| Steroids in modern sport |
| 2008-03-03 13:08:00 |
With the release of former Senator George Mitchell’s report on the issue of performance enhancing drugs in baseball it is time for a new perspective on the topic. Major League Baseball (MLB) went from virtually no steroid policy in 2003 when Steve Belcher was found dead during spring training (Pound, 2006), to todays finger pointing and firm denials. Players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are publicly reprimanded for using substances such as Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) or Human Growth Hormone (HGH), (Fainaru-Wada, 2006) But why are these substances illegal in baseball and those who use them treated as harshly as convicted felons? Shoemaker lists three standard arguments why sports should be cleansed of all
| $39.95 million man? |
| 2007-04-24 21:21:00 |
That’s almost $10 million for each DL trip for the Yankees’ Carl Pavano, and $8 million per win. If you count the two losses against that’s over $13 million per win. The veteran starter is perhaps the worst free agent signing of all time. In 2004 he pitched the year of his life, winning 18 with the Marlins while posting a 3.00 ERA. Before that he was a forth or fifth starter for both Florida and the Montreal Expos, and even with his 2004 campaign he compares statistically with players such as Art Mahaffey, Joel Pineiro, Vicente Padilla and of course Rodrigo Lopez. He’ll make $8 million this year, which means the win he got April 9th will be about it for the season. The only signing that was as bad as Pavano’s might be when Vince Coleman signed with t...
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| What's Wrong with A-Rod? |
| 2007-04-24 19:27:00 |
The 30 year old Yankees third baseman is about to set a record for homers in April. His stats project to easily win the Triple Crown and he hasn’t struggled at the hot corner. At this rate he’ll hit .400 with 126 home runs and 309 RBIs. So what’s wrong? He’s not the Golden Boy. As Barry Bonds inches closer to Hank Aaron’s record everyone in baseball should be cheering on A-Rod… well, except for Boston. He’s the only player that has the ability to challenge both Barry’s single season record (although that’s very unlikely) and Aaron’s career mark. He’s only 30, plays for baseball’s most publicized team, and has never been accused of taking anything remotely considered a performance-enhancing substance. ...
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| NFL Draft |
| 2007-04-16 14:50:00 |
The most important player in this years draft was picked in 2002. A third round pick by the Cardinals, Josh McCown has been a backup and spot-starter for Arizona and Detroit for the past 5 seasons and it has been rumored for about a month that he will be traded from the Lions to the Oakland Raiders who hold the number one pick this year. The transfer would probably cost Oakland a 3rd round pick and would have been done already if Detroit didn't hold the number two pick. Having a veteran QB on their roster would allow the Raiders to pass over both JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn and select Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson, the best receiver prospect to come out of college this millennium. Oakland would then choose between Stanford QB Trent Edwards and Michigan State's Drew Stanton with their...
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| Hey Cleveland: Got Snow? |
| 2007-04-10 20:24:00 |
Yankee fans are so ridiculous. Alex Rodriguez is not Jeter, blah blah blah. Anybody actually see the at-bat when he hit the Grand Slam? Baltimore closer Chris Ray thew the same pitch 3 times. The first two he hit his spot, low and outside, and A-Rod swung and missed both times. 0-2 count and Ray throws it again, but got to much plate and it ended up beyond the rightfield wall. If that pitch is an inch lower or outside its a strikeout and A-Rods the goat again. Check it out on YouTube... oh wait, you can't because MLB wants to protect its copyrighted content that is shown on ESPN 150 times a day. Ask a Yankee fan what happened and he'll say that Alex did his job this time, but he'll still choke come October.Speaking of the Bronx Zoo, Brian Cashman better hope it was the cold thwarted his st...
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| Imus in the Morning |
| 2007-04-10 19:49:00 |
I love how ridiculous people are.If you haven't heard (who am I kidding?) Don Imus made his 235th bad racist joke last week. ESPN is covering it 24/7 because it was targeted at their feel-good story of the week, the Rutgers women's basketball team. Outside the Line's Bob Levy questioned why New York papers where slow to react to the comment. They are too smart to take a guy who argues with Howard Stern for ratings seriously. Well, the national coverage awakened Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who have called for Imus's removal. CBS radio broke down and gave Imus two weeks off, then he'll come back and have higher ratings and everything will calm down.L.A. Times Columnist Bill Plaschke was outraged on ESPN's Around the Horn, questioning how people allow "hate to further in this country." Hey,...
