2013 MLB Thread

[Thriller Ant]

Let's be careful before we start assigning suspensions to anyone. To be frank, we have no idea if Bosch's testimony is enough to actually suspend players. MLB may well want to, but the MLBPA is one of the most powerful sports unions in existence, and I doubt they're going to stand idly by and let MLB suspend people based on one guy's testimony - one guy who poses a severe conflict of interest, by the way, since without any corroborating witnesses as of yet he could well lie if it meant avoiding a lawsuit or criminal charges. In an era where drug testing is as advanced and stringent as it is, the only way we can really start accusing people of being cheaters is if they legitimately fail a drug test, or admit to it straight up. We can call Alex Rodriguez a cheater, we can call Melky Cabrera a cheater, but as a result of the era he's playing in and the conditions of the game, it's not fair to call Ryan Braun a cheater, unless MLB can make a sufficient case to overwhelm the MLBPA and actually push through a suspension.

Braun is a cheater, though. He tested positive and got through on a technicality.

The biggest thing for me out of all this is the fact that MLB is trying to suspend Braun and ARod 100 games each, 50 for whatever evidence they have and another 50 for lying, or, the equivalent of two positive tests. I can't see the MLBPA allowing that to stand, but it would be a pretty ballsy move by MLB.

 

[Harthan]

Braun is a cheater, though. He tested positive and got through on a technicality.

The biggest thing for me out of all this is the fact that MLB is trying to suspend Braun and ARod 100 games each, 50 for whatever evidence they have and another 50 for lying, or, the equivalent of two positive tests. I can't see the MLBPA allowing that to stand, but it would be a pretty ballsy move by MLB.

He didn't "get off on a technicality". The chain of custody was clearly broken, meaning we cannot with any certainty say that that sample accurately reflected the contents of his body at any time. He didn't fail the drug test - the drug test was totally invalid.

 

[Megatron]

He didn't "get off on a technicality". The chain of custody was clearly broken, meaning we cannot with any certainty say that that sample accurately reflected the contents of his body at any time. He didn't fail the drug test - the drug test was totally invalid.

While the tester didn't do his due diligence in getting the test in right away, I think you can admit that Braun's lawyers got him out of that suspension. The USADA confirmed testosterone wouldn't raise in a fridge over the weekend and there was no evidence of tampering of the sample. Basically, if the tester didn't screw up the process and sent it in right away, Braun wouldn't have won his arbitration, as his whole case was that they didn't send it in right away, not that his test was affected in any way.

 

[Stormtrooper]

While the tester didn't do his due diligence in getting the test in right away, I think you can admit that Braun's lawyers got him out of that suspension. The USADA confirmed testosterone wouldn't raise in a fridge over the weekend and there was no evidence of tampering of the sample. Basically, if the tester didn't screw up the process and sent it in right away, Braun wouldn't have won his arbitration, as his whole case was that they didn't send it in right away, not that his test was affected in any way.

What you mean to say is that the tester didn't do his JOB in getting the test in right away. It is his duty as a courier to get it to its location in a certain amount of time, and he did not do that. Whether you believe Braun did it or not, the fact is the test was invalid thanks to the failure of the courier to do his job, and as such the test never happened.

And to be fair, this could have happened many times, we wouldn't know, since we do not hear about positive tests until the appeal is heard. The Braun test was leaked which is why we found out. As such his reputation was unfairly damaged.



The suspensions will most likely never see the light of day. They are only admitting that they would CONSIDER suspensions if they get what they want to hear. Consider means that they will look into it, find out that the suspensions will never stick as MLBs case is so damn light it's humorous (one shady witness with no credibility who is only giving information to avoid a lawsuit), and probably have to admit defeat. If they don't admit it, then they will just get their ass kicked in a courtroom.

 

[The Butcher]

Playing hooky to go see an afternoon ballgame is one of life's small pleasures. Makes you feel like a kid again. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with shaky job security, but if you can swing it once in a while, it has to be done. Plus the Orioles won so fuck yeah, great day. I was probably on TV a few times thanks to some awesome seats, but since nobody watches the Astros I doubt my cover was blown.

