might be.

The media is just killing baseball with dragging this out. They need to just come clean. Get it all out and over with so we can move past it. At this point I don't care who's on the list. For all I know the real number of players using greatly exceeded the 7% caught during these tests. Some of the guys were probably smart enough to quit using as soon as the talk about testing started up.

 

[BGIF]

... The media is just killing baseball with dragging this out. They need to just come clean. Get it all out and over with so we can move past it. ...

Now just wait a minute. "The media is just killing baseball ..."

The media didn't juice up. The players did.

The media didn't cover it up. The Player's Union did.

The media didn't threaten a strike over testing. The players did.

The media didn't refuse to do anything about it. Major League Baseball Inc, and The Owners did.

Yeah, let's pummel the media.

As for killing baseball, have you seen the ticket prices at Yankee Stadium?

Have you looked at the minimum salaries for rookies? Or the Million Dollar a Game pitchers? Jason Giambi's PERSONAL trainer in the locker room? The resurgence of 40 year olds not only playing but excelling in professional baseball?

The media's killing baseball, right.

To paraphrase Gordon Gecko, "Baseball is Good!"

 

[Bubba]

Wow, did I hit a nerve? Are you in the media?

You are right, the media isn't to blame, but they sure as hell enjoy profiting over the faults of others.

And, while we're pointing fingers, lets just keep pointing. The fans still pay the outrageous money to go to these events. The fans want to see the monsterous homeruns and the dominating play of great pitchers. We don't want to see normal, we don't want to see average. We want to be amazed by their talent. Apparently there's just not enough of that around unless they are juicing.

I'm not saying the MLB isn't responsible for all of this, I'm just saying this is being handled in the wrong manner. And the media is a part of that whether they like it or not. They don't just report news anymore; they need the big headlines to keep advertising dollars up. And, we the consumer, are a part of that.

And, I disagree with Gordon; Greed is not good.

 

[TDHeysus]

Wow, did I hit a nerve? Are you in the media?

You are right, the media isn't to blame....

I think in most cases, not all, the media cant be blamed....do we blame a bunch of vultures for picking at a carcass? Just like I dont blame my cat for getting into the trash......
its a cat being a cat, a vulture being a vulture, and a reporter being a reporter. Lets look at the source!!!

i like what Konerko said, (paraphrasing)anonymous sources cant be taken seriously. Either step up and be accountable, or dont say anything at all. If you cant stand behind your statement, then your information should be disregarded.


A man I repect alot once told me that if you cant sign your name to a document, then that document will hold no credence.

 

[BGIF]

Wow, did I hit a nerve? Are you in the media?

Hit my nerve, no. If you had hit my nerve your monitor would probably be melted.

I believe accountability starts with the individual that took the action. The one that lit the match and started the fire. Not the one who yelled, "Fire". By your reasoning Nixon should have been allowed to finish his term. It was the media that made all the fuss. Nixon was only a conspirator in a botched B&E (I'm not a cop either) the media made it into fraud, money laundering, a constitutional crisis, a book, a movie, and a movement. If only someone had shot Woodward and Bernstein it all would have gone away. Think about Watergate, it was fueled by an anonymous source. Think back to the movie, "All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestry, but they don't say the story isn't accurate." Ben Bradlee. If Nixon's boys had simply denied the story it was all over. Woodward and Berstein would have been covering Flower Shows.

If the people running the Willowbrook State School had done there job we wouldn't have to put up with Geraldo uncovering Capones loot or drawing troop movements in the sand on live TV during a war.

Am I in the media, nope. But I've been misquoted by them, more than once. By full disclaimer, I was Sports Editor of my college newspaper (it was free) and I covered recruiting for the Irish Recruiting Journal (also gratus).

You are right, the media isn't to blame, but they sure as hell enjoy profiting over the faults of others.

Only since news services began. Did you miss Citizen Kane?

