Define "Unsuitable"

Alright men, let out a simultaneous groan. The young lovelies at this year's Wimbledon are being forced to cover up their curves. Why else would we watch?

More Bang For Your Buck

After hearing on ESPN about how amazingly low the Marlins payroll is ($14 mil), I thought it would be interesting to analyze how much each team achieves based on how much dough they shell out. (I am also long overdue for pointing out the fact that Boston has been 2nd in salaries for a few years now despite how much they complain about Steinbrenner's bottomless checkbook.) A couple things I noticed were how much teams like the Cubs, Giants, and Mariners pay their underachieving players while Detroit and St. Louis can be considered overachieving teams judging by their position right in the middle of the pack.
One way to examine the payrolls is determine how many wins they earn per million of dollars spent. It is not linear, as expected, but interesting nonetheless.

Bang For Your Buck

Remember that shortstop trade carousel that occurred two seasons ago? David Eckstein to St. Louis from Anaheim, Edgar Renteria to Boston from St. Louis, Orlando Cabrera to Anaheim from Boston. Last season, the first with their new teams, little Davy Eckstein shined the brightest and both Renteria and Cabrera had significant production dropoffs. At the time of the trade, the popular choice as loser in the deal was the Cardinals, having lost a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove. However, Eckstein is currently making a bid for his second all-star start in a row and having another great season. I thought it may be fun to check in on how all three are doing this season, especially after casting my all-star vote for Renteria after he has returned to his old form for the Atlanta Braves. The key value in my mind is the difference in salaries as Eckstein came cheap but at high end results. (The departure of Renteria also allowed more money to keep other key players.) I'll point out that a third ex-Red Sox shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, is having a tremendous season while Boston's current SS, Alex Gonzalez, is hitting .260 with an OBP of .308. Props to Theo Epstein, but he doesn't know a potentially talented shortstop when he sees one.

Return of the Black Sox?

Ozzie Guillen on Jay Mariotti:

"Jay, I think I made this guy a lot of money and he's famous. If not for Ozzie Guillen, no one would have heard of him."

"Jay's a piece of shit. If he wants to know, he should be talking to me here right now. If he were a man, he'd be here with you guys right now. Jay's a piece of shit."

"That's the way he is. He's garbage, still garbage, going to die as garbage. Period.''

Ozzie Guillen on calling someone a "fucking fag":

"I've been here for 20 years, but people have to know that I grew up in a different country. That's not an excuse. I called the guy that name, but, no, that's the way I grew up, that's the way I've learned that language."

"I have been here enough to know you can use so many words in the States. That's not an excuse, but I wasn't calling people that. I was calling him that."

''I will apologize to the people I 'offended' because I should have used another word." [Sarcastically holding up his hands and making quotations with his fingers while saying "offended"]

Ozzie Guillen on his requirement to attend sensitivity training:

"I don't think I'll be going -- I don't think that'll happen.''

"I never lie. First of all, I said I'll have to take an English class first to understand what they're talking about. Believe me, this is the last day I talk about this. Anybody who wants to play games or put me in a position. ... I'm going to continue to manage, but I'm going to start getting nasty with the media."

"I don't need this job. I don't need to kiss anybody's butt to keep it.''


The list of bad Ozzie quotations could go on and on. The bottom line is that he should feel fortunate he has a great team playing for him--if the White Sox weren't the defending champs and one of the best teams in baseball right now I think he'd have been punished more harshly by the league and front office. (It'll get harder for Reinsdorf to defend him after comments like the last one above.) Frankly, I am one of many who is just getting sick of hearing about the guy. He's flirting with that line that separates the Shaq's and the TO's, the say-it-as-it-is tough guys and the nonsense, egomaniacal distractions. Guillen needs to direct his attention from Jay Mariotti to the AL Central division race.
Now, I realize the comparison to the old Black Sox is farfetched, but they are slowly obtaining a reputation of dirty play. The sweep of the Astros in last year's summer classic was convincing enough, but there were a couple key controversial plays involving A.J. Pierzynski (of whom in Sports Illustrated was voted "Most Like To See Get Beaned" by his fellow major leagers). Ozzie let out the rage on a young pitcher after he didn't retaliate by intentionally hitting a batter, leading to his return back down to the minors the very next day. Three days ago he was suspended for ordering his pitcher to intentionally hit Chris Duncan, son of St. Louis pitching coach, Dave Duncan. The latest accusations come from the Cards blowout in Chicago concerning illegal sign stealing. This isn't the first time they have been accused of using a camera in center field to steal the catcher's signs, but it is the most evident. I didn't believe this story at first and hung my head at the idea of my beloved Cardinals making excuses for getting pounded in a largely hyped powerhouse matchup, but the evidence is quite convicting. According to one of the St. Louis players, they became suspicious partway through the second game of the series with the score 13-3 and changed the set of signs after the 5th inning. The numbers don't lie: The Sox were 40-for-88 with 15 extra-base hits and 33 runs before the change, going 4-for-36 with one run scored afterward. Looks fishy to me...
This really is a shame because I jumped on the White Sox bandwagon last year and cheered for them to win a world championship. This season I am beginning to root for a collapse. I'll be the first to admit how good they are (particularly Dye, Thome, and Konerko, of whom I think are standup, classy players) but until Ozzie says something worth hearing about, I'll stand on Mariotti's side of public decency. We've seen him put up, now it's time for him to shut up.

