Steroids: Some Thoughts

Well it wouldn’t be a sports blog without a discussion of the steroid issue in sports, and more notably in baseball. With the upcoming release of Selena Roberts’ book about Alex Rodriguez’s steroid use, and Manny Ramirez, once thought of as the best pure hitter in all of baseball, being suspended for “a drug violation,” this issue has once again come to the forefront.

Over the course of the last decade the best players in baseball from this era have all been found to have used illegal steroids; Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Miguel Tejada, Gregg Zaun and Jose Canseco. There are many opinions on this issue and all have been exhaustively expressed by both the media and fans of baseball alike. Some don’t mind the use of steroids while others are steadfastly against the use of steroids in sports. Everyone has their opinions regarding this matter, and I will not rehash the same old arguments against steroid use that have been discussed over and over again recently. I will say however that I am totally against steroids in sports, anyone caught using should be banned from the game for life, and anyone who has been found to have used steroids should be banned from the hall of fame and kicked out if they are already in. What this article will discuss however is some of the more intriguing and obscure residual issues of steroid use in baseball.

The first issue I would like to discuss is the perverse positive outcome to teams associated with suspensions. Steve Philips on the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast just raised an interesting point. He said that the L.A. Dodgers could benefit from this suspension because they will not have to pay Manny Ramirez 7.7 million dollars over the course of his suspension which could free up money for them to get another pitcher they may need. To me this seems completely ridiculous. If a person is suspended and their contract is withheld, the suspending team should be barred from using that money to benefit their team. Now I realize losing Manny for 50 games is a somewhat major penalty to pay, but nothing positive should result of this to the team an offending player plays for. If the Dodgers had to pay that $7.7 million to the league it would sure make teams next year think twice about offering up a big contract to Ramirez.

The second issue, which falls into the category of “exhaustively discussed,” is the nature of a suspension or penalty incurred to an offending player or team, but one that is quite interesting and unique. Jim Kelly on the Fan 590’s Prime Time Sports mentioned this interesting idea for a suspension last week. At the time of suspension, the team of the offending player must forfeit every game that was won with said player in the lineup, or at least forfeit every game where the offending player played a role in the victory, whether it be an RBI or a run scored. This is an extremely outrageous idea, one that would never be implemented, but it is something to ponder and to me a very good idea.

Another issue I’ve often wondered about is why none of these players have been legally punished. Steroids are an illegal drug classified as a schedule III substance under the Steroid Control Act of 1990, with possession consisting of a felony offense punishable by a minimum fine of $1000 and up to 1 year in prison with a second offense resulting in a minimum of 15 days in jail and up to 2 years in jail, and a minimum fine of $2,500. If the U.S. Congress truly cared about curbing this problem, as they tried to demonstrate last year by holding a series of “hearings,” they would raid MLB clubhouses and federally prosecute offending players.

As it stands, baseball is content to allow players to continue to use steroids, and feign an interest in caring about this matter by handing out miniscule 50 game suspensions, but until some stiffer penalties are implemented this problem will persist, albeit at a lower rate. This latest incident involving Manny Ramirez demonstrates that players are not concerned about their reputations or being punished. If a player feels like he can potentially get away with it and earn a huge contract they will continue to try to use steroids. I bet if you asked Manny Ramirez if he regrets using, if he were to give a truthful answer, he would say absolutely not. His steroid use has made him one of the best players in the league and has allowed him to earn over $160 million in his career. I don’t think he’s crying about losing $7.7 million of that.

Lets Go Blue Jays - Why Toronto Fans Suck

I don't want to turn this blog into a giant complaint board, and I'll do my best to keep these kinds of blogs to a minumum...HOWEVER...i have some beef with Toronto Blue Jays fans from yesterday's (Saturday, May 3, 2009) game.

