Wonder no longer about whether your favorite slugger was on steroids, because we have the list of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 along with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.  Thanks to an MLB source of ours who got to sneak a peek at the list, you no longer need to play the guessing game of whether your favorite star wasn’t playing fair. Take a look:

1.Nomar Garciaparra
2. Manny Ramirez
3. Johnny Damon
4. Trot Nixon
5. David Ortiz
6. Shea Hillenbrand
7. Derek Lowe
8. Pedro Martinez
9. Brian Roberts
10. Jay Gibbons
11. Melvin Mora
12. Jerry Hairston
13. Jason Giambi
14. Alfonso Soriano
15. Raul Mondesi
16. Aaron Boone
17. Andy Pettite
18. Jose Contreras
19. Roger Clemens
20. Carlos Delgado
21. Vernon Wells
22. Frank Catalanotto
23. Kenny Rogers
24. Magglio Ordonez
25. Sandy Alomar
26. Bartolo Colon
27. Brent Abernathy
28. Jose Lima
29. Milton Bradley
30. Casey Blake
31. Danys Baez
32. Craig Monroe
33. Dmitri Young
34. Alex Sanchez
35. Eric Chavez
36. Miquel Tejada
37. Eric Byrnes
38. Jose Guillen
39. Keith Foulke
40. Ricardo Rincon
41. Bret Boone
42. Mike Cameron
43. Randy Winn
44. Ryan Franklin
45. Freddy Garcia
46. Rafael Soriano
47. Scott Spiezio
48. Troy Glaus
49. Francisco Rodriquez
50. Sean Weber
51. Alex Rodriquez
52. Juan Gonzalez
53. Rafael Palmeiro
54. Carl Everett
55. Javy Lopez
56. Gary Sheffield
57. Mike Hampton
58. Ivan Rodriquez
50. Derrek Lee
60. Bobby Abreu
61. Terry Adams
62. Fernando Tatis
63. Livan Hernandez
64. Hector Almonte
65. Tony Adams
66. Dan Smith
67. Roberto Alomar
68. Cliff Floyd
69. Roger Cedeno
70. Jeromy Burnitz
71. Moises Alou
72. Sammy Sosa
73. Corey Patterson
74. Carlos Zambrano
75. Mark Prior
76. Kerry Wood
77. Matt Clement
78. Antonio Alfonsaca
79. Juan Cruz
80. Aramis Ramirez
81. Craig Wilson
82. Kris Benson
83. Richie Sexson
84. Geoff Jenkins
85. Valerio de los Sanlos
86. Benito Santiago
87. Rich Aurilia
88. Barry Bonds
89. Andres Galarraga
90. Jason Schmidt
91. Felix Rodriquez
92. Jason Christiansen
93. Matt Herges
94. Paul LoDuca
95. Shawn Green
96. Oliver Rerez
97. Adrian Beltre
98. Eric Gagne
99. Guillermo Mota
100. Luis Gonzalez
101. Todd Helton
102. Ryan Klesko
103. Gary Matthews

Take a look a the top of that list, do those players have anything in common? Oh that’s right, they were all members of the World Champion Red Sox. Most major leaguers of consequence made the list and it’s actually interesting to see who has fallen off in the last few years, potentially due to stricter testing policies.   

Now I’d imagine that this isn’t the entire list because I recognize all the names on this list and I find it hard to believe that only the good players were on roids.  Instead, this list is probably more a who’s who of who actually tested positive.  Either way, it’s unbelievable how prevalent this stuff became.  At the same time, should we be so surprised about anyone’s name coming out at this point.  Many of the games greats have admitted to steroid use and if the players with the most talent were using, it stands to reason that players with less talent were using as well.

It was good to not see Ken Griffey Jr.’s name on this list.  The Kid is still clean…for now.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I was reading last weeks Sports Illustrated article on Carl Crawford and other prominent bag swipers and something caught my eye regarding Crawford:

“ Dude can also hit; according to Baseball-Reference.com, the 27-year-old Crawford is most statistically similar to Roberto Clemente at the same age.”

