Mark McGwire

Slugger Mark McGwire finally admitted Monday to what most people believed-that he used steroids throughout his playing career. McGwire believed the usage began “…the winter of 1989 into 1990. I was given a couple of week’s worth, tried it, never thought anything of it. I just moved on from it. But as far as using it on a consistent basis, it was the winter of 1993 into 1994.” After his statement and subsequent interview on the MLB Network with Bob Costas, many writers have condemned him. However many current and former players have supported him. Hall of Famer Hank Aaron offered his forgiveness and hope that he gets into the HOF. “He has my forgiveness,” Aaron said of McGwire. “If that’s all that stands in the way between him being inducted into Cooperstown, we should all forgive him.”

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement in support of the retired slugger. “I am pleased that Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player,” Selig said. “Being truthful is always the correct course of action, which is why I had commissioned Senator George Mitchell to conduct his investigation. This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark’s reentry into the game much smoother and easier.” St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who was McGwire’s manager for the vast majority of his career, came to his friend’s defense. “No one on the teams I managed worked harder or better than Mark,” La Russa said in a statement issued by the club. “And now, his willingness to admit mistakes, express his regret, and explain the circumstances that led him to use steroids add to my respect for him.”

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday said sometimes friends do things that you do not condone, but that does not mean you stop loving them. Former closer Mitch Williams seconded that statement. If fans, the media, and players could forgive Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, and Jason Giambi for not really admitting to steroid use (only in a round-a-bout way) and they can forgive Manny Ramirez (who tested positive this past year) so quickly, why can’t they forgive McGwire? Okay he used steroids for most of his career, but so has A-Rod. However A-Rod helped the NY Yankees win their 27^th World Series title and everyone loved him, but they forget that he tainted the team before the 2009 season even started.

On the radio, former pitcher Curt Schilling stated that McGwire is the only one to fully admit to his steroid use, and to show true emotion while doing so. Last year when Manny and A-Rod were addressing the issue, did you feel as if they were truly sorry? I didn’t. I just think they were sorry that they got caught.

People are ridiculing McGwire because he said he used steroids for health reasons (to get back on the field), not as a performance-enhancer. He fully believes that steroids did not help him hit homeruns; they just helped him get over the injuries faster. He was asked repeatedly by Costas if he believed that his statistics and records were legitimate in light of the disclosure, McGwire did not budge. “Absolutely,” he said. “I truly believe so. I was given this gift by the man upstairs. My track record as far as hitting home runs … my first at-bat in the league was a home run. They still talk about the home runs I hit in high school. They still talk about the home runs I hit in [American] Legion. They still talk about the home runs I hit in college [USC] — I led the nation in home runs. They still talk about the home runs I hit in the Minor Leagues.”

“I was given the gift to hit home runs. The thing is about the years you were talking about, you go back to ‘93 and ‘94, those are the two years that I was really injured where I missed basically three-quarters of the season. That was the first time in my life that I sat back and I really had to understand what this game was about. I started studying pitchers. I started understanding how they try to get you out. And during that, my swing was changing.”

“…I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for my health purposes. I did not take steroids to get any gain for any strength purposes… I’ve always had bat speed. I just learned how to shorten my bat speed. I learned how to be a better hitter. There’s not a pill or an injection that is going to give me — or any athlete — the hand-eye coordination to hit a baseball. A pill or an injection will not hit a baseball.”

Where were these people who ridicule when Pettitte said taking steroids did not give him an advantage over anyone else because he was hurt at the time? Hello, steroids help you get back on the field faster! That’s an advantage over someone who is not using. I do not condone steroid use but just admit it and move on if you used. Excuses are just a cover-up. Many hitters and pitchers were using steroids at that time and sometimes you just need to leave the past in the past. Just say you used, you screwed up, and move on. The game of baseball is being cleaned up and we should just worry about the present status of the game and keeping the sport clean. Who is to say steroids (or other drugs) were not in use before the 1990s? We will probably never know everything and that is why we should just move on.

