AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2009 > February > 09
Monday, February 9, 2009
A-Rod tests positive, world economy spirals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the terrific movie Frost/Nixon, the first question that David Frost asked disgraced ex-President Richard Nixon on the opening day of their historic interviews was, “Why didn’t you destroy the tapes?”
The first question that might be asked of a Players Association official regarding the alleged positive steroid tests of Alex Rodriguez and 103 other (so far) unnamed positive-tested players should be, “Why didn’t you destroy the results?”
Because unless I’m missing something here (and I could be, for I’m a simple caveman), the union had nothing to gain by keeping results of 2003 tests that were supposed to be secret and sealed, tests that were supposed to carry no penalties and to serve only as a gauge for whether or not the sport needed a mandatory testing program (which it obviously did, as the number of positive tests clearly indicated).
The natural assumption is that someone screwed up by not destroying the test results between then and now. Because if those results had indeed been destroyed, if there was no evidence in existence of a positive test for A-Rod, then wouldn’t the tarnished star and his agent Scott Boras (who has a law degree, by the way, and plenty of top attorneys at his disposal) be preparing a lawsuit right about now?
I mean, really, why wouldn’t they just say, “Prove it? Show us the positive test result” if proof of a positive test doesn’t exist somewhere? Or am I missing something?
(BLOGMEISTER NOTE: Even as I was typing this, A-Rod came clean and admitted to ESPN that he used performance enhancing drugs in the early part of the decade. So disregard the previous couple of paragraphs. That’s moot now.)
Anyway, that was among the thoughts I had while pondering this last night between mostly insipid performances at the Grammys, after being asked all day Sunday about my thoughts on the subject (the A-Rod subject, not the Grammys). ESPN interviewed me and asked if I was surprised by the news. Others asked if I was shocked.
And I told them: With the exception of Greg Maddux, no player from my era of baseball coverage (since the early 1990s) being connected to a steroid test would shock me at this point. Sad, but true. It’s gotten to that point.
(I should have added Tom Glavine’s name, too. Oh, and Charlie Hough. Remember old Charlie, the knuckleballer? He was the opening day starter for the Marlins in their franchise’s first game, and the genial greybeard smoked a cigarette a couple hours beforehand as he spoke to reporters. Folks, I can assure you, without reservations, that ol’ Charlie Hough did not use steroids. There, don’t you feel better about our grand game now? But anyway….)
(Oh, wait. David Eckstein. I mean, if he’s used them, someone gave him placebo ‘roids. So let’s add the skinny shorstop to the list. Maddux, Glavine, Hough, Eckstein. And the skinny dude that covers the Diamondbacks for the Phoenix paper. All ‘roid-free, absolutely. I think.
There, is that a slippery enough slope to begin today’s edition of the Braves/MIB blog? (And let me be clear, I’m not in any way suggesting it’s a bad thing when A-Rod or anyone else, if they’re guilty, gets tarnished by steroid scandal. Just wondering if the union that’s supposed to serve them might have failed in this 2003 testing thing.)
By the way, this will be the last blog on this outdated format we’ve used for a few years. We’re going high-tech, moving to WordPress for our next edition blog later this week. It’ll be easier, smoother, faster, and will allow us to do all kinds of links (audio and even video eventually, if we/I figure out that stuff).
But, just as I once said to my ex-wife: Why didn’t you just destroy the tapes? (OK, I never said that to her. It was a FedEx package, not tapes. But that’s another story, and this isn’t the place to delve into that. Though I would say to the genius who sent that … oh, nevermind. Raging water under the bridge.)
Oh no, no Ohman: Looks like we’ll have to find a new clubhouse well to go to for irreverent humor, since the amiable lefty Will Ohman isn’t being pursued any longer by the Braves.
Was told they hadn’t actually been in pursuit since getting lefty reliever Boone Logan from the White Sox in the Javier Vazquez trade, after earlier claiming another lefty, Eric O’Flaherty, off waivers from Seattle.
The Braves didn’t want to spend the money that Ohman sought in a two-year deal (something close to the two-year, $8 mill Jeremy Affeldt got from San Francisco back in November, before the diminished-salary market took shape for lefty relievers). After getting two far cheaper lefties, the Braves, obviously oblivious and/or unconcerned with our blog needs, no longer felt it made sense to sign Ohman.
With lefty closer Mike Gonzalez joined in the pen by the new lefties Logan and O’Flaherty, and Jeff Ridgway as a backup, the Braves would rather spend the money on other needs, named an outfield bat if they can find a deal they like.
They’ve talked to the Yankees about possibly trading for Nick Swisher or (less likely) Xavier Nady, but if either of those deals happens it probably won’t be until spring training, at least. They’ve had trade discussions with other teams, too, but the Braves are playing this very close to the vest and leaks have been few and far between in the last month, either from the Braves or from teams they’ve talked to.
The Braves could go the free-agent route instead of trading, and to me that possibility seems to have grown in recent weeks as Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn and others have languished on the market, unsigned with barely one week before position players report (Braves pitchers and catchers report to Dark Star Saturday).
If the Braves can get a player as accomplished as Abreu for $4 mill or so per in a one- or two-year deal, it might be too good for them to pass up. Expect a flurry of signings in the next few days, and don’t be surprised if the Braves are involved in one. Not saying it’s a given, but it could certainly happen.
Saw a good quote from an anonymous GM, who told ESPN’s Peter Gammons: “I still believe that one of the factors that has hurt some of the good offensive free agents this winter, like Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn, is the concern about how many runs they give back defensively. There is a great deal more appreciation for defense than there was a decade ago.”
