July 2007

     Regardless of what has transpired, my opinion on Barry Bonds has always remained the same.  He is simply one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game.  He deserves a standing ovation no matter what stadium he plays in, this is a man that has been unfairly been crucified for the sins of a whole generation of athletes.  Even before his hat size increased two inches he was a lock for Cooperstown.  Now he is simply the greatest baseball player to ever live, and whether or not he’s done it all naturally is immaterial.

            In a few weeks we are all going to be asked to take a stance on this situation, it’s no longer going to be an issue of if or when, its a now thing.  The steroid era in baseball happened, and maybe it was the locomotive that carried McGwire, Sosa and Bonds right past Ruth, Roger Marris, and Hank, or maybe it wasn’t.  Nothing can proved, and you have to remember, the drugs weren’t illegal at the time.  You don’t think there were days that Marris took speed when he needed a little lift?  You’re sorely mistaken.  How about the pitchers that come back from elbow surgery and all of the sudden have five extra miles on their fastball, are we going to start complaining about surgery enhanced players?  It’s ridiculous for us to speculate about things that have already happened.  The only thing we can do is go back and erase the entire history of the game following the 1994 strike, which is completely asinine.  There is absolutely no way to fix it. 

            You just simply have to accept Bonds for what he is, with the notion of the era he was a part of.  Watching Bond’s career, it has been amazing to see him adapt to the changes in the game, which is the first thing you need to understand to be able to comprehend his greatness.  No one realized how special he was at first, even back in 2000 he wasn’t included in the top ten outfielders on baseball’s All-Century Team.  His career is almost like a Broadway production that has been broken up into three acts. 

            The first act began in 1986 when he was a slender kid breaking in with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  During this period he was more of a threat to steal a base than to knock one into the seats.  He was more of a slap hitter that put as many grounders into play as fly balls.  In 1990 Bonds was becoming a more developed player who was beginning to become as a power threat, but more he was more along the lines of an Alfonso Soriano-type than Mark McGwire.  Besides his record season of 73 in 2001, the only other time he lead the league in homers was in 1993, when he hit 46.  Bonds won four of his seven MVP’s during this period, including three straight from 1990-92 (the other coming in 1997).  The biggest change in Bonds game was that he was beginning to put more lift on the ball, thus leading to the home runs.  His ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio fluctuated between 71:100 and 87:100.

            The third Bonds, the one that has become the villain of baseball, showed up in 1998.  There has been a lot of speculation that he was jealous of the acclaim that McGwire and Sosa were garnering with their heroics, but we’ll leave that for the gossip columnists over at that San Francisco Chronicle that decided to publish a book.  Again, the big change in his game was the ground-to-fly ratio, which has decreased every year since then.  It is now at an almost staggering 2-1 rate.  This shows that he is now looking to go deep instead of just getting on base, other wise there wouldn’t be as much arc on his swing. 

            No matter what he was doing, he was always a great player.  Until he fails a urine test, or baseball implements a more stringent testing policy there is nothing that can be done.  Maybe if he was the only guy doing to roids then maybe we could go and burn crosses in his front yard, but that’s not the case.  I haven’t seen a big back lash towards Rafeal Palmerio.  Why, because he hasn’t done anything as significant as Barry.  What about Gary Sheffield, he admitted that he “accidentally” used the cream (or was it the clear, what’s the difference again?).  There have been so many names implemented in this thing that I can’t even keep track of them all.

            Think the Rocket never used ‘roids?  Remember back in October when his name was supposedly brought up in Jason Grimsley’s affidavit?  If not let me give you a little refresher.

