Mark McGwire actually believes he didn't benifit from steroids.

In 1998, as a skinny seventh grader, I was at the very height of my baseball fan-hood. To me, Mark McGwire was a super-hero. Roger Maris' home run record was a magical, seemingly unreachable number. In previous years McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. had come close but fallen short.

However early on in '98, even before Sammy Sosa went wild with 20 home runs in May, it seemed that this year 61* may finally fall. I looked at the Mets' schedule to see when Big Mac would be coming to Shea. On August 20th the Cardinals would be in town for a double-header. I immediately begged my father to order tickets for our whole family, which he did (yes way back then you could actually buy tickets to a double-header). I was hopeful that being late in the season, especially getting two games for the price of one, I'd be able to see an important home run in a record breaking season.

Game day came and McGwire was sitting on 49 homers. My anticipation was soaring. Our seats were in the second level along the first base line. We arrived early and my brother and I went right down to field level when McGwire came up to take batting practice. He did not disappoint, hitting nearly every pitch a mile. It was quite a site. After he finished he came right over and signed autographs to dozens of kids like ourselves. Our tiny frames were nearly crushed in the mob eagerly trying to get Big Macs signature. Seeing McGwire up close was like being in front of a professional wrestler. He was a massive, hulking man, bigger than anyone I had ever seen. I was young but I had shaken hands with Mo Vaughn before and been to many WWF events; I had never been so in awe of an athletes stature as I was here.

We returned to our seats for game one and Mark McGwire smashed a Willy Blair pitch deep into the left field bleachers for his 50th home run of the year. My brother and I, both in red McGwire t-shirts, went wild. I slapped my dad a high-five. Shea Stadium gave him a standing ovation. Game two came and he did it again ripping number 51, a line-drive, down the left-field line off Rick Reid. Going home I was more thrilled than a kid who had just got a Red Rider BB gun or an N64 on Christmas.

Years later it became clear that this great childhood memory, shared wonderfully with my brother and father, was a fraud. It has been tarnished by steroids, like everything else that happened in baseball in the late-90s.

Last night I got to watch McGwire cry to Bob Costas for an hour. Give Costas credit, this was no pathetic A-Rod confession to Gammons. Costas did not let up and kept asking good, tough questions. McGwire seemed to be relatively honest too. He is also delusional. To suggest that steroids did not improve his hitting is laughable. He apologized over-and-over. If they didn't help your career Mark, why are you apologizing? I personally do not accept your apology. Are you trying to tell me that I should cherish my memory as legit as if I had seen Roger Maris hit his 50th in '61? Why all the tears than?

Obviously Mark only did this because he now has a job with the Cardinals. Who knows if he actually believes what he said last night, and who really cares. I just hope he never makes it into the Hall of Fame. Please Hall voters, spare us having to watch McGwire cry anymore.

Sit Down Morons!

The worst problem facing baseball is not PEDs, player/owner greed, competitive balance or ticket prices. It is the fans themselves. Specifically, I'm talking about the exhausted ritual known in sports as 'the wave'.
I was in Fenway Park on Thursday to see the Red Sox take on the California Angels. The Sox were going for a sweep over the team they will in all likely-hood be matched up against in the ALDS next month. Josh Beckett has just tossed eight strong but given up the tying run on a wild-pitch strikeout that should have ended the inning had Jason Varitek done what he usually does. Now in the ninth inning, Billy Wagner was on to preserve the tie. It was a sellout crowd, no one had left, but I think I was the only one watching the game. The fools sitting next to me in the centerfield bleachers insisted on starting the wave. I screamed at them to sit down but to no avail. One wave circled the entire park not once, but two times, to a loud roar of self-approval from the many participating jackasses. Howie Kendrick hit a bloop single over second base to push ahead the winning run, I wonder how many people actually saw it.
If I were in charge of a baseball team, I would eject anyone who dared start a wave. They would be tarred and feathered, sent out into the streets and given a one-year ban from the stadium. To me, wave-starters are worse than people who run on the field. In fact, I think running on the field actually can have its place at the right time in a blowout.
So please, next time you are at the ballpark and a wave comes by your seat, just stay seated. Don't feel obligated to jump up and flap your hands like a seventh grade girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. Be loud, be obnoxious, support your team but have some dignity and watch the damn game.