I am anative Torontonian and am completely discouraged by what i saw at yesterdays game. My group of 4 showed up late to the game because of the closure on the QEW eastbound. We got to the box office and asked for four tickets in a row in the upper deck. $11 per ticket later and we're on our way up the ramp. Up and around we climbed to our gate. Gate 522, Row 21, Seats 1,2,3 and 4. For those of you who are not farmilliar with the Skydome (Rogers Centre...blegh), there are 22 rows in the upper deck level. We were in the bloodiest of nose bleed seats, but behind the plate so the view was still decent. We arrived at our seats to see 6 guys, probably a couple years younger than me, occupying 2 of our seats. My friend Jeff had gone to the washroom so i was with my girlfriend and her female friend, standing in the steep aisle checking my tickets and looking at the seats and checking my tickets again. I politely told the gentlemen sitting in our seats that he was, in fact, sitting in our seats. One of the younger gentlmen replied "this is the 500's buddy, you just find your own seats." Keeping my cool and composure in front of my lady friends I quickly replied, "I have found my own seats, you are in them, now can you move please." Clearly my wits were too much as they grudgingly got up and left the row.

Now, normally, i would have agreed and found better seats. But at this point, after a 2 and a half hour drive to the stadium (when it usually takes 35 minutes) i just wanted to park my keester, relax, and watch some Blue Jays baseball.

What angers me about this whole situtation is what the seat stealers said..."This is the 500's buddy, you just find your own seat." WHAT IS THIS THE BRONX? Are we in the big bad big apple? These kids were not even alive when the Jays last won anything significant. Toronto is well known for having the worst and most misunderstanding fans in most of pro sports (suits at the leafs games, cut throat Raptors fans etc.) Were in Toronto here, a city (for the most part) with about as much "bad-assness" as my grandmother. I had the oppertunity to attend a game in the upper deck at the old Yankees stadium last year and as long as you were a Yankee fan, you were reespected. Yes. In New York. Now i have some punkk kids telling me to find my own seats? What happened to the old school commaradary? The two parties in this confrontation were Blue Jays fans. Absolutely dispicable.

The second thing that happened which really grinds my gears about Jays fans came from another group of even younger kids. For the most part of the middle innings this group of 15 year olds sitting in the same row as I were leading cheers and doing the classic chirping of the other team; something I have absolutely no problem with. However, as the game went into extra innings, the fans didnt really increase their excitedness to the level that was suitable for a home-field advantage. So when the count was 0-0 with none out and Toronto pitching, a man a couple rows in front of us started a "Go Jays Go" cheer which excited our section a bit and i gladly joined him as one of the two loudest cheerers.

Now, here is the crappy part. One of the 15 year olds started yelling AT me and the guy leading the cheers saying "the count is 0-0 why are you cheering?" Are you fucking kidding me, kid? As far as I'm concerned, as long as you pay for the tickets, you can cheer whenever you bloody well want to cheer...not just when the pitcher is about to get a strike out or about to end the inning. And this didn't happen just once. No this went on for the better part of the 10th and 11th innings. Good thing Aaron Hill heard our cheers as he hit the game tying Home-run and the game winning single...clearly because of our "untimely" cheering.

No wonder Toronto fans get laughed at by the rest of the world. We're the only group of fans that yell at each other during cheers.

Round 2 Picks

Eastern Conference

Bruins/Hurricanes – Hurricanes in 7
Carolina is coming off on the winning end of what can be described as one of the biggest single game collapses in recent memory. Winning 3-2 with 1:30 left, Brodeur and the Devils gave up 2 goals to lose the game, the series, and their dignity. The Devils loss is the sporting equivalent of banging a really hot girl, only to pull out and blow your load into your own bellybutton. With the emotion of a game 7 win on the road, Staal putting the team on his back, and Cam Ward playing like his Conn Smythe season, the Canes should be set for another long outing versus the Bruins.
Boston comes into the series with plenty of rest after decimating the Canadiens. With no disrespect to the Bruins, they didn’t have much of a series as the Habs just didn’t show up. The depth of this team will show its true impact vs the Canes, and if the scoring continues to come from all spots they should cruise into the East finals.
However, Tim Thomas will caught up in a whirlwhind of speculation for the Vezina, and I think he ends up disappointing. Carolina steals game 1, but the Bruins rebound at home for game 2. Alternating wins throughout the series will set up a Canes victory on the road... again.

