Baseball is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (1 Viewer)

[tdubel]

Tim SToddard , now there's a trivia question, he was a member of a state high school basketball championship team, a NCAA basketball championship team and he was on a world series winner.

I had forgotten about him!! He was a NC State Wolfpack with David Thompson and high school was somewhere in Indiana. I remember him as a kid when the Orioles use to have a basketball team that would play local high school faculty, he dunked all the time! Excellent trivia question. Did you know he actually ended his career a Yankee!

TD

 

[lancer]

Saw Stoddard and the rest of the NC State boys at Cole Field House (UMd, College Pk.) many times back in the glory days of Lefty. Had Tom McMillen in some of my history classes. Great B-ball memories there. -- lancer

 

[sammy719]

I am personally not a A-rod fan, but to here how he has supposedly destroyed the world of baseball this year...please, there is such a laundry list of players that have been using steroids in some form over the last decade or so, go back to the great Mcguire vs. Sosa homerun year what a joke that has become, alomg with Bonds, Clemens, and on and on, beseball have had to known what was going on and did nothing back then to stop the using of performance inhancing drugs, so I blame the not only the players for thier own actions but management of baseball...Sammy

 

[jazzeum]

For once Sammy and I are in agreement. The whole thing is a joke. If you look at some of the players from the mid 80s compared to what they look like now, you know it's not natural, even with weight training and nutritional standards. Just look at someone like Ray Knight compared to some present day players and you know something ain't kosher. From 1988 on everything is suspect and for that moron Selig to come out and blast A-rod when they were dragged kicking and screaming to put in testing because the bosses he serves were making bucketloads of cash is the height of hypocrisy.

 

[jrsteel]

Baseball has become a joke. I can't watch it anymore. What kills baseball is that the owners don't stick together like they do in the NFL. The players union runs MLB. The real commisioner of baseball has been Donald Fehr. What baseball needs is a strong commisioner like Landis who came in after the Blacksox scandal and he has to have support from all of the owners. If I were commisioner, when this contract expires with the players union I'd impose a salary cap. If the players don't like it they can strike. If the game has to shut down for a year, so be it. I'd impose a really strong drug testing policy with real punishments. Also like the NFL that has a uniform code, I'd do the same for baseball. No more baggy pants with pant legs dragging in the dirt like Manny Ramirez. Uniforms would be worn the correct way or players wouldn't be allowed to take the field. Take the game back from the players union.

 

[lancer]

Interesting comments all. I would love to see a salary cap. Bring the atheletes and owners back to reality. Most blue collar workers can no longer afford to go to major league games on any regular basis. Where is the sense in a fan who makes $35k a year paying to support a team with players making $10 million a year? The whole thing is a joke. Cap salaries a $500k (more than enough to live well) and find out who really wants to play ball. If baseball money isn't enough, let the prima-donas get a real job making $35-45k like the rest of us. Ticket prices could be slashed as well as food (anyone really enjoy $7 hotdogs or $6 cokes?) and maybe a working class family could once again enjoy a major league game. Until then, it's minor league ball for me, which is a fine substitute anyway. -- lancer

 

[Louis Badolato]

Lancer,

That would be fine if THE OWNERS WOULD PASS THE SAVINGS ALONG TO THE FANS AND CUT TICKET AND CONCESSION PRICES. I don't believe that a salary cap would get prices reduced for the fans . . . the same owners that take the luxury tax, pocket it, and don't put a competitive team on the field, would simply laugh all the way to the bank. For every dollar the (I certainly agree) greedy players make, the (far greedier) owners make 10.

One more thing: The commissioner is a pathetic hypocrite. All of a sudden the news comes out that A-Rod tested positive for steroids in 2003, and he acts all shocked and outraged. He had the results of the test in 2003, but didn't say a word. He also had to know that Bonds, McGuirre, Sosa, Giambi, Palmiero, and north of 80 of the 103 other players tested were on the juice, but he didn't do squat until Congress had a cow.

I think its very simple: mandatory testing for all players every season, and suspend for the entire season as well as throw out the records of any player who ever tests postive for an illegal substance. They just don't count. Period. And ban them from the hall of fame. As far as I am concerned, the home run record for a single season still belongs to Roger Maris, and the all time Home Run King is still Hank Aaron. Basically, I don't believe that any power numbers put up in what we used to call the "juiced ball era" and now should more accurately call the "juiced player era" can be trusted. The only star player I truly believe isn't guilty is Derek Jeter, who never hit more than 20 home runs in a season. While people said "Jeter doesn't really compare to short stops like A-Rod or Tejada with their power numbers" Jeter quietly kept hitting a career .315, and getting his 10-20 home runs and about 75 RBI's legitimately, while the A-Rod's and Tejadas of the world were juicing. Frankly, I am so dissapointed by the players from 1979 to the present, that I no longer believe any one of them who hit more than 35 home runs in a season is legit. And any short stop who hit more than 25 home runs in a season also has to be suspected. As much as I used to have a deep respect, almost veneration for Cal Ripkin, Jr., I now wonder, did he use steroids too? His power numbers are way too high for a short stop, and how else did he play through all that wear and tear and never miss a game?