If you asked 100 people today if they would compare Carl Crawford to Roberto Clemente at any point of his career how many do you think would? I wondered how baseball-reference came up with this comparison and they have a nice little explanation.

Obviously comparing Clemente, who had 32 career stolen bases by age 27 to Crawford who has already stolen more then 32 bases in a season 6 times may seem a bit flawed. However comparisons to speedsters like Vince Coleman (didn’t put up the HR, RBI, or AVG. like Crawford) or Ricky Henderson (Had already stolen over 100 bases 3 times by 27, Crawford never more then 59) is flawed as well because it simply tries to compare today’s players to the “type” of player they are and not simply look at the stats.

I took some time to see who some of the top 30-under players of today compare to at that same age according to Baseball-Reference. Keep in mind that this deals with offensive statistics and makes almost no adjustment for defensive ability.

Joe Mauer (26) —————Shanty Hogan

Hogan was a catcher for the Boston Braves, New York Giants and Washington Senators between 1925-1937. By 26 he had hit over .300 four times. A career .295 hitter, his best season earned him a 10th place in balloting for the NL MVP in 1928. Apparently Hogan also had a vaudeville act with New York Giants 2B Andy Cohen who said that Hogan “could have been one of the best catchers ever…but he ate himself out of the big leagues.” Stay away from the oatmeal cream pies Joe, and we’ll be comparing you to someone better when your 30.

Albert Pujols (29) —————– Jimmie Foxx

Career .325 hitter, 534 Home Runs, 1922 RBI, 2 Championships, 9 time all-star, 3 MVP’s, won the triple crown in 1933, Hall of Famer….Jimmie Foxx was pretty good. The scary part is that Pujols will more then likely shatter all of Foxx’s numbers by the time he’s done.

Chase Utley (29) ————– Gabby Harnett

He played a different position then Utley (catcher) but baseball-reference think he was the type of hitter we see play 2B for the Phillies. The six time all-star and 1935 NL MVP; Hartnett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955. Hartnett’s career really took off in his 30’s, and for Utley to be Hall of Fame material; he’ll need a solid next 10 years as well.

3B David Wright —————— Eric Chavez

6 time Gold Glove winner, Chavez had 3 100-RBI seasons and hit over 25 HR’s 5 times before he turned 27. He has played in 121 games total in the last 3 seasons due to injuries. If the New York version of Chavez stays healthy, his power numbers and gold gloves should keep him on the road to being a great third basemen.

SS Hanley Ramirez ——————————- Nomar Garciaparra

Please don’t forget how good Garciaparra was. I realize that Hanley Ramirez is a special talent that has the potential to be one of those unique 30/30 guys, but what Garciaparra did up until 30 is hard to duplicate at the Shortstop position. 164 Homeruns in 6 full seasons, two batting crowns (including one at .372), top-5 in doubles 5 times, and top-5 in triples 3 times. He was a consistent All-Star with a couple trips to the playoffs. Of course we all know what happens next to Nomar: the “bulking up”, the injuries, not playing in over 122 games since turning 30. So if I told Marlin fans that Hanley would be the next Nomar would they be happy?

OF Josh Hamilton ——————————–Bing Miller

Edmund “Bing “ Miller didn’t play in the majors until he turned 26, just like Josh Hamilton. Although he only hit over 20 HR’s once, Miller had a .311 career average and compiled 992 RBI’s in 16 seasons (1921-1936) primarily with the Philadelphia Athletics. Obviously Hamilton started his MLB career at 26 for different reasons (Miller was a converted pitcher), and he clearly has more potential for power numbers, yet I would be surprised if he could come close to putting up the type on longevity that Miller was able to.

OF Ryan Braun —————————— Ralph Kiner / Danny Tartabull

Braun is the only player to have two players come up as most like him at this age. One is a 1-time All-Star who put up good not great power numbers over 14 MLB seasons. The other is a Hall of Famer, 6-time All-Star who hit over 107 more HR’s then the previous player and did it in 4 fewer seasons. Hall of Famer or run of the mill power hitter, no pressure Ryan.

