Drug testing news is unfair
I am no advocate of steroid use, but the news I heard yesterday left me scratching my head.
Drug test results from over 100 players in 2003 that were supposed to be anonymous may soon become public, as the rights over who should possess them goes back and forth, reports the New York Times.
From New York Times writer Michael S. Schmidt:
"The test results were meant to be anonymous, and a battle over access to them has wound its way through the federal court system. The players union has tried to protect its members by arguing that the government illegally obtained the information."
I believe that anyone in professional sports who has been proven to use steroids in a season shall be punished severely, because they have an unfair advantage over the players that are not on steroids. Yet, at the same time, I believe that something that was supposed to be anonymous shall stay anonymous and should not be illegally stolen by the government.
What happens when the media and players don’t get along, especially in NY?
If you scroll down this page and read about Billy Wagner’s comments yesterday, the New York newspapers thrived off of it and made every possible story. Often in New York, when a team starts losing confidence, losing games, or just not being in first place, the newspapers try to act like the situation is worse than the bombing of Pearl Harbor and World Trade Center attacks combined.
These newspapers, however, need to remember that we are talking about sports here. Not world news, events, etc. We are talking about entertainment and fun, at least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.
Through his 2+ year career as Mets closer, Billy Wagner has not been afraid to say what is on his mind, regardless of using his head. Yesterday was a prime example, as he started bleeping the world out in frustration because the reporters refused to talk to somebody else.
Let’s think back to another example of a New York player who became frustrated with an excess amount of reporters in his direction. Last June, Paul Lo Duca was accused of being racist, simply because he brought up the topic of what language players speak. It was a day that the game was rained out and he did not want to talk to any reporters, so he responded with:
"Some of these guys gotta start talking," he said. "They speak English, believe me."
That short, simple quote was perceived as a racist quote by many, as Lo Duca simply wanted the reporters to speak to somebody else. His teammates agreed with him on the fact that he was not a racist, because he gets along with everybody in the clubhouse, whether they were white or hispanic.
"What’s racial about that?" First Baseman, Carlos Delgado asked.
"It’s like, there’s a lot of guys here that speak Spanish. Is that racial?" Delgado said. "There’s a lot of guys here that speak English: Is that racial? Maybe he was implying that you guys don’t speak Spanish. Maybe he was kind of cracking a joke on you. I don’t know. I don’t find it offensive at all."
Another example was when the New York Giants were in the process of throwing away first place and nearly missing the playoffs in 2006. When Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress didn’t try to catch balls thrown his way that were intercepted in a game against the Titans, Michael Strahan said some negative comments toward Burress to WFAN following the game. Strahan was not with the team at the time, since he was hurt. The Giants were up 21-0 in the fourth quarter before losing. Strahan was asked if he talked to Burress about the comments he made on WFAN. He responded with:
"I want to see your face when you ask me this question and in the way you are going to ask it," replied Strahan. "I know you are going to ask it in a way that is more of a negative way than what it was, alright? If you are a responsible journalist, look me in the eye and ask me this question. Look a man in the eye before you try to kill him and make up something."
The reporter then went on to ask the question:
"Plaxico said you haven’t spoken to him about your comments on WFAN, is that true?"
"I haven’t spoken to you about him! I’ve spoken to Plaxico," said Strahan. "I spoke to Plaxico at the team meeting, as well. Do you think Plaxico lost us the game? No. Do you think the interception by Eli lost us the game? No. Do you think the tackle by Kiwanuka lost us the game? No. Is that what I expect from the team? Yes. But the fact of the matter is, we’re 6-5. We’ve lost three games in a row. What do you want us to do? Put our heads down and go into a corner? We don’t do that."
The list goes on and on. The point is that when something is just a little big off with a New York team, the papers can often destroy a team. We’ll see how that plays out this season with the Mets, who are currently 2.5 games behind the first-place Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies.
Mets even series vs. Nats
If you took a look at only the hit column in the box score, you would likely think the Mets slaughtered the Nationals yesterday. Actually, they did not quite slaughter them, but they still came out on top to win, 6-3.