Great Moments in Red Sox History

Mo Vaughn - Linebacker

Ouch

While Manny Ramirez' positive test was a blow to Boston fans, it didn't hurt nearly as much as the latest news on David Ortiz. Manny had become a Boston villain already. While Manny was clearly was the anchor of the offensive force that brought two world series titles, Big Papi was the heart and soul of it. Big Papi is still such an icon that he even avoided boos in Fenway Park while being the worst offensive player in baseball over the first two months of the season. Think Manny could have managed that?
While watching Manny Ramirez hit it is clear one is watching a superb baseball talent. No drugs could craft such a perfect swing. Ortiz on the other hand, with his not-so-pretty left-handed power-stroke emerged as an offensive force out of nowhere in 2003 after an early career as a modest 20 home run, part-time guy for the Twins. Manny was going to the Hall of Fame anyway, Ortiz may be a case, like many other 90s sluggers, of a player created by steroids
David Ortiz has been outspoken on the issue of steroids, which has brought him increased criticism the last couple days. He has stated that players who test positive should be banned for a full season. He has asked that Manny Ramirez, after testing positive, come out with the full truth. Now he claims to be "looking for answers" when it seems obvious that he was indeed notified of his positive '03 test. However before we all call Big Papi a Big Liar, lets give him a chance to come clean. If one reads between the lines of his off season comments which have recently received much attention, what he says is that we should forget the past. He was saying that now baseball has strict rules and they must be followed. Lets give him a chance to give details and an explanation as he has promised.

Tainting of Red Sox Championships: Negative Nancy Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy is quick to proclaim that this ruins the Red Sox great run. I don't care if the whole 2004 team was on steroids, it doesn't taint anything to me. When I look back on the '04 team and see Papi smashing clutch bombs, maybe I'll frown a little at him, roll my eyes, but I won't call him a fraud. I won't allow it to ruin what the team accomplished and what it meant to me then and still means to me now. Manny and Ortiz were using steroids to help beat A-Rod and Giambi, who used steroids. Big whoop.

The Latin Problem: The latest chapters in baseball's steroid debacle are infused with Latin superstars. Is it fair that they are increasingly being tarnished for using drugs that are easily accessible and often-times legal in their own home country? I don't really know the answer, but its a fair question.

The List: I've said it before, the names on this list should be released. If not legally, then someone should leak them all. Not because it is fair to A-Rod and Papi to do so, but because otherwise we are going to get one or two names trickling out for the next ten years. The situation is a mess. Getting them all now is the only way to put this disaster to rest.

Bad Timing: David Ortiz has recently launched a new website, a new blog and on July 24 opened a new restaurant in Framingham, Mass. called Big Papi's Grill.

Rem Dawg?!?!?!?!?: Jerry Remy's son Jared was fired by the team last year for using steroids. It is possible he was supplying steroids, though he denies it. He has admitted to discussing steroid use with Ortiz' personal assistant, though says he has no knowledge of any player usage.

Bronson Arroyo: Arroyo came out and admitted he used Mark McGwire's beloved "andro" and some other stuff in 2003. He said it made him feel like a "monster". He also spoke openly about using amphetamines. "Oh yeah, of course I took a greenie for a 12:35 p.m. game," Arroyo said. "Pitching against Johan Santana, you don't think I'm going to take a greenie if I could? C'mon." Give Arroyo credit, is he the first active player to admit steroid use without first being caught? I can't think of another...

Some last words from Manny: Manny Ramirez tells ESPN's Bob Holzman that 50 game suspension was embarrassing but release of his name "isn't that big of a deal"
Ramirez: "Me and David (Ortiz) are mountains: This isn't going to have any impact on either of us. We're both going to keep hitting."

What's Up Doc?