OF Curtis Granderson—————————–Reggie Sanders

When I saw Reggie Sanders name come up for Granderson I was a little surprised. As a Tigers fan I see Granderson as a potential star, and I see Reggie Sanders as…. an average MLB corner outfielder. But if you compare their stats, Sanders hits for a better average, has better power, and steals more bases. Granderson…hits a lot of triples. Obviously you get a much better fielder with Curtis, but with the Tigers struggling to score runs and protect their AL Central lead, this makes me sad.

DH/1B Miguel Cabrerea ———————– Ken Griffey Jr.

I knew there was a reason I was in love with Miggy. Of the top-10 players compared to Miguel at this age, 5 are HOF’s, and 2 will be (Griffey and Pujols). Playing in Miami and Detroit is usually not the recipe to gaining national popularity and I think the average fan doesn’t know how unbelievable Miggy is until you compare his numbers to someone like young Griffey. Junior didn’t start having his 50+ HR, 140+ RBI seasons until his late 20’s so if Cabrera wants to continue this comparison he needs to reach an even higher level in the next couple of years. But from 20-25 years old, the two are extremely comparable.

Violent J

Popularity: 1% [?]

Swimming is finally ready to recognize that the more than 100 world records set in 2008 may have something to do with exponential growth of swimsuit technologies in recent years. Apparently it took the powers that be this long to realize that something was amiss.  People were falling in the pool and breaking records in Athens and Beijing and it’s probably time to at least see if these swimsuit, made out of a combination of the stuff they use to make the space shuttle and seal skin (probably) had anything to do with it.

At the same time, the headline “Michael Phelps wins, breaks world record,” is much more exciting than “Michael Phelps wins, doesn’t break world record, several swimmers drown in 50m fee after swimsuit rules change.” Well, now that I think about it, I may be wrong on that one, but I think you get my point.  In general, the faster these people swim, the more fans are likely to care.  Then again, I think that suit that Phelps wore in the Olympics with the working dorsal fin, swim bladder and gills probably crossed the line.

In any event, while swimming’s governing bodies was lax in their enforcement of swimsuit technology, they weren’t the only sport to come up with some pretty ridiculous ideas for their sport.  Let’s take a look at some rule changes that were (probably, but not actually) postulated by the governing bodies of other sports:

Dana White’s shocking announcement that UFC fighters would be able to carry concealed weapons to the ring - While White’s UFC brand was certainly on top of MMA, he became increasingly concerned that copycat organization would begin to steal his market share.  This rules change would be his way to win back market share from other organizations that would be unwilling to take this step.

Surprisingly, this idea championed by some athletes that were new to the sport:

Fearing backlash from MMA purists, Dana White quickly withdrew this idea, leading to a quick retirement from William Regal.

Bud Selig instituting a metal bat only policy for Major League Baseball – Once it was clear that the public would simply not tolerate steroid use if they were sure it was happening,  (Rather than “kind of sure”  because second basemen turned into 30-home-run-hitting, Lou Ferrigno look alikes without anyone caring) Bud and his henchmen agreed they needed a way to keep the long ball in play and keep asses in seats.  The metal bat was the perfect answer. ”Look how well it worked for softball,” he told Donald Fehr.

500 foot home runs would be passe and modern ball parks would be made obsolete.  Fans would inevitably flock back to the parks.  Football would be a distant afterthought in the mind of the fan.  Not surprisingly, fans and the press lambasted Selig for this short-sightedness and the idea was shelved.  He was forced to come up with another idea and rush it to the table.  Thankfully, this one was slightly more well received.

Lance Armstrong Announces he will ride a motorcycle in the Tour De France – Tired of having doping allegations thrown in his direction, Lance decided to shift the focus away from this potential cheating by doping, to his blatant cheating by riding a motorcycle.  He also pointed to the Tour de France’s small sphere of popularity, which could be instantly enlarged by the swarms and swarms of Hell’s Angels packing the hills of France to watch him ride.