Eric Staal scores in Double OT


Capitals/Penguins – Penguins in 5
Much like Carolina, the Capitals will be on a major high after coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Rangers in 7. Sergei Fedorov’s goal with under 5:00 left in the third completed the comeback, and set up the marquee second round matchup that Gary Bettman has obviously rigged for media purposes.
The Crosby-Ovechkin matchup will be incredibly entertaining and should make for some great renditions of Coach’s Corner. The debate over who is better, and why people hate Crosby because he’s a whiner, and hate Ovechkin because he’s a show-off should bore people the entire series. Also, with the Hart Trophy nominations revealed today, a secondary storyline between Malkin and Ovechkin should be much more entertaining.
However the difference maker in the series will be goaltending. Simeon Varlamov (who actually made a point of correcting Pierre McGuire’s pronunciation – it is Var-LAM-ov) will get peppered in this series, and will have to deal with real hockey players, and not the New York Rangers. Marc Andre Fleury will have a stellar series, and help return the Pens to the Eastern Finals.
Also, before the series starts I am going to buy stock in the Bic/Papermate companies. The endless references to Pens/Caps... Pens and Caps... and PenCaps is a marketing gold mine.

Sidney Crosby scores the OT winner in Washington. The beefed up security escorts the Penguins fan sitting behind the bench wearing a Crosby jersey out of the arena so he doesn’t get attacked by Bruce Boudreau. I wonder if the lady who got hit the head with Tortorella’s water bottle will show her face.

Western Conference

Red Wings/Ducks – Red Wings in 6
I said if the Red Wings and Ducks were to meet up in the first round that the Ducks would upset the Wings. But I’ve changed my mind. Despite an awesome performance from Jonas (or Yonas) Hiller, I can’t see him repeating against the offensive powerhouse of the Red Wings. Even though the Jackets are terrible, the Wings put up some great performances against Vezina nominee Steve Mason. I like the Ducks to maybe steal a couple games to make it interesting, and to give the Wings a wake-up call for the Western finals. And keeping with tradition I anticipate an epic brawl between Ryan Getzlaf and Nicklas Lidstrom. However unlike Joe Thornton, Lidstrom’s fight may actually spark his team, and not be a point of ridicule for the next 4 months.
Game 6 will be a route, and expect Marian Hossa to have a big series after coming on strong in game 4 of the Jackets series.

Canucks/Blackhawks – Blackhawks in 6
This matchup on paper looks like it should go the distance, but I like the Blackhawks to take it. The Canucks looked impressive in their opening round sweep of the Blues, but again it is the Blues. Luongo will get his saves, and keep the Canucks in every game of the series, but I like Chicago to get it done. The Hawks dominated the Flames in the final 2 games of the Western Quarterfinals, including a decisive series clinching win in Calgary. Not an easy place to do so.
Vancouver and Calgary are essentially the same team, and I may even give the overall edge to the Flames. The Canucks offense is stagnant as per usual, despite a decent series from the Swedish Meatballs. I like Toews, Kane, and Havlat to take it down, and they should produce a similar result to the Flames series, however this time on home ice.
Dustin Byfuglien will score the series clinching goal, and Brent Seabrook will continue to progress in this series.

Erik's NFL Mocking Draft

Mike Mayock, Pat Kirwan, Erik Sodonis....wait what was that last one? I can't claim to have any sort of draft experience like a Pat Kirwan who actually gets to interview almost all of the potential first rounders, or Mike Mayock whose loveable lisp predicts Mark Sanchez to be the best long term QB in the draft. But what i do have is a little bit of funny in me. Here is how I see the first round panning out.

1. Detroit - Matthew Stafford - QB
I could go many ways with this pick mocking. Theres the obvious "its the detroit lions so obvioulsy hes going to be an epic failure." Or i could go, "he's not even the best QB in the draft." But i think ill go with "name the last good Junior QB whose last name doesnt end in 'oethlisberger' to be drafted in the first round? Stafford = Grossman

2. St Louis Rams - Eugene Monroe - T
Dont give me any of this "same-school" crap. What has Virgnia done lately? Theyre simply drafting Monroe here because hes fat and good at pushing people.

3. Denver Broncos - (From KC) - Mark Sanchez QB
KC will grab denvers 2 first round picks and denver will grab Mark Sanchez. Its amazing to me that guys stock can rise and fall without actually doing anything. Denver will think they have their QB of the future until 1 of 2 things happens: 1) Kyle Orton beats him for a job in training camp 2) the organization's new head coach three years down the road tries to trade him for a career backup who had a decent year.

