Sports Talk
My Thoughts on Baseball’s Mitchell Report
Friday, December 14th, 2007Former senator George J. Mitchell has released his Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball.
Clearly, the title has been taking some steroids of it’s own.
In all seriousness, I’m glad it’s out there now, so we can stop speculating about what it would say. And what it said, of course, is of no surprise to anyone. Baseball’s got a widespread problem with performance enhancing drugs, the owners buried their heads in the sand during the great home run races of the mid-90s until they were forced by publicity to do so no longer, and the union fought any effort to stop it in fear of one of their members possibly being punished for breaking the rules.
So today, no one’s really talking about any of that. All they’re talking about is “the list” – the 80 or so names of players who Senator Mitchell “outed” as part of the steroid problem. The biggest name on the list, by far, is Roger Clemens, who Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports calls baseball’s white Barry Bonds.
For his part, Clemens vehemently denies everything the report has to say about him. This is an interesting tactic for Clemens to take, and quite a refreshing one too, especially when placed next to Mark McGwire’s famous “I’m not here to talk about the past” speech in front of Congress a couple of years back. Instead of lawyering up, Clemens is adding the charge of “lying about steroids” to the one of “using steroids” that Mitchell delivered this morning. For all of his on-field accomplishments, he’s counting on being proven (or believed) innocent at this point, because if he’s ever actually proven guilty, his actions today will do just as much to keep him out of the Hall of Fame as any drug he ever took.
As a New York Yankee fan, I’ve watched Clemens closely for several years. I obviously don’t know what drugs he’s taken, but I can tell you that the guy has a genuine love of the game and of it’s history and traditions. For him to be kept out of the Hall of Fame because of this will be a serious blow to him personally. I don’t know if you could say the same about Mark McGwire.
And speaking of Big Mac, it’s interesting to note that while the report mentions him by name, it is only to recount the “Andro” story that first prompted forced Major League Baseball to begin looking at a potential steroid problem. In fact, the report states that of the many people Senator Mitchell interviewed that knew Mark McGwire, only one (Jose Canseco) claims to have personally witnessed him taking steroids. As such, the report does not accuse him of anything he hasn’t already admitted to doing (i.e., the Andro from 1998). But that won’t keep the press from printing his name as someone “mentioned in the report.” More trouble for Big Mac, I’m afraid…
Finally, I’m most surprised by some of the non-power hitters on this list. For instance – Chuck Knoblauch? Here’s a guy who never hit more than 18 home runs in a season, and who’s batting average only varied from his career .289 average by more than 40 points four times in his career. If he took steroids, he obviously didn’t take the right ones. And, as one New York writer put it, “clearly, steroids don’t help you throw to first base.”
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A-Rod on his way back to the Yankees
Monday, November 19th, 2007Alex Rodriguez says his contract talks with the Yankees are in the bottom of the fifth inning.
I have no idea what that means. But I do know what this means:
“Long after baseball, New York is going to be part of our lives,” he said. “I have some unfinished business in New York.
I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear him say this. When he opted out of the contract, and had his agent do it during Game 4 of the World Series, I had written A-Rod off as a businessman who just happened to play baseball. A hired gun.
This tells me that it bothers him on more than just a professional level that he had one of the greatest indivdiual baseball seasons ever and fell apart in the post-season. I know that the rest of the team fell apart as well, but I think A-Rod expected himself to carry the team on his shoulders, and he didn’t do that. And that bothers him.
The only thing better than having one of the best players in baseball as your third baseman is having him there with something to prove.
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Trinity College – 15 Laterals for the Win…
Friday, November 2nd, 2007So, the inexplicable popularity of my Cal/Stanford post makes me think I should post this:
Trinity College uses 15 laterals to beat Millsaps in a Division III game in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Amazing…
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And Nobody Got Hurt…
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007In the world of cheerleader video, this has got to be at least in the Top 5:
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Baseball 2007 – The Big Letdown…
Monday, October 29th, 2007
One month ago yesterday, I wrote about how the end of the 2007 baseball season was the best end of a baseball season ever. Three days later, I was not disappointed.
Which is why it’s such a shame that the 2007 post-season was such a dud.
Now, it’s no secret to those who know me that I’m a lifelong Yankee fan, but this isn’t about the Yankees losing in the first round of the playoffs again. Well, it’s a little bit about that. But not all about that.
