skyking162

If I have anything to say about the Mitchell Report that I’m not reading anywhere else, I’ll throw those thoughts here:

1. George Mitchell stressed that there was much about steroids and players who used steroids that he didn’t learn. As such, we should be careful not to vindicate any player who wasn’t named in the report.
2. Not all players who were named in the report should receive the same sentence in the court of public opinion. Someone who who used HGH once or twice in 2002 is barely a step below innocent, while someone who’s used a regiment of drugs for the past five years deserves to be given the Salem treatment. Everybody’s different.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Well, after 24 hours the results are in:

On the power of 9 votes, readers of this blog think the Rookie of the Year should go to “the rookie who’s the best player”.

3 people voted for “Most Valuable Rookie”.

Personally, I’m surprised nobody picked “rookie will have the best career”, as I’ve seen that point of view pushed many places and it’s similar to some people’s view of All-Star voting.

I’m not surprised nobody picked “the rookie having the most surprising season”. I made that one up off the top of my head.

I’m so glad we’ve gotten that out of the way. (Did anybody vote 9 times?)

Popularity: 9% [?]

Why do I get the feeling Barry Bonds is about to go on a tear, giving the Giants a real shot to make the playoffs? Yes, I’ve finally accepted he’s been chemically enhanced, but I’m still an admirer.

I’d rather watch Justin Henin-Hardenne play tennis, but I’d rather watch Maria Sharapova play tennis (I’ll even forgive her “flip it 360 degrees” comment tonight.)

These guys are having under-appreciated seasons: Mike Cuddyer, Chase Utley, Chris Capuano, Grady Sizemore, Matt Holliday (underrated career so far), Rich Aurilia, Curt Schilling, and the league-leading Colorado rotation.

Dick Enberg might look like an evil old clown these days, but he’s still a fantastic tennis announcer. He has a rare ability to announce and interpret events in stride without relying on pre-planned storylines or shtick. (I’ll spare you the explanation of why I think Ryan Seacrest also has this ability.) Enberg has an endless supply of player anectdotes without coming across like Joe Theisman — “I was talking with Mike Martz on Thursday… .” He can weave humor effectively into the broadcast and he interacts seemlessly with the also impressive John McEnroe and Mary Carillo.

These guys are having overrated seasons: Justin Morneau (as least as far as this MVP talk is concerned), Barry Zito, Magglio Ordonez, Ken Griffey Jr. Raise your hand if you’re shocked I resisted adding Jose Reyes to the list.

Marv Levy has his own local pre-game show. Yes, Marv, there are places I’d rather be right now. Like the Colts’ bandwagon.

Orlando Hernandez just might deserve to be in the Mets’ playoff rotation. As long as Pedro’s healthy, the Mets just might be okay without having traded for another top-flight starter.

The biggest farce of an award is Manager of the Year. Key ingredients to impress the baseball writers: play excessive Larussa-style small ball, sign better players so the team improves, or already have the best players so your team is really really good. I’m still waiting to read a story about a specific instance of a manager helping a player improve significantly. I’m sure it happens all the time, but how can you pick the MOY when you don’t know when it’s actually happening?

Kelvim Escobar’s ERA is a full run lower than his RA, thanks to 17 unearned runs.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Steroids were not illegal in MLB until last year. Steroids have been illegal without proper prescription in the US for a long time. Should breaking a federal law negate on-field performance? No.*

Does steroid use break an ethical law? Yes. Should baseball players’ on-field performances be held accountable to all ethical law? No.**

Does steroid use break an ethical law that affects baseball as an institution? Yes.

Should MLB create rules that outlaw unethical behaviors that affect baseball as an institution? Yes.***

Should MLB punish players for violating ethical laws before rules prohibiting those actions were in place? No.****

Should fans punish players instead of MLB? Yes.

Is there absolute proof that Bonds and other big-name players used performance enhancing drugs? No.*****

Is there enough proof that I’m willing to except that Bonds did. Yes.

Might he have not? Yes.

Could there still be absolute proof one way or the other? Yes.

Should we seek absolute proof? Yes.

These are the questions and answers that led to my take on the steroid issue. The fans deserve to know the truth and I admire Bud Selig for initiating the investigation. If the results prove a player didn’t use performance enhancing drugs, we’ve saved the player’s reputation and the game’s that much more respectable. If the results prove a player did use PEDs, we as fans have all the permission in the world to villify those players. But I don’t want MLB to punish them, except for giving them the cold shoulder. Don’t touch the record-books. Don’t alter the statistics. We, as fans, carry the most power — we can decide not to give a damn that Bonds hit more homeruns that Babe Ruth. It’s not the number that creates a record, it’s the fans that accept the premise of the record. But we need the truth to validate our points of view. Let’s hope the truth is uncovered.

* - Polygamy
** - Jackass
*** - Crack
**** - Ex post facto, anyone?
***** - Except Palmeiro

Popularity: 9% [?]