Place Your Bets...

on the big series in Chicago this week. The two best teams in baseball last year face off today at 7:05 for a three-game series. This will be big for either team as St. Louis is staving off Cincy and the White Sox need to gain ground on Detroit. It's too bad the Sox will not have to see either of last year's MVP or Cy Young as both are tentative to return for the series with the Tigers. I guess it is also nice we won't face Contreras. If both can control Rolen/Encarnacion and Thome/Dye it should be an interesting series.

I'm picking (rather biased): Cards 2, Sox 1


UPDATE #3: Yup. I was wrong. It might be even harder to lose 1-0 after a rookie pitcher throws a one-hitter, but that single mistake happened to be a game-winning homerun. The kid damn near threw a perfect game. Ouch. Maybe we'll get even in the World Series...

Cards 0, Sox 3


UPDATE #2: Ah hell. St. Louis went from having a top two team ERA in the league to giving up 33 (!) runs in two games. Wow. I never really considered the White Sox an offensive juggernaut, but they can really crush a pitcher's self-confidence. I expected as much from Konerko and Thome, but where the hell did Crede come from?! Tonight we send out a young gun from the minors to give our rotation a rest--here's to hoping he gives up less than four HR's. The only attractive feature of this series is all the buzz generated from the analysts considering this a good potential World Series preview.

Cards 0, Sox 2


UPDATE: After a complete slaughtering of the St. Louis pitching staff (20 ER) and a four-run ninth that meant absolutely nothing, the Cards need to erase yesterday out of their memory. Kudos, Chicago, we got the message.

Cards 0, Sox 1

Thoughts in the World of Sports

This week has seen a number of intriguing sports stories thus far. So let's jump right in...

Big Ben and his bike

This story is really hard for me to take. I love Big Ben as a player and have the utmost respect for his ability and his character. But this really seems like a bonehead move on his part. The whole helmet 'thing,' where he was quite defiant about wearing a helmet since PA law does not require one. I am sure he is regretting that now. The fact of the matter is this: You are a pro athlete, you get paid to throw a football, you saw what happened to Kellen Winslow and even worse, Jay Williams, why would you risk so much for a motorcycle. Terry Bradshaw was right, wait until you retire and enjoy it all you want. You're 24 years old and a recent Super Bowl Champ, with so much going for you, why risk it for a bike ride. From a public policy stand point, the risks certainly outweigh the rewards.

USA Soccer

Wow, here come the Americans making sure the world knows we'll never be a threat in World Cup soccer. I watched part of the game on Monday and the Czech simply out hussled and out played us. Simple as that, I'm not sure we have the talent, or maybe the coaching to compete with the rest of the world. I'm hoping against Italy we can pull out something to show we're not a flop. I mean even Togo scored a goal against S. Korea. What I'm most disturbed about is the fact that Bruce Areanes spent Tuesday calling out his players. Why do that to a team? Maybe you should figure out some way to get the ball in the net. The Czech team managed to get corner kicks close to the net or at least get a shot off, but the US could not, they seemed content to waste opportunities. Maybe we should stick with the World Baseball Classic...

Update on my baseball picks

Well it seems as though as soon as I blog something, the team I count out comes back and the team I pick flops. See Atlanta and Cincinnati. The Reds have played extremely well lately and are only a game or two behind the struggling Cards. I would blame it on Albert Pujols being hurt, but I'm surprised by this teams struggles without him. Scott Rolen needs to play better if they want to keep winning. And the Braves, they're now 10 games out of first and losing steam. I still think they may make a run, but it may be too little, too late.

