The Official 2013 MLB Thread

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

And lawsuit from the drug tester in 3...2...1. What a complete bastard. They must really have the goods on him with Biogenesis to go down basically without a fight this time around. Anyone else connected with Biogenesis better make a deal now that one of the biggest names involved has admitted to be connected to them. Alex Rodriguez are you listening? He really should just retire at this point now.

I would like to see a policy on a PED suspension where you get to keep your contract but the entire length of your contract is done at the league minimum rather than what you signed for.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by rowech

I would like to see a policy on a PED suspension where you get to keep your contract but the entire length of your contract is done at the league minimum rather than what you signed for.

Yeah that would be nice, but the players union would never go for it. To be honest I'm surprised the players union isn't fighting this tooth and nail like they have most previous doping incidents. They really need to strongly condemn players who are doping-not all the niceties they used with Braun here-especially given its role in protecting Braun from the other incident. You protect them if there is legitimate reason to, otherwise condemn them, union membership be damned.

And they need to invest more in the minor league and foreign baseball development camps/schools-Still see quite a few minor leaguers get busted for doping.

[SackAttack]

I'm curious whether Aaron Rodgers will be even 1/10 as vocal after this suspension as he was with the #exonerated crap.

[Arles]

From TJ Quinn on twitter:

Worth noting evidence against Braun showed ongoing pattern of significant PED use, several sources tell OTL. This was not a one-off.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by rowech

I would like to see a policy on a PED suspension where you get to keep your contract but the entire length of your contract is done at the league minimum rather than what you signed for.

That'd be nice. Braun's contract is going to turn into an albatross eventually. I've never been a fan of signing guys for 10 years, even it is negotiated in two different contracts. The Brewers are tied to Braun through 2020 and I can't imagine a 37 year old Ryan Braun is going to be all that good of a player.

Can't ask for too much though. As a fan of the Brewers and a person that strongly believes that Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter of all time, this couldn't have turned out much better given the circumstances. I mean, what really changes? People already hate him. He's already done for PR wise, outside of doing Kwik Trip spots. He's been dealing with some hand/thumb issues all year (not OMG, no PEDs!!!) so it's actually a pretty damn good outcome for him and the team.

[Swaggs]

Rangers paid a pretty hefty price for 10-15 starts from Matt Garza.

Texas Rangers trade for Matt Garza of Chicago Cubs - ESPN Dallas

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Ryan Braun is the Lance Armstrong of MLB - ESPN

No he isn't. Lance Armstrong was able to keep up his fiction way longer than Braun sustained his own.

[Lathum]

Jason Heyward. Wow. Just wow.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Jason Heyward. Wow. Just wow.

Just saw that. Not too shabby at all.

[MrBug708]

Dodgers going to wrap up the Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez signing here soon?

[Vince, Pt. II]

So tomorrow the Giants host the Reds at AT&T park for a double header, to make up the rain-out from last month. In the second game, the Giants will be the visiting team. A walk-off in that game would be rather...interesting.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Humorous read......

Ryan Braun: 10 damning ˜I am innocent" quotes | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports

[molson]

So along with Braun not actually admitting anything, there's been no MLB statement about what he actually did and when. I guess that was all part of the deal. And apparently none of the other players are jumping at this "sit out the rest of the season, admit nothing, don't appeal, and we'll call it good" deals. MLB must have at least some concern about the getting these biogenesis suspensions to stick.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by molson

So along with Braun not actually admitting anything, there's been no MLB statement about what he actually did and when. I guess that was all part of the deal. And apparently none of the other players are jumping at this "sit out the rest of the season, admit nothing, don't appeal, and we'll call it good" deals. MLB must have at least some concern about the getting these biogenesis suspensions to stick.

According to an ESPN blog, ARod is trying to cut a deal but MLB isn't willing to give him what Braun agreed to because the evidence against him goes "far beyond" what MLB had on Braun.

I think the lack of direct admission is to protect his contract.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by molson

So along with Braun not actually admitting anything, there's been no MLB statement about what he actually did and when. I guess that was all part of the deal.