Brian Schneider was the only hitter in the lineup with at least three hits, but several members of the team were able to get a hit. David Wright hit an opposite field double and also had a single, while Ryan Church went 2-4 with a double and a home run. Church’s home run seemed to be a pop-up when it first came off the bat, but it kept going and going until Nat’s centerfielder Lastings Milledge watched it fly over his head, nearly hitting the apple.
Carlos Delgado took advantage of the defensive shift and did something that reminded me of the Shea opener LAST season, when he put down a bunt toward third base and easily beat it out. This time, he did the same thing because there was nobody in the area.
Moises Alout raised his average to .364 with two hits, while Carlos Beltran’s average dropped to .264 with a 1-4 day at the plate.
On the mound, John Maine cruised through six innings, allowing only one earned run on two hits. He gave up an unearned run because a home run scored a baserunner who reached on an Easley throwing error one batter before. Matt Wise returned and gave up one run, while Duaner Sanchez got himself out of trouble in the eighth to leave the Nats stranded. Sanchez’s fastball has toned down about ten miles per hour since his accident, as it now averages around 87 mph.
Billy Wagner got his eight save of the season, and still has yet to give up an earned run. I love being able to look at a box score and seeing a 0.00 next to his ERA column. We’ll keep an eye on that all the way through the all-star break, because as we all very well know, he started to slip in the second half of last season. I was guessing it was because of his arm getting worn down at his older age, but since he now uses a wind-up and has more pitch selection, it may be a different story.
Philly ranked among nation’s worst sports cities
By gathering several records, results, seasons, championships, and more, Forbes.com’s Tom Van Riper and Andrew Farrell determined the nation’s most miserable sports cities. Philadelphia was ranked ninth.
Farrel and Van Riper explained the details:
“The A’s five World Series titles are the most championships by any team in Philly’s history–and they left town in 1955. Just call the rest of the city’s sports landscape “Bridesmaids ‘R’ Us.” Since 1980, Philadelphia’s four mainstays–the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Sixers, are a combined 1-for-12 in the finals.”
Now does everyone see why the fans in Philadelphia were going so crazy (like they had never seen it before) when they clinched the division last season?
Deja Vu?
I wasn’t home today during the game and the game wasn’t even on TV, so I can’t tell you much about it from my point of view except that Oliver Perez needs to start focusing for the season soon. We don’t want April to be like last April. You know, that game that he pitched against the Phillies kind of April?
Perez threw five innings today, but gave up five runs.
How come with every word I write on this post I keep getting reminded of that horrible game in April against the Phillies? Fine, that is it, I’m going to dig up some of my post-game from that day and see how it turned out. To see it all, click here.
Date: April 12, 2007
Mets vs. Phillies
This is what I wrote:
“Oliver Perez had a fine start, allowing no hits for the first two innings, then allowed a single in the third and never looked back. He ended up walking consecutive batters, hitting another batter, and then was finally taken out after walking in three runs by Willie Randolph”
So ya kinda see what I mean?
At the plate, it was really nice to see Ryan Church get a hit. Beltran hit a homer and Brian Schneider, finally returning from the injury, went hitless.
Tomorrow, the Mets are finally on TV. Guess who is pitchin
g?
Orlando Hernandez! Yes, he is pitching in a real, live game! No, not a simulated game! Not a bullpen session! Not just throwing long toss with some weird ball that he always does. He is actually going to throw a pitch to a batter with an umpire behind him and a crowd cheering.
That’s always a good sign, right? Well, I guess, but when you are the world’s most injury-prone person, anytime you walk you could break a leg, ankle, or whatever that bunion thing was. Besides, he isn’t a young person that can pitch all day long. He is 42. Or maybe he is 32. Or maybe he is 52. Maybe if his dog never decided to “chew up his birth certificate”, we might have a clue!
So again, Orlando Hernandez is pitching tomorrow. I think the team should wheel him in a wheelchair out to the mound to make sure he doesn’t pull a muscle or break his leg. What do you think?