New York Nine

More than any team out there in the past decades, the Pittsburgh Pirates have prided themselves on being the worst of the worst in baseball. Okay, well maybe not outwardly, but since their days of Barry Bonds, there hasn't been a whole lot to be happy about for Pirates fans with 16 seasons of losing consecutively, tied for the record of all time, and chances are they're going to break it this year. However, since the hiring of Neal Huntington, formerly working with MLB there seems to be an attempt to field a competitive team in the future and I'm happy to see it.


Although you may have missed it the Pirates signed their All-Star, Gold-Glove center fielder Nat McLouth to a 3 year 15.75 million dollar deal with a 2012 team option. McLouth isn't exactly a household name, and his fielding metrics say he wasn't exactly deserving of a gold glove, but he clearly had an impressive breakout year and the Pirates responded in kind. At 27 McLouth posted a very respectable .276/.356/.497 line for the year after an incredible start to the year and the Pirates did a smart thing and locked him up for three of his prime years at a pretty reasonable price.


Of course critics could argue its a bad bet, that a guy who has a career year at 27 is bad news and its possible for sure, but I still think this is a move in the right direction. In years past they'd let a guy like McLouth leave or trade him because he was asking for too much in arbitration, but instead they're trying to keep talent around and I applaud them for that. Its a small step and they're taking other small steps to get it to work, so maybe in a few years they'll have a handful of talented young guys like those pesky rays did last year. Never know.

You know how I was saying about how I thought real men own up to mistakes, yeah well this douche, Bug Selig, is not one of them. Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball since 1992 (coincidentally around the time steroids became prevalent in the game) made some statements today basically absolving himself of all guilt for this entire era.

"I don't want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn't care about it," Selig told Newsday in a Monday phone interview. "That annoys the you-know-what out of me. You bet I'm sensitive to the criticism."


Oh I'm sorry Bud, you're sensitive to criticism? Well you're the commissioner of baseball pal, you've resided over the dirtiest era in the game, a time where guys were getting bigger and bigger and you did NOTHING for YEARS. Where were you when McGwire and Sosa were crushing home runs in 98'? How about Bonds? Oh that's right you didn't say a word, and why? Because everyone was happy! The money was coming in, fans were filling the seats, teams were getting rich TV contracts, and for it you are quite well compensated 18.35 million in 2007, why rock the boat? Indeed, Bud, if you're totally free of guilt, well then what the hell are you doing to deserve 18.35 million a year? Is making sure the game stays on the up and up not part of your job description?


Now Selig says he pushed for steroid testing as early as 1995, but he was met with strong resistance from the owners, fine great, but what did you do exactly to "push" for testing? I'll bet anything he gave a cursory attempt to get testing but when he was met with resistance he stopped, and why not? You've got a good thing going Bud, why start a war over something that isn't really a big deal right?


I'm being a little ridiclous, but really, I find this attempt of Selig to claim himself as blameless to be quite distasteful. Yes he's the commissoner he's not there in the clubhouse everyday seeing whats going on and his powers are limited, but I think its pretty clear if you look back that something wasn't right. Guys were bigger than ever, records that were once thought unbreakable were being smashed left and right, guys in their late 30s were having career years, isn't that a little funny? I mean yeah athletes are bigger and faster than ever, but their are limits to what someone can do with their body without a little help from chemistry.



For all the money he makes Bud should feel some blame for this mess. He resided over this mess, and he should have been more dilligent. He's not the only one to blame, certainly the players are the ones who allowed these things to be injected in them, but it's guys like Selig who turned a blind eye and allowed for this culture to exist. I'm not saying its all his fault, but its got to be at least PARTLY your fault Bud, its your league, own up to it.

God, just look at him, I mean yeah ESPN obviously took this photo to be unflattering, but tell me this image doesn't scream "douchebag." In truth it is very easy to hate this guy, so cold, so calculated, every step seemingly orchestrated and scripted, teeming with talent and yet seemingly always falling flat on his face whenever he has the chance. Consequently, its not at all surprising to me or anyone who's familiar with Alexander Emanuel Rodriguez the kind of response he'd get when it was found out he took steroids and in truth I can't blame them. He's always made it easy to hate him, even if you're a fan of his team, and his lone gold star, that being the White Knight of Good Clean Home Run Hitting, is forever tarnished, forever clouded in doubt. And now he meets the media finally to speak about his dark past to come clean, and again he is lambasted for it, mocked and ridiculed for it, but for this I don't think he deserves it.