Agree. If he can cop to it but maintain radio silence otherwise, it's easier to rehab his image next season because there aren't specifics people can hammer him for. I'm almost positive that was part of the deal when he cut a deal.

And apparently none of the other players are jumping at this "sit out the rest of the season, admit nothing, don't appeal, and we'll call it good" deals. MLB must have at least some concern about the getting these biogenesis suspensions to stick.

I dunno about "we'll call it good." I really don't think agreeing not to appeal got Braun off MLB's shit list. If anything, they've got their taste of blood and they're going to be watching him even more closely going forward. As to the rest of it, I think Braun had a pretty unique set of circumstances; he's broken anyway, his team has been terrible, his contract is set to get more lucrative next year, and so forth. If he's going to lose 50+ games, this is almost certainly the ideal time to do it.

Now, allegedly, there are some names on that list playing for teams which are currently in contention. I want to say I've heard Nelson Cruz's name mentioned a few times. The Rangers are in the thick of both the AL West and wild card chases. He's played basically every game for them and been reasonably productive, putting up a 124 wRC+ - 24% more runs created than the league average, weighted for the fact that he plays in an offensive park. He is, in short, in the exact opposite position of Ryan Braun.

MLB has already indicated that suspensions won't get handed out until the end of the season - Braun kind of jumped that line, presumably out of his own desire to get it over with while the season is a lost one - so Cruz has every incentive, assuming he's in line to get suspended - to play out the season and help Texas try to win a championship. There may be others in that boat.

There may be some who are playing for teams going nowhere but think they can beat the rap because it's not an analytical positive. Maybe they're right. Maybe they're in for a huge surprise.

I'd expect to see something from A-Rod soon. He has the most to lose of anybody among the allegedly accused. Waiting to see his punishment and then appealing is a dangerous game to play if the evidence against him is as substantial as "sources" say it was against Braun.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by lungs

That'd be nice. Braun's contract is going to turn into an albatross eventually. I've never been a fan of signing guys for 10 years, even it is negotiated in two different contracts. The Brewers are tied to Braun through 2020 and I can't imagine a 37 year old Ryan Braun is going to be all that good of a player.

Can't ask for too much though. As a fan of the Brewers and a person that strongly believes that Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter of all time, this couldn't have turned out much better given the circumstances. I mean, what really changes? People already hate him. He's already done for PR wise, outside of doing Kwik Trip spots. He's been dealing with some hand/thumb issues all year (not OMG, no PEDs!!!) so it's actually a pretty damn good outcome for him and the team.

I know that the players union would fight tooth and nail on this but it would be great to see something like if you get suspended for PED use your contract can be voided, if the club chooses to do so. I'm sure this would lead to a whole host of other problems but I just don't like guys inflating their numbers while using, then getting clean after being suspended and being 75% of the player they're being paid to be. Sure Braun gets hit a bit in the wallet, but he still has huge paydays coming that I imagine he wouldn't have earned if he wasn't a user.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by lungs

He's already done for PR wise, outside of doing Kwik Trip spots.

Annnndddd...... there goes his Kwik Trip deal

[Dutch]

"Naturally, all this was the talk of baseball on Monday, with reactions pouring in. The funniest, though, was offered by Logan Morrison of the beleaguered Miami Marlins: “You know we’re clean. We haven’t scored a run in 37 innings.”"

Bad Day for Braun, Good Day for Baseball - NYTimes.com

[PilotMan]

Dodgers are just crazy hot. They came within a strike of losing tonight. Puig actually didn't swing at the slider and managed to score on an error to tie it up. Then they blew it open in the 10th. It's so much more fun to watch now than earlier in the season.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Amazing stuff. Yet another win from the Royals in come from behind fashion. That's their 31st come from behind win of the year. Don't turn off the TV early with this team.