Roy Halladay tossed a complete game to shut down the scuffling Red Sox offense and out-duel Jon Lester to lead his Jays to a 3-1 win yesterday at Skydome. No surprise there. I don't care what anyone says, Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball. Depending on the hour, rumors will have him going, or not going, to any variety of teams by the trade deadline. I am sure of this- no price is too high to acquire the ace. Halladay increases the championship odds of any contender that grabs him by so much, GMs should consider it a necessity to surrender whatever chips they have.

Trade him within the A.L. East?: J.P. Ricciardi is one of those GMs, like Minaya and Sabbean, who have received a lot of praise for no reason at all. Finally his stock is starting to sour. There are various reports as to whether or not he would be willing to trade Halladay within the A.L. East. If he does give him up to the Yankees or Red Sox, it will be one of the dumbest things ever done in the history of sports and Bud Selig should ban him from the game for life. How anyone could support such a trade is beyond me. "Alright, we got a bunch of prospects that might be good one day, now the top team in our division with an unlimited payroll has the best pitcher in baseball and we get to try to beat them!"
The (Devil) Rays are another story however. I wouldn't quip with trading Halladay to Tampa, mainly because they would never be able to re-sign him.

"It's better to destroy than to create what's unnecessary" -Critic to Guido in Fellini's "8 1/2": Theo Epstein's great failure as Red Sox GM has been finding a shortstop. When they could have kept Orlando Cabrera for $27 million, Theo had to go out and get "Rent-a-wreck" for $40 million. Lugo was an even more disastrous signing. I have never seen any major league shortstop play the position worse than Lugo did this year. The best move the Red Sox could possibly had made this year was to finally give up on him, long overdue.
Now it is time to get rid of Brad Penny. The guy has had some "quality" starts, but that is the best he is going to give. Clay Buchholz made it clear that he's ready to start in the Big Leagues. Penny was a worthy risk to take in the off-season, but the Red Sox don't need him now. Eat the cash and cut ties. I am personally so sick of watching this overweight fireballer go out there every fifth day and labor through 100 straight fastballs and show-me curveballs in five innings of work. Even if Buchholz does no better, he will at least add some excitement and interest to that fifth starter spot.

R.I.P. Walter Cronkite, The Most Trusted Man in America

Nomar, Wake and other notes from Red Sox Nation

It seems that ever since my previous post declaring the Red Sox the supreme team in the American League, they have hit into somewhat of a slump while the Yankees are playing like a team with a $200 million payroll. Am I concerned? Well, no. It's a long season and slumps happen. The Sox are still in first and still should be a heavy favorite. That's not to say that the division isn't an extremely tough one, and it will not be a cakewalk. The Yanks are indeed very good, probably the second best team in baseball. Their once beleaguered bullpen is now very solid, especially if they are smart enough to leave Phil Hughes in it. Their lineup is a force that feasts on bad pitching.

Meanwhile John Smoltz has not looked too sharp. Give him time, the guy had major surgery. The Sox offense has also been slumping, especially Kevin Youkilis. Despite these struggles, the team still shows the grit of a champion. After blowing a historically bad 9-1 lead to Baltimore, the Sox found themselves trailing 5-1 in the ninth the next day. They rallied with two outs to tie it and won in extra innings. This is the kind of back-against-the-wall victory that only champions pull off. For many teams such a harsh defeat may have crippled an entire season.

The Odd Season of Jonathan Papelbon: 2009 has seen Jonathan Papelbon struggle like he never has in his entire career, which is strange to say because he has still been one of the best closers in the game. He is 22 of 24 in save opportunities with a 1.89 era and has struck out over a batter per inning. At the same time, he seems to find himself in a jam every time he comes in. This is not the Papelbon of old, who gained cult figure status in Boston by dominating with 1-2-3 ten-pitch ninth innings. Just how strange has his season been? Well just look at his career walk totals. In 2006, his first full season, he walked 13 batters in 68.1 innings pitched. 2007; 15 walks in 58.1 innings pitched. Last year he walked an amazing eight batters in 69.1 innings. Like Mariano before him, the guy just didn't walk anybody, one of the most important factors in a great closers. This year? 18 walks, a career high, in 38 innings so far. Fortunately for Papelbon, his overpowering fastball and ability to get big strikeouts has kept him an elite closer despite the inexplicable control loss. However he has been looking more like K-Rod than Mariano and if he doesn't fix his control issues, this is cause for serious concern. In spring training Papelbon adjusted his delivery in order to put more stress on his legs and less on his arm so he could be more fresh at the end of the year. Could this be the explanation for his control loss? If so it seems to be negating its purpose. He already has a dozen 20+ pitch outings and if it continues, his workload by the end of the season will be greater than ever before. For a pitcher that has always complained of feeling tired at the end of the year, one must worry if Red Sox fans will see the same closer in the post-season that has thrown 25 scoreless playoff innings to start his career.