Some are saying that McGwire ruined the game and he’ll never be forgiven. As long as his family, the Maris’, and the Cardinals forgive him, I do not think he cares about the rest of the world. I cannot imagine carrying this secret around for so long without telling the people closest to you. During his interview with Costas, you could see the true emotions that he was feeling. Glad to see the monkey is off of his back.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettite, Bob Costas, Bud Selig, Curt Schilling, Hank Aaron, Mark McGwire, Matt Holliday, Tony LaRussa

Yankees 7, Phillies 4: Game 4 was a game with a full rage of emotions. For the Phillies, the fans were fired up at the start, but were quickly quieted by the Yankees early offense. Late in the game, the Yankees were shocked by the homeruns hit by the Phillies to tie the game. Phillies fans and players who were back into the game were thrown for a loop when the game quickly slipped from their fingertips.

Things didn’t start out well for the Phillies Joe Blanton. He gave up a leadoff infield hit to Derek Jeter and a double to Johnny Damon. Mark Teixeira then ripped a ground ball down the first base line, but Ryan Howard gloved it to get Teixeira out at first. However, Jeter scored on the play. Blanton then hit Alex Rodriguez, in which umpires issued warnings to both teams. Jorge Posada followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Phillies got to CC Sabathia in the bottom of the first. A bloop hustle double by Shane Victorino followed by a wall-banger double for Chase Utley, cut the Yankees lead to 2-1. Yet Sabathia limited the damage by striking out both Howard and Raul Ibanez. Sabathia never seemed comfortable all night, constantly shaking off pitches and stepping off the mound. Howard singled to lead off the fourth inning and then stole second. With two outs, Howard was still standing on second base with Pedro Feliz up to bat (who was hitting under .100 against left-handed pitching since the end of August. Feliz singled to left and Damon came up throwing to the plate (which was actually a strong throw) to try and get Howard. Howard crashed into Posada, jarring the ball loose, and was ruled safe to tie the game at 2-2, though replays showed he never touched the plate. This score didn’t last long, as Blanton gave the run back in the top of the fifth, when Jeter softly singled through shortstop, scoring Nick Swisher (who walked to leadoff the inning) from second base. The Yankees scored another run on a base hit by Damon when Melky Cabrera ran through his third base coach’s stop sign.

Utley homered off of Sabathia in the bottom of the seventh, his third homerun of the World Series and third off of Sabathia. This ended Sabathia’s evening and brought on the Yankees bullpen. With a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees went to Joba Chamberlain to setup for closer Mariano Rivera. After blowing away both Jayson Werth and Ibanez on 96 mph fastballs, Joba tried to throw a 95 mph fastball by the now hot-hitting Feliz, who quickly deposited the pitch into the left field seats to tie the game at 4-4. Feliz ended the inning with 3 hits, after only having six hits in 42 postseason at-bats this year. The jubilation and expectations of another comeback victory at Citizens Bank Park quickly came to an end in the top of the ninth as the Phillies pitching yet again couldn’t keep the Yankees scoreless after the offense tied the game. This time it was Brad Lidge, who hadn’t pitched yet in the World Series and hadn’t pitched in a game since Game 5 of the NLCS. After getting two quick outs, Damon got another hit, stole second, and then third because no one went to cover the third base bag as Ruiz threw to second and Feliz was shifted to second base with Teixeira at the plate. This play proved to be costly (and will forever be remembered) as Lidge hit Teixeira and A-Rod followed with a RBI double to retake the lead. Posada followed with a 2-run single to give the Yankees a commanding 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Chamberlain was seen in the dugout hugging Posada and A-Rod, thanking them for saving him and giving the Yankees the lead back.

The electric crowd at Citizens Bank Park turned to moans and groans as the inning was disastrous. Lidge got fastball happy after getting the two quick outs in the ninth, going away from his signature pitch (the slider) which had worked against Hideki Matsui and Jeter. When all was said and done, it took 30 pitches for Lidge to hobble through the 9th. Now the Phillies were down with Rivera coming in to close out the game instead of the game being tied and facing Phil Coke. Rivera quickly dispatched the Phillies hitters, throwing just 8 pitched to finish them off.

