Speed is to steroids as pot is to heroin

Ken Davidoff of the New York Post is an idiot, as evidenced in this exchange with John Schuerholz.

KD : I have one question, one challenging question for you. You know how much I respect you, but one thing I’ve read that irks me a little. I think you’ve had some ceremonies where the team introduces Hank Aaron as “The real home run king” or “The true home run king.” Am I right on that?

JS : Yeah.

KD : Are you OK with that? Is that your domain?

JS : Listen. If you were in Atlanta and you worked for our organization, you would feel the same way. He’s without dispute, people in baseball would look at him as the guy they say is the quote-unquote real home run champion. There’s no questions about how he hit his home runs.

KD : But he admitted to using amphetamines . He used illegal PEDs, just like Bonds did.

JS : I’m not going to make a big deal out of this. He is for us the real home run champion. It’s our view. He’s our home run king. It’s our opinion. And we honor him for that. And I’m not going to stop saying it about him.

Good for JS, though I wish he had said, “Listen, moron. No one ever hit the ball further by taking greenies. Hank didn’t have the best seasons of his career after his 35th birthday, when Bonds, who hit a HR every 16.1 AB’s, began hitting them every 8.5 AB’s (from ’99-’04). Nor did he undergo an unprecedented growth spurt more than 20 years after puberty.

From “Game of Shadows”:

For his part, [equipment manager Mike] Murphy could document Bonds’ physical changes via the changes in his uniform size. Since joining the Giants, Bonds had gone from a size 42 to a size 52 jersey; from size 10 ½ to size 13 cleats; and from a size 7 1/8 to size 7 ¼ cap, even though he had taken to shaving his head. The changes in his foot and head size were of special interest: medical experts said overuse of Human Growth Hormone could cause an adult’s extremities to begin growing.

Regrettably, such false equivalences are repeated as gospel by many in the sabermetrics crowd, baseball’s version of the tea party.

Witness these insipid comments on Hardball Talk, which addressed the Davidoff Q&A:

Holy smokes, [JS} completely handwaves away the fact that Aaron did essentially what Bonds did. That’s some amazing cognitive dissonance. He’d make a great politician.

Why is Greg Maddux a first ballot hall of famer? Is he 100% clean? Really? How do you know that? If Maddux gets in, then Clemens and Bonds have to get in since they failed the same # of drug tests as Maddux…zero.

I demand scientific proof from you that steroids makes you hit a ball farther. That is my challenge to you. Do you accept? Yes or No.

It’s difficult arguing facts with people who chose to ignore them.

Now, as for the effects of speed, have you ever seen a big meth addict? Speed, or greenies, don’t build body mass. Those making the comparison frame the argument as one of morality, or legality. That’s irrelevant. I’m opposed to Bonds’ induction into the Hall because he used artificial means to create an unfair advantage, not because he broke the rules.

Conflating greenies with steroids is willful ignorance, and to what end? To ensure the enshrinement of known cheaters?

Rowland’s HOF ballot: Part I, the Jon Shibleys

As in, “the biggest no-brainers in the history of Earth.”

1. Tim Raines. All the things the stat geeks say about the Hall voters regarding PED’s is true when it comes to Raines’ candidacy. The difference is that morality has nothing to with steroids — its performance enhancement. Cocaine didn’t make Raines a better player.

There’s no other reason to exclude Raines, who’s overshadowed by Rickey Henderson though the disparity between the two isn’t that great.

Raines: .294 BA, .385 OBP, .425 slugging, 123 OPS+ 808 SB, 146 CS, 2605 hits

Rickey: .279, .401 OBP, .419 slugging, 127 OPS+, 1406 SB, 335 CS, 3055 hits

Rickey is the best lead-off hitter ever, but Raines was a slightly better hitter with a tad more pop. Just being the conversation with Rickey merits induction.

2. Craig Biggio. The 3060 hits should be enough. The stellar defense, .363 OBP and 414 SB make him a no-brainer. His case requires as little defense as I’m giving it.

Next, the should-be’s.

 

 

PED apologists violate their own liturgy

Familiar language from ESPN’s Christina Kahrl, who claims the HOF is already compromised by PEDs.

I mean, c’mon, no Mike Schmidt or Hank Aaron in the Hall of Fame? By their own admission they broke the same baseball rule on the books that Bonds did, and they did so for the same reason — to enhance their performance.