The Return of Nomar: The way Nomar Garciaparra departed Boston, it is easy to forget how much he meant to the city at one time. In his first four seasons, the guy was as good as anyone in the game. In 1999 the Red Sox went to the ALCS literally because of two players. One was Pedro Martinez, who was the pitching staff, the other was "Nomah", who likewise was the offense. It was very nice to see the ovation he got in his return, the biggest I've ever see at Fenway. Nomar was clearly choked up, and I'm not going to lie, so was I.

Wakefield: "I was telling George (Red Sox catcher Kottaras) behind the plate, 'How do you even catch that ball?' He was like, `I just close my eyes.' And I said, 'OK, I'm going to try that one, I'm going to close my eyes and swing.' And nothing." -- Orlando Cabrera on Tim Wakefield (courtesy of Boston Dirt Dogs)
The word 'unique' is used too often. There is really only one unique player in baseball, his name is Tim Wakefield, and he has started more games than anyone in the 108 year history of the Boston Red Sox. He has done so without ever throwing a pitch above 80 miles per hour. He was won 14 or more games five times in his career, and with 11 wins this year already, is on good pace to perhaps reach or top his career high in victories, which was 17 in 2007 (no coincidence the Red Sox won that year). The first time all-star will be 43 on August 2 and with the knuckleball dancing as much as ever, looks like he could pitch another ten years. Wakefield is not only unique, but is one of the most unappreciated players in the game. When he finally retires, his number deserves to be hung up on the roof in right field just as much as anyone who has played in this golden age of Red Sox baseball.