 

[The Butcher]

Finally... it looked like Crush Davis was in a mini-slump, but thankfully Jerome Williams and the floundering Angels hooked him up with a good pitch. What the hell is up with this Angels team? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're playing poorly because the O's needs these wins and it's one less team to contend with for the wild cards, but it's kind of absurd how poorly they're playing considering the talent they've got.

Anybody think that the Angels turn it around? I'm actually starting to doubt it myself.

 

[smizzy]

Anybody think that the Angels turn it around? I'm actually starting to doubt it myself.

Well there comes a point where it doesn't matter of they turn it around; it will be too late. Assuming they lose today, that will put them 12 games under .500, a tough slope to climb. I'm sure they will finish the season rigt around .500, a few games above most likely, but that's about it because they out themselves in quite the hole early on.

And for the record, as a bitter Cardinals fan, I'm loving every minute of Pujols' and the Angels' struggles.

Edit: and fuck me, as I submitted that post, the Angels clear the loaded bases to take the lead in the 7th.

 

[The Butcher]

Well there comes a point where it doesn't matter of they turn it around; it will be too late. Assuming they lose today, that will put them 12 games under .500, a tough slope to climb. I'm sure they will finish the season rigt around .500, a few games above most likely, but that's about it because they out themselves in quite the hole early on.

And for the record, as a bitter Cardinals fan, I'm loving every minute of Pujols' and the Angels' struggles.

Yeah, very true. I am truly flabbergasted at just how bad they've done. Oh well. Just goes to show that you can't manufacture championships in baseball. Same with Toronto. Went out and bought themselves a team that on paper shouldn't be in the basement, yet there they are while literally every other team in the east is in contention for a playoff spot.

I know some Rangers fans who feel the same about Josh Hamilton. It's got to feel good for you guys and the folks of Dallas/Ft. Worth to still be rolling along while the big money sluggers are sitting next to each other with BA's in the low .200s. I'm sure they sleep comfortably on their piles of money, though.

Shit, gave up the lead... still won the series though, even we drop this one.

 

[smizzy]

Cardinals are also sleeping comfortable on the pile of money they saved. It's a win-win.

 

[Megatron]

While spending all of that money the Angels forgot investing in half of the equation - pitching. Aside from Weaver - who's not even the same guy he was 2 or 3 years ago - there's not one pitcher I'd trust to win one game with. It's a similar situation in Toronto - great hitting, awful pitching. I don't think either one is going to make the playoffs. Too much of a mess to recover from and too much of an early defecit to make any real noise.

 

[The Butcher]

Yeah, there's definitely something to this pitching stuff. If the Orioles could rely on their bullpen the way we could last year, I've no doubt we'd be in first right now, but we can't so we aren't.

Speaking of pitchers, you'd have thought Zack Greinke would've learned his lesson about participating in bean ball antics and bench clearing brawls after breaking his collarbone. I had heard and read about the scrum, but after finally seeing a good long video of it, that was a quality brawl born out of some grade-A foolishness. I thought the unwritten rule was to retaliate and let that be the end of it. Guess not. Should be some suspensions coming down before the week is out.

 

[Harthan]

Finally... it looked like Crush Davis was in a mini-slump, but thankfully Jerome Williams and the floundering Angels hooked him up with a good pitch. What the hell is up with this Angels team? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're playing poorly because the O's needs these wins and it's one less team to contend with for the wild cards, but it's kind of absurd how poorly they're playing considering the talent they've got.

Anybody think that the Angels turn it around? I'm actually starting to doubt it myself.

The Angels are massively unlikely to turn it around. It's too much to ask for them to suddenly change everything about their club and expect to succeed. They need Josh Hamilton to suck less dick. They need Pujols to not be the next Ken Griffey Jr. Cincinatti edition. Imagine if they'd put Hamilton's money toward Anibal Sanchez this offseason.

It's become pretty obvious in this game that you should build a rotation first. Admittedly, it's entirely possible the rest of your team could suck so much dick that it wouldn't matter (see the Chicago Cubs) but the Angels had all the offense they needed at the end of last season. Should have spent the big bucks on a better rotation instead of making headlines with Josh "I'll Swing At That" Hamilton.