And, while we're pointing fingers, lets just keep pointing. The fans still pay the outrageous money to go to these events. The fans want to see the monsterous homeruns and the dominating play of great pitchers. We don't want to see normal, we don't want to see average. We want to be amazed by their talent. Apparently there's just not enough of that around unless they are juicing.

I stopped going after The Strike. How about you?

... They don't just report news anymore; ...

What's new? Mark Twain and Will Rogers made a lot of money a long time ago lampooning the media for not reporting the news. "I only know what I read in the newspapers."

... they need the big headlines to keep advertising dollars up. And, we the consumer, are a part of that.

Yes they do. I believe the term, "Yellow Journalism" goes back before the Spanish American War. You really need to watch Citizen Kane. BTW, Pulitzer was as dirty as Hearst. Ironic that the prize for outstanding journalism is name after a guy that sunk to the depths journalism.

And, I disagree with Gordon; Greed is not good.

I didn't agree with him. I merely paraphrased him.

However the CEO's, CFO's, COO's and a huge number of the employees of Lehman Brothers, CountryWide, Bear Sterns, Goldman Sachs, Mortgage companies, Enron, the oil industry, pharmacueticals, hedgefund traders, Michael Milkin, Healthsouth, HMOs, General Motors, etc, etc, etc, and ... Congress agree with Gordon by their actions. And we the consumer are part of that as well.

 

[jason_h537]

As for killing baseball, have you seen the ticket prices at Yankee Stadium?

Have you looked at the minimum salaries for rookies? Or the Million Dollar a Game pitchers? Jason Giambi's PERSONAL trainer in the locker room? The resurgence of 40 year olds not only playing but excelling in professional baseball?

Esactly how the fuck does Roger Clemens win a Cy young at 43. I want every player who failed to be made public, let them go thrue the embarrasment of tarnashing the game. Now i cant say for certian, but look at a guy like Chipper Jones. he appears clean, has realistic numbers, and plays the game the right way. Hes not belting 40+ homers any more. Thats what a player in his late 30's should look like

 

[MeanGreen]

As an "old School" fan of baseball, this steroid era thing bugs me. Its not the deadball era when the ball was made different or the era of big fields, hell it is not even the cocaine era. These guys are basically spitting the face of the history of the game. Yes, Babe smoked, drank,and fooled around, but none of that improved his performance, or did it. None of the other stars were saints, but the played the game and upheld its history and tradition. These guys don't care, they want all the records they can get because it means more money. They want all the money too. I love baseball continue to go to games, but just don't like what it has become. I want the other 103 guys names revealed also. Why should only two guys be revealed. Let the rest out, at this point who cares. It could not hurt the game anymore.

 

[jason_h537]

Preach

 

[leahy's lads]

simply put......we all seem to be offenders


how many people........chew tobacco......smoke cigarettes.......smoke grass......drink beer, wine, mixed drinks.......how many women use birth control pills........there is a fix for everything these days......alcohol is consumed in large quantities but because it is accepted in society it is no big deal to most people......but it causes many deaths and it is a drug......... we are all guilty in some shape or form. IMHO

 

[BGIF]

simply put......we all seem to be offenders


how many people........chew tobacco......smoke cigarettes.......smoke grass......drink beer, wine, mixed drinks.......how many women use birth control pills........there is a fix for everything these days......alcohol is consumed in large quantities but because it is accepted in society it is no big deal to most people......but it causes many deaths and it is a drug......... we are all guilty in some shape or form. IMHO

Yeah, let's bring back the 18th Amendment! Where's the Women's Temperance Union, The Anti-Saloon League, and Andrew Volstead when we need them?



What does that have to do with baseball performance improvement?

MeanGreen wrote:

Yes, Babe smoked, drank,and fooled around, but none of that improved his performance ...

 

[BGIF]

Jackson: No cheaters in Hall

Reggie Jackson has watched his stats get diminished as players in the steroid era have put up monster numbers -- and he's not happy about it. And now he says keep them all out of the Hall of Fame.