Speaking of A-Rod: How ‘bout the rather stunning suggestion from my man Bill Madden at the NY Daily News, who said the Yankees should dump A-Rod and eat the remaining $270 million on his contract. Here’s the link:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/02/08/2009-02-08eating270mworthitfortheyankeesto_-2.html”>Sunday column.
If you don’t want to paste that link in your own browser (what, are you lazy?) then here’s part of what Bill wrote: “When the Yankees re-signed Alex Rodriguez in the fall of 2007, they envisioned the “clean” alternative to Barry Bonds — the knight in shining armor who would erase the stain of steroids from the all-time home run record, and they would bask in the glory of it with their brand.
Now that A-Rod’s pursuit looks as counterfeit as Bonds’, they should do what’s best for the organization: Cut him loose — no matter the cost.
As difficult as it is to imagine eating $270 million, the Bombers will be making a statement, not just for the Yankee brand but for baseball as a whole.
They will be applauded for it.
The Yankees operate under two basic tenets: The relentless pursuit of championships and the fierce protection of their brand. If they are going to remain true to both, then they have no choice but to sever ties with Rodriguez.”
This winter the Yankees invested $423 million with the signings of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. All of that figures to be offset now by the reports that A-Rod was a steroid cheat. Everywhere the Yankees go this spring and into the season, they will be greeted by choruses of “A-Fraud!” and “A-Roid!” And if you think A-Rod wilted under the pressure of big games before, just imagine his delicate psyche now under the heightened scrutiny of the media and fans….
OK, ME TALKING NOW: Speaking of that gargantuan contract, do you folks realize it includes $6 million bonuses for A-Rod when he reaches each of the four milestone career home run totals of Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Henry Aaron (755) and Bonds (762). Imagine the reaction now to his collecting $6 mill each time he clicks off one of those greats.
Disparity about NFL/MLB steroid cases: ESPN’s Buster Olney made an interesting observation in his Monday blog.
He wrote: It’s worth taking a moment to note the incredible disparity between the response to performance-enhancing drug use in Major League Baseball and the response in the National Football League. Players like Shawne Merriman and Rodney Harrison were suspended for drug use and the issue went away, with fans and media quickly moving on. But when baseball players are named, the fallout goes on and on and on.
Why? My own theory is that the average fan knows the faces of baseball players and is familiar with them. They follow them every day throughout the summer and hold them to a different standard. The faces of football players, on the other hand, appear only 16 to 20 days a year, hidden behind face masks for shorter careers than we often see in baseball. A-Rod is someone who has been in your living room hundreds and maybe even thousands of times, while Harrison could walk into restaurants without being noticed.
Buster then asked his readers the same question I’ll ask you folks: Why do you think it is that steroid use in MLB gets so much more scrutiny than in the NFL?
Who’ll fill Cox’s shoes? Whenever I’m asked to name possible successors to Braves manager Bobby Cox, I mention hitting coach Terry Pendleton and a couple of former Braves third-base coaches, Fredi Gonzalez and Ned Yost. Not that there won’t be plenty of other candidates, but those are obvious ones.
Anyway, I bring this up now because of something I read in the Miami Herald about Marlins manager Gonzalez, who hasn’t been offered an extension as he enters the final season of a three-year contract.
He was quoted in the article thusly: “I don’t even worry about it,” said Gonzalez, who was 71-91 in 2007 and 84-77 last year.
And the Herald quoted noted baseball fan Stan Van Gundy, the Orlando Magic (and former Miami Heat) coach: “With what Fredi has done with that roster — I mean, winning 84 games last year and they played only 161 — that he wouldn’t get an extension is mind-boggling to me…. It was one of the best managerial jobs done in baseball last year, if not the best.”
(I’d have to say, I agree with Van Gundy.)
Fredi, who was the Sporting News 2008 NL Manager of the Year, and his wife have kept their permanent home in Atlanta, where his kids attend school, etc.
No Andruw in Atlanta: In case you missed it, Andruw Jones has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rangers, expected to be announced early this week. He’ll make $500,000 if he wins a job on the big-league club, and could make about $1 mill more in incentives if he plays all season.
The Braves talked to Andruw and his agent, Scott Boras, and made it clear they’d like to have him on a minor-league deal similar to what the Rangers and New York Yankees offered. I’m told that if Andruw couldn’t get the major league contract he sought, if he was going to have to settle for a minor-league deal, then it was going to be with the Rangers, in part because Boras wanted him to have a chance to work with renowned Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.
Boras is trying to do what he can to help get Jones’ career back on track, to get his swing back to something resembling what he had in his best years with the Braves, before his performance slid precipitously and he began flailing at more outside pitches than ever and collapsing on his back leg on so many swings.
OK, that’s it for now. Carroll Rogers is on Braves watch this week, and will update the Tom Glavine situation and other matters.
“LITTLE BONNIE” by Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)
On the day that she was buried
Her Daddy stood out by the cemetery fence
Prayed to God for forgiveness
For surely all of this is punishment for my sins
They put her in the family garden
Said you could hear his heart breaking miles away
All the men pitched in and bought a marble angel
To mark the piece of land where little Bonnie lay
My Grandma said she would keep her in the mornings
So her Mama could sleep a bit and do the chores and such
She’d read her stories about little girls and magic powers
That would never let a pretty angel hurt
Her Mama’s always been a beauty
She’s still beautiful to this very day
But they say Bonnie’s crystal eyes put the stars to shame
Maybe heaven needed Bonnie’s face
My Grandma said she would keep her in the mornings
A swollen angel who never would complain
She’d read her stories about little girls and princesses
Whose Daddy’s don’t feel punished for what heaven takes away
Little Bonnie never married
Little Bonnie never even made it to four
But I grew up in her presence
Even though she was gone before I’z born
Even though she was gone before I’z born