She’s talking about amphetamines, which were once doled out like Morrison’s peppermints in most, if not all, of baseball clubhouses. That doesn’t make it right, but they weren’t consumed in the shadows. Eddie Mathews wasn’t snorting lines with Hank in a toilet stall, for instance, a la Canseco injecting McGwire. Greenies didn’t give one player a significant advantage over another.

Besides, it’s ridiculous to compare the banned substances.  The proof is in the stats, yet the apologists ignore the evidence. Perhaps because it totally destroys their argument.

What else explains Bonds’ production in the twilight of his career? Bonds’ lowest OPS, in four seasons from ages 36-39, was 1.278. His highest OPS in the prime of his career, from ages 26-29: 1.136. He had 69 more homers from ages 36-39.

Fortunately, someone else crunched the numbers typically required by the statistically obsessed.

Below are the top 15 OWPs of all time, regardless of age. Before 2001, no player had reached .924, Bonds’ OWP for the whole period that covers ages 36-39. Notice how unusual it is for someone aged 36-39 to have such a great OWP. It appears that no one has aged as well as Bonds.

Rank	Player	YEAR	OWP	AGE
1	Barry Bonds	2002	0.942	37
2	Barry Bonds	2004	0.929	39
3	Barry Bonds	2001	0.922	36
4	Mickey Mantle	1957	0.915	25
5	Babe Ruth	1920	0.913	25
6	Fred Dunlap	1884	0.909	25
7	Ted Williams	1941	0.908	22
8	Barry Bonds	2003	0.897	38
9	Babe Ruth	1923	0.896	28
10	Babe Ruth	1921	0.891	26
11	Ted Williams	1957	0.891	38
12	Babe Ruth	1926	0.883	31
13	Ted Williams	1942	0.881	23
14	Pete Browning	1882	0.88	21
15	Babe Ruth	1924	0.879	29

Dare I mention the freakish guns and engorged head?

Apparently none of this is sufficient proof for the likes of Kahrl, who writes of “the purported performance-enhancing benefits of PEDs.”

This from the group that sneers at those who ignore the irrefutable evidence found in the numbers.

Does anyone besides Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens want to see their HOF induction speech?

Outside of Suzyn Waldman, that is.

Otherwise, who’s going to make the trek to Cooperstown to see two unrepentant frauds take their place among baseball’s greatest players. (Yes, there are some genuine louts in the HOF, and other players who probably shouldn’t be there, but why add more?)

Can you imagine a more soulless induction ceremony? Actually, you can, granted you were among the masochists who watched Barry Bonds break baseball’s greatest record. I wasn’t watching and, if I’ve even seen a replay I’ve forgotten it — out of sight, out of mind. Without looking it up, do you even know the name of the pitcher who gave up No. 756? Or what team he pitched for/

(Mike Bacsik of the Nats, for the record.)

The Hammer was more gracious than he should have been, offering videotaped congratulations. But he didn’t watch.

A woman who answered the phone at Aaron’s home in Georgia shortly after Bonds’ homer said that Aaron was asleep.

 

Tonight’s reading assignment

Terrific column by ESPN.com’s Howard Bryant — so good he almost makes up for Rick Reilly — on this year’s Hall of Fame balloting. Much to recommend here, particularly this excerpt:

[B]ecause of the steroid era, the baseball writers are going to guess who deserves enshrinement based on who had big muscles or who had a suspicious career year. Thus, goes the thinking, the system must change. It is a disdainful mindset that doesn’t just miss the bull’s-eye, but the entire target altogether. It is the great MacGuffin of the game, and reveals a complete lack of respect for voters who for years have done the work, covered the games, and taken the privilege seriously.

The truth is that the writers are reduced to being a mop, left with cleaning up a colossal mess created by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association for enormous profit. The fans also must take their share of responsibility simply because professional sports franchises respond only to loss of revenue. To the people watching, steroids were always someone else’s problem, not an issue to get in the way of the fun and games — until their guy was accused or their team wronged. The journalists whose job it was to hold the institution accountable failed, too, for too little reporting allowed a corrupt culture to flourish. The emerging Generation M, influenced by its Godfather, Bill James, and his capo, Billy Beane, is also deeply culpable for allowing their calculations to blissfully ignore steroids and, through that omission, attempting to legitimize the whole dishonest era (and themselves) by attempting to make the game revolve around only numbers. It is no surprise, then, that two of the Gen M standard bearers, power and on-base percentage kings Manny Ramirez and Jason Giambi (directly linked to Beane and James) were both disgraced by steroids.