I'm not here to argue that he's innocent or anything like that, he did a wrong thing and he should be singled out for it and be made to answer for it, but here's the thing, he DID answer for it. Alex could've done a lot of things when this came out, deny it up and down like Palmero, Tejada and so many others did, go to congress and make this a crusade against the accusors like Clemens did, or stand trail in a grand jury and lie until he's blue in the face like Bonds did. And yet Alex did none of those things, within 48 hours he came clean he went onto ESPN and spoke with the venerable Peter Gammons and said yes, yes I did take steroids, yes I did a terrible and regrettable thing, and I want everyone to know that I did.


Again, this in itself is unprecedented. Indeed, even Giambi only gave a news conference where he said he was sorry for "something" he never said steroids never said anything like that just that he felt bad. But Alex went further, Alex said okay I'll hold a press conference with all the media present and I'll let you fire away, I'll deal with the brunt of the sports media while they dished out their worse and he spilled his guts. He told him who gave it to him, how many times he took it, how he got it, how long he took it, I mean what else did you want from him, what he was wearing when he was injected? In brief, unlike any other accused steroid user he faced his detractors he took them head on and answered, and yet we are still unsatisfied, but why?



I have heard from many that his explainations were unsatisfactory, that he couldn't have not known what he was taking, that he's hiding behind "I was young and stupid" argument, and most of all that it was disengenious that he didn't seem real. Indeed, you have to consider, if he lied before, why would he stop now? What guarantee do we have that he's not juicing right now? And in truth there is now way for "sure" I am inclined to believe the majority of what he said despite this claims when you consider the situation.


I mean think about it, think about where A-Rod is right now, his career is on the brink of ruin, the only think he had going for him is gone now, now he's a douchebag AND he's dirty. His records are forever tarnished, and his legacy is in doubt, what does he have to lose at this point? He's already been called out as a liar, as a cheat, what good is lying about any stupid detail at this point? Is saying he got it from his cousin rather than another baseball player going to resuce his legacy? Hardly. And the "young and stupid" thing? Well shit I'm 24 and I've done some pretty dumb stuff this year too, is it possible a 24 year old with 252 million dollars in the bank wouldn't do something spectacuarly stupid?


I'm sure there are many who will find my take to be unconvicing, after all, I'm a yankee fan, I'm inclined to want to give a guy on my team a break. But I think that if you sift through the bullshit, A-Rod's past, his throughly irritating demeanor, I think the facts are pretty plain. Alex did something stupid but he's trying to own up to it, he's trying to put himself out there and say look I know I screwed up, but I'm trying to make good, I'm trying to atone for it. Maybe that's not enough for most people, but in my opinon it take a real man to own up to making a colossal mistake like this, and that's more than any of these other cheaters can say.

I'm a little late on this one, but one of my favorite days of the year have come to pass, pitchers and catchers report, everyone get happy! Okay sorry I'm getting carried away, but its hard to contain my excitement on this one, baseball is so close! As I've said before nothing really happens on this auspicious day but it signals the beginning of the thaw, football's a distant memory, the cold winter months are quickly ending as the days get longer and it isn't quite as miserable getting in my car in the morning because of the unbearable cold.


If you ever get the chance to go to a spring training game, please do so because its like nothing else you'll experience, its baseball, free of the bullshit and pretension, and in its place pure and unadulterated fun. Unlike a regular season game there's no buffer, no high fences and phalanx of security, its just some guys playing baseball. They happened to be all millionaires playing baseball, but we'll forget about that for now, this is just some guys having fun.


It's only a few days before games start and that's where the real fun begins, but for now we can be satisfied knowing that baseball is here, and with it the promise of a new season. enjoy.

So this is the response from the mighty Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after losing out Mark Texiera, they sign 35 year old Bobby Abreu to a one year 5 million deal, yes they should be fine. Okay I'm being unfair about Bobby, he was an excelent and very valuable part of the yankees the last two and a half years and in truth they got him at a bargin. A few months ago, it was seen as unbelievable that the Yankees didn't offer him arbitration that would have given him a cool 16 million, but instead he's taking his laudable skills to Anaheim for a 69% pay cut. Yet when you consider the offense they lost in allowing Texiera to walk and the current gaping hole at first you have to wonder if the Angels are just not going to be that good this year.