Stanley Cup

It is too bad to see Edmonton's storybook season come to an end. They played so well for most of the playoffs but now just seem to running out of gas. This team looks solid enough to make a run again next year. And what's up with OLN broadcasting these games. This is the Stanley Cup, you wonder why nobody is watching this? Put it on a cable channel most people get or even better ABC or CBS or something. OLN? The NHL better rethink this idea soon.

NBA Playoffs

I thought I was starting to care about the NBA for a while. I was wrong. I still don't care.

Baseball at the .333333 mark...

With the season more than a third of the way done, it may be time to reevaluate who will survive the rest of the season. In the AL East once again it will be the Bo Sox and Yanks fighting it out until September. However, the Blue Jays are a team that will have to dealt with and may challenge for the division or at least the wild card. They have solid hitting (best average in baseball) and if their pitchers get healthy, they will be tough. In the NL East, the Mets look to be the runaway favorite, but don't lock them in just yet either. The Phillies will bounce around for a while, but fail to have enough tools to be a contender, but watch out for them to be a spoiler in the early fall. Atlanta however can never be counted out of the NL east race. With 14 straight titles and Bobby Cox managing the team, they are a 7-9 game win streak from being in the race again. The season is still young, and so are the Braves, but they will make a run, you can bet on that.

In the AL Central the pick is easy, if you're a White Sox fan. But the truth is their are still the best team in baseball, but if you've followed them as of late, they haven't played like it. Ozzie can get his guys to play and with the stretch of games in front of the South Siders, they'll have to play better. If you remember last year there was a similar stretch of games which some said the White Sox could prove their ability by winning, and they did. I see that again with the Sox right now. Detroit will be tough and stick around all season and will likely contend for the wild card in the end. Cleveland you cannot count either, but they will need to get better quickly if they wish to contend. In the NL Central, St. Louis will need a miracle to lose the title. The Cubs, Reds, and Houston don't have enough to contend with the Cards. Plain and simple, the Cards will likely be the only team to make the playoffs from the division.

Finally, in the AL West, the Rangers and Oakland will fight it out to see who wins. Your guess is as good as mine. In the NL West, could there be a tougher division. With the exception of Colorado and that is only of late, these teams are close. Look for the Dodgers or D'Backs to win out, but this will be close and you can never count out San Diego or San Fran either.

If I get around to it, you may get to see my picks for MVP and Cy Young later, as well as NBA Finals picks too.

Hazing and Sports

I just finished an interesting piece by Jason Whitlock on ESPN.com. In the article, he discusses hazing. What a hot button issue, especially on college campuses. I should clarify that I think hazing in most forms is bad, especially in the case of the Vermont hockey team. But the issue shouldn't be older persons condemning our generation for low morale standards. As Jason noted, the same things happened when he was a college student, but nobody knows about it as quickly because of technology such as digital cameras and facebook. Things on college campuses today are not worse than they were in the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, I would go as far to say that things may be better. Parents and administrators just find out about things faster than they used to. Maybe older people should take a good look at the ways they acted in college and realize that these 4 to 7 years (think Van Wilder) are times to make mistakes and goof up, and the real life can wait. What we learn at college doesn't come in classrooms but in our experiences and mostly our mistakes. So this really doesn't have a lot to do with sports, but whatever...

And You Wonder Why They Hate Us

You read my mind, Slowpitch, as my next post was about San Jose ignorance. Only a few times in my life have I been embarrassed to be an American, but Monday was certainly one of them after I heard about the San Jose Shark fans booing the Canadian national anthem during pregame. Who are these people?! I don't think there are many more disrespectful (nonviolent) acts towards a country or its citizens. I bet these yahoos out in Cali would be royally pissed off if they found out the crowd was booing the US anthem up in Edmonton. This reminded me of when I was in Cozumel, Mexico a couple of years ago and while at a dance club a group of dumbass American tourists starting chanting "USA! USA!", each holding a Dos Equis in his hand, not ten minutes after passing through a conga line in which the natives poured free tequila down their throats; I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. Grow up, dipshits.

