That cough-and-cold bug that is going around has dropped in, so apologies for the lack of posting.
It's worth getting Jason Whitlock's take on the Roger Clemens' witchhunt, though.
Gregg Zaun's blank-cheque alibi? Mike Wilner (granted, he works for Rogers too) looked at it closely and says it might check out.
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Some of what I don't like about the Mitchell Report is the unfairness of it, the randomness of it.
We all know that if it weren't for federal investigations, Mitchell would have uncovered very little.
So, if you're a dirty player and one of your former dealers is the subject of a federal investigation, you're screwed. If you're a dirty player and your former / present dealers avoid federal investigation, you're OK.
Is that fair?
Somebody want to explain to me how all these guys fingered ( in both senses ) in the MR have NOT tested positive? ( Well, at least until the identities of all the cheaters in the "anonymous" testing are revealed ).
What a sham.
No, it's not fair at all.
Come now - does anyone really believe Zaun? Anyone who gives the slightest credence to that story would probably also believe a teenager who gives you the old, "they aren't mine - I'm just holding them for a friend."
Zaun refused to cooperate with investigators, waited weeks to reply when it the report finally did come out, and then agreed only to be interviewed via e-mail. Rhetorical question, I know, but are these the actions of an innocent man?
What guys like Clemens and Zaun need to figure out is that the public knows they did it. Their elaborate, fanciful denials just make them look pathetic.
It sounds far-fetched, that's for sure. But Radomski apparently only had one cheque of Zaun's and the National Post reported there was inconsistency in the handwriting.
Zaun didn't do himself any favours waiting till spring training to comment, that's for sure.
Dennis, I agree.
I think the MR is scattershot and unfair but I also think the game is dirty top to bottom and has been for decades ( that MLB gets more negative attention on this than other sports is a rant for another time ).
Jason Grimsley - for obvious reasons - is the last guy you want to be caught "flipping" blank cheques to.
Zaun has broadcasting aspirations. I suspect this might be the motivator in him trying to rehab his public image.
Ok, thought I was done but I'm not.
I'm amongst those who question if it's ok for the US federal govt to influence ( strongarm ) citizens ( drug dealers ) to cooperate in a private investigation ( MR ).
Is this the land of liberty?
I could go on for days but I'll go wash the dishes instead.
Well, Paul Lo Duca of the Dodgers just became one of my favourite major league players. Instead of inventing some ridiculous story and throwing friends and family under the bus to save himself (hello, Roger Clemens!), Lo Duca, who was named in the Mitchell Report, simply apologized for his error in judgement and for the embarrassment he caused to his family and the game. Now THERE'S a guy I can cheer for. I understand what motivated him to do it, especially at a time when there was no testing program and everyone else around him was doing it also. These guys are competitive athletes, and they are looking for any edge they can get. I certainly "get" why I guy wouldn't want to sit there while somebody chasing his job is doing it also. The fact that Lo Duca simply manned up and apologized says a lot about his character.
A big part of the effort to clean up sports has to be education. Enforcement is only one part of the equation, and probably the least important part. Players need some plain, unbiased facts about what the long term effects on their bodies might be of continued HGH and steroid use. I am convinced that once they are aware of the future health risks, the majority won't want to do it.
Remember Jim Bouton in Ball Four ... "If you offered a pitcher a pill that would ensure he'd win 20 games next year but would shorten his life by 5 years, he'd take it."
There's that old jock certitude we're dealing with -- it can't happen to me.
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