This move baffles me. Minor League teams should be in rural areas and not soooo close to a Major Metropolis. Macon, Columbus, or Augusta would have been much better for the State’s Economy.
The Braves can’t even fill Turner field, and this will subtract from their subpar attendance levels even more.
The only good thing is that when players go on a rehab stint, i.e. Chipper 4 times a year, you will be able to see them in a more intimate environment.
This is a waste of money.
You've probably gathered that I am at work today. Yea, I have a real case of the Mondays. While putting my time to good use, I came across this interactive Mitchell Report steroid network thingy and decided that I had to share it with my reader(s). David Segui and Todd Hundley/Paul Lo Duca as "kingpins" don't surprise me, but Denny Neagle?
The Steroids Social Network - Slate.com
Can't Stop The Bleeding
Rose: "Steroids Scandal Makes Me Look Like An Alter Boy"
An interesting statement by Pete Rose this morning in the wake of the Mitchell Report. Of course, it was all geared towards his argument that he should be in the Hall of Fame, which I don't think a lot of people will dispute. He makes the point that if these HGHers and 'Roiders get elected to the Hall, then he should too. It makes sense on the surface, but as Mike Greenberg pointed out on Mike and Mike in the Morning today: there's a difference between merely being mentioned in a congressional report and being banned from baseball. Sooner or later, there is going to have be a decision on the issue of how to deal with alleged rulebreakers in the Hall of Fame and record books. Bob Costas suggests that the "Steroids Era" is no different than the various other scandals that have tainted previous years (or decades) of baseball and that the record books should simply make reference to the allegations on page one, such that the reader keeps that information into consideration as he peruses the records (no asterisks!).
Sounds good to me, but I want to take the time to focus on the debate at hand. Which is worse: Rose's gambling or Bonds' juicing? The Mike and Mike boys predictably took the side of the steroid/HGH user, presumably because one of them (guess which one!?) is an admitted steroid user himself. I don't see the problem with gambling on your own team to win, except for the specter of betting against your own team that will inevitably come with it (do you really beleive Rose never bet against his team?). And because gambling on baseball has been taboo ever since the Black Sox scandal, violators like Rose get banned from the game (if they get caught). Steroid use, on the other hand, is only now beginning to carry such a stigma within baseball.
My conclusion: neither is worse than the other because they aren't comparable. One involves the appearance of impropriety and manipulation of the course of a game (i.e. the players on the field should decide the game) and one involves the actual players on the field seeking an advantage to change their performance. This is what makes the piece on Mike and Mike this morning so ridiculous. To immediately and arbitrarily say that steroid use is worse than gambling is asinine. The bottom line is that Pete Rose still isn't getting into the Hall of Fame no matter how many players used HGH or steroids or whatever. And in my opinion, having all these prominent players 'outed' in the Mitchell Report (and found guilty in the court of public opinion) only makes people more suspicious of baseball players in general, which can do nothing but harm Rose's Hall of Fame chances.
After having 4 or 5 days to think about it (not to mention getting to see someone go first: see Petitte, Andy), ESPN finally let the absurdly-goateed Fernando Vina speak on his inclusion in the Mitchell Report on SportsCenter last night. Vina calmly gave his pre-written answers as Bob Ley gently lofted softballs high into the air.
See the video here: [The Big Lead]
Among the questions not asked were:
"You say you weren't looking for an advantage, Fernando, but let me ask you: Does the human body heal/recover faster when taking HGH than when not taking HGH?"
"And if you took HGH and your body healed/recovered faster than a player not using HGH, then you would have an advantage, no?"
"What's with that goatee?"
Woops! Large-headed ESPN baseball analyst Fernando Vina got mentioned in the Mitchell Report. Steve Berthiaume takes one for the team and delivers the bad news in 10 seconds or less.
I don't have any original thoughts on this, so here's some links:
Fernando Vina's Gone Missing [Awful Announcing]
Where Were ESPN’s Steroid Users Thursday and Friday? [The Big Lead]
Oh, and let's not forget to credit CBS Sportsline for the term "Mitch Slapped". [Mister Irrelevant]
After reviewing all 400+ pages of the 2007 thesis, or the most important and nonsifting document in American sports history I have the following thoughts:
1. There are waaaay more names out there than this report contains. This report pulls names from media reports, isolated incidents whereplayers got caught, Canseco's book, Game of Shadows, and a clubhouse attendant from one high profile team.
2. The majority of these players played for the Mets or Yankees atsome point. i.e. all these names came from the one or two narc trainers.
3. There are other "club house attendants" that have more knowledge and more names than this guy that didn’t spill the beans.
4. George Mitchell did a good job and is a very smart man. But he needed more resources and more time. i.e. subpoena power.
5. Everyone knew Clemens was on the juice when he threw that bat at Piazza in the highly rated Subway Series.
6. Needles weren't the only thing Pettite and Clemens were putting in each others butts.
7. If Mike Stanton was on roids so was 90% of baseball.
8. Bonds HR record is given more validity by showing an even playing field because of the use by even the poor players; and half of them are pitchers.
9. Non-steroid era players should be given closer consideration for the HOF, i.e. Dale Murphy and Jim Rice.
10. What was the Mets clubhouse attendant doing giving the juice to opposing players?
11. Baseball players are too stupid to pull anything off. See the million dollar players who wrote checks and left a paper trail for $1,000 purchases.
12. The named players will roll on other players as they dont want to be singled out.
13. Steroids and HGH taken under the direction of a physician will not adversly effect your health. They will give you more energy, make you stonger, and younger. See the 45 year old Canseco who looks 27.
14. Juice gets you a hot wife. Then when you get off it, she leaves you. See Paul LoDuca and David Justice.
15. Players that were probably in the report but redacted by MLB totry and save the integrity of the game: Gay-rod, Jeter, Pujols and Ricky (I am the greatest) Henderson.
16. Record most directly related to steroid use: Gagne's save record.
17. Players will always be looking for an edge. At least with the lack of regulation there was an even playing field. Everyone was cheating. Not just a 1988 40/40 guy and a 120+ stolen base machine.
18. Dale Murphy would still be playing for the Braves and going after 755 this year had it not been for a roided out Dave Justice.
19. If the NFL had a similar investigation there would be no NFL.
20. Owners most defintely knew and looked the other way to rebound from the strike. Now they have to give guys like Gary Matthews Jr. $10 mil a year.
