Posted by: Seamus
I’ve seen a lot of different reactions in the 36 or so hours since I’ve heard the news of A-Rod’s positive steroids test in 2003. Some of his fans and Yankee fans are crushed by the news that their hero had been cheating. Some have commented that this news just reinforces the gut feeling they had all along, which is that everybody was doing this stuff. After all, if you can’t trust the guy who was supposed to be baseball’s savior and rescue the all-time home run record from Barry Bonds, then who can you trust? I even saw some guy on T.V. liken what A-Rod did to Elvis lip-synching. And then there are others who have somehow shrugged this whole thing off completely and are just waiting for baseball to be played in 2009.
But how much has the issue of steroids really tainted baseball history? Of course we all know about the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 in which eight Chicago White Sox players were banned from baseball for having intentionally thrown away the World Series for a monetary gain. However, despite the un-impeccable proof that the Sox threw away the Series, the Cincinnati Reds still remain in the record books as baseball’s World Champions in 1919.
After all, guys like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig achieved their numbers in an all-white era of baseball history. How can these guys’ numbers be any more legitimate than Barry Bonds' or A-Rod’s when a good portion of the game’s best players were being denied entry in to Major League Baseball? If guys like Satchel Paige were allowed into the bigs, would Babe Ruth have even hit 714 home runs? Would Josh Gibson have hit more? Would Ted Williams have hit over .400 in 1941? Do we know that during the course of Joe DiMaggio’s famed 56-game hitting streak that he wouldn’t have faced just one pitcher somewhere down the road that he just couldn’t solve?
Imagine if guys like Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Ryan Howard, Hanley Ramirez, CC Sabathia, Johan Santana and David Ortiz were taken away from today’s game simply because of the color of their skin. Would David Wright’s or Chase Utley’s or Mark Teixeira’s numbers be legit? If you would answer no to that question, you’d have to treat Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams the same way.
So in terms of “clean” baseball history, that would just leave the 50’s through the early 80’s, years in which players of all sizes, shapes and colors were allowed into the game and before steroids were assumed to be prevalent in MLB. Yet baseball added eight games to the schedule (the AL in 1961, the NL in ’62). That is not something that today we see as very significant, but it was a major cause of contention at the time. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in the first year of the 162-game schedule. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick was even reluctant to acknowledge the record at the time, saying it should be noted in the record books that Ruth hit his 60 home runs under a 154-game schedule. It also shouldn’t be forgotten that Gaylord Perry, a dominant pitcher of the era and Hall of Famer, admitted to throwing spitballs his entire career.
Heck, how do we know that no players during that era used steroids? Many players from the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers teams that won four Super Bowls have admitted to steroid use. Former Steeler Jim Haslett admitted to such use and claimed that steroid use was very rampant at the time. If steroid use was common in football back in 1975, why wouldn’t these drugs be readily available to baseball players? Are we so naive to just assume that Jose Canseco was the first guy in baseball ever to use performance-enhancing drugs? Likewise, we don’t know for sure that the 1919 White Sox were the only team ever to throw a World Series. We just know they are the only team to get caught.
So what records in baseball really are legitimate, anyway? How do we know for sure? A lot of us like to look back on the days before television and corporate stadium names as baseball's "golden era," but was it really? Personally, I would much prefer to stand by numbers achieved by a bunch of steroid users who played with other steroid users over numbers achieved when a massive portion of the best players were excluded from the game.
Then again, maybe it’s all just arrogance and denial on my part.
But how much has the issue of steroids really tainted baseball history? Of course we all know about the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 in which eight Chicago White Sox players were banned from baseball for having intentionally thrown away the World Series for a monetary gain. However, despite the un-impeccable proof that the Sox threw away the Series, the Cincinnati Reds still remain in the record books as baseball’s World Champions in 1919.