 

[Stormtrooper]

Yeah, there's definitely something to this pitching stuff. If the Orioles could rely on their bullpen the way we could last year, I've no doubt we'd be in first right now, but we can't so we aren't.

Speaking of pitchers, you'd have thought Zack Greinke would've learned his lesson about participating in bean ball antics and bench clearing brawls after breaking his collarbone. I had heard and read about the scrum, but after finally seeing a good long video of it, that was a quality brawl born out of some grade-A foolishness. I thought the unwritten rule was to retaliate and let that be the end of it. Guess not. Should be some suspensions coming down before the week is out.

Grienke didn't do anything wrong and has no blame.

His man was hit in the face, so he sent the message by hitting the guy in the back (acceptable according to the "unwritten" rules of baseball). Kennedy then headhunted (AGAIN) by hitting Grienke (NOT acceptable by same unwritten rules). Kennedy should get 20 games at least, since it's arguable he intentionally headhunted twice, and one is no doubt intentional. A bunch of other guys will get somewhere between 2-10 based on their level of involvement.

I just love that there was a point where in the same little scrum was Don Mattingly and Mark McGwire vs. Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammel, and Matt Williams. I mean that's an all star team 20 years ago.

 

[The Butcher]

I was being facetious mentioning Greinke because of the injury he had earlier this year thanks to a brawl, but yeah it did come across as if I was suggesting he was guilty.

 

[The Butcher]

The suspensions came down, and Kennedy did indeed get the worst of it as expected. Eight were suspended in all:

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy received a 10-game suspension for intentionally throwing a pitch in the head area of the Dodgers' Zack Greinke, the steepest penalty of the eight issued by Major League Baseball in the teams' Tuesday night brawl.

D-backs infielder Eric Hinske received a five-game suspension for leaving the dugout and for his aggressive actions during the incidents.

Pitcher J.P. Howell and infielder/outfielder Skip Schumaker of the Dodgers each received two-game suspensions for their aggressive actions.

Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire received a two-game suspension for his conduct.

Dodgers pitcher Ronald Belisario received a one-game suspension for his aggressive actions during the incidents.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly received a one-game suspension for the actions of his team and for his conduct.

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson received a one-game suspension for the intentional actions of Kennedy after a warning had been issued.

 

[The Butcher]

I absolutely love this AL East race. Really can't say enough about Chris Davis. He absolutely demolished his homer tonight to the opposite field bleachers. Hopefully those languishing Angels find some gumption and set the Yanks back for us. After being a basement dweller for so long, it'd just be nice being relevant again, so being poised to have the 3rd or possibly 2nd best record in the league after 70 games is incredible. It's going to come down to the wire, though, that much is clear.

 

[The Butcher]

Megatron, are we looking at the ALCS, or are the O's not going to make it?

 

[Megatron]

Still think they need at least one more starting pitcher. I know their team ERA is awful and they really need that guy that they can hand the ball to and call ace. If they are willing to pay up (I'm not sure Angelos is) I'd go after Cliff Lee.

Love Machado though. He stole more than a few hits tonight. He hasn't hit well against the Tigers, but my god he has a gold glove in the not too distant future.

 

[The Butcher]

Still think they need at least one more starting pitcher. I know their team ERA is awful and they really need that guy that they can hand the ball to and call ace. If they are willing to pay up (I'm not sure Angelos is) I'd go after Cliff Lee.

Love Machado though. He stole more than a few hits tonight. He hasn't hit well against the Tigers, but my god he has a gold glove in the not too distant future.

Yeah, you're right about the pitching. Lee would be great. Even a guy like a Bud Norris would be a decent get. Our bullpen has taken a step back, and they were our saving grace last season. Not getting those 1-run and extra inning victories, that's for sure. Defense is solid otherwise; outfield is solid, Wieters is gunning down runners at a great percentage, Machado and Hardy have their side of the infield locked down pretty well, and Chris Davis is settling in well at first and has made some athletic plays himself.