What galls me about the stat geeks, outside of the smug uniformity, is their willingness to rationalize away fraud. The game deserves better than that.

Not all cheaters the same

I don’t believe Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens deserve enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Cheaters shouldn’t prosper.

But it’s unfair to lump them together. No question Bonds makes it to Cooperstown without ‘roids. The case for Clemens is much less definitive.

In 1993, a 30-year-old Clemens posted a 4.46 ERA with a 1.263 WHIP. He was effective in the strike-shortened ’94 campaign but decidedly mediocre in his final years with the Red Sox:

(’95) 10-5, 4.18 ERA, 1.436 WHIP

(’96) 10-13, 3.63 ERA, 1.327 WHIP

Power pitchers usually don’t improve with age, but miraculously a 34-year-old Clemens had one of his best years after signing with Toronto, winning 21 games in ’97 with a 2.05 ERA and a career-best 292 strikeouts. He won 162 games after leaving Boston, and it’s fair to say those victories were tainted.

It’s believed Bonds began juicing at around the same age as Clemens. Prior to that he was still a premium player, compiling a 1.047 OPS when he was 33.

Kevin Brown is a more apt comparison to Clemens. The surly middle Georgian was a dominant pitcher over a 10-year period but will never make it into Cooperstown.

Neither should Clemens.

Last chance to vote for Skip and Pete

If you don’t have a Facebook account sign up for one — it’s free, and it’s the least you can do for the voices of the Braves.

 

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Fan voting for the 2013 Ford C. Frick Award ballot ends at 5 p.m. ET on Friday. Cast your vote on Facebook for your favorite broadcaster!

 

Vote Skip, Pete and Ernie

Fan balloting starts today for the Ford C. Frick Award, which has been given to the likes of Milo Hamilton and Tim McCarver but not to one of the Bravos’ trio of legendary voices.

That needs to change. Vote often.

Dumbest question of the day w/ a predictably stupid answer

I watched as much as a I could tolerate of the interminable Kevin Millar show on MLB. He and co-host Chris Rose agreed that Big Fraud-i should go into the Hall of Fame.

Like Red Sox fans everywhere — and The Nation‘s fawning ass-lickers in the sports media — Millar and Rose conveniently forget that Ortiz IS A CHEATER. Just like Manny Ramirez. Not only does it taint the two sluggers but also the Sox’s two World Series wins.

I know if Mad Dog and Glavine had juiced I wouldn’t feel so great about the ’95 world championship.

Ortiz, widely viewed as an ambassador for baseball, is the biggest phony in the game. In the last two weeks alone he’s whined about his contract and the Boston media.

To quote Nelson Muntz (or Jimbo Jones, I can’t remember): “CHARLATAN!”

Five HOF’ers in one decade

Here’s a question I hope someone with the time and inclination can answer:

The news of Chipper’s retirement means the Braves, in all likelihood, will send four players and one manager to Cooperstown in one decade. Has any franchise ever produced five Hall of Famers inducted in such a short span of time?

They may end up sending six, if HOF voters ever come around on the Crime Dog, who is definitely worthy.

The best of Skip

Perfect for a winter morning, though I’m angry every time I think of Tim McCarver getting inducted over Skip.

HOF robs Skip, inducts annoying gasbag

I knew it.

Tim McCarver, who has been a national analyst on television networks for three decades and simultaneously shined as part of broadcast teams with four big league clubs, was named on Wednesday the 2012 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Hard to take any committee seriously (click the link above to find out who’s responsible for this absurdity) that inducts Milo Hamilton but has no room for Skip, Ernie and Pete.

Cross your fingers for Skip

The HOF will announce the winner of the Ford  C. Frick award tomorrow (not today as originally scheduled). Skip is among the finalists, along with a bunch of guys I’m not familiar with and one with whom we’re all too familiar.

If Tim McCarver gets in over Skip then I suggest we pool our resources to send Deion and a bucket of water to the home of each voter. I’m pessimistic, considering this is the same group responsible for inducting Joe Garagiola and Milo Hamilton.

Cooperstown 2014

I had been a little unclear as to who was eligible when so thanks to DOB for clearing it up.

Not only will Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine surely be first-ballot inductees that July day at Cooperstown, but going in alongside the pair of 300-game winners could be their former Braves manager Bobby Cox.