4. Seattle Seahawks - Steve Largent...er...Michael Crabtree - WR
Im not going to make fun of this pick because he will be playing on my team...Many people have jason smith or eugene monroe at this pick...but you cant pass up a shot at the best skilled player in the draft. Hasselback drops back, looks off Housh, deep bomb to Crabtree....BOOOOOM broken ankle...ok maybe i lied when i said i wouldn't make fun of this pick

5. Cleveland Browns - Aaron Curry - HYBRID
I don't care how good this guy is, hes a defensive player with a (kinda) girls name who went to Wake Forest...clearly a football powerhouse. Either way he'll fit in nicely with clevelands crappy 3-4.

6. Cinncinati Bengals - Andre Smith - T
Clearly Jason Smith is the right choice here but were talking about the Bengals. This team is like a blackhole for guys with attitude issues and Andre Smith will fit in perfectly with his pentiant for showing off his man boobs that make him a good 20 pounds heavier than the other top tackle prospects.

7. Oakland Raiders - Jermey Maclin - WR
They should take Jason Smith here but Al Davis is a moron and is still pissed that seattle took Crabtree so he tries to one up them by taking the 2nd best reciever in the draft. Thats right Al Davis, you have to settle for second best

8. Jacksonville Jaguars - Jason Smith - T
Mad that there are no decent black Qb's in this draft, they settle for who many draft experts agree is the best tackle in the draft. He will be the cornerstone tackle the jags will want to take with them when the franchise relocates to LA.

9. Green Bay Packers - Brian Orakpo - HYBRID
KGB's days are over as a man with an equally stupid name takes his spot on the starting roster.

10. Washington (FROM SF) - Tyson Jackson - DE
Washington trades with SF for a guy with HUGE injury problems. According to NFL.com he left a game agasint the Florida Gators in 2007 after a helmet to helmet collision. Man....such bad injury problems

11. Buffalo - Michael Oher - T
After their big name tackle left town (Peters), the Bills fill his place with 309 pounds of Mississippi (by way of Memphis, Tennessee) goodness. Experts are afraid he wont adjust well to being away from his adopted parents, but the town of Buffalo will provide great short term hospitality until he is fully adopted by the city of Toronto.

12. Kansas City (From Denver) - Everette Brown - DE
GM Scott Pioli could literally draft anybody or anything and it would be an immediate upgrade. Id love to hear "The Kansas City Cheifs select: Edna Pioli - Inside Linebacker - Shady Acres retirement home" Somewhere in the world, Zach Thomas sheds a single tear.

13. SF (From Washington) - BJ Raji - DT
This pick is oh so perfect. Raji will love San Fran's drug culture, and be able to take tips from another Bay Area juicer. Also with a name like BJ in San Fran...oh nevermind.

14. New Orleans - Malcom Jenkins - DB
NFL.com is gold when it comes to scouting. "Can make plays with ball in hands." So basically what New Orleans gets here is a Urologist/Shutdown Corner combo. Also, he has a stupid goatee.

15. Houston - Vontae Davis - CB
Its Houston. Who cares who they draft.

16. San Diego -Rey Maualuga - LB
San Diego won't put any thought into this one since they already had great success with another Hawain linebacker before.

17. New York Jets - Josh Freeman - QB
Rex Ryan will try and get a Flacco 2.0, but Freeman won't ever live up to Jets greats like Favre, Pennington and Clemens. J-E-T-See you on the golf course.

18. Kansas City (From Denver) - Clay Matthews - LB
After passing up on Gm Scott Pioli's grandmother with their first of denver's picks, Kansas goes with Shady Acres all-star backgammon player Hubert Buttonwood. Seriously though, Cushing is the WHITEST guy i have ever seen in my life.

19. Tampa Bay - Peria Jerry - DT
Tampa trades for CB Terence Newman. Seinfeld like hilarity ensues.

20. Detroit - Aaron Maybin - DE
Maybin he will be good, Maybin he will be bad, only time will tell right?

21. Philly - Knowshon Moreno - RB
Will never be as good as Westbrook. Will get into onfield disputes with McNabb about not getting the ball enough. Will be eaten by Andy Reid.