After all, guys like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig achieved their numbers in an all-white era of baseball history. How can these guys’ numbers be any more legitimate than Barry Bonds' or A-Rod’s when a good portion of the game’s best players were being denied entry in to Major League Baseball? If guys like Satchel Paige were allowed into the bigs, would Babe Ruth have even hit 714 home runs? Would Josh Gibson have hit more? Would Ted Williams have hit over .400 in 1941? Do we know that during the course of Joe DiMaggio’s famed 56-game hitting streak that he wouldn’t have faced just one pitcher somewhere down the road that he just couldn’t solve?
Imagine if guys like Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Ryan Howard, Hanley Ramirez, CC Sabathia, Johan Santana and David Ortiz were taken away from today’s game simply because of the color of their skin. Would David Wright’s or Chase Utley’s or Mark Teixeira’s numbers be legit? If you would answer no to that question, you’d have to treat Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams the same way.
So in terms of “clean” baseball history, that would just leave the 50’s through the early 80’s, years in which players of all sizes, shapes and colors were allowed into the game and before steroids were assumed to be prevalent in MLB. Yet baseball added eight games to the schedule (the AL in 1961, the NL in ’62). That is not something that today we see as very significant, but it was a major cause of contention at the time. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in the first year of the 162-game schedule. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick was even reluctant to acknowledge the record at the time, saying it should be noted in the record books that Ruth hit his 60 home runs under a 154-game schedule. It also shouldn’t be forgotten that Gaylord Perry, a dominant pitcher of the era and Hall of Famer, admitted to throwing spitballs his entire career.
Heck, how do we know that no players during that era used steroids? Many players from the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers teams that won four Super Bowls have admitted to steroid use. Former Steeler Jim Haslett admitted to such use and claimed that steroid use was very rampant at the time. If steroid use was common in football back in 1975, why wouldn’t these drugs be readily available to baseball players? Are we so naive to just assume that Jose Canseco was the first guy in baseball ever to use performance-enhancing drugs? Likewise, we don’t know for sure that the 1919 White Sox were the only team ever to throw a World Series. We just know they are the only team to get caught.
So what records in baseball really are legitimate, anyway? How do we know for sure? A lot of us like to look back on the days before television and corporate stadium names as baseball's "golden era," but was it really? Personally, I would much prefer to stand by numbers achieved by a bunch of steroid users who played with other steroid users over numbers achieved when a massive portion of the best players were excluded from the game.
Then again, maybe it’s all just arrogance and denial on my part.
Posted by: Patrick
"The union had the legal right to destroy that list after a certain amount of time, however, and it didn't," Ken Davidoff said, yesterday. "Which is why A-Rod is now forever scarred."
I think that A-Rod is forever scarred because he took steroids, not because the list leaked - but, the point is made. Shouldn't someone be fired over this? Maybe someone already was. The MLBPA is for the players and seemingly protects their interests alone. We heard this offseason about how they might pressure CC Sabathia if he took a dramatically cheaper deal from the Brewers, as opposed to a big money deal to the Yankees. Those types of stories aren't unique. I would think "destroy the list of positive steroid test results" should rank somewhat high on the old to do list, no?
Sam Borden mentioned that the reporter on the SI.com story went to Miami to talk to A-Rod on Thursday. Borden says that this means that A-Rod knew of the report two days before it came out and, yet, seemingly did not tell the Yankees.
Finally, we may as well get this out of the way. Here is the clip from A-Rod's interview with Katie Couric, where he unequivocally denied using steroids, human growth hormone or other performance enhancing drugs.
Via Steve.
I think that A-Rod is forever scarred because he took steroids, not because the list leaked - but, the point is made. Shouldn't someone be fired over this? Maybe someone already was. The MLBPA is for the players and seemingly protects their interests alone. We heard this offseason about how they might pressure CC Sabathia if he took a dramatically cheaper deal from the Brewers, as opposed to a big money deal to the Yankees. Those types of stories aren't unique. I would think "destroy the list of positive steroid test results" should rank somewhat high on the old to do list, no?
