NorthSideSox72

When is his 15 day stint up?

Sergio Miranda, playing for High A Brevard County (MIL)... .789 OPS, .393 OBP, more than a third of his hits are doubles, and he has more than twice as many walks as strikeouts (2nd best BB/K ratio in his league, behind Chris Cates). His K rate is one for every 16 at bats - doesn't get much lower than that. He's also made only one error, but, he's only played 15 games (most starters have played 25 or so), as he had a late start from extended ST (he's been playing full time since). He's been playing all over the field too, defensively, SS/2B at first, but lately he's mostly been at first base (weird).

In case anyone was curious about the reactions of other ballplayers... Sergio Miranda (former Sox minor leaguer now in the MIL organization) has this as his current Facebook status:

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 10:10 AM) Ya, but ED is also a relatively common thing for people his age or at least I'm led to believe that given all of the commercials on TV. Well, we've since learned it was apparently a female fertility drug typically used to mask the aftereffects of steroids.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 7, 2009 -> 09:52 AM) It was for HCG...there's pretty much no doubt in the performance-enhancing community the connection. The closer examination of the test results related from an elevated level of testosterone. There was never a positive test for steroids, simply that the information came out that he had been on HCG and that was an automatic violation of the list provided by MLB. In a man HCG stimulates pro-duction of androgenic hormones (testosterone). For this reason athletes use injectable HCG to increase the testosterone produc-tion. HCG is often used in combination with anabolic/androgenic steroids during or after treatment. Since the body usually needs a certain amount of time to get its testoster-one production going again, the athlete, after discontinuing ste-roid compounds, experiences a difficult transition phase which often goes hand in hand with a considerable loss in both strength and muscle mass. Administering HCG directly after steroid treat-ment helps to reduce this condition because HCG increases the testosterone production in the testes very quickly and reliably. In the event of testicular atrophy caused by mega doses and very long periods of usage, HCG also helps to quickly bring the testes back to their original condition (size). Since occasional injections of HCG during steroid intake can avoid a testicular atrophy, many athletes use HCG for two to three weeks in the middle of their steroid treatment. It is often observed that during this time the athlete makes his best progress with respect to gains in both strength and muscle mass. Those who are on the juice all year round, who might suffer psychological consequences or who would perhaps risk the breakup of a relationship because of this should consider this drawback when taking HCG in regular in-tervals. A reduced libido and spermatogenesis due to steroids, in most cases, can be successfully cured by treatment with HCG. Most athletes, however, use HCG at the end of a treatment in order to avoid a "crash," that is, to achieve the best possible transition into "natural training." A precondition, however, is that the steroid intake or dosage be reduced slowly and evenly before taking HCG. Although HCG causes a quick and significant increase of the endogenic plasma- testosterone level, unfortunately it is not a perfect remedy to prevent the loss of strength and mass at the end of a steroid treatment. Although HCG does stimulate endogenous testosterone production, it does not help in re-estab-lishing the normal hypothalamic/pituitary testicular axis. The hypothalamus and pituitary are still in a refractory state after prolonged steroid usage, and remain this way while HCG is being used, because the endogenous testosterone produced as a-result of the exogenous HCG represses the endogenous LH production. Once the HCG is discontinued, the athlete must still go through a re-adjustment period. This is merely delayed by the HCG use." For this reason experienced athletes often take Clomid and Clenbuterol following HCG intake or they immediately begin an-other steroid treatment. Some take HCG merely to get off the "steroids" for at least two to three weeks. HCG package insert states clearly that HCG "has no known effect of fat mobilization, appetite or sense of hunger, or body fat distribution." It further states, "HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity, it does not increase fat losses beyond that resulting from caloric restriction. 6000 I.U. of HCG in a single injection resulted in elevated testosterone levels for six days after the injection. At a dosage of 1500 I.U. the pharmatestosterone level increases by 250-300% (2.5-3fold) com-pared to the initial value. The athlete should inject one HCG ampule every 5 days. Since the testosterone level remains considerably elevated for several days, it is unnecessary to inject HCG more than once every 5 days. The effective dosage for ath-letes is usually 2000-5000 I.U. per injection and should-as al-ready mentioned-be injected every 5 days. HCG should only be taken for a few weeks. If HCG is taken by male athletes over many weeks and in high dosages, it is possible that the testes will respond poorly to a later HCG intake and a release of the body's own LH. This could result in a permanent inadequate gonadal function. HCG can in part cause side effects similar to those of injectable testosterone. A higher testosterone production also goes hand in hand with an elevated estrogen level which could result in gynecomastia. This could manifest itself in a temporary growth of breasts or reinforce already existing breast growth in men. Farsighted athletes thus combine HCG with an antiestrogen. Male athletes also report more frequent erections and an increased sexual desire. In high doses it can cause acne vulgaris and the storing of minerals and water. The last point must especially be observed since the water retention which is possible through the use of HCG could give the muscle system a puffy and watery appear-ance. Athletes who have already increased their endogenous test-osterone level by taking Clomid and intend subsequently to take HCG could experience considerable water retention and distinct feminization symptoms (gynecomastia, tendency toward fat de-posits on the hips). This is due to the fact that high testosterone leads to a high conversion rate to estrogens. In very young ath-letes HCG, like anabolic steroids, can cause an early stunting of growth since it prematurely closes the epiphysial growth plates. Mood swings and high blood pressure can also be attributed to the intake of HCG. HCG's form of administration is also unusual. The substance choriongonadotropin is a white powdery freeze-dried substance which is usually used as a compress. Each package, for each HCG ampule, includes another ampule with an injection solution containing isotonic sodium chloride. This liq-uid, after both ampules have been opened in a sterile manner, is injected into the HCG ampule and mixed with the dried substance. The solution is then ready for use and should be injected intra-muscularly. If only part of the substance is injected the residual solution should be stored in the refrigerator. It is not necessary to store the unmixed HCG in the refrigerator; however, it should be kept out of light and below a temperature of 25* C. HCG is a relatively expensive compound. It costs approx. $36 -45 for 3 ampules of 5000 I.U. Cite your sources, please.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 7, 2009 -> 09:27 AM) Or maybe he just never paid attention in health class? So Manny thinks he is a woman?