 

[Beaufighter]

General Louis:

Agreed! How about testing like they implement in the cycling (bicycle racing) world: Fist Offense-two year suspension without pay; Second Offense-Lifetime Ban. I firmly believe that would clean up this mess.

Hang Tough,
Beaufighter

 

[maddadicus]

My sense about Ripkin was that he had more of a 3rd baseman physique, for your prototypical SS position. Therefore his power numbers would make more sense stacked against the 3rd baseman of his era..For the longest time, it was power from the 1st base, 3rd base position, while 2nd and ss were your finensse players. The mold obviously has been broken, for some time now, with a new generation of players, carving their own niche, regardless of position..Michael

Lancer,

That would be fine if THE OWNERS WOULD PASS THE SAVINGS ALONG TO THE FANS AND CUT TICKET AND CONCESSION PRICES. I don't believe that a salary cap would get prices reduced for the fans . . . the same owners that take the luxury tax, pocket it, and don't put a competitive team on the field, would simply laugh all the way to the bank. For every dollar the (I certainly agree) greedy players make, the (far greedier) owners make 10.

One more thing: The commissioner is a pathetic hypocrite. All of a sudden the news comes out that A-Rod tested positive for steroids in 2003, and he acts all shocked and outraged. He had the results of the test in 2003, but didn't say a word. He also had to know that Bonds, McGuirre, Sosa, Giambi, Palmiero, and north of 80 of the 103 other players tested were on the juice, but he didn't do squat until Congress had a cow.

I think its very simple: mandatory testing for all players every season, and suspend for the entire season as well as throw out the records of any player who ever tests postive for an illegal substance. They just don't count. Period. And ban them from the hall of fame. As far as I am concerned, the home run record for a single season still belongs to Roger Maris, and the all time Home Run King is still Hank Aaron. Basically, I don't believe that any power numbers put up in what we used to call the "juiced ball era" and now should more accurately call the "juiced player era" can be trusted. The only star player I truly believe isn't guilty is Derek Jeter, who never hit more than 20 home runs in a season. While people said "Jeter doesn't really compare to short stops like A-Rod or Tejada with their power numbers" Jeter quietly kept hitting a career .315, and getting his 10-20 home runs and about 75 RBI's legitimately, while the A-Rod's and Tejadas of the world were juicing. Frankly, I am so dissapointed by the players from 1979 to the present, that I no longer believe any one of them who hit more than 35 home runs in a season is legit. And any short stop who hit more than 25 home runs in a season also has to be suspected. As much as I used to have a deep respect, almost veneration for Cal Ripkin, Jr., I now wonder, did he use steroids too? His power numbers are way too high for a short stop, and how else did he play through all that wear and tear and never miss a game?

 

[Warrior]

Baseball as a sport has become a total joke, end of story and like a fish, it rots from the head down.

Why has A-Rod been singled out here? What about the other 102 names on that list, that breaks down to about 3 players or so per team, can only imagine what names are on there.

A-Rod comes clean (so to speak) and admits he took steriods, while Palmero, Bonds, Clemens, Mcqwire, Sosa (he juiced AND corked his bat) all deny they did and he reward is he's being dragged through the mud.

Funny how everyone loves the long ball, yet when it's found out that most of the big HR hitters were on the sauce, they get thrown under the bus.

I say let them all into the hall and let all of their records stand; at this point, how do you know who is and who is not clean? As Brad pointed out, look at the builds of players in the 60's and 70's, they all look like stick figures, look at Sosa, A-Rod, Bonds, Mcqwire early in their careers vs later, it's a joke, Ramirez too, when he was with the Indians, he was thin as a rail.

It's a complete and utter farce............

 

[Combat]

Baseball will survive but it may not prosper. The steroids scandal will pass. However, the fan base is getting older, the tv ratings are sinking, attendance numbers this year will be interesting to watch with the economy. The LA Times reported this week that the Dodgers spring training move to AZ has been a ticket sales bust. No corporate fat cats buying the packages. MLB should cut at least five teams, shorten the season, and speed the games up. How about seven inning games? A lot of baseball purists and owners hate those suggestions but it's beats losing your fans to the NFL and NBA.

 

[sammy719]

The best case scenerio that I can remember back in the late 90's there was a player for the Orioles named Brady Anderson who was a pretty good outfielder and overall a decent hitter, he averaged 15-20 homeruns for a couple seasons then out of nowhere he hits for 50 for one year!!!!!!! now I didn't know what a steroid was back then ,but I did know something awful fishy going on here, nobody out of the clear blue starts racking 'em up like that without a little help from something...Sammy

 

[Warrior]

Great point Sammy, he used to play for the Red Sox and he was as thin as a real, a punch and judy hitter who could barely hit his weight and then he hits 51 bombs; sorry, I didn't buy it then and I certainly don't now, better growth through chemicals..............

 

[lancer]

Anderson's season was an interesting spike. Never came close to that number prior to or after. It smelled funny at the time but seems to have been a one season assist at best. It was left to other hitters to discover the secret of a long lasting steroid boost. Reinstate Maris' and Aaron's record and lets start over. Deflate the salaries, ticket costs and all other related items along with the deflated players. -- lancer