I Don't Claim to be a Hockey Guy...

but I have actually paid somewhat close attention to the playoffs this year. All the new rules implemented this year must be working because scoring is up and it just appears more fun to watch (not that I've watched much NHL in the past). The high point of the postseason came a couple weeks ago in which the 8-seed Edmonton Oilers knocked off the top-seeded Redwings after coming from behind to score four goals in the final period to win 4-3. It appears the days of 1-0 wins are over. I hope the die-hards are welcoming this run-and-gun style of play.
The Eastern Conference Finals Hurricanes-Sabres matchup should be entertaining, and who couldn't rally behind the Mighty Ducks or the underdog Oilers? The one intriguing aspect of hockey is that it's anyone's game. This year in the West all four of the top seeds were upset leaving a dogfight with the 5-8. In what other sport does that ever happen? Tune in.

Swinging for the Fences

Has anyone been following the Babe Ruth homerun chase? I know, I know, I shouldn't add anything to the Bonds saga, but his behavior is interesting. Since hitting HR #713 Bonds has hit 1-19 (0.053) as anyone can clearly see him take monstrous moonshots at every decent pitch. It wouldn't be worth noting except that his latest comments to the media include how he "doesn't care about the homerun record" and just wants to play baseball. However, watching him repeatedly swing for the San Fran bay clues otherwise. On Friday, he hit a line drive towards center and simply turned right back around and walked towards the dugout without even looking to see if it was caught. In tonight's game, he hit a sharp grounder up the middle that hit the pitcher, who then bobbled it to a couple yards away, scrambled to retrieve it, and still threw Bonds out at first as the camera clearly showed him leisurely jogging up the line. He absolutely would have been safe if he put any kind of hustle into it--not the actions of a guy who "just wants to play the game." I don't know, maybe it's just hard watching this clown stick around merely to set a new (tainted) record. He can surely only be a distraction as indicated by the Giants sitting in last place in their division. I can't imagine what his teammates think.

A Bit of Comedy

More Spirit of St. Louis

With three more RBI's and another homerun tonight, Albert Pujols is on pace to hit:

HR: 85
Record: 73
RBI: 210
Record: 190

I know we're only a quarter of the way through the season, but he's still putting up monster numbers. I bet he could get injured tomorrow and sit out the remainder of the year and still get some MVP votes (knock on wood). A possible Triple Crown?

HR: 1st
RBI: 1st
Avg: 3rd

We are witnessing one of the greatest hitters of all time...

Spirit of St. Louis

There has been something I wanted to set straight for a while now. Last spring I was sitting at one of my favorite local establishments, Welch Avenue Station, when I made conversation with a guy sitting by himself at the table next to me. It began with chatting about the baseball replays one of the five TV's was airing but only after we caught the end of a Chicago blown game in the ninth it was revealed he was a Cubs fan. And actually, I think I recall him assuming I was too. (The Station is notorious for being a huge Cubs bar.) I quickly let him know I was indeed a rival Cardinal fan but went on to discuss the Cubs' woes anyway. Like any good midwest fan, I gave props to my foe where due and he did the same--it was actually a good conversation with someone who knew what he was talking about.
However, before he got up to leave he made a comment about St. Louis having "fairweather fans," something you can imagine I took issue with. Fairweather? I wish I had the chance to ask him why he would make such a claim. For starters, I'm probably a St. Louis fan for the same reason he might be a Cubs fan or why someone living in Florida is a Marlins fan. I do realize that Iowa is home to the Cubs, but I don't think someone needs to have a damn good reason to not be a faithful but instead pick a different midwest team.
By definition, being a fairweather fan requires only being a fan when your team is winning. Throughout MLB history, the Cardinals have been pretty consistent with a few highs and lows, and any time they've finished at the bottom of the division they've bounced right back into contention the next season. St. Louis is revered for having the best fans in baseball (as verified in a Sports Illustrated survey given to 200 MLB players a couple years back) that always support their team. I think this may be a good time to point out the year 2003 when Cubs fans were absolutely crawling out of the woodwork once they made the playoffs. Everyone became a Cubs fan overnight. I distinctly remember Homecoming with a group of Chi Omegas that would ask nightly if the Cubs won, passing in and out of the coliseum to cheer them on, having never watched a Chitown game in their life, not being able to name two players without "Sosa" on his back. And we're "fairweathered"?! I don't remember any red and white bandwagon two years ago.
What actually instigated me to writing this entry was that recently I did have someone tell me I follow St. Louis because "they're good." For a team that made it to the World Series only once in the past decade and hasn't won it all since a couple weeks after I was BORN, yes, that must be it. In the years following 1982 the likes of the Tigers, Reds, and Blue Jays (twice in a row) have won the title, but it would be silly to think such a thing of their fans, wouldn't it? Now, I will admit that the Cards have had their share of winning seasons and postseason success, but one could argue a portion of the Chicago fans are simply a result of their "lovable loser" reputation. (I remember in "03 talking to Derek Watson, a Twins fan, about how his dislike of the Cubs stems from the fact "they don't earn their fans." He just can't see how they continue to be so bad and have the largest following while his Twins have been competing at a high level for years and gain no support. Needless to say, we both relished in their NLCS collapse.)
I doubt that guy ever thought twice about his ridiculous claim about me and my follow redbirds. Oh well, I guess that's just part of the rivalry. After all, I have to respect the Cubbies because I don't think I could tolerate such a downtrodden club year in year out. I'd rather fly high in St. Louis, regardless of the weather.