Mostly, it’s about good teams losing badly. After such a fantastic September, where four of the six divisions came down to the final weekend (and the other two had wildcard implications), the ALDS and the NLDS resulted in three sweeps, and one series that went four games (my beloved Yankees). That’s four good teams – the Yankees, Angels, Phillies and Cubs, who fought valiantly right up until the last weekend of the season, and then simply collapsed in October, completely deflating the end-of-season drama balloon.
Then, in the NLCS, the Rockies took the Diamondbacks in four straight games as well. This was at least mildly interesting, since it gave the Rockies an unbelievable 21 wins in 22 games. But then, they waited around for eight days, while the only series worth watching, the ALCS, reached its dramatic conclusion.
At that point, though, all of the enthusiasm and adrenalin that had carried the Rockies to that point was gone, and the Red Sox rolled over them in the World Series, four games to none. It’s almost as if, given all the other sweeps, the World Series would have been more interesting if the Red Sox had swept the Indians too.
Mind you, I’m not suggesting any sort of change to the process (although some are suggesting the Wildcard system needs tweaking, so that winning your division means something again, which is a valid point, I guess). The simple fact of the matter is that after 162 games, the championship goes to the team that can win eleven games the fastest. So it’s always going to be a bit of a crapshoot. Some years (1986 comes to mind), it’s wonderfully dramatic. Other years, like this year, it’s all a big letdown.
In the end, I’m left saying what I always say this time of year – just 18 weeks until pitchers & catchers report for spring training! Go Yankees!
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Why Keep Josh Beckett in the Game?
Thursday, October 25th, 2007Watching the Red Sox rout the until-then-invincible Rockies last night, I was amazed that with a twelve-run lead, Terry Francona chose to keep Josh Beckett in the game, rather than save his arm for potential future use later in the series.
It seems the good folks at the Onion were wondering the same thing and, as is their way, they’ve come upon the answer: Terry Francona Announces Josh Beckett Will Start Games 1, 4, 7, 2, 6, 3, 5 – In That Order.
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New Rule!
Friday, October 19th, 2007With all apologies to Bill Maher:
New Rule: If someone’s name rhymes with “Boo,” people must find another way to cheer for him other than calling out his name.
I’m so sick and tired of watching players named Lou or Bruce or Moose or whatever succeed in a big game, and then have the fans jeer loudly. Then the announcer is forced to say, “They’re not booing, they’re saying “Looooooouuuuuu.”
Well, you know what? If you need to tell me that, then they shouldn’t be yelling that. I mean, if for no other reason, what happens if this guy screws up later in the game? How are they going to boo him? If they yell “Booooooo,” isn’t he just going to think they’re shouting his name? As far as I’m concerned, it takes away options and provides no upside.
That is all…
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Baseball Follow-Up
Monday, October 1st, 2007Well, as promised, it was an exciting weekend. Here’s the recap for those who missed some or all of it:
AL East
The Yankees and the Red Sox both won two games, so the Red Sox took the AL East (sniff…), while the Yankees took the Wildcard. The Red Sox will play the Angels in Boston, the Yankees will open with Cleveland in Cleveland.
AL Central
The Indians kept pace with the Red Sox as well, tying them for the best record in the American League. But the Red Sox won the season series between the two teams (5 games to 2), so if they wind up facing each other, Boston would have home field advantage. Basically, Boston has the home field advantage all the way through (including the World Series, because the American League won the All-Star game…again!)
AL West
The Angels also kept pace with the Yankees, but seeing as how the Red Sox and the Indians didn’t accommodate by falling apart this weekend, it doesn’t matter. They play the Red Sox in Boston first, and if they win, they’ll either face the Indians in Cleveland or the Yankees in Anaheim.
NL East
The picture says it all. The Mets completed their meteoric fall from grace, losing the division to the Phillies (and the Wildcard as well). The Phillies will play the Wildcard team (see below) in Philadelphia. The Mets will play golf, and talk about who’s getting fired for all of this…
NL CENTRAL
The Cubs held off the Brewers, so they won the Central. They’ll open against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
NL WEST
OK, you didn’t think we’d make it through all of that without at least one tie, did you? Well, we came close. The Padres were ahead most of the way through their game, but then fell apart and lost their chance to end it all on time. The Rockies also had an exciting game (took a 3-run lead in the eighth, and then gave up two runs in the ninth to win by one run), but heck – it all counts. So, the Rockies and the Padres are tied for the Wildcard. The (one and only) playoff game is tonight in Colorado, with the winner earning a trip to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies. The losers may want to contact the Mets about tee times.
