TIME TO DONATE SOME RICE TODAY!
<-----------------------------------------------
Build your vocabulary, feed the hungry...
Over at Anndi's, you will learn that over 7 BILLION grains of rice have been donated...7 BILLION folks...and we just checked the site and we are over 8 BILLION..that is since October 7th...less than three months! THAT is inspiring.
THE COUCH NOTE: As an update to the words we have left below...let us all remember 'innocent until proven guilty' and unless there are positive tests somewhere there is only the words of the people interviewed that the names listed actually did steroids (except Jason Giambi, the only active player who has acknowledged his involvement). We think that we mat find that some of the players had lesser involvement then is being bandied about at this time...
This is George Mitchell...Katherine wants to date him, well if not date him, she wants to print out this picture and put it in her wallet with a little puffy heart drawn on it. You should journey over to her blog and read her wonderful take on this story.
Mr. Mitchell has done something that saddens and elates me at the same time. His report (409 pages - already downloaded over a million times), released yesterday proves once and for all that Major League Baseball was not being played on a level playing field (no pun intended) for about 7 years.
OK, you can say it went on longer than that, but those 7 years, from 1996 until 2004 were the dark days...darker than the Chicago Black Sox scandal in 1917...darker than 1984 when 4 members of the Kansas City Royals were convicted of cocaine trafficking...darker than 1994 when the players and owners could not come up with an agreement and the World Series was canceled.
Many names of players were given by Kirk Radomski, who worked as a batboy, equipment manager and clubhouse assistant for the New York Mets from 1985-1995.
Federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Radomski's home December 14, 2005 and found documents of distribution of performance enhancing substances. On April 26, 2007, Radomski plead guilty to selling performance-enhancing drugs to major leaguers. He cooperated with authorities and testified before the same grand jury that investigated Barry Bonds.
They have copies of checks written by players to Ramdoski for steroids...
Names include Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Troy Glaus, Gary Matthews Jr., Paul Byrd, Jose Guillen, Brian Roberts, Paul Lo Duca and Rick Ankiel were among other current players named in the report — in fact, there's an All-Star at every position. Some were linked to Human Growth Hormone, others to steroids.
Roger Clemens' name is mentioned the second most times in the report, after Barry Bonds. The one name that hurts us the most is NY Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte.
All y'all know that baseball is the game we love the most...these players have tainted the game. Those who are currently playing need to be reprimanded and suspended.
Those outside the game now, need to feel repercussions. Any records achieved need to be marked in the record books with an asterisk or a black mark.
The guardians of baseball are at fault. Bud Selig's 'gee I did not know attitude' is a bunch of crap. He is supposed to be the commissioner, he is supposed to protect the game. But remember, he is an owner who the other owners turned the game over to. The owners of the teams need to put their collective foot down to save the game that makes them billionaires.
The clean players who saw it happening are at fault. They are not doing their livelihood any good by taking the 'I can't tell on my team mates' attitude.
The managers who knew it was occurring are at fault. You are the day-to-day bosses of the game. You need to realize that by staying quiet, you are not only killing the game, but the players also - think about Ken Camminitti, who died from his abuse of steroids.
The Baseball Players Union is at fault. They need to realize that their job is to protect the players and allowing this crap to go on, and shielding the players from proper testing is NOT helping their union or the game.
And the fans (including myself back in the summer of 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa "saved the game of baseball")who all knew that ballplayers do not get better as they get older, and watched with amazement as these 'herculean' feats occurred and did not question them are at fault.
I also agree with those who point out that the steroids did not make these players better. One Barry Bonds would have gone down in the history books as one of the greatest ballplayers of my generation. Now he goes down as a 'steroid head'. Maybe without the 'roids he does not get the record for home runs, but he ends up in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. Mark McGwire was worshiped for what he did in '98...now he lives in the shadows especially after looking so foolish in front of the Senate sub-committee.
Last summer, Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run. It became a footnote. Roger Clemens record and fame as one of the best pitchers of his generation will now slink off into the sunset.
Now, baseball has a steroid testing policy. Problem is, the union and the players and even the owners and Selig are allowing the use of Human Growth Hormones to take the place of steroid use. There IS a test...the people who are blocking it are doing so because it take more than having someone pee in a cup. It means taking blood.
It is time for the syringes to be used to stop the abuse...they have been used to create the abuse long enough.
As Katherine so adeptly pointed out, it is not only baseball. Offensive lineman in football are 50% larger than they were 10 years ago. Folks, that ain't weight room training....
And it is not just in professional sports. It is at the college level and even scarier, it is at the high school level. New Jersey became the first state to randomly test high school athletes when a law was passed in December 2006. This past year, the testing took place across the state.
Our son Matt played HS and college baseball. We know he was offered different items to 'help pump you up'...DO we know any kids in his high school or the teams he palyed who were juicing? No...
Did we have suspicions? Sure... Would the threat of being tested have stopped it? ABSOLUTELY!
ALL states need to begin this program. They need to do it now.
Where does baseball go from here? They must begin a comprehensive program of weeding out HGH...start using those syringes.
Will this report kill baseball? No...it hopefully will make it better...but we have 7 years when we have to hang our heads for not standing up and shouting STOP!
"BOYS OF SUMMER"
DON HENLEY
Composers: Don Henly & Mike Campbell
1984
Building The Perfect Beast
Not written about baseball...though the phrase "Boys Of Summer" is well know to refer to the old Brooklyn Dodgers from the 1971 book by Roger Kahn...the chorus lyrics "after the boys of summer have gone" seems appropriate today...
Nobody on the road,
nobody on the beach.
