caulfield12

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-sports/...ut_14_hits.html Nothing in the game story in the BIRM News about it.

I wonder if they would consider giving Omogrosso a spot start if Contreras gets shelled tomorrow? They said they won't bring up Poreda, Ozzie has been hesistant about Richard too....so that leaves Van Benschoten, Torres and Broadway, I guess. Maybe Whisler, but I can't imagine him unless it's a team that is LH dominant. Wouldn't Omogrosso be the starter of the AA/AAA staffs with the best raw stuff who it wouldn't be a complete disaster if he got rocked in one outing?

I felt like I was suspended in a languid "twilight zone" between the movies Less than Zero, Dazed and Confused, Requiem for a Dream and Pi reading that post.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 05:20 PM) Who's a bigger name than Manny? I'm thinking only Pujols, Jeter, Griffey Jr., Ichiro and Feldman. Feldman or Haim??? What next, Nicole Eggert?

Benito Santiago: Driving on the Wrong Path Benito Santiago is lighting up the presses today with his connection to a cocaine conspiracy in Kansas City, Mo. Click here for the details. Basically, a car he owned was seized as part of this investigation, and it's not known to what extent Santiago was involved. True, he's innocent till proven guilty, but it just makes you wonder what happens to guys like him in professional sports who just can't control themselves after they're done playing... or even when they are playing. DWIs, domestic violence, drug charges, gambling. The list goes on. Seems like something should be done by the teams or the leagues to help these guys transition into a new phase in their lives rather than go off into troubled waters. I said (to Fathom) that he "didn't look well." Somehow that got transmitted into "didn't play well." We were talking about the topic of players who didn't perform well or who peaked in their mid 30's. Then, because I mentioned a previous message (about Alomar, which is a different situation and lawsuit, but another player who just disappeared in his mid 30's), it got twisted into something else. I have no idea what was wrong with Santiago, apparently besides using steroids and possibly drugs, he just didn't look very well physically, but that was just my impression.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 04:42 PM) Ya and I think its pretty f***ing assine to make a comment about him having a life threatening disease based upon his appearance. The guy looked no different at 40 (except older) than he did at 20. He was one ugly SOB though. I just said he didn't look physically well...didn't mean to intimate something more insidious. Stanozolol Winstrol, Winthrop, Stromba Medical Use: Prescribed for hereditary angioedema, which causes episodes of swelling of the face, extremities, genitals, bowel wall, and throat. Performance-Enhancing Use: It builds strength and muscle mass with minimal bulk development. Preferred by pitchers who typically want stregth but not bulk. Side-Effects: Less damaging to ligaments than most anabolic steroids. Liver damage, acne, sterility, baldness, enlarged prostate, gynocomastia (development of breast tissue in males), virilization (development of male characteristics in women) Admitted or Implicated Players: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, Benito Santiago, Paxton Crawford, Ivan Rodriguez*, Juan Gonzalez*

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 04:21 PM) Santiago was a freaking stud. The guy was in his early 40's and could still throw a laser from home to 2nd from his knees. What the hell are you talking about? He could never hit that well but man did he have some skills during his career. I meant he didn't look physically well...not commenting on how he played. We were talking about Alomar and AIDS/HIV.

Break up the Royals, 18-11 now. If they replace Ponson with Hochevar, they could be really dangerous, despite that so-so line-up offensively.

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:57 PM) JimH, is that you? Nope, my screen name there was "caulfield12" too

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:53 PM) Don't forget the fabled "divorce." Wasn't that Dave Martinez (former White Sox RF not implicated yet in the scandal) who snagged Sandberg's wife?

Yeah, looking back at Sandberg's numbers, he held on pretty well into his late 30's. He had two pretty lost seasons (due to injuries), but he did hit in the mid 20's for homers when he was 36, and only 12 when he was 37. That was his final season. I guess the "prime" for a career was moved from 27-30 back by at least five years (or more) by the Steroids Era. What a mess! Another question that came into my mind. You have JC Romero and Juan Rincon, two former Twins, involved in this scandal. It just made me think about Santana and Liriano. I'll just have to give both those guys the benefit of the doubt, and it's hard to say how much the fall-off is velocity for Liriano (and the torque on his slider) was due to injuries versus any possible P.E. drugs.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:42 PM) Seems like it's BS, as there was a picture of him taken the week after that came out in which he looked perfectly healthy. The player who really didn't look well the last couple of years of his career was another former Padre, Benito Santiago. I guess there are some questions surrounding how quickly and completely Alomar went from one of the best players (and fielders) in baseball history to "just hanging on." Ryne Sandberg also faded quickly in his 30's.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ May 7, 2009 -> 03:36 PM) please don't dismiss the first 100 years of baseball. there were many great defensive shortstops. what are your opinions on marty marion, mark belanger, honus wagner? Look how long it took for Bill Mazeroski...Frank White would be a similar player, although most would give an advantage to playing GG defense at SS over a second-baseman.

