It came out today, and you may have already looked at it. If not, you can download it as a pdf all over the place, including from ESPN.com.
Anyway, the big name named in it was Roger Clemens. That's what we've been waiting all this time for? I don't even know what to say, because this is like the least-surprising report of all time.
I hate the gotcha crap that goes on when stuff like this happens. You know, the know-it-alls who say how obvious it was that Clemens had been cheating for years—hey, just look at his age! (Did these people say this so confidently before Clemens was named? No. And have they ever heard of Nolan Ryan?) But seriously. He's huge, he put really big numbers for a really long time, and he's considered this super-intense jerk—basically, he's Barry Bonds on the mound. Setting aside the moral issues of steroid use (and believe me, I'm against it), I was hoping for some entertainment out of today's revelations, and I was sorely disappointed. I mean, Mike Lansing? I watched that guy day in and day out for the Rockies, but at this point who friggin' cares?
Your thoughts?
5 comments:
It was a sad day for me yesterday. Until yesterday, I considered Clemens to be one of the best pitchers to ever play the game. I thought he was one of the best "big game" pitchers that I'd ever seen play.
I can't say that now. Who's to say he would have been able to get to 350 wins without the aid of roids.
I was really disappointed to hear his name mentioned in the report.
It will be interesting to see how baseball handles the records from the steroids era. Will they put an asterisk by anyone even suspected of using steroids?
I think baseball, more than any other sport, is a game that is very conscious of its statistical records. Thanks to all these idiots who have doped up the last ten years, many of those hallowed records are tainted, and in my mind ruined.
I'm in favor of wiping out the last 20 years of baseball from the record books. Lets just erase any record that may have been broken since the 1987 season and start fresh with testing that will actually work, and punishments that will actually provide an incentive to not use steroids EVER (like a lifetime ban).
I like your wiping out the last 20 years idea, if only because it would erase Cal's Iron Man streak, which would make a lot of people cry. Other than that, I think it's a truly terrible idea. What about all the guys who didn't use steroids? (Also, what makes you think that a testing-that-works solution even exists? Last I heard, there was no test for Human Growth Hormone, for example, and even if there is, the drugs just keep getting better.)
I'm interested to see what, if anything, is done about the records, and if something is done, what standard MLB will use to determine what stays and what goes. All the things said about Clemens aside, he hasn't yet failed a drug test. That alone doesn't prove his innocence, but how much proof will we require for his guilt?
And for the record, I never really though of Clemens as a great big-game pitcher. His career playoff totals are good: 12-8, 3.75, but other than chucking a bat at Mike Piazza, what memorable playoff moments has he had? Contrast this with Curt Schilling, who's gone 11-2, 2.23, or John Smoltz, who's 15-4, 2.65. Pedro had his meltdown against the Yanks, but even including that he's 6-2, 3.40, and I'd take him in a big start over Clemens any day. (Numbers from baseball-reference.com.)
I was mostly joking about the last twenty years thing, besides, I could never see that happening anyway. The whole era is now tainted though in my opinion. What do you do with the player who didn't use steroids, but constantly got on base in front of Bonds? Should all his runs scored be altered?
However, I do think baseball has lost one of it's key attributes by having so many of its records called into question. One reason baseball fans are loyal to the game is because of the anticipation created when their favorite player/team is about to break some record. Look how many people followed Bonds this last year.
Ha, that's a cool point (about the player hitting in front of Bonds). I was going to say I fortunately couldn't think of big examples of who would benefit from that, but didn't Jeff Kent win an MVP hitting behind him?
The players I really feel the worst for are guys like Greg Maddux and Ken Griffey, Jr. I mean here are two guys who were fantastic in their primes and got plenty of press and adulation and all that. So I don't feel THAT sorry. But wouldn't 347 wins or 593 homers look a lot more impressive if huge numbers weren't so...normal these days? Instead Griffey became kind of a running joke because he got injured so much as he got older...his fault for choosing to age naturally, I guess.
On the flip side of your Bonds point...imagine how huge it will be when someone is about to break his record! That'll be a national celebration.
That's true (about breaking Bond's record) I hadn't thought about that.
Has Dale Murphy ever won a MVP award? I'm just wondering if Kent is the only Mormon to ever win a MVP (undeserving or not).
I agree with you, the biggest losers in this whole "investigation" are the truly amazing players who didn't use steroids. You're right about Griffey. Without all these fat heads hitting everything out of the park and never aging, Griffey's numbers would be some of the best in history.
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