[MrBug708]

6-0 road trip for the Dodgers

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nasty

Tim Hudson of Atlanta Braves fractures right ankle - ESPN New York

[Swaggs]

Really interesting AMA with Dr. Frank Jobe (founder of the Tommy John surgery) over at reddit: I am Dr. Frank Jobe - WWII veteran, former Dodgers team physician, inventor of Tommy John surgery, and proud parent & grandparent. AMAA! : IAmA

The AMA is safe for work, but the reddit site is NSFW for many folks.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

6-0 road trip for the Dodgers

Longest road winning streak in LA Dodger history. Gotta go back to 1955 to find a longer road streak in overall Dodger history.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Nasty

Tim Hudson of Atlanta Braves fractures right ankle - ESPN New York

That was nasty. Always rooted for Hudson from his days with the As. just seems like a class guy. And a really great move by EY to go right to him, I'm sure he felt terrible.

I blame Freeman, if he didn't take it off his chest he gets there himself.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Longest road winning streak in LA Dodger history. Gotta go back to 1955 to find a longer road streak in overall Dodger history.

That's weird. Because it's not like that is a crazy long streak or anything. And it's not like the Dodgers have sucked for 55-60 years. You would have thought they had a road streak that long before.

Hell, the Angels have a road streak that long this year, and they are abysmal.

[korme]

Reds/Dodgers is going to be a good series this weekend.

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by korme

Reds/Dodgers is going to be a good series this weekend.

Yes it is. Both teams are playing pretty well. Don't they have a rookie that's doing kinda ok?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Didn't get a chance to post it yesterday, but it was the 30th anniversary of one of the great moments in baseball history. They interviewed George Brett about it yesterday. Couple of interesting things he said.

1. Billy Martin and the Yankees staff had known for a couple of weeks that he had been using the same bat for nearly a month and that the pine tar was built up. They were just waiting for the right moment to call him out on it.

2. George watched the final four outs of the replayed end of the game from a bar in an Italian restaurant near LaGuardia Airport.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Wow. George Brett returning to VP role with Royals, stepping down as hitting coach. Will be interesting to see who gets put in that position.

[AENeuman]

Giants gave up 55 hits, 22 extra-base, to Reds over last FOUR games. So much for a Braves-like pitching dynasty.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Nasty

Tim Hudson of Atlanta Braves fractures right ankle - ESPN New York

Terrible thing to see. He seems like one of the really good guys in baseball.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

That's weird. Because it's not like that is a crazy long streak or anything. And it's not like the Dodgers have sucked for 55-60 years. You would have thought they had a road streak that long before.

Hell, the Angels have a road streak that long this year, and they are abysmal.

10 games, FYI. Not 6. The road trip was only 6 games, but the win streak dates back to the previous road trip.

Longest LA road streak is 10 games; longest Brooklyn road streak was 11, I believe.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Keep it going, Royals!!!! Amazing to have Shields, Santana, and Guthrie on the staff. Makes a huge difference to have a steady rotation that can produce on a regular basis.

[Dutch]

[ISiddiqui]

Fantastic stuff!! I love it when the Rays vault over teams that spend so much over them.

And man do they look really good right now. And are also showing the Royals what they are going to be missing by giving up Myers.

[Suburban Rhythm]

.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

And are also showing the Royals what they are going to be missing by giving up Myers.

Let's not go crazy here. He's been in the majors for a couple months. 2nd and 3rd year are far more telling when it comes to prospects. Take it from a Royals fan who's seen plenty of prospects who go crazy in the first couple of months of their first season only to fizzle out when the pitchers of the league figure out how to handle them.

Having one of the best pitching staffs in the majors eases any feelings of loss. The Royals wouldn't have been nearly as good as they are if no trade was made. Our pitching was atrocious.

[ISiddiqui]

He was only an incredibly touted prospect by everyone, who the Rays (a team which is known for having a keen eye towards young players) went after.

Is that great pitching staff doing you a lot more favors as you sit 7 games back?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Let's not go crazy here. He's been in the majors for a couple months. 2nd and 3rd year are far more telling when it comes to prospects. Take it from a Royals fan who's seen plenty of prospects who go crazy in the first couple of months of their first season only to fizzle out when the pitchers of the league figure out how to handle them.