Sam Borden mentioned that the reporter on the SI.com story went to Miami to talk to A-Rod on Thursday. Borden says that this means that A-Rod knew of the report two days before it came out and, yet, seemingly did not tell the Yankees.
Finally, we may as well get this out of the way. Here is the clip from A-Rod's interview with Katie Couric, where he unequivocally denied using steroids, human growth hormone or other performance enhancing drugs.
Via Steve.
Posted by: Patrick
Sam Borden has the statements of Major League Baseball and the Players Association. First, MLB:
And, now, the MLBPA:
“We are disturbed by the allegations contained in the Sports Illustrated news story which was posted online this morning. Because the survey testing that took place in 2003 was intended to be non-disciplinary and anonymous, we can not make any comment on the accuracy of this report as it pertains to the player named.
“Based on the results of the 2003 tests, Major League Baseball was able to institute a mandatory random-testing program with penalties in 2004. Major League Baseball and the Players Association have improved the drug testing program on several occasions so that it is now the toughest program in professional sports. The program bans stimulants, such as amphetamines, as well as steroids.
“Any allegation of tipping that took place under prior iterations of the program is of grave concern to Major League Baseball, as such behavior would constitute a serious breach of our agreement.
“Under Commissioner Selig’s leadership, Major League Baseball remains fully committed to the elimination of the use of performance enhancing substances from baseball. As the Commissioner has said, we will continue to do everything within our power to eliminate the use of such drugs and to protect the integrity of the program.”
“Based on the results of the 2003 tests, Major League Baseball was able to institute a mandatory random-testing program with penalties in 2004. Major League Baseball and the Players Association have improved the drug testing program on several occasions so that it is now the toughest program in professional sports. The program bans stimulants, such as amphetamines, as well as steroids.
“Any allegation of tipping that took place under prior iterations of the program is of grave concern to Major League Baseball, as such behavior would constitute a serious breach of our agreement.
“Under Commissioner Selig’s leadership, Major League Baseball remains fully committed to the elimination of the use of performance enhancing substances from baseball. As the Commissioner has said, we will continue to do everything within our power to eliminate the use of such drugs and to protect the integrity of the program.”
And, now, the MLBPA:
“Information and documents relating to the results of the 2003 MLB testing program are both confidential and under seal by court orders. We are prohibited from confirming or denying any allegation about the test results of any particular player(s) by the collective bargaining agreement and by court orders. Anyone with knowledge of such documents who discloses their contents may be in violation of those court orders.
“As we have explained previously, in detail and in public (see http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080703114405.pdf ), there was no improper tipping of players in 2004 about the timing of drug tests. As set forth in our letter to Chairman Waxman of the House Government Reform Committee, in September 2004 MLBPA attorneys met with certain players, but we are not able to confirm or deny the names of any of the players with whom we met.”
“As we have explained previously, in detail and in public (see http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080703114405.pdf ), there was no improper tipping of players in 2004 about the timing of drug tests. As set forth in our letter to Chairman Waxman of the House Government Reform Committee, in September 2004 MLBPA attorneys met with certain players, but we are not able to confirm or deny the names of any of the players with whom we met.”
Posted by: Patrick
Oh man. Here we go. Sports Illustrated is reporting that, according to four sources, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003.
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch has more:
In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated. ...
When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."
When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch has more:
SI.com reported that two sources familiar with the evidence that the government has gathered in its investigation of steroid use in baseball and two other sources with knowledge of the testing results said that Rodriguez is one of the 104 players identified as having tested positive, in his case for testosterone and an anabolic steroid known by the brand name Primobolan.
The SI.com report also indicated, citing three Major League players, that Rodriguez was tipped by MLBPA Chief Operating Officer Gene Orza in early Sept. 2004 that he would be tested later that month. Rodriguez declined to respond to SI when asked about the warning Orza provided him.
