Buster Posey won the NL MVP Award:

…. Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants was voted the NL Most Valuable Player on Thursday after returning from a devastating leg injury and

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becoming the first catcher

dating in nyc in 70 years to win the league’s batting title. Posey received 27 of 32 first-place votes and 422 points from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, outdistancing 2011 winner Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, who was second with 285 points.

Congratulations to Buster, the SF Giants, and –of course– the Giants training staff, who worked so hard in helping him recover from that devastating injury last season.

November 15th, 2012 | Permalink
Posted in San Francisco Giants | 7 Backtalkers »

Once again, Tom Verducci is sounding the alarm for a problem that doesn’t exist:

…. Major League Baseball has a drug problem again and is engaged in discussions with the players’ association regarding what to do about it. The very specific problem is the use of fast-acting synthetic

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testosterone, the primary performance-enhancing drug of choice among emboldened players who believe they can avoid detection with dosages that are carefully timed and controlled. Testosterone was the

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substance that triggered positive tests in the previous 12 months by Ryan Braun of Milwaukee, Melky Cabrera of San Francisco, Bartolo Colon of Oakland and Yasmani Grandal of San Diego.

…. I argue the rise in usage sends baseball another message: the penalty is far too light. When players calculate the risk-reward ratio, the risk of losing 50 games is insufficient. If the owners and players were truly serious about a clean game, first-time offenders would face a minimum of a one-year ban. Unfortunately, there are no current discussions about amending the penalties.

There are no discussions about amending the penalties because there is no reason to amend the penalties. There are no penalties that would stop a player from using anything he can get away with to either make it as a baseball player, stay a baseball player, or finally land that life-altering multi-million dollar contract. None. Unless you wanna have it be one failed test, lifetime ban; which, of course, the Players Association would never agree to.

Here’s what Verducci is missing…. The system works exactly how baseball and the union want it it to. They system is designed to do one thing; reassure the public. It works fine. Players have failed tests, been suspended, and come back. Some have been released, some have been exiled, (you think Melky Cabrera wishes he hadn’t missed that World Series run?) and some have been welcomed back. But baseball has perhaps the most high profile, public shaming of drug users out of all the major sports. What is there to be gained in a more punitive world? More sad men for Verducci and Lupica to lord it over?

Once again, the men who think it is their job to protect the children will never be satisfied. They will never stop their crusade, ignoring the reality that the scientific, controlled, and medically supervised use of PED’s in sports is around the corner. In some ways, we are already there. Railing against the evils of one type of performance enabler while detailing the benefits of another is the highest form of blind hypocrisy. But then, look at who is doing all the yelling, and look at why.

November 9th, 2012 | Permalink
Posted in The Commissioner | 6 Backtalkers »