1. The LA Times reported that an anonymous source with access to the unedited version of the affidavit, leaked the names and its contents, but failed to provide the actual document.   The Times states they also had a second source that provided further details.  The document names Miguel Tejada, Jay Gibbons, and Brian Roberts as users of anabolic steroids, and Clemens and Andy Pettitte as users of performance-enhancing drugs.2. The same Times report also said it was Clemens and Pettitte’s former strength and conditioning coach, Brian McNamee, who referred Grimsley to a source that supplied him with steroids, human growth hormone, and amphetamines when all three played in New York in 1999 and 2000. McNamee’s inclusion in the document has not really been disputed.3. ESPN cited three sources when it reported that in June, the Orioles’ front office held seperate meetings with Tejada, Gibbons and Roberts to inform the players that their names were rumored to be on the affidavit, and that they should all consult their lawyers. This corroborates at least the other half of the Times report. It stands to reason Clemens and Pettitte would have received the same warning.4. ESPN’s Dan Patrick said he received a fax of the affidavit in June from a source that has proved to be reliable in the past. The copy had the redacted names written in. Patrick took the information to the ESPN baseball people, but they couldn’t corroborate the information and therefore didn’t publish a story. Now that multiple reports have confirmed Patrick’s source form June, he revealed on his radio show that Clemens was also on his copy of the affidavit.5. Clemens seemed to know he was mentioned in the affidavit. As mentioned above he was likely warned by MLB officials when he responded with controlled aggression in answering questions about the report. He attacked Grimsley, even threatening to sue him if he lost endorsements due to this.

Did somebodies head get a little bigger over the years?

According to “Baseball’s Steroid ERA” this is when Clemens began working with McNamee.

 It was at this time Clemens started working with strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee. Clemens continued his renaissance and dominance winning two consecutive Cy Young awards including the pitching triple crown in 1996 despite poor Blue Jays teams that finished last in the east in 1996 and third in 1997 (but still 26 games out). After the season, Clemens orchestrated a trade to the Yankees bringing along McNamee.Jason Grimsley played in New York in 1999 and 2000. It was at this time Grimsley is said to have met and been referred to an amphetamine source by McNamee. From that source Grimsley reportedly acquired amphetamines, steroids and human growth hormone. While Grimsley has never referred anyone to that source, he said he was certain that ‘boatloads’ of other players have gotten drugs from the same source.After years of working with Clemens and Andy Pettitte among others, in 2000 McNamee was hired by the Yankees as their strength and conditioning coach. When his contract was not renewed in 2002 the club gave no explanation. It is speculated the end of his tenure in New York was due to his being questioned in 2001 in connection with an alleged sexual assault in the pool at the Yankee team hotel in St Petersburg, Florida where police said the victim may have ingested GHB, a date-rape drug.

            All the evidence is there, his head has gotten bigger, his body build has changed drastically, the leaked documents.  This is all the stuff that was used to write The Game of Shadows.  So why hasn’t there been a big backlash towards Roger?  Is is because of race?  Maybe because his effect on the game hasn’t been as dramatic?  Who knows, but this witch hunt has to stop.

            The reason I’m telling you all of this is because it’s not fair to let Barry be the fall guy for all of this.  Maybe he did take steroids, but so did a whole era, he simply did it bigger and better than everyone else.  He was one of the greatest players to ever live before all the talk started, so instead of getting yourself all worked up over it, just sit back and appreciate the great and astonishing things he’s doing.  You’d be surprised how much you can actually enjoy this experience without holding reservations.  Try to enjoy one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history.

by Nick Underhill

I hate to admit this, but I’ve never voted for anything in my life except for All-star games.  It’s not because I’m too young, I’ve been eligible for two presidential elections.  The truth is, I just simply don’t pay enough attention to these things.  On the surface I know the names, what they look like, but I don’t delve too much deeper than that.  This same mentality is the problem that has plagued All-Star voting for as long as I can remember.  

            I take my voting very seriously, even when I was a little kid I checked and compared stats before placing an “X” next to a name. I used to hate when Ken Griffey Jr. would win a starting spot when he hadn’t appeared in a game since May.  Or how Grant Hill managed to be an All-star season after season when he never suited up for a game.  It just shows how uninformed people are.  They only know the people that are being pushed by Fox and ESPN.  Albert Pujols and the Cardinals vs. Prince Fielder and the Brewers, Tonight on Fox!