Having one of the best pitching staffs in the majors eases any feelings of loss. The Royals wouldn't have been nearly as good as they are if no trade was made. Our pitching was atrocious.

The problem is it's a team that isn't built to win right now and the top 3 pitchers in that staff are 34, 31, and 30 years old. Selling on the future to avoid last place is a huge mistake and was a desperate move by Dayton Moore to keep his job another year. He's exploiting the low expectations of Royals fans and the organization.


EDIT: I'm happy the Royals are doing a bit better because it sucks to see a franchise be that bad for that long. However, as a Mets fan I know what it's like to watch a GM trade away key assets for veterans so that the team is mediocre enough to keep his job. Dayton Moore should be be judged by his entire body of work, not on his ability to trade for some pitchers in their 30s that can keep the team out of last place for a couple of years.

[sterlingice]

From what I've heard, the majority of Royals fans are happy with this "still less than mediocrity", which shows how much they are dying for an even competent team.

Unfortunately, it's terribly shortsighted and Moore should have been fired already. I shudder to think of what damage he will do this offseason.

So now here's the dilemma, even if the GM is replaced: strip everything down and rebuild yet again for another 3+ years? Next year, it's another 75 win team with Shields leaving and not much help in the high minors.

SI

[Matthean]

Two familiar fixtures outside Tigers games killed in hit-and-run | The Detroit News

[MrBug708]

Good series win vs the Reds

[Izulde]

Report: Yankees ownership overruled GM Brian Cashman in Alfonso Soriano*trade | SI Wire

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Good series win vs the Reds

psst. Bug. It's a four-game series.

[MrBug708]

Doh! *jinx* Summers get me all thrown off on what day it is

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

From what I've heard, the majority of Royals fans are happy with this "still less than mediocrity", which shows how much they are dying for an even competent team.

Unfortunately, it's terribly shortsighted and Moore should have been fired already. I shudder to think of what damage he will do this offseason.

So now here's the dilemma, even if the GM is replaced: strip everything down and rebuild yet again for another 3+ years? Next year, it's another 75 win team with Shields leaving and not much help in the high minors.

SI

Why is Shields leaving? He's under contract through next year.

Royals win again too. One game from .500. Good performance by Davis, but he's always good against Chicago.

[rowech]

If Ortiz is going to convince people he's not on something, it's probably best not to go on a rampage against a telephone.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Why is Shields leaving? He's under contract through next year.

Royals win again too. One game from .500. Good performance by Davis, but he's always good against Chicago.

Typo: meant Santana

SI

[PilotMan]

How did this story not pop?

Unicorn Mask-Wearing Porn Star Kicked Out Of PNC Park For Sexy Dancing

The girl with the unicorn mask was sitting in the seats directly in front of us, with a friend of hers. Her friend started talking with the people sitting next to us, and mentioned that she was in town to dance at Cheerleaders and that she was a "major triple x star." Didn't catch a name. If I remember correctly they have something called the "unicorn army," in which they take pictures of themselves wearing the unicorn mask in various places and post the pictures to Instagram.
Anyway, between the top and bottom of the sixth inning, we convinced her to put the mask on and start doing a dance at the bottom of the stairs of our section, because there was a camera guy looking at us from the field. She was doing her sexy stripper dance, but keeping her clothes on, and an usher in the moat between our seats and the really, really fancy seats asked her to stop a couple times, but she ignored him. He radioed something into his shoulder walkie talkie and walked away and she sat down before the bottom of the inning started. Right around the time it did, a security guy came by our seats, and standing in the moat, motioned to her to come talk to him. Instead of pleading her case, she got up and decided to just leave, but not without screaming "OH I'M SORRY I WAS TRYING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AT THE FUCKING PIRATES GAME." It was pretty magical, all in all.
She was wearing a Neil Walker shirt for some reason, despite the fact that she wasn't from Pittsburgh and he's injured. Also, the people next to her said they could tell from her glassy eyes that she was on heroin, which if true, makes the whole thing even better I think. Me and my dad were just in town from New York to see the Mets series, and that was some shit that we definitely never saw at Citi Field.