22. Minnesota - Percy Harvin - WR
Harvin's injury report reads like a novel. That coupled with the fact that he is a poor man's Bernard Berrian means Minnesota doesn't get another steal this year.

23. New England - Brian Cushing - LB
Brian won't like New englands surfing scene. Belichick won't like being called dude. Draft fail.

24. Atlanata - Evander "Ziggy" Hood - DT
Atlanta needs to go name crazy after last years crazy name disappointment. C'mon....Matt Ryan? If all goes to plan, Evander will create the "Ziggy bird" dance after allowing 2-3 yard runs.

25. Miami - Kenny Britt - WR
Bill Parcells will bring the tough Jersey kid to the warm shores of Miami Beach. Look for Parcells to go for CB Christopher Moltisanti in the 2nd round, OLB Silvio Dante in the 4th, and LT Tony Soprano in the 6th

26. Baltimore - Darius Heyward- Bey - WR
A dejected Heyward-Bey will never play a game in the NFL after the recession means he has to chose one last name to appear on this jersey. The Heyward-Bey clan is far to proud to accept this request.

27. Indy - James Laurainitis - LB
Colts fans are extatic that they find this guy's Lithuanian successor

28. Buffalo - Michael Johnson - DE
This guy's neck rivals the CN Tower. Perfect for the Bills relocation to the Great White North

29. New York Giants - Brandon Pettigrew - TE
Recent rumours say that talks with WR Braylon "hands of stone" Edwards have failed. New York turns to the draft to find their player to drop catches in double digits. His criminal record is also a plus in the eyes of the Giants brass.

30. Tennessee - Larry English - LB
Some are touting this guy as the next Shawne Merriman. That means he will injure himself roughly once a year, be a bad anchor on an even worse network, and get OWNED by 5'7" runningbacks.

31. Arizona - Chris "Beanie" Wells - RB
Arizona drafts another offensive player to hide how bad Kurt Warner actually is.

32. Pittsburgh - Max Unger - C
This draft gives Big Ben a new bum to touch. Big Ben likes touching bums.

Familiar Gestures, Familiar Results?

It seems somewhat insensitive to the Canadiens and their organization to write something about them hours after being swept in an embarrassing effort on home ice to a hated rival, in the celebration of the team’s Centennial season. But I don’t like Montreal, and after the way they treated Carey Price (whom i wouldn’t normally defend) it reiterates my dislike for that fan base.
I do appreciate the passion the fans have for their organization, and every team who isn’t playing up to their potential deserves to be booed so the players know their fans still care. But last night’s series clinching defeat at the hands of the superior Bruins was encapsulated by one image – the image of accepted defeat, and what appears to be a hostile, shaky relationship for years to come. After making an easy save on a dump in the fans roared with an ovation in a mocking tone to which Price replied by raising his arms in victory a la Patrick Roy. The boos that followed will hopefully represent the end of the Price era in Montreal for his sake so he can salvage his young and promising career.
The real reason why Les Habitants and their faithful fans should be upset was the lack of defensive presence in the entire series, and their inadequacies in the neutral zone. This ultimately led to a poor defensive effort, and in turn 15 goals allowed in the series. Without Andrei Markov, and more rudimentarily Mark Streit, the Habs suffered defensively.
So please Habs fans, boo yourselves. You have destroyed a relationship with another great, young goaltender, and I hope for his sake you start Halak for Price’s remaining tenure, so he can flee and go somewhere where he will be able to play without being the scapegoat , or the bouc émissaire for his team’s inadequacies. Bonne chance, Royal Mountain. Bonne Chance!

Reed Johnson

Last week was interesting in that Jays fans found one more reason to hate JP Riccardi, and the Jays weren’t even playing at that time, they had lost 8-4 to the Indians earlier in the day. The catalyst for this latest feeling of dismay towards JP was Reed Johnson’s spectacular catch to rob Prince Fielder of a grand slam. This catch will be in the top 5 plays of the year on Sportcentre’s year end best plays list for sure.