Michael and Scottie Who?

Things look up in Chi-town (unless you're a Cubbie). The new bandwagon to jump on, believe it or not, is a first-round upset with the Bulls over the Heat. I mean, why not considering this tear they're on? I remember looking at the standings when the Bulls were 29-39 and thinking "oh well, another losing season." Little did I know they would go 12-2 to finish the season and push into the playoffs. A bit of trivia I didn't even know was pointed out by Marc Stein in his playoff power rankings, "With absolutely zero fanfare -- I honestly can't remember hearing anybody mention this -- Chicago has climbed all the way back to No. 1 in the league in field-goal defense, allowing opponents just 42.6 percent shooting from the floor. Ranking No. 1 for two straight seasons, in a category coaches treasure, is an achievement in itself." That's definitely the mentality of the "new" Bulls that I like so much, the tenacity and scrappiness on defense and just playing hard (as evidenced by how many big comeback wins they had this year). Although I don't expect them to win, I think it'll be a fun series to watch and they will make it competitive.
Even more promising is the future. The draft pick they stole from New York for Eddy Curry is absolutely monstrous considering they will most likely draw the #1 overall pick in a year they made the playoffs. (I don't know how they put up with Isiah Thomas in NY.) In addition, they unload a couple big contracts in the offseason, particularly Tim Thomas, and will have plenty of salary cap space to make a run at a big-name player. Could you imagine netting an all-star alongside the top draft pick in the thick of this young, talented team? I'm honestly drooling just thinking about it. Oh, and Jerry Krause is long gone so he can't screw it up (I still miss Elton Brand). I give them 3 years to be in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Point of Interest: ESPN used a player value formula to rank every player and the Bulls were the only team not to have anyone in the top 50. In fact, their highest ranked player was Andres Nocioni at No. 63. Ever heard of him? I didn't think so. The young core of Luol Deng (better than I thought), Chris Duhon (a point guard who plays like a vet), and Ben Gordon (he only went 9 for 9 behind the arc the other night!) will grow together and overcome their lack of size down low. Throw in Captain Kirk and we've got a legit conteder, kids!

Tying Up the Loose Ends

First of all, I'll apologize for the lack of coverage for the NCAA's (this was mostly due to the fact I knew nothing about the Final Four teams). Regardless, it's time to wrap up a few events I had intented to follow more closely.

World Baseball Classic

I, like every other sportsfan, underestimated the Asians. I was so caught up on Latin America that it was easy to count out the little guys (no pun intended). On paper Japan looked like one of the weaker teams in the WBC but proved that anything can happen in baseball and fundamentals can triumph over raw power. The Dominicans strength failed them, Team USA looked downright disappointing at times, and Cuba's inexplicable success once again put them in the final, but none of this was really unexpected. If nothing else, despite the lack of 'drama,' I think the WBC is here to stay and I actually look forward to it again in a couple years.

NCAA Tournament

So only 4 out of over 3,000,000 brackets submitted to ESPN's Tourney Challenge picked the correct Final Four. And I assume they all lived in the Virginia area to have put their hopes on George Mason. Aside from the one Cinderella story, the tournament just seemed to lack something--possibly we simply missed the Big XII and Big Ten. Oh well, that game-winning shot over Iowa made up for everything. HA!
The results from the Tourney Challenge:

T-1) Denisek
T-1) Port
3) Alberty
4) Top Seeds
T-5) Guiter
T-5) Fischer
7) Casady
8) Kassel
9) Williams

* Every year I wish it just ended after the first two rounds because I swear I'm always leading at that point because I have a knack for picking the 1st-round upsets. And nothing is worse than losing to that old woman (or Slowpitch) who filled in their bracket by just picking the top seeds.