Here’s a potential fan right now:

Tour officials quickly dismissed the idea, but not because they hated it. In fact, they had nearly come to a similar conclusion years earlier when they realized so few people cared about this event, they could get away with riding motorcycles and save a lot of energy for their rides. No, Tour officials only hated the idea because it came from an American, which is the same reason they don’t eat many French fries or use toothpaste in France, despite their inherent deliciousness and tartar fight power respectively.

And finally, the most ridiculous of all potential rules changes:

The WNBA President Ms. S0 and So suggests a rule change to lower the net to 9 ft.  – Media and fans agreed from the get go that this is a terrible idea.  Let’s get real folks, why should we acknowledge that men and women are athletically different and as such a change of the games’ rules to make them more aesthetically pleasing to the fan? (See: making the ball smaller, making the three-point line shorter, lowering the net in women’s volleyball which are all terrible ideas).  I’m sure no one would be interested in seeing women’s basketball players dunk, make exciting plays around the rim, score more points and entertain fans more in general.  Thank god this rule was never instituted.

The Angry T

Popularity: 1% [?]

Have you ever sat down watching a baseball game and wondered, “Whatever happened to <insert name>? “  Everyone’s done this from time to time, especially with former players on their favorite team.  As a Tigers fan, I frequently wonder what Ugueth Urbina encountered on that particular day… in jail.  Some guys, however, are much more productive.  These guys are still playing baseball, but in the independent leagues.  We present to you… the Angry T Independent Has-Been All-Star Team.
 
C- Robert Fick
 
This former Detroit Tiger played 10 major league seasons.  He is now playing with the Orange County Flyers.  With a decent bat (for a catcher), Fick could easily be a backup in the MLB still today. 
 
1B- Carl Everett
 
This converted outfielder (for our team’s purposes) won a World Series with the White Sox in 2005.  He should be big enough to handle first base, and he’s a heck of a power hitter.  Just make sure there aren’t any gays (or umpires for that matter) on the team, or there might be trouble.  
 
2B- Junior Spivey
 
Ernest Lee “Junior” Spivey made a name for himself as a good defensive, solid hitting second basemen with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Now, he plays for the Camden Riversharks.  It’s okay Junior, take solace in knowing you share a nickname with one of the all-time greats—Junior Griffey.
 

SS- Damian Jackson
 
In his rookie year with the Padres, Jackson led the league in stolen bases.  Eight years later, he was eventually released by the Dodgers after playing for seven teams in nine years.  He now plays for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, and will provide this team with great base stealing ability.
 
3B- Preston Wilson
 
Another top 500 home run hitter of all-time and converted infielder (again, for our team’s purposes), Wilson provides this team with some serious pop.  In fact, we’re struggling to figure out how Wilson has been relegated to the Independent leagues.  Playing 10 years and totaling 189 home runs, Wilson is the All-Star of All-Stars in the field.

 
OF- Lew Ford, Tike Redman, Jacques Jones
 
More familiar names make this outfield a solid group.  Jones played ten years in the majors, and showed a lot of promise as a young player in Minnesota.  Lew Ford was supposed to be the new Jacques Jones when he came up with Minnesota in 2003, but he just never produced at the major league level.  Tike Redman played six seasons sparingly with the Pirates, but was never given the opportunity to show what he could do.  At the Independent League, however, this is a star studded group. 
 
Starting Pitchers- Jose Lima, Hideki Irabu, Kenny Baugh
 
Anchoring the rotation is Jose Lima.  If nothing else, you know that his starts will be entertaining.  Lima was notorious for his poor choice of music in the clubhouse on the days when he would start.  Lima holds the distinction as perhaps the worst 20 win starter in MLB history.  He should be a force in this league.  Hideki Irabu couldn’t handle the pressure in New York, but he should more than capable of doing so on this team, despite the huge attendance that Independent League teams inevitably draw.  Kenny Baugh is 6’4 and was a minor league phenom who never quite made it to the majors.  Tigers fans will remember him as the guy who was always “this close” to being called up. 