Reed's spectacular catch (bottom video)

It was early spring training prior to last season that JP Riccardi, in a moment of true wisdom, decided ‘hey we don’t need this guy he doesn’t bring enough to the table.’ He’s only been a career .284 hitter and might be the best defensive outfielder in all of baseball next to maybe Ichiro. I think the guy we really need is Shannon Stewart, a guy we cut years earlier because his career was starting to decline. Why wouldn’t bringing him back at the tail end of his career, in favour of Reed Johnson be a good idea? Well that question was answered rather quickly when Shannon was released by the Jays half way through the season and Johnson made catches like this for the Cubs:

MadGame.com - Reed Johnson's Amazing Catch

Of course, Adam Lind and Travis Snider, the future of the Jays franchise are the left fielders now, but who could have known that they would make such an impact last year after they were forced to come in after the Shannon Stewart experiment ended the way it did. Stewies numbers for the Jays last year? a .240 average in 52 games.

NHL Playoffs: Playoff Picks (Part 3)

Here are Guest Contributor Kyle Compeau's Picks. Kyle brings a depth of knowledge in Hockey, Football and Basketball as well as sports betting. Without further adieu:

Eastern Conference

Bruins/Canadiens – Bruins in 5

In lieu of the Habs’ 100th season, and the luminating rumour as presented by Tammy Duncan Donuts’ elites of Celine Dion purchasing the team, I propose a cup futility streak for the Canadiens for years to come. Zdeno Chara with the Gordie Howe Hat Trick in game 5.

Washington/New York – Caps in 7

As an Oakland Raiders fan I have come to accept the fact that defense is more important than offense. However the disparity between these two teams with respect to offense and defense is too much. Henrik will keep this close, and Avery will eliminate Ovie in 3 of 7 games. But the second round matchup of Ovechkin vs Crosby is ever more intriguing this year than ever before.

New Jersey/Carolina – Hurricanes in 6

The Hurricanes are looking like the team that stomped on my heart a few years ago and beat the Oil in 7. Solid goaltending, and veteran players are filling their roles well. Canes will make a serious push for the Eastern crown behind an epic playoff performance from the eldest of Hockey’s Procrastination family. Yes I made a “Staal” joke.

Pittsburgh/Philly – Penguins in 6
One of the best matchups of the first round on paper. Pretty even matchup in terms of firepower and goaltenders, but I’m giving the nod to Fleury. Sid the Kid and Malkin are poised to make it out of the first round coming in hot and being the underdog after not living up to expectations this season. Crosby vs Ovie will happen.

Western Conference
San Jose/Anaheim – Sharks in 5

Another decent matchup, and if it were the Ducks and Wings like it was supposed to be I’d have the Ducks advancing. But the firepower of the Sharks are too much, and Nabokov should keep the Ducks shooters in check. I can see the Ducks squeezing one out before the girl who slept with Pronger in Edmonton inevitably leading to his departure in an attempt to save his broken marriage will show up in San Jose for retribution and throw him off his game.

Red Wings/Jackets – Wings in 5

Steve Mason and Rick Nash. That's it. I'll gladly take Johan Franzen for 4 mil a year in a decade's worth of investing than rely on Kristian Huselius to be my secondary scoring. I hope this gets ugly.

Canucks/Blues – Canucks in 5

Give the Blues 1 win in the classic get swept on the road, than re-gain some hope by winning game 3, then get shitstomped in 4 and 5. I am also taking the over on +/- 0.5 points registered by Roberto Luongo.

Hawks/Flames – Blackhawks in 6

Every time I see the NHL network commercial with Patrick Kane I become a pseudo-Hawks fan. That and the fact that the captain of the Hawks is younger than me. Someone younger than me is captaining a National Hockey League team, and I am writing about how he is younger than me. Who wins this war? But really, I hate Calgary, and I hope they get swept. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and give Calgary games 3 and 4 at home.

Cup Finals
Hurricanes/Sharks – Sharks in 5
The East is completely wide open, and the Crosby/Ovechkin matchup will ultimately lead to the demise of the winner’s respective team, leading to a Hurricanes Cup berth after upsetting the Bruins. However, the Sharks will be on a roll at this point after steamrolling the Wings in the Western finals.
Conn Smythe: Patrick Marleau