And here’s one that a lot of folks might not have thought about: longtime Braves GM John Schuerholz could also be enshrined that year, which would be quite an aligning of stars for the Braves and their fans, who’s certainly flock to Cooperstown in droves for that happening.

JS will also be on the Veterans Committee ballot, along with Bobby, starting in 2013. Both will be eligible for the first time in 2014, along with Torre and LaRussa. The veterans committee can only induct four at a time, so JS’ biggest competition will come from Lou Piniella, suggests DOB. Smoltz will be eligible the following year.

Skip vs. McCarver

Skip’s a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award — finally. So is McCarver.

Vote Ernie!

Milo Hamilton is in the Hall of Fame. Ernie, Skip and Pete are not. That ain’t right.

You can vote ONCE A DAY at the Hall of Fame’s Facebook page through September, starting today. Spread the word, and vote daily. If every Braves fan votes 30 times, we can have an impact.

We don’t want to split the vote, so I suggest casting your ballot for Ernie, the senior member of our great triumvirate of broadcasters.

262 pitches

That’s how many pitches were thrown by 42-year-old Warren Spahn 48 years ago today. On the 262nd, Willie Mays homered to break a scoreless tie. In the bottom of the 16th.

“He ought to will his body to medical science,” said Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell, who was in attendance at Candlestick Park for the epic duel won by Juan Marichal, who hurled 16 shutout innings.

Speaking of Hall of Famers, there were seven in this game. The Cooperstown-bound moundsmen fared best; Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda were a combined 4-for-26 against Marichal and Spahn.

That may all sound impressive but, in Spahn’s case, it really wasn’t. The Buffalo-born southpaw recorded only two strikeouts, and, according to advanced metrics, he should’ve given up 6 runs and 18 hits.

What a joke. If Spahn, who averaged 4.4 K’s/9 innings in his career, pitched today he’d get zero respect from the statistically inclined.

Postscript: Five days later, Spahn shut out the Houston Colts. And yes, he went the distance.

Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Musial, a fraud and Chipper

With three more doubles, Chipper joins that select company of Hall of Famers (and Manny Ramirez) as the only major leaguers with:

• a .300 AVG
• 2500 Hits
• 1500 RBI
• 1500 Runs
• 500 2B
• 400 HR
• a .400 OBP
• and .500 SLG

Of course Chipper’s career BA (.306) and OBP (.405) are fluid, but his slugging percentage (.536) is unlikely to drop below that threshold.

Sounds like a Hall of Famer to me.

(Thanks to Naha Gomez for the info.)

90 years and 635 wins

On April 9, 1987, two 300-game winners appeared in the same game for the same team: Knucksie and Lefty, for the Cleveland Indians. It was the first time it ever happened and, with Jamie Moyer’s 267 wins leading active pitchers, it won’t happen again. Not in our lifetime.

Knucksie, opposed by another former Brave, Joe Johnson, hurled a workmanlike five innings for his 312th win. Steve Carlton relieved his fellow Hall of Famer, completing four scoreless innings for his second career save. Several other once and future Braves were in Exhibition Stadium that night: Julio Franco, playing SS for the Indians, Brook Jacoby, Brett Butler, Otis Nixon, Ernie Whitt, Duane Ward and the Crime Dog.

Watch a recap from MLB Network here.

Another stupid list

Bleacher Reports ranks the *50 most overrated MLB players ever. Coming in 21st, one spot ahead of Ozzie Smith (which should tell you something about this list): Knucksie. Their rationale is moronic.

Phil Niekro passed the 300-win mark, which was due in large part to his 24 years in the league.

Niekro put the knuckleball on the map, but that was the main reason he was able to pitch as long as he did. Utilizing the knuckleball limited the stress on his arm.

Niekro might have won 318 games, but he did lose 274. He also lost 20 games in a season just as many times as he won that many. He only lost fewer than 10 games in three seasons.

If it weren’t for his ability to pitch until his arm fell off, would Niekro even be in the Hall of Fame?

So he should be punished for not putting enough stress on his arm? And they fail to mention that Knucksie spent most of his career with a perennial cellar dweller. Had he pitched for the Orioles or Dodgers he might have won 400.

*Bleacher Report ranked Joe Carter 15th, saying “Carter was nothing more than a .259 career hitter.” … who averaged 29 homers, 107 RBI and 17 SB a season over his career.

Stupid.