 
Bullpen- Antonio Alfonseca, Armando Benitez, Keith Foulke, Eric Gagne
 
All four of these closers led their respective leagues in saves in a season at one point.  They certainly aren’t what they once were, but these four should provide plenty of help to close out games.

My how Eric Gagne has fallen…

 

The Angry T

Popularity: 1% [?]

I like to tell other sports fans that I enjoy baseball because of the subtle nuances that allow the life-long fan to appreciate the game on a different level than the casual observer.  I talk about pitching match-ups, hitting the other way, OPS and a lots of nonsense terms in an attempt to make myself sound intelligent.  In actuality, all I really care about are the dingers.  Home runs are probably the thing I like about baseball, besides MLB baseball betting, and I’m gonna use this space to show you people hitting baseballs and softballs great distances:

I honestly had no clue it was possible to hit a softball this far:

Getting the College kids involved:

Getting the Kids Involved – Look at that outfield defense. No discipline at all.

Here’s SI Coverboy Bryce Harper:

A Drug-Free Josh Hamilton’s Huge Homeruns in NYC

This one is pretty cool too:

Mark McGwire casually hitting the ball into the third deck at the Astrodome:

and possibly the greatest show of power of all, the Great Hambino Jimmy Kimmel hitting one out in celebrity softball:

If none of these videos interested you, do some Vegas sports betting, and  just make sure it’s not the Detroit / St. Louis game tonight, because I’m already down 4-0 in the 2nd.

The Angry T

Popularity: 1% [?]

Outside of Steven Strasburg, I can almost guarantee that you know o% of the rest of the drafted in the first round of the MLB draft.  As always, The Angry T is making the uninteresting more interesting by drafting some players you do know, namely the best 10 digital baseball players ever to be digitized. Here’s the first 10 picks of the MLB draft using the best of video games baseball.

1. The Entire New York Team – Little League Baseball:Championship Series – The Nationals need a lot of help and what better way to restock the team than with the greatest hitting, fielding and pitching force in the history of NES Little League baseball games.  For some reason, this team was five times better than any other team in the game.  Expect a world series in the nation’s capital as soon as these digital youngsters hit puberty.

2. Ken Griffey Jr. – Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball – Super Nintendo – Seattle Mariners – The real Ken Griffey is inching ever closer to retirement.  An ageless, tireless and digital version of Griffey in his prime should help the Mariners break out of their doldrums.

3. Big Al – Dusty Diamond’s All-Star Softball- NES – San Diego Padres – All he does is hit home runs, in every softball related situation possible. What team, Padres included, couldn’t use a guy with this type of power.  The only red flag is that he really only knows how to play softball, which I barely even consider a red flag.

4. Roger Clemens – Roger Clemens’ MVP Baseball – NES – Pittsburgh Pirates - While I thoroughly disliked this game, it was hard to beat the smoke that Roger Clemens was throwing in this game.  Buyer beware, I see some potential legal problems in this guy’s future.

5. Frank Thomas – Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball – SNES – Baltimore Orioles - Who’s playing first base for these guys currently? Aubrey Huff? Now I’m not up on my Aubrey Huff statistics, but I have to believe that Frank is an upgrade.

6. Nolan Ryan – Nolan Ryan Baseball – SNES – San Francisco Giants – This is such a great pick I have to imagine that ol’ Timmy Lincecum is concerned about losing his #1 spot.  Matt Caine may as well find another trade because Nolan might kick him right out of the rotation.  I’m not even sure it was possible to hit more than a single off Nolan in this game.  That should carry right over into real ife, and save for a team of Ichiros, this guy would be a 30 game winner ever season.

7. Sammy Sosa – Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001 – Computer – Atlanta Braves - With the current Sammy retiring, the digital Sammy would be more than happy to step into the fold.  Better yet, the digital Sammy might actually make the Hall of Fame, unlike the real Sammy who has the Dominican athlete Hall of Fame on lock, but that’s about it.