A.L Pennett Race? Forget about it

With the half way point of the 2009 season approaching, the American League is nearly decided. The Red Sox are bullet-proof. Despite spending almost half-a-billion dollars in the off-season the New York Yankees have failed to catch up, and will not catch up in the A.L. East Race.
The Red Sox now sit on a 44-27 record, 5 games up, and yet they are only beginning to fire on all cylinders.
Starting Pitching: The Sox have gotten where they are now with what for the majority of the season so far has been inconsistent starting pitching. Beckett and Lester looked somewhat lost with plus-5 ERAs in April and May, Matsusaka was a train wreck and the most reliable starter was Tim Wakefield. Now they are starting to click. The early season woes of Josh Beckett, who last year was never himself due to injury, have passed. He is now clearly the dominant ace the team expects him to be, the one who's Gibson-esque postseason effort brought them their second championship in four years in 2007. In fact, he looks even better than that pitcher. Beckett has been mixing in his two-seem fastball much more regularly than ever before and has been putting it wherever he wants. When he throws to lefties it starts inside and moves away to hit the inside corner, at 96 miles per hour, a pitch that is un-hittable. If this was the Josh Beckett that had shown up up in last years postseason, as opposed to the one with a 90 mph fastball (the speed his changeup has been clocked at this season), the Red Sox would have celebrated their third title of the Theo Epstein/Terry Francona era.
Beckett is not all this incredibly deep rotation has to offer though. Tonight in Washington they will be joined by another all-time great postseason performer in John Smoltz, who looked strong and healthy in his minor league rehab stint. Expect the move into Red Sox Nation to re-energize one of baseball's greatest competitors, much like it did to Curt Schilling in 2004.
The Red Sox rotation is so good that, as Bob Ryan points out, losing a pitcher who went 18-3 last year with a .210 opponents batting average may actually be a blessing. If Dice-K never throws another pitch this season the Red Sox won't miss a beat. At the back of the rotation, Brad Penny has been clocked at 96 and is looking more and more like the pitcher that finished fourth in the Cy Young voting two years ago. If they want, the Red Sox could trade him to a desperate National League team, build for the future, and possibly make their rotation now even better by calling up Clay Buchholz, whose been nearly unhittable in triple-A and has consistently looked that way since the start of spring training.
At the front of the Rotation Jon Lester is once again looking like the ace that he was much of last year. I don't see a team in baseball that could beat a playoff rotation featuring him, Josh Beckett and if healthy, John Smoltz.
The Offense: Not only did the Red Sox get to the best record in the A.L. so far with inconsistent starting pitching, they did it with a gaping hole in the DH spot. It appeared to all watching, including myself, that David Ortiz was done. Strikeout by strikeout, pop-up by pop-up, weak ground ball by weak ground ball, it had become painful to watch Ortiz' decline. Well it may be to early to say for sure, but now it appears Big Papi is back. That means the best team in the league are only now adding one of the most fearsome left handed bats of the decade to hit behind Kevin Youkilis and MVP candidate Jason Bay. Since June 6, Ortiz is batting .357 with a .480 on-base percentage and an .833 slugging percentage. If anything encapsulated his return, it was his bomb off a 96 mph fastball from A.J. Burnett. The YES Network booth played it off as a mistake down the middle from Burnett and argued it was no sign that Ortiz is back. However he had been seeing many lesser fastballs down the middle of the plate all season that he could do nothing with, now he is destroying such pitches. Last night he hit a three-run shot about 440 feet to center field in the Nation's capital. He stood at home plate, tossed his bat into the air and slowly began to walk into his home run trot. The old Big Papi was back.
Defense: The Red Sox defense has been impeccable this season with the exception of shortstop (although Nick Green has been decent of late). This is about to change with the addition of Jed Lowrie. Hopefully the absolutely terrible Julio Lugo will be released despite a large salary. Right now Lugo is one of the worst players in baseball both offensively and defensively. Getting him off the team no matter what Lowrie does at the plate, will be a great boost and deepen the bench.
The Bullpen: It has been much spoken-of that the Red Sox bullpen has been their strength thus far. It seems Francona can pick any reliever out of a hat and throw them in as a reliable eighth inning setup man. The only relief dilemma for the Sox perhaps is figuring out just who is the best guy to setup Papelbon. Clearly that man is still Okajima. Francona seems to put a lot of trust in Delcarman, who I don't like in a big spot. I'd like to see Masterson as the go-to guy after Okajima, with Saito and Ramirez behind him. Daniel Bard has struggled in moments and shown his potential at other times. If grows throughout the season, it is possible with his 98 mph+ stuff, he could anchor the eighth inning making the bullpen even deeper. What did I mean when I said earlier the Red Sox are bulletproof? The could sustain almost any injury to any player. Even if Jonathan Papelbon were to go down, the Sox could simply plug John Smoltz in as the closer and the bullpen would hardly take a hit.

So the Red Sox will get better in all these categories, but their biggest advantage over the Yankees comes from the Manager. Terry Francona is amazing in his ability to do everything right. His incredible patience with Ortiz is now paying off. Recently he moved Ellsbury down in the lineup from leadoff to seventh despite the fact that he was coming off a 22 game hit-streak. The result? Ellsbury has caught fire. He's been able to be more agressive on the base paths. He has even been walking much more. The other day against Washington, Ellsbury was 4-4 with two triples, three RBIs and a stolen base. Now that's nice box score. Pedroia on the other hand is the perfect lead-off guy. He sees a ton of pitches and never strikes out. This season he has swung the bat 469 times. He has failed to make contact on only 33 of those swings.
The Yankees used to have a great manager, but they decided to let him go for the dim-witted Joe Girardi. By the way, the Joe who will be in Cooperstown is now managing a team that has the best record in baseball and will be getting Manny Ramirez back in about a week. Oops.