            People were simply voting by name recognition, so other less known players were being snubbed.  I’m sorry, but there is no way that Carlos Beltran or Alfonso Soriano is more deserving than a breakout player like Corey Hart, but we’ll get to that later. 

This also a time I like to implement a little thing I like to call the “Sandlot Theory.”  It’s a fairly simple tool that I use as a measuring stick to compare players against one another.  Basically, I just think to myself if I were picking up at the local park which player would I rather have.  That’s it.  Sounds pretty ridiculous doesn’t it?  If the Sandlot Theory was in effect then blunders like Dimitri Young being selected for the team over Jimmy Rollins or Hanley Ramirez wouldn’t happen.  Seriously, would you ever pick Dimitri over those guys in any facet of life?  Whether it’s in a fantasy draft, a pick-up game, or as a general manager?  That’s what I thought.

So after putting in some work and doing some serious research and with the Sandlot Theory in full effect, I’ve put together the first inaugural I.W.S. All-stars.

American League 

Catcher:  Victor Martinez, Cleveland .323 average, 14 home runs, 63 RBI

Fan’s pick:   Ivan Rodriguez, Detorit .283, 8, 43

            The Tigers fans were out in full force this year for voting, and can you blame them?  For the first time in years, even decades, they actually have something to cheer about.  Their like the guy that has been drinking for 30 years that finally found AA.  Now all of the sudden he’s going to three meetings a day and trying to save the world.  It’s a nice change of pace, and very admirable, but at the same token, annoying. 

            One thing that bothers me about the voting is that a lot of people use the previous season as a measuring stick.  In no way, shape or form should it be used as a factor in decision making at all.  If we are voting off of last years credentials then you could make a case for Andruw Jones even though he is currently hitting under .200.  

            The reason I bring this up is because a lot of people have used Rodriguez 2006 stats to make a case in ’07.  He is putting up solid numbers, but this is far from an All-Star caliber year.  There are at least two players that are more deserving than him.  My starter would have been Victor Martinez, and then backing him would have been Jorge Posada. 

First Base:  Justin Morneau, Minnesota .280,20,61

Fan’s pick:  David Ortiz, Boston  .318, 13,49  

            Can’t really complain too much about the fans voting in Papi, but he wasn’t my first choice.  Morneau missed some time and is still smoking him in both RBI and home runs.  I just think that Ortiz should be among the league leaders in RBI with that high powered offense getting on base for him, but then again Julio Lugo was the leadoff hitter in Beantown for a while. 

Second Base:  B.J. Upton, TampaBay .320, 9, 31, 13 stolen bases

Fan’s pick:  Placido Plonaco, Detroit  .333, 2, 36, 3

            I love that the fans put Polanco in there.  It’s good to see him get some recognition and I am truly impressed by this, but I just feel that BJ Upton should have been rewarded for his break-out year.  He’s putting up great numbers while playing in Tampa Bay, if he were in a high powered offense like Detroit’s, his numbers would increase significantly.  It’s a shame that guys like him get lost in the smaller markets.

Shortstop:  Carlos Guillen, Detroit  .323, 12, 59

Fan’s pick:  Derek Jeter, New York  .335, 5, 38, 7

            Not only should have Guillen beat Jeter out for the starting spot, Orlando Cabrerra should be the reserve for this position.  I respect everything that Jeter has done in this game, how he plays it, the fact that he is the ultimate team player.  Really I get it, but he it’s gotten to the point that he is now a member of the Grant Hill All-Stars, meaning that he will get voted in no matter the circumstances.  These two guys are far more deserving of the spot.  Cabrerra is having a career year (.342, 9, 43, 9), eclipsing DJ in every single statistical category.  Over the last month the guy has been hitting .385, one of the highest marks in baseball.  Guillen has been added as a reserve, but there is no excuse for the Cabrerra snub, besides ignorance.  Where was Jim Leyland on this one?  Is he unaware of the kind of season this kid is having?

Third Base:  Alex Rodriguez, New York  .330, 28, 79, 9

Fan’s pick:   Alex Rodriguez

            Seriously, was there any other option?  The New York Post couldn’t have kept him out of this spot if they published pictures of him in bed with Selig’s wife.  He’s just that hot right now.   The only thing left for him to do is become the first $30 million a year man.