I think Vizquel should be a Hall of Famer. Not sure about first-ballot, but maybe. The other argument is how with all the focus on hitting homers and breaking records, how much more attention should rightly have been paid to Omar but he got lost at time in the shuffle playing for mid-market teams and also overshadowed at times by players like Thome, Belle, Roberto Alomar, etc. Andruw Jones? That's a tough one...but I think a lot of depends on whether he ever becomes a regular again and puts up some more numbers. He's SUPPOSEDLY in his early 30's still, but there have to be some questions about him as well. Roberto Alomar will get in, perhaps the first HOFer with AIDS? Or has that never been substantiated?

Forgot about Gary Sheffield...there's another name that will draw a lot of scrutiny, and he's sort of the Jim Rice/Eddie Murray of this generation of baseball players anyway.

Well, we know Alexei and Lillibridge won't be implicated!!!

David Ortiz, age 21-26 with the Twins 58 homers in 1477 at-bats=1/25.5 AB's age 27-33 with Red Sox 231 homers in 3259 at-bats=1/14 AB's Pretty dramatic change... I'm not 100% sold on Chipper Jones for the Hall of Fame quite yet, Vlad yes, Pujols until something like this comes out...but it would be a shame, especially the way he's been elevated to God-like status as the MLB icon, child with a disability, non-profit organizations and community/charity work, his Tebow-like Christian faith, etc. It's one thing if A-Rod has gone down, but quite another if Pujols does, too. That might really damage baseball with this generation of fans...yes, baseball is resilient and got past the Black Sox, the world wars, gambling/Pete Rose, strikes, cocaine scandal in 80's, 1994, and it has always bounced back and always will (feel like the speech from Field of Dreams should be inserted here), but this really sucks.

The next question: does David Ortiz come under investigation? Youkilis? Pedroia? I mean, it is pretty suspicious an organization as adept at judging talent with Terry Ryan letting Ortiz go quite easily, then he morphs into a Hall of Fame type player like that magically by playing in Fenway.

Ooops, yeah, forgot about both Yankees and Ichiro, funny...maybe I deliberately forgot them.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 7, 2009 -> 10:15 AM) Piazza will, although I am positive he was just as roided up as the rest of them. You mention position players, with what happened with Clemens/Pettite, how many pitchers of the last 20 years can you really trust, other than Maddux? Glavine Smoltz Maddux Randy Johnson Pedro Martinez Trevor Hoffman Mussina??? Longer range, Johan Santana and Roy Halladay, but they have quite a ways to go.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 7, 2009 -> 10:14 AM) Ya, I hadn't read it was a female pill. Didn't get that far in the thread. Thats really suspicious. 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. Basic summary...

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ May 7, 2009 -> 10:05 AM) I'm pretty sure Canseco was arrested for the same thing. From wikipedia: "On October 10, 2008, Canseco was detained by immigration officials at a San Diego border crossing as he tried to bring a fertility drug from Mexico. He stated the drug was to help with his hormone replacement therapy, needed due to his abuse of steroids." Jose Canseco HCG Former Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco was detained at the Mexican border for more than nine hours on October 9, 2008, for attempting to smuggle human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) into the United States.1 HCG is a natural hormone used by anabolic steroid users. Canseco was charged with one count of misdemeanor drug smuggling on October 14, 2008.2 3

So which position players from the last 20 years are still going to make the HOF? Griffey, Jr. Thomas Thome Biggio Bagwell??? (there have to be some questions about him too)

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 7, 2009 -> 10:01 AM) Cite your sources, please. http://www.steroid.com/HCG.phtml

However, two sources told ESPN's T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada that the drug used by Ramirez is HCG -- human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG is a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Bonds, Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO. www.espn.com