As I said earlier, the Angels are getting a great deal of value in return for their 5 million investment in Bobby. He's a guy that does many things well, hits for power, hits for average, steals bases and isn't afraid to take a walk or two. Indeed, Abreu throughout his career has done many things well as he is the only player in major-league history with 200 home runs, 300 stolen bases, a .400 on-base percentage and a .300 batting average, not even Barry Bonds or Rickey Henderson can say that. But in reality, this is not the player that the Angels are getting exactly, Bobby's days of big power numbers and even big on-base numbers seem to be something of the past, in the last two years his OBP dipping below .400 for the first two times in his career and his slugging % into the mid .400s after being a career .500 slugger his whole career. And what's more you have to figure even those modest numbers will see a drop even further as Bobby moves to much weaker lineup and hitting at a park that is not as advantageous to left handed hitters as yankee stadium was. Of course you could point to the fact that he has driven in a 100 runs every season for the last 7 years, but I consider this a bi-product of hitting in the middle of the order of good lineups (come on, he's been the yankees 3 hitter for the last years, i think its pretty hard not to drive a 100 runs in with that lineup).


Defensively, Abreu is a liability is as well. Well known for his reputation of being scared of the outfield wall, his reputation seems to jive with his fielding metrics. Bill James' fielding bible rates him as the worst right fielder in the game defensively, and now a year older I don't see him getting any better.


The other issue for the Angels is where the hell is he going to play for them. As I write the Angels already have four very well paid outfielders, torii hunter, juan rivera, gary matthews jr., and vlad (as well as a very talented reggie willits), what are they going to do with all of them? you could slot vlad at DH and bobby in right field but that still leaves left field to deal with, where are all these highly paid guys going to play? For a team that cried poverty when Texiera was demanding more years they certainly have a lot of money wasted on superfluous players.


Finally, there is the issue of the gaping hole left by Mark Texiera. Manny gets all the press for his second half surge with the dodgers but Mark was no slouch either for the angels, posting a crazy .358/.449/.632 line, i mean that's ridiclous. Now you take that out of their lineup and try to bandage it wtih a guy who didn't even slug .450 and an unproven first baseman in kendry morales you have to wonder if the Angels are going to have some problems scoring runs this year.


Now I might be viewing this move too critically. After all, everyone has their financial limits and its hard to compete with the yankees when they want someone on the free agent market. As a consequence the angels went out and got a guy who does many of the things texiera did well, hit for average and get on base, while at the fraction of the cost. Whats more is that the angels always seem to defy statistical analysis, seemingly able to stomp the competition while not having a potent lineup but instead relying on a fantastic pitching staff and speed in the field and on the bases, they just find ways to win regardless. But with a considerably weaker lineup and stalwarts like vlad a year older and garret anderson seemingly gone you have to wonder if their ability to defy convention any longer.

I'm getting kind of tired of writing about steriods, but this is really the biggest story in baseball for sometime, it warrants a great deal of press. Well it was a quick and seemingly from the heart response from A-Rod, within 48 hours of the report coming out, Alex came clean to ESPN's Peter Gammons, telling him that yes indeed he did take steroids from 2001 to 2003 while with the Texas Rangers.

After lying once already it is somewhat hard to believe anythign the man says, but I have to say he gave a convincing case. Saddled with the expectations of being the highest paid player ever while only the tender age of 25, Alex felt the pressure that came along with it. So in response he did something foolish, something he knew was illegal and wrong but he did it because he felt he needed to "prove" that he was every bit worth that 252 million dollar deal the rangers gave him. For sure, with a 13 percent increase of home runs and posting his highest career slugging percentages, it seems very plausible that

He said he has stopped since then which is of course kind of suspcious (after all wouldn't the added pressure of playing for the yankees give him all the more impetus to take steriods?) I am somewhat inclined to believe the man. I have not seen the interview in its entirety, but it seems geniune, from the heart and the words of a truly regretful man. There's a lot to not like about Alex, but I fould it hard to not feel a little bit for the guy, he fucked up and he realized this is no small error.

I hope that this takes the heat off a little bit and eventually fans and writers alike can forgive him a little bit over time. He gets enough bad press from people and as I have mentioned he's not exactly alone when it comes for the blame for this entire era in baseball, it was an epidemic that has left us very few stars who haven't been found out. Good move on A-Rod's part just coming straight out and fessing up, not that the new york tabloids will make it any easier on him.