Outfielders:  Magglio Ordonez, Detroit  .370, 13, 68

                    Torii Hunter,  Minnesota  .348, 13, 62, 11

                     Vladamir Guerrero, Los Angeles  .329, 14, 72

                     Honorable Mention:  Gary Sheffield, Detroit  .290, 18, 52, 11 

Fan’s Picks:  Vladimir Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle  .365, 5, 39, 23 

            I’m not too surprised by the selections here, Ordonez is leading the league in average, Vlad is a beast, and Ichiro is from Japan.  He has a whole country voting for him; which has contributed to him becoming the president of the Grant Hill All-Stars.  The guy could be hitting .192 and still make the team.  Not, that he is undeserving, the man is a hitting machine, and a hell of a ball player.  Although he has lost a step over the years.  The biggest shocker is that Daisuke didn’t make the team, I expected for him to have the same fan base. 

Pitching staff: 

     No real complaints here, we matched up fairly well.  I had Haren (9-2, 1.91 ERA, 93 K) as my ace, followed by:  Johan Santana (9-6, 2.76, 120), Sabathia (12-2, 3.20, 116), Josh Beckett (11-2, 3.38, 83), John Lackey (10-5, 2.99, 82), Verlander (9-3, 3.18, 90) and Jeremy Guthrie of Baltimore (4-1, 2.45, 62).  They have Gil Meche (5-6, 3.28, 83), who was used as the obligatory representative from

     The thing that surprised me is that Santana had to be added on by

            We also matched up on closers with Putz, Francisco Rodriguez, and Papelbon.

National League 

Catcher:  Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers  .296, 9, 52

Fan’s pick:  Russell Martin

            Not too much wiggle room here.  Brian McCann (.261, 7, 41) is the closest competition which is pretty much like Bill Russell posting up on Kwame Brown.  Let’s put it this way, the Royals’ John Buck (.249, 14, 28) probably could have won a spot on this team if he was playing in the National League.  There just isn’t much depth at this position.

First Base:  Prince Fielder, Milwaukee  .284, 27, 66

Fan’s pick:  Prince Fielder

            The league leader in homeruns is an absolute lock here, no questions asked.  The only complaint I have is Derrick Lee getting the reserve spot over Albert Pujols, who had to be added on by Tony La Russa.  Sure Lee is hitting .340 to Albert’s .309, but Pujols has him crippled in homers (14 to 6), and also edges him out in RBI (48 to 40).  The other move that I have to question is the manager’s decision to add Dimitri Young on as a reserve.  I respect what he has done this year, but let’s get serious.  I would think that Fielder, Pujols, and Lee would provide plenty of depth here, especially when there are more deserving players. 

Second Base:  Chase Utley, Philadelphia  .327, 15,66

Fan’s pick:  Chase Utley

            You can pretty much go and pencil this one in for the next decade.

Shortstop:  JJ Hardy, Milwaukee  .281, 18, 57

Fan’s pick:  Jose Reyes .317, 4, 34, 39

            This was one of the hardest decisions I had to make on the ballot.  I honestly went back and forth between this one about 20 times, finally deciding on Hardy.  Reyes is the most exciting player in the game and Hardy could quite possibly be the strongest shortstop in the game.  So who do you choose?  If I’m starting a franchise and have to pick a short stop, I’m going with Reyes.  For an All-Star game, I want the guy that’s going to knock in some runs.  For how crafty Reyes is running the bases he doesn’t really score that many runs.  His total of 55 only beats out Hardy by 8, which played heavily in my decision making.

Third Base:  Miguel Cabrera, Florida  .328, 17, 57

Fan’s pick:  David Wright, New York  .288, 14, 44 

            Cabrera simply has better numbers, and in my eyes is the better baseball player.  He should have his place cemented in the upper echelon, but somehow always manages to get overlooked.  I know people knock him all the time for his fitness level, but it seems to me that he has proved time and again that it isn’t a factor.  I could really care less if he’s cramming down snack cakes between innings as long as he’s putting up great numbers.  Look at Prince Fielder, has been running from a diet like Tank Johnson runs from the police.  Eventually it’s going to happen, or they’ll eat their way out of the league.  But for the time being, whatever they’re doing works. 