Machado is exciting. When I was at a game a couple weeks back I had behind-the-dugout seats on the 3B line about 12 rows back. Suffice to say I had my eyes on him like a hawk. He didn't disappoint; made routine plays like butter, got a double (go figure), and made a great stop to set up the 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

We'd have the East locked up if we had Scherzer, though.

 

[Megatron]

I'm really rooting for them, no joke. The Yankees are finally tapering off with injuries, but the Blue Jays are starting to get hot. Still quite the jumbled mess all around in that division. Getting someone like Lee or even lower tier guys like Nolasco/Garza/Peavy (if he gets healthy soon) would help their rotation out a ton. I'm not as sold on a guy like Norris (pretty sure he has crazy home/road splits) but even that could help stabilize the rotation a little and keep them from having to throw out a guy like Gausman who's probably up too early.

 

[The Butcher]

I'm really rooting for them, no joke. The Yankees are finally tapering off with injuries, but the Blue Jays are starting to get hot. Still quite the jumbled mess all around in that division. Getting someone like Lee or even lower tier guys like Nolasco/Garza/Peavy (if he gets healthy soon) would help their rotation out a ton. I'm not as sold on a guy like Norris (pretty sure he has crazy home/road splits) but even that could help stabilize the rotation a little and keep them from having to throw out a guy like Gausman who's probably up too early.

Gausman is absolutely up too early, my old man and I had that discussion Father's Day weekend. Certainly no clear cut winner in the East, which like I said before just a ton of fun. Frankly, just a year ago I'd have settled for the Orioles to just be relevant again-- above .500 and showing signs of growth as a franchise. For them to be legit in the playoff hunt (albeit with a whole lot of baseball left) has me downright giddy. If the Tigers and O's do meet in the playoffs, we'll have to have some fun with it.

 

[argofan87]

That is ten in a row for the Blue Jays. The Jays have benefited from a resurgence in Adam Lind's hitting, Mark Buehrle turning a corner and effective pitching from the bullpen. I would still prefer R.A Dickey to get some consistency. It's like he pitches well one game and the next he's hit around.

 

[gd]

It is June 23. The Pittsburgh Pirates currently have the 2nd best record in baseball. Pedro Alvaraz has 18 homers and 50 RBIs. Grilli and Melancon are holding down one of the best bullpens in the league and once some guys (AJ, Wandy, Gomez) come back from the DL they will have an abundance of starting pitching depth.

And I am still confident they will finish below .500

 

[Jessie Lynn DivaGirl]

It is June 23. The Pittsburgh Pirates currently have the 2nd best record in baseball. Pedro Alvaraz has 18 homers and 50 RBIs. Grilli and Melancon are holding down one of the best bullpens in the league and once some guys (AJ, Wandy, Gomez) come back from the DL they will have an abundance of starting pitching depth.

And I am still confident they will finish below .500

Well look at what you've done. You have unintentionaly called forth the girl who has been watching the Pirates since the day she was born.

The Pirates are not going to finish under .500 this year because they have a better team than they did last year. Now, granted last year's team was pretty excellent but it fell apart due to "improvements" at the trade deadline. This year tho we have a solid lineup, great bats, fantastic arms and one of the best bullpens in baseball. This year is looking up for the Pirates and their fans.

We're gonna break the streak this year.

 

[gd]

Well look at what you've done. You have unintentionaly called forth the girl who has been watching the Pirates since the day she was born.

The Pirates are not going to finish under .500 this year because they have a better team than they did last year. Now, granted last year's team was pretty excellent but it fell apart due to "improvements" at the trade deadline. This year tho we have a solid lineup, great bats, fantastic arms and one of the best bullpens in baseball. This year is looking up for the Pirates and their fans.

We're gonna break the streak this year.

One can only hope this is true. Hell of a game today once again, Pedro is some kind of baseball machine right know. Big hits by Martin and #MartePartay in the ninth. And somehow able to survive Grilli's worst appearance from the season.

They're definitely a bat short though (OF and/or SS) and a trade for Giancarlo Stanton would make me very happy, however they'd probably have to give up Taillon and a few other prospects. Regardless, I will continue with my cautious optimism until win number 82 is in the books.