So, there you have it. One more game to decide everything, and then it’s playoff season! May the best team (from the Bronx) win…
(What??? Did I SAY I was impartial here???)
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Major League Baseball: Best End of Season Ever!!!
Friday, September 28th, 2007For those who don’t follow Major League Baseball (and even for those who do), this last weekend of games is going to be the wildest finish to a baseball season in history. Nothing has ever come close. I will now attempt to summarize (please stand back, this might get messy):
AL East
The Red Sox lead the Yankees by two games with three games left to play. So, if the Red Sox lose all three of their games and the Yankees win at least two of theirs, or if the Red Sox lose two of their three games and the Yankees win all three of theirs, the Yankees would win the AL East and the Red Sox would be the American League Wildcard. Otherwise, the Red Sox would win the AL East and the Yankees would be the Wildcard (this is because the Yankees beat the Red Sox in head-to-head matchups this year, 10 games to 8, so if they end in a tie, the Yankees win).
Think that’s confusing? Oh Lord, we haven’t even gotten started yet…
AL Central
The Indians have clinched the division title, but currently have the same record as the Red Sox, which makes them tied for the best record in the league. They are also two games ahead of the Angels, who have clinched the AL West. If they finish with a better record than the Angels, they’ll play the Yankees in the AL Division Series (ALDS). If not (same deal as above – Indians lose two and Angels win three, or Indians lose three and Angels win two), then the Angels will play the Yankees, and the Indians will play the Red Sox.
AL West
As mentioned above, the Angels have clinched the division title, but the last three games still helps determine who they play first.
Then, of course, there’s the matter of home field advantage. The Red Sox are currently two games ahead of the Angels. If they hold onto that lead, the Red Sox/Angels series will play three of five games in Boston. If the Angels pick up two games on the Red Sox, then the advantage would go to the Angels, unless the Yankees also pick up two games on the Red Sox, in which case, they win the Division and play Angels in Anaheim. Unless the Indians stay ahead of the Angels (also currently a two game lead), in which case the Yankees play the Indians in Cleveland, and the Angels/Red Sox series stays in Anaheim.
And then there are ties: If the Indians and the Red Sox wind up with the same record, the series starts in Boston, because the Red Sox won the season series against the Indians 5 games to 2. If the Angels and the Red Sox finish in a tie, the series also starts in Boston, because Boston won that season series 6 games to 4. If the Angels and the Indians finish in a tie, there’s a problem, because their season series was also tied (5 games to 5). In that case, the Indians would have home field advantage because their record inside their own division (46-23) is better than the Angels record inside of their own division (30-21).
Oh, wait – we’re still not up to the fun part…
NL East
The Phillies and the Mets are tied for first place right now. Also, two teams in the NL West, the Padres and the Rockies, have similar records (the Padres have one more win, the Rockies have the exact same record as the Phillies and the Mets). If the Phillies and the Mets end up tied, and their record is better than both the Padres and the Rockies, then the Phillies would win the NL East, since they won the season series against the Mets (12-6). But, if the Padres or Rockies had a better record than the (tied) Phillies and Mets, then they would win the Wildcard, and the Phillies and Mets would have to play a one-game playoff on Monday (in Philadelphia) to determine who wins the division and who goes home. The location of the game was decided by a coin flip.
NL Central
The Brewers are two games behind the Cubs with three games left to play, so they are in the exact same situation as the Yankees and the Red Sox in the AL East, except the Brewers record is not as good as the Rockies or the Padres in the NL West, so if they don’t catch the Cubs, they don’t make the playoffs. If the two teams tie, they will also play a one-game playoff on Monday (in Chicago – also decided by coin flip).
NL West
Now, we’re up to the fun part. The Diamondbacks are leading the division right now. The Padres are one game back with three left to play, and the Rockies are two games back with three left to play. So any one of those teams can win the division. The other two will be competing not only with each other, but with the loser of the Phillies/Mets in the NL East for the NL Wildcard.
Here’s what happens if two teams tie for the NL West lead:
If the Diamondbacks and the Padres finish tied, they will play a one-game playoff on Monday in Arizona.
If the Rockies and the Padres finish tied, they will play a one-game playoff on Monday in San Diego.
The Diamondbacks and the Rockies cannot finish tied, because they play the final three games of the season against each other (this makes everything simple, right?!?)