The SI.com report also indicated, citing three Major League players, that Rodriguez was tipped by MLBPA Chief Operating Officer Gene Orza in early Sept. 2004 that he would be tested later that month. Rodriguez declined to respond to SI when asked about the warning Orza provided him.
Posted by: Patrick
Following up on an earlier report, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch shares more from the Mike Mussina interview on WFAN on Wednesday.
Mussina also has more about Jeter and A-Rod (basically saying that he never saw a problem) and Carl Pavano.
See the original post about the comments, for more.
"The idea of it was not to take any stabs at Mo," Mussina said on WFAN in New York. "I can't put into words how important Mo has been to me as an individual player and to us as a team since I went to New York. My accomplishments would not be anywhere near what they are and our team accomplishments certainly would not be what they are without him pitching the ninth inning.
"I didn't mean to take any stabs at him. I was just making a factual comment, and it came out sounding like I was trying to cut him down. I'm certainly not trying to cut him down, because he certainly is legendary, and he's earned that."
"I didn't mean to take any stabs at him. I was just making a factual comment, and it came out sounding like I was trying to cut him down. I'm certainly not trying to cut him down, because he certainly is legendary, and he's earned that."
Mussina also has more about Jeter and A-Rod (basically saying that he never saw a problem) and Carl Pavano.
See the original post about the comments, for more.
Posted by: Patrick
Tyler Kepner has 25 random facts about 25 random Yankees. Here's just one of them:
Rondell White – Had a great sense of humor about himself, admitting that he was injured so often his nickname should be “Ron-D.L.”
Posted by: Patrick
Jason Giambi as commented on "The Yankee Years," speaking to Lisa Guerrero of the Los Angeles Times.
Via Steve.
"It's definitely hurtful," he told me. "When you play together that long, you're family. There's a certain trust involved. We were always like 'keep everything in-house, especially in New York with that media.' I was surprised to hear that he was writing a book ... he meant so much to that town. But from his point of view you can respect it. He had to get things off his chest," referring to Torre's bitter exit from the Yankees.
When I asked if writing the book violated the trust of his former team, Giambi said, "That's hard to answer. We were all going in the same direction, we were a family. I can see how other guys will be hurt by it."
Then Giambi offers, "It's hard to know what came from Verducci and what came from Torre," referring to Tom Verducci, who co-authored the book. "That guy was always hanging around."
When I asked if writing the book violated the trust of his former team, Giambi said, "That's hard to answer. We were all going in the same direction, we were a family. I can see how other guys will be hurt by it."
Then Giambi offers, "It's hard to know what came from Verducci and what came from Torre," referring to Tom Verducci, who co-authored the book. "That guy was always hanging around."
Via Steve.
Posted by: Patrick
From Jon Heyman:
Well, it was worth a shot.
Via Tim Dierkes.
Texas, Philly, Atlanta and both New York teams are among teams thought to have some interest in Andruw Jones, who went from superstar to clueless hitter in two short years. The Yankees offered a non-roster spot and were turned down. Texas looks like a better fit. Jones probably needs a top hitting coach to get his swing back to where it was in 2006. Kevin Long would have worked in New York, and so would Rudy Jaramillo in Texas.
Well, it was worth a shot.
Via Tim Dierkes.
Posted by: Patrick
The AP reports that on March 3, the U.S. team for the World Baseball Classic, of which Derek Jeter is a part, will play a warm up game against the Yankees. Jeter playing against the Yankees. I'm sure time will continue onward.
Posted by: Patrick
SI.com's Jimmy Tarina has a pretty lighthearted interview with the captain. It's a fun read and what you'd expect. Jeter also spoke with the AP about "The Yankee Years" and A-Rod.
Via Sam Borden and Andrew.
"Knowing Mr. Torre, he's never going to intentionally try to hurt somebody," Jeter said. "He's like a second father to me. Everyone knows how close we are. He's not going to intentionally go out and do harm to somebody. That's not the kind of person he is."
Via Sam Borden and Andrew.