The Yankees need one more win to celebrate their 27th World Series title. The Phillies, who were so good the last 2 years in the postseason at home (11-1), have now lost 2 straight at home. To stave off elimination and send the series back to NY, the Phillies will send ace Cliff Lee to the mound to hopefully dominate the Yankees lineup as he did in Game 1. The Phillies will also need to hit Yankees starter AJ Burnett or a great performance by Lee may be negated.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Brad Lidge, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Pedro Feliz, Phillies, World Series Game 4, Yankees

Yankees 3, Phillies 1: The game began with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing their hit song (and Derek Jeter’s entrance song) and most felt this was an omen that the Yankees would win. This was a game many felt would be high scoring with the bullpens battling it out, myself included. However both starting pitchers pitched gems like their Game 1 counterparts. The veteran for the Phillies, Pedro Martinez, entered the field to the expected “Who’s your daddy?” chants. He fed off the hostile crowd to, for the most part, dominate the potent Yankee lineup, a lineup most expected would kill the Phillies pitching. So far, that hasn’t happened. The Yankees are hitting .222, with the red-hot Alex Rodriguez going completely cold, 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. Pedro made just two mistakes, two sole homeruns by Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui, before being taken out in the seventh. Watching Pedro take the mound in the seventh, it reminded me of the 2003 playoffs when he was with Boston and manager Grady Little left him in the game too long (and got fired soon following). With double-barreled action in the Phillies bullpen, manager Charlie Manuel decided to stay with Pedro to start the seventh and it backfired as he gave up back-to-back hits, leading to another run.

Yankees starter AJ Burnett avoided the big wild inning, throwing first pitch strikes to 22 of the 26 batters he faced. Burnett’s curveball was working throughout the night, making the Phillies hitters look silly. He gave manager Joe Girardi seven solid innings, allowing him to go to closer Mariano Rivera for another six out save. Rivera looked hittable in Game 2, especially in the eighth inning when the Phillies had two men on and only one out. Manuel decided not to send the speedy runners (Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino) on a 3-2 count and the batter, Chase Utley, grounded into a double-play to end the inning. Utley meanwhile, extended his consecutive on-base streak in postseason games to 27 with a walk in the 3rd inning, continuing to add on to his Major League Baseball record.

Has Girardi completely lost faith in his entire bullpen? I’m not sure Girardi can continue to go to Rivera for six out saves, especially if he continues to throw close to 40 pitches an outing. We will see as the World Series continues.

Neither team is tearing the cover off of the baseball and both teams RBI machines have cooled off. I mentioned A-Rod earlier, but Ryan Howard went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts last night against the combination of Burnett and Rivera and never looked comfortable at the plate. Unlike in Game 1, Burnett only showed the fastball on the first pitch to most of the hitters and they were taking it for a strike, trying to be patient and run up Burnett’s pitch-count. That approach never really worked. The Phillies struck out 15 times in Game 2, yet only lost 3-1.

The Phillies left Yankee Stadium with a split, something they did last year in the World Series against Tampa Bay and something they just did in this year’s NLCS. They left smiling, with all of the confidence that they have retaken home-field advantage and can win three straight to celebrate in Philadelphia behind their wild and raucous fans. The Phillies have lost just one postseason game at home in the past two years (11-1).

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, NY Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, World Series Game 2

The 2009 World Series is truly a matchup of the two best teams in baseball. There is trash-talking, with each city’s media taking things to the extreme and trying to get the players involved. One NY newspaper depicted Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino in a cheerleading skirt and called the Phillies the “Frillies”. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win in 5 games. Both teams expect hostile crowds while on the road and Rollins loves to silence opposing teams’ home crowds. Plus he used to being hated in NY.

Both team’s ballparks are susceptible to the homerun as they were ranked in the top two in homeruns in Major League Baseball. Both team’s lineups are the two most-prolific homerun-hitting clubs in MLB. And as Nike stated in a 90’s ad, “