8. The Hawaiian Dude from Adventure Island – Adventure Island – NES – Cincinnati Reds – This guy is a pure athlete in every sense of the word.  Look at him throw the bones, birds and other inaminate objects all over the place in this game at around 113 MPH. Steve Nebraska anyone?  Five-tool doesn’t even begin to describe this baseball talent.

9. Cal Ripken Jr. – Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball – SNES and Sega – Detroit Tigers - Aside from never coming out of the game, Cal was also the only player in this game who actually had a name on his jersey.  Even though this was an awful excuse for a baseball game Cal’s talent shines through in singles and doubles against Pitcher #11, Pitcher #18, and Relief Pitcher #34.

10. Benito Santiago – RBI Baseball – NES – Washington Nationals – With two of the first 10 picks in the draft, the Washington Nationals have found their battery for the next 20 years.  You want power? Check out what Benito can do with only a bunt:

There you have it, the first 10 picks in the draft using only video game characters. Let me know who I missed in the comments.

The Angry T

Popularity: 1% [?]

These celebrity ceremonial first pitches rarely go well ( This howitzer from the mayor of Cincinnati comes to mind immediately).  I hope he was swept out of office or a became a victim of the recall process (because after all, that’s exactly why this political device was created.  Just ask Henry Clay) within 11 minutes of that pitch being thrown.

If I were a director of game day operations, I would definitely try to schedule a schedule a person that would undoubtedly embarrass themselves. My search would start with chicks, who on average, have trouble throwing anything with any speed or accuracy.  I’d probably also look at washed up movie or television stars.  These E-Listers have a lot of prove and would probably try way to hard and either fall over, or throw out their arm.  I think it’d be a great strategy to give the thrower some sort of constricting clothing with a team logo emblazoned on it.  In the dead of summer I’d be giving the thrower a parka, just to give myself an insurance policy that their throw would be particularly pathetic.

This week, two teams, the Pirates and the Dodgers, picked two fantastic candidates to mess up the ceremonial pitch.  Charlie Brown, who doesn’t even exist in real life, threw on a 35 pound costume with arms that don’t even make a natural human motion, and was supposed to deliver a strike from 40 feet.  With the Pirates choice in place, the Dodgers attempted to one-up the Bucs by bringing out Shawn Johnson, the 4′1″ Olympic and Dancing with the Stars Champion whose tiny hand and arm would have a hard time throwing a ping pong ball more than 8-10 feet.

Let’s go to the tale of the tape and take a look at who fared better in the Battle of the Ceremonial Pitches:

Shawn Johnson

Charlie Brown

Style - Say what you want about C. Brown, he is his own man.  He didn’t bother to throw on a Pirates jersey like so many easily influenced ceremonial pictures before him. Instead, he rocked his yellow and black shirt like a champ and gave a big FU to Pirates owner Robert Nutting.  Shawn, on the other hand, toed the company line and threw on a Dodgers jersey instead of her trademark Team USA unitard.

Advantage – Charlie Brown

Mechanics – Both ceremonial pitchers employ the same only-use-your-arm throwing style, which involves keeping your entire body still while attempting to throw a pitch.  Charlie Brown even leans a lot to the left as he throws, which any pitching coach will tell you is a key to throwing 31 mph straight to the left.

Advantage – Push

Pitch execution - If you look at Shawn’s warm-up tosses at the beginning of her video, you’d think that she was going to throw a perfect strike to her battery mate Casey Blake. Unfortunately, when the pressure is on, broke the shin of an imaginary left handed batter.  That being said, C. Brown threw from about 45 feet and still missed the plate by around 7 feet.

Advantage – Shawn Johnson

The Verdict - This one is too close to call. Both pitchers are equally inept, but gave 100 percent effort all the same.  Congratulations to Shawn for tying a fictional cartoon character in a pitching contest.  I’m sure she’ll hang this post next to her gold medals in the trophy room.

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