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| Chasing Aaron |
| 2007-04-05 14:09:00 |
Is every home run Barry Bonds hits this year going to be like this one? If I remember correctly number 735 doesn't get you anything. I know he's the only reason to watch the Giants this year but this is ridiculous. Talk about Craig Biggio's run for 3,000 hits or the Devil Rays talent-loaded outfield. There are much bigger and better things happening this season, which might be the most competitive and exciting season in years. When is the last time someone admired Tampa's lineup? Alex Gordon is the hottest prospect to come into the league since A-Rod and the Milwaukee Brewers may have the best team in their division. This is what I want to hear about. Tell me about Bonds when he hits 750, not 736 or 737. Who cares if Bug Selig will attend a game that may happen months from now? I want to h...
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| The World Champions |
| 2007-04-03 19:37:00 |
The 2007 season has begun and its back to reality for the St. Louis Cardinals. The magical postseason performances of Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver are long gone and the team that remains is simple not that good. David Eckstein has somehow become one of the best at his position, and remember his subpar season that last year was partially due to injury. There 3-4-5 hitters rival any AL team when healthy, but Jim Edmonds was on and off the DL most of last season and is 37 this year. His 1.000 OPS years are long gone. Albert Pujols is constantly one of the top 5 hitters in baseball and Scott Rolen is well on his way to Cooperstown, but after them there lineup is weak. They have about 5 platoon players between left and rightfield and they are average at second and behind the plate. Outside of Cy...
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| MLB Postseason Predictions |
| 2007-04-02 15:51:00 |
Since I'm too lazy to breakdown every division, I'll just reveal my playoff predictions.ALEastBostonNY YankeesTorontoTampa BayBaltimoreCentralChicagoCleveland*DetroitMinnesotaKansas CityWestTexasOaklandLA AngelsSeattleNLEastNY MetsAtlantaPhiladelphiaFloridaWashingtonCentralMilwaukeeSt. LouisChicagoHoustonPittsburghCincinnatiWestSan DiegoArizona*LA DodgersColoradoSan Francisco* Wild CardALDSChicago over TexasBoston over ClevelandNLDSNY Mets over ArizonaSan Diego over MilwaukeeALCSBoston over ChicagoNLCSNY Mets over San DiegoWorld SeriesBoston over NY MetsYes, I know I originally picked Detroit to win the AL Wild Card, but I changed my mind....
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| AL Central Preview |
| 2007-03-31 16:18:00 |
5. Kansas City Royals 40 year old GM prodigy Dayton Moore was supposed to stay in Atlanta and become heir apparent to the legend that is John Schuerholz. A middle-market club with a strong fan base and great history, the Braves would have been a solid job with wiggle room. Then the Boston offered Moore their GM job during the Theo Esptein hiatus. The Sox are major-market team with an even better history and arguably the best fan base in baseball. Moore withdrew himself as a candidate, and later was hired the General Manager of the Kansas City Royals, one of the worst teams in baseball. Why did he turn down two great jobs for the Royals? Two reasons: 1. He’s a homer Moore grew up in Kansas City and vividly remembers the team’s heyday in the 80’s. 2. H...
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| AL East Preview |
| 2007-03-29 11:41:00 |
5. Baltimore Orioles Many placed blame for the Orioles bad pitching last year on the World Baseball Classic, as their team ERA got substantially better after the break. But going from a 6.77 to a 4.76 is still not acceptable against the best offensive division in baseball. In the offseason management spent millions upgrading the Bullpen and there starters do have some talent, Erik Bedard is a legitimate ace. They do have the best pitching in the division after the Red Sox, there problems lie on offense. They have high hopes for free agent Aubrey Huff, but he’s just a .270 hitter who is best valued as a left-handed sub off the bench. Baltimore wants him to protect Miguel Tejada, who will be on another team by August. Best case scenario: Huff remembers 2004 and Tejada be...
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| No More Theismann |
| 2007-03-26 16:20:00 |
ESPN is changing the booth for Monday Night Football, finally ridding themselves of Joe Theismann. The former Redskins QB was unfortunately the worst color commentator I've ever heard in football. I didn't like Dennis Miller in the booth, but Tony Kornheiser was a great addition last year despite not having a great football background. Despite this he soon proved more knowledgeable than Theismann although he never took control from his counterpart, always differing in disagreements. Theismann will be replaced by ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, also a Super Bowl quarterback with the Eagles. "Jaws" is respected comentator and has done a great job breaking down game tape for Sportscenter and NFL Live....