Baseball Opening Week

-Cleveland looked good against the defending champs
-Rollins hitting streak done at 38
-AL East looks subpar
-NL Central looks like toughest in the majors
-Mets are winning as expected
-Pitchers turned sluggers in Arroyo/Sosa/Mulder
-Beware the power of the Tigers
-The Royals are in the cellar where they belong

MORE TO COME...

Well this is new...

Cubs Place Wood, Prior on DL

NCAA Bracket Update

Looking back at my Cinderella picks I may not have been too far off, but I obviously discounted the two major underdogs in Bradley and George Mason. How coincidental was it that four of my upstart teams had to play each other (Arizona-Wisconsin & WV-So. Illinois), making it impossible two of them would live up to the title? Still, Witchita State remains a force to be reckoned with and Bradley's run supported the MV conference's claim of toughness. It was hard, though, to take Bucknell over Memphis and West Virginia over Texas (but what a game!). And once again, two 12's knocked off a couple 5's to start the tourney.
An examination of the Sweet 16 seems to have very few possible variations. The ESPN bracket group I'm in isn't very diverse, with virtually one or two game going to decide the winner. I think about everyone picked UConn in the final game and BC over Villanova and UCLA in the Final Four (except me, thanks to KU). Most of those look like safe bets but my hopes are still riding on Texas going far.

Standings after the first two rounds:

1. Guiter
2. Port
3. Alberty
4. Top Seeds
5. Zenisek
6. Casady
7. Williams
8. Kassel
9. Fischer

Calling All Sportsfans!

We're looking for new recruits to liven up the old blog a bit. If you would like to join a blog or just write about sports, let us know and we will add you to our roster. The 2004-2005 Lakers taught us that you can never have too much talent...

Dear Barry Bonds,

I've got two word for you: get out. Congratulations, you're the new T.O., the new bad boy, the new guy everyone loves to discuss but everyone hates to hear about. Cale discussed Bonds' waffling as to whether or not this is his last season, but I just can't see him sticking around for 2007; although, I believe he secretly enjoys the media frenzy and playing public enemy #1 (otherwise the only thing preventing his retirement is the homerun record).
Anyways, the hot topic is the new steroid accusations that went public. Whether we like it or not, he's all over ESPN again and everyone seems to be weighing in on the issue--why should I be any different? I used to not care, but the more I think about it the more serious the issue becomes, especially as he prepares to pass The Babe on the all-time HR list. I haven't read the book, but I've heard a lot about it and it supposedly has very credible sources. It's just too bad the two accusers are journalists because it feuls Bonds' argument that the media is out to get him. However, in all the public statements from both Bonds and his agent, they never once claim that the information is untrue. Instead, he keeps blaming journalists and pointing fingers at Mark McGwire and refusing to even read the book that calls him a liar and fraud. Personally, I don't think focusing on McGwire is such a good idea considering everyone assumes his guilt after the hearing in which he refused to deny the aligations and didn't want to "talk about the past." You'd think Barry might realize that taking his own vow of silence would incriminate him just as much as it did Mac. I don't think playing the "he got away with it so why can't I" card will get him anywhere. Besides, I don't think Mac really "got away" with anything--his HR record ended up being broken (by Bonds) and he decided to retire before he was forced out via steroid accusations and league punishments. Bonds is different because he persists to stay in the spotlight and keep playing while chasing Ruth and Aaron. (I will point out I'm not defending McGwire, despite I was a big fan of his, but rather saying two wrongs don't make it right.) According to reports, numerous players have used illegal drugs and some have even failed the new league policies, but noone can argue they compare to the magnitude of Bonds. They are all just as wrong to use the stuff, but can you imagine if the all-time homerun leader in the history of baseball was using steroids to get there? What a huge black eye on the entire game.
Michael Smith on Around The Horn said there is nothing we can do, that we can't go back and review/alter past statistics and banning Bonds to prevent him from breaking records is too extreme. (Although the current issue is whether or not Bonds lied about receiving illegal enhancers "unknowingly," and we all know what happened to the last guy that broke league policy and lied about it. If they can ban Pete Rose for life, why not Bonds?) Jose Conseco went on TV and claimed everyone is targeting Bonds (instead of McGwire, I guess) because he's black. This idiot thinks we should welcome the Steroid Era. I disagree with every one of these fools. I think the league really is trying to implement and enforce effective policies and we should give it a little time to see the outcome. Perhaps we are even passing out of this crazy "era" and returning to baseball in a more pure form. If you get tired of ESPN Sportcenter constantly debating this nonsense, then flip the dial to ESPN2 to the WBC and view what baseball was meant to be.