Sexual enhancer? interesting. I still think its odd that a player, nowadays, would allow ANYTHING to be injected into his body without checking with the league. Which makes Manny either not-too-bright, or its a cover-up or lie of some kind. And as DA said, ED is a common side effect of some PED's. He's also refusing the appeal process. Seems like we still don't have the whole picture. But at BEST, he was stupid, and there are multiple pieces of evidence to suggest it goes beyond that.

Wait, so Manny has turned down his right to appeal? The medication excuse is going down the drain in a hurry.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ May 7, 2009 -> 08:05 AM) He was the best player on two Red Sox teams who won World Championships for a franchise who hadn't previously won one since 1918. He worked PLENTY hard enough for that fanbase, and if they didn't like him "not looking like he appreciated his job", it's their own damn fault. If it doesn't bother you, hey, that's all fine and dandy. I'm just saying, some of us fans expect that the players whose careers exist because of us, should respect the game a little more. Manny doesn't do that, he's lazy on the field and about playing, so I have no sympathy for him getting into this situation.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ May 7, 2009 -> 07:59 AM) I can't argue with most of this, but saying he isn't known to have the greatest work ethic in the world is simply false. He's notorious for being one of the first guys to the ballpark and spending hours in the batting cage. He is a lazy defensive player and baserunner at times, but his work ethic isn't something that can be questioned. That doesn't mean s*** though, since Roger Clemens is known for his work ethic too and he was also on the stuff. I'm gonna go with... no. He's refused to play at times, is lazy on defense and running the bases... his work ethic on the field and about playing on the field is as bad as I have seen. I can't comment on what time he gets to the park, I have no way of knowing that. I'm saying, if I were a Sawx fan, I'd be pissed at his lazy ass out there on the field. I pay your ridiculous salary, jackass, so at least make it look like you appreciate the job you wouldn't have it it weren't for me.