I feel it in the air,
the summers out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets,
the sun goes down alone.
I'm driving by your house
though i know that you not home...
And i can see you
you brown skin shining in the sun
you got your hair combed back
sunglasses on baby
and i can tell you
my love for you will still be strong
after the boy of summer have gone.
out on the road today
i saw a dead head sticker on a cadillac
a voice inside my head said don't look back
you can never look back
i thought i knew what love was
what did i know
those days are gone for ever
i should just let them go and...
i can see you
your brown skin shining in the sun
you know your walking real slow
smiling at everyone
i can tell you
my love for you will still be strong
after the boys of summer have gone.
I never will forget those nights
i wonder if it was a dream
remember how you drove me crazy?
remember how i made you scream?
now i don't understand what happed to our love
now baby gonna get you back
gonna show you what i'm made of...
i can see you
your brown skin shining in the sun
you got your top pulled down,
radio on baby
and i can tell you
my love for you will still be strong
after the boys of summer have gone.
Sad, sad times. I remember when Brady's brother was in high school, drinking the 'weight gain' stuff while working out - I thought that was weird. LOL
I remember the year the Diamondbacks won the series - how excited I was that I got to see a game when McGwire came to town & played...
Sad, sad times.
I do not want to date him....(he looks like the type who would want me to meow....)
However I would be honored to work for him. Maybe he should replace Bud Selig...who apparently isn't gonna follow Mitchells advise.
I am concerned that Congress is getting involved...we don't really need them mucking it up.
If I were queen...I would put the onus on the Players Union as they are responsible for the brunt of this mess.
That's sad...and it's not just baseball, either. Soon, the fun will be taken out of all sports :(
Excellent and timely choice in tunage Vin. Cheers!!
It's truly a sad day for baseball. I love the song "Boys of Summer" ... it makes me wish for the beach.
While I not a sports type gal I do like a intense game of baseball and have been to the Indians diamond several times cheering my lungs out.
This is sad.
Great song Vinny.
TUG: They are sad times...though I added something to the post that I think is important
KATHERINE: hehehe yup meow and he might want you to say 'you're the man' too...the Players Union is certainly the one group that can now clean up the game by pushing for HGH testing for its members
WAIT? You are NOT the Queen?
108: No it is not just baseball...
MATT-MAN: Maybe I will write lyrics to a song about cheaters and have you record it
OB: ah the beach, and bathing suits, and the sand,,,,and someone to walk with...
JULIE: It is sad Julie...ty
Good tune Vin total brings back the 80's! Have a good weekend!!
The names in the report saddened me. And I'm sure that's not all of them either...just the ones that got caught in this investigation. As my emotions jumped all over the map yesterday, one crazy thought popped into my head.
Cancel baseball for a full year and get it cleaned up. It's a wild ass idea with very little thought behind it. It's a purely emotional and irrational idea. It paints all players with the same cheater's brush, and that's not right. But it sure would send a pretty clear message that cheaters will no longer be tolerated.
I guess someone else will have to come up with the solution. But in the words of Mr Filch...I want to see some punishment! (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Your update is very true - should be interesting to see how this all plays out, and how or if it will affect other sports as well.
I would be happy to Vin. Cheers!!
I was most surprised not to see Kevin Elster on "The List"
What amazed me was that for every good player on "The List" there was a player I barely heard of. Goes to show, it makes the great players better but if you suck, you still suck but with more back acne.
at first I thought Travis had an idea worth reviewing...but then I realized all of the people who are dependant on the Baseball industry...office workers...vendors...all the stadium people...wouldn't be right to fire them for a year...
ROGER: You also
TRAVIS: ummmm that might be a little extreme...I am also wondering how much is sour grapes by some of these guys...the more I hear, the more I do wonder
TUG: It will affect others I believe
MATT-MAN: Will work on somethning this weekend
KATHERINE: Excellent points
Damn---now that Roger Clemens bobblehead won't be worth a plug nickel
I want to see proof--that's just me.
And Boys of Summer is an awesome awesome song.
Great post. I read Katherine's as well. Both passionate and well thought out. It is just terribly sad. To see it sink into the public schools is the travesty. Role models are steroid heads.
A shame.
I posted something yesterday and it doesn't seem to have made it to you...I wish I remember what I said. Sorry, VinBo
I'm really wondering if people are acting shocked or are really dumb enough to have believed that the ever increasing leaps in performance was natural....
The Mitchell Report is a "witch hunt".
Players that should have been named were not.
Re: "Last summer, Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run. It became a footnote. Roger Clemens record and fame as one of the best pitchers of his generation will now slink off into the sunset."
There is not doubt in my mind that Slammin' Sammy was on the juice. But without using he probably would have hit close to 500 Home runs in his career.
As for Clemens, I am a non believer in his use of steroids. Getting a pitch over the plate at 95 MPH never improved his performance.
What the Mitchell Report will accomplish is to keep several deserving Baseball players out of the "Hall of Fame".
Thats all I have to say about that!
The Beach Bum
TURN: I want proof also...believe me I do...and Andy stepped up and admitted to two days of HGH to try and recover
MIMI: There is shame out there
DOC: I found it hiding...and you are correct..it does not make you a superstar
ANNDI: I think you can see both sides of the coin as the talent had to be there to start and it is in all sports
BEACH BUM: 500 is NOT 600...As I have said...the 'roids do no give you ability you did not have naturally, though it might have added that 3-5 mph to your pitch which would give you that advantage ...90 mph is easier to hit than 85...what the report did was tell us it was more prevalent than the Players Association or the management wanted us to believe