            Bottom line, if you put Cabrera in New York he’s winning this spot every single year.  He’s been lost down in Florida, there’s a lot of great talent there, the media just needs to recognize.

Outfield: 

                 Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati  .289, 21, 50

                 Corey Hart, Milwaukee  .300, 10, 31

                 Matt Holliday, Colorado  .348, 13, 62

Fan’s picks:  Barry Bonds, San Francisco  .302, 16, 38                    

Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati  .289, 21, 50

Carlos Beltran, New York  .277, 14, 49 

            I know I said earlier that past accomplishments shouldn’t matter, but for every role there is an exception.  This year, its Barry Bonds.  The guy is chasing the most hallowed record in baseball, the festivities are in the field that he built, so there is no way that you exclude him from the event.  With the stats he has posted thus far, he more than deserves the nod, but his RBI total is abysmal for a power hitter, so he only makes my squad as an alternate.

 We matched up on Griffey.  I had this guy wrote of for dead, he was one of those athletes that always made you wonder what could have been, then all of the sudden he comes out of no where and starts putting up stellar numbers.  I got to tip my hat to this man, he deserves this success, even if it is too little too late.

 So that leaves us with Corey Hart.  I know this selection has more than one person saying, “who the hell is that?”  He’s this years break-out player that nobody had on their radar. I don’t really know what is going on over there in Milwaukee, but my god, how many young studs did they have stashed away down in the farm system for all these years?  This just didn’t happen over-night, or did it?  Anyways, there hasn’t been a hotter player in baseball over the last month, well, except for A-Rod.  I reward great success, and with the numbers this guy has put up in limited time he simply earned his way onto this team.  If you don’t believe me take a look at the table below, I’ve matched up their 2007 stats against each other.  Now keep in mind that Sori has 98 more at bats. 

Pitchers:  

Jake Peavy,

Chris Young, San Diego  (8-3, 2.14, 90, 36, 1.09)

Brad Penny, Los Angeles (10-1, 2.00, 77, 30, 1.12)

John Maine, New York (9-4, 2.74, 84, 38, 1.15)

John Smoltz, Atlanta (9-4, 2.98, 90, 21, 1.22)

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia (9-4, 3.87, 116, 29, 1.12)

Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee (0-2, 27 saves, 2.91, 47, 12, 1.06)

Takashi Saito, Los Angeles (1-0, 22 Saves, 1.34, 42, 3, 0.71)

Jason Isringhausen, Saint Louis (3-0, 15 Saves, 1.67, 26, 11, 0.84)

     The fans had everyone on the list, but John Maine, Chris Young, and Isringhausen.  Instead they included Jose Valverde (0-2, 26 saves, 2.70, 37, 12, 1.17), Billy Wagner (1-0, 16 saves, 1.73, 49, 9, 0.91), and Brian Fuentes(0-4, 20 saves, 3.79, 28, 9, 1.12).  They took an extra pitcher, which would have been Trevor Hoffman where I included Hanley Ramirez.  I don’t see in any world where Valverde or Fuentes deserves to be on a team that is supposed to showcase the best players?  Let alone taking Young, Maine or Izzy’s spot on the team.  This is the perfect time to imply the sandlot theory.  Imagine those five guys are standing there and Fuentes and Valverde get selected for the last two spots and the other three have to walk, it’d never happen.  Sometimes common sense has to come into play. 

Mid-season Rookie of the Year

Ryan Braun, Brewers

He could have snuck onto this team if there weren’t already two established superstars ahead of him at third base.  Since being called up in late June he has hit .349 in 129 at-bats, to go along with 7 homers and 25 RBI. 

Mid-season MVP

Alex Rodriguez, New York

Mid-season CY Young

Dan Haren, Oakland