As long as it doesn't jump up and bite us, I am glad Joe is doing well. When healthy, he is one of the best defensive 3B's around. That said, I give him at best a 30% chance of making it through the season healthy.

Well, the Doc thing is possible. Hard to say. Even if, again, why do these guys not check with the MLB for ANYTHING they put in their body? Can they be that ignorant? But in any case, it couldn't have happened to a better candidate. I have zero patience with guys that make it to the top, make that kind of money from the fans, and then s*** on those same fans by be unwilling to make a 100% effort on the field. If it had to happen to a star player, I'm glad it was Manny.

Jordan, and it ain't close. LeBron just hasn't changed the game the way Michael did. You can't remove that context.

QUOTE (lostfan @ May 7, 2009 -> 06:06 AM) Just got some tickets to fly back to Chicago Catching a game while in town?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 7, 2009 -> 06:05 AM) via the cnn.com homepage Bank of America would like to know if you trust the US banking system... Awesome. I love contextually driven ads gone wrong.

QUOTE (shakes @ May 7, 2009 -> 05:57 AM) The rules have nothing to do with your opinion, and again I have never seen anybody banned for having a verying opinion. They do not allow personal attacks, which leads to about 99% of the bans, which are not permanent. The yahoo email address thing has to do with some issue with spam. They 100% disallow discussions of certain Sox topics, such as attendence, or media treatment of the Sox. That is a little over the top, IMO. But like I said, I understand where some of it comes from. They have a wider audience than we do (though not much), and tend to be a first stop for fans out there, so they'll tend to get more losers that they have to deal with.

Doesn't Star Trek open today? Or tonight at midnight or whatever? Big day for Balta. Rotten Tomatoes so far: 94% That is stunning for a star trek film. ETA: Kind of surprised, Ebert was one of the very few to not like it. I think he used to like ST films. I guess he liked the older style.

I post on both boards, and they are just different. I happen to prefer it here, but there are things to like over there as well. WSI is certainly more stringent on the rules, and some of the rules (IMO) are restrictive to the point of silliness. But its their board, and I can understand where some of it comes from. Honestly, I think the level of snark is higher here than there - but the discussions are more in depth here as well. It just depends on what you want to get out of the board.

waxing gibbous.

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ May 6, 2009 -> 10:13 PM) On a serious note: -Id change the law to when 2 illegal immigrants have a child in this country, that child is still an illegal immigrant, and the reverse when 2 US citizens give birth over-sea's, that child should also be a US citizen. -Make a college playoffs for football -Legalize and tax weed/marijuana -Cut insane college tuition prices -many other things that I'm too sick/tired to think of. Already true.

In the How Does That Work forum.

QUOTE (bighurt4life @ May 6, 2009 -> 07:27 PM) Tyler Kuhn has finally started swinging the bat well again, hitting 371 over the last 10 games. He was one of the real surprise players out of out 08 draft class but got off to a horrible start in Kanny. What's weird though, is he has been DH'ing a lot. Not often you see someone go SS to DH.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 6, 2009 -> 01:11 PM) If there's one thing Ozzie preaches it's good ABs and Alexei hasn't had more than a handful to start the year. He can get away with it when he's on fire and raking but he's gonna have to learn how to work a count, lay off breaking pitches out of the zone and wait for his pitch when he's slumping otherwise he's gonna start losing ABs. If you ask me, last year, Alexei would start most at-bats with garbage, but then got good on 2 strikes. This year, his hunkering down on 2 strikes seems to have disappeared.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 6, 2009 -> 01:06 PM) Well, he's "benched" according to Ozzie. I almost wonder if Sox thought Betemit would be more competent defensively up the middle than he showed in ST. Ozzie didn't say "benched", though he did say it wasn't "rest". See my post in the game thread, that covers my feeling on this.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ May 6, 2009 -> 01:03 PM) cowley via twitter: Its a shot across Alexei's bow. And a chance to rest as a side benefit. I highly doubt we see Nix play more than a game or two there, before Alexei comes back in again. Maybe, if Alexei comes back and STILL sucks for weeks, then we'll see something more permanent considered. But for now, its a warning shot.