And here’s what happens if two teams tie for the NL Wildcard:
If the Padres and the Phillies tie for the Wildcard, they will play a one-game playoff on Monday in San Diego.
If the Padres and Rockies tie for the Wildcard, they will play a one-game playoff on Monday in Colorado.
If the Phillies and the Rockies tie for the Wildcard, they will play a one-game playoff on Monday in Colorado as well.
But wait, there’s STILL more.
If the Phillies, Rockies and Padres end in a three way tie for the NL Wildcard, then the teams get to choose what happens next. The Rockies, who have the best combined record against the Phillies and Padres could either play two playoff games in their home stadium, or accept a bye for the first game, and then play the winner of that game on the road. If they decide to accept the bye, the Phillies would host the Padres on Monday, and the winner would play the Rockies in their home park on Tuesday. If the Rockies choose the two home games, the Phillies can choose to either play the Rockies in Colorado on Monday, with the possibility of playing the Padres in Philadelphia on Tuesday, or to take the bye and guarantee themselves a road game on Tuesday.
If the Mets, Rockies and Padres end in a three way tie for the NL Wilddcard, the same system applies, and the choices are as follows: The Rockies still choose first – either a two home games or a bye. If they choose two home games, the Padres choose between playing in Colorado on Monday and then (hopefully) San Diego on Tuesday, or taking the bye, meaning playing an away game on Tuesday against the winner of the Rockies and Mets.
So that’s it, right? WRONG!!! What if there’s a four way tie? There are two possible ways that can happen:
Mets, Phillies, Diamondbacks and Padres: The Mets/Phillies and Diamondbacks/Padres each play for their division titles on Monday (in Philly and Arizona, respecitvely), and then the two losers would play for the Wildcard on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks would have to go to Philly or New York. The Padres would host the Phillies, and the Mets would host the Padres. Got it?
Mets, Phillies, Rockies and Padres: The Mets/Phillies and Rockies/Padres would each play for their division titles on Monday (in Philly and San Diego, respectively), and then the two losers would play for the Wildcard on Tuesday. The Rockies would host either Philly or New York. The Padres would host the Phillies, and the Mets would host the Padres.
Thankfully, there can’t be a five way tie, for the same reason their can’t be a three way tie in the West – the Diamondbacks are playing the Rockies this weekend.
Ok, that’s the scoop. Grab some provisions, park yourself in front of your TV, and fire up the calculator – it’s going to be a very, very wild weekend…
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Random Acts of Blogging
Thursday, September 20th, 2007I usually try to avoid posts like this, but there’s a list of things I’ve been meaning to blog about and I just haven’t been able to find the time. So, some quick hits:
– The Yankees have pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Red Sox in the American League East. On May 30th, the Red Sox lead was 14 1/2 games. Just two weeks ago, the lead was 7 games. Ah, September baseball…
– Former President of Harvard University, Larry Summers, has been uninvited to speak at the University of California at Davis due to pressure from a group of female professors who signed an online petition. The petition called Summers a “keynote speaker who has come to symbolize gender and racial prejudice in academia.” Leaving aside the idea that they’re preventing someone from speaking because they’re offended by his views (a concept that seems completely antithetical to free speech), note that their concern is his symbolism regarding gender and racial prejudice, not the prejudice itself. I think that speaks volumes about the protesters’ real intent here.
– Speaking of turning down visitors, New York City has denied a request by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit Ground Zero. I think this is the right answer, both because his presence would offend the many, many people who think of this space as hallowed ground, and also because of the official reason given by the New York City Police Department: security. There is no doubt in my mind that President Ahmadinejad would encounter an angry mob if he showed up at the site. On the upside, Ahmadinejad apparently acknowledges the existence of 9/11, as opposed to the Holocaust, which he famously regards as a hoax. Also note that while I’m glad Ahmadinejad will not be visiting Ground Zero, I’d be fine with him speaking at the University of California at Davis.
– Dan Rather – September 10th, 2004:
“I believe, I know that this story is true. I believe the witnesses and the documents are authentic. We wouldn’t have gone to air if they had not been.”
Dan Rather – September 18, 2007:
Dan Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit Wednesday against CBS, alleging that the network made him a ‘scapegoat’ for a discredited story about President Bush’s National Guard service. The 75-year-old Rather, whose final months were clouded by controversy over the report, says the complaint stems from ‘CBS’ intentional mishandling’ of the aftermath of the story.
Is it me, or is he really not helping his own credibility here?
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