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| 2007 Baseball Season |
| 2007-03-25 16:14:00 |
I hate making predictions. This is mostly because when I get things wrong, well I get them really wrong. (Example: Michigan State in the Final Four) Makes me feel like an idiot Bad for the self-esteem But today Google gave me some special insight, supposively I’m feeling lucky. So here’s my prediction: This upcoming baseball season will be the most exciting and surprising since that down-to-the-wire 1887 finale. Why? Because the players will smell better According to MLB.com New Era has changed the baseball cap from the 50 year old wool model to a new breathable polyester material. The cap has already received rave reviews throughout spring training and that wonderful dugout smell will soon be lon...
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| Why Kobe is the MVP |
| 2007-03-23 15:41:00 |
In an NBA season highlighted by two teams utterly dominating in the regular season the MVP race has become a two man race, but now Kobe Bryant is putting up stats that can't be ignored. Dirk Nowitzki is the leader of the NBA's best team, the Dallas Mavericks. The 28 year old German is a freak of nature and is the number one reason the Mavs 56-11 record. Nowitzki is 7ft tall, and yet has the quickness to play all three forward positions and is probably shoots better than any other big man in NBA history.He averages 37.0 minutes, 25.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Fan favorite Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash is the reigning MVP for the second straight year. He leads the most exciting offensive attack in the league and the Suns are the only team anywheres near Dallas with a 52-16 r...
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| No Al Wilson to the Giants |
| 2007-03-23 00:17:00 |
The trade is still just a rumor and New York isn't the only one trying for the Linebacker as it is rumored the Detroit and Philadelphia are also interested...
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| The Schaub Trade |
| 2007-03-22 19:31:00 |
What are the Texans thinking?Today they traded two 2nd round picks and swapped 1st rounders for the Falcons backup QB Matt Schaub. Schaub, the 3rd year veteran out of Virginia is highly regarded around the league and is brought up whenever Mike Vick throws three picks. The problem is that the Texans already have millions invested in franchise QB David Carr, the team's first draft pick five years ago. Carr has been criticized for the Texan's losing seasons, but perennially leads the league in a quarterback's least favorite stat... getting sacked. For 4 out of the last 5 years Houston has had the worst Offensive Line in the NFL, and would have made it 5 straight if it wasn't for the Cardinal's effort last year. Between that a...
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| Al Wilson to the Giants? |
| 2007-03-22 19:07:00 |
Adam Schefter of NFL.com is reporting rumors that Pro Bowl Linebacker Al Wilson may be traded from the Denver Broncos to the New York Giants. (http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10080863) This is one of the more interesting developments in the NFL offseason, as the Giants are in desperate need of 'backers after cutting starters LaVar Arrington and Carlos Emmons. New York does have a Pro Bowl Middle Linebacker in Antonio Pierce and one would have to move to the outside in the Giants' 4-3 defense. The Broncos are looking to move the younger and cheaper D.J. Williams inside, which will force them to play Nate Webster and look for a promising backup in the mid-to-late rounds of the NFL draft next month. It will probably take more than a second round pick to ...
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| Goodbye Air and Space |
| 2007-03-22 19:00:00 |
“There are two kinds of people: those who are comfortable being naked in front of strangers and those who feel self-conscious in their own shower.†(1) These immortal words came from Steve Rushin, former columnist for Sports Illustrated and one of my favorite sportswriters. When I opened my crisp new SI today I stopped and pondered over a Hyundai ad for a minute or two. I stared at the red SUV not because I was enamored that it has 4 cup holders and 6 airbags, but because it was taking the space of one of my weekly pastimes, “Steve Rushin’s Air and Space.†It all began on a summer evening years back in the Adirondacks of New York. My parents had recently decided to upgrade me from SI for Kids and opened the magazine by the ...
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| New New Years |
| 2007-03-21 20:03:00 |
You know that holiday when the whole world stays up past midnight to see a ball "drop" from a building in Times Square? That day when everyone makes promises that they keep for the maximum of one month. Ring a bell? But why is New Years in January? Well, as March winds down I propose a change to the calendar we've been using for... well awhile. Right now New Years poses a problem for the sporting world, as many Pro and College Sports have seasons that are disrupted by the random placement of New Years. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and 'That Dude Who Runs The BCS' have recently cited this issue as a problem when their leagues paid their annual taxes. (1) So what do we do?Well, February and March are obviously the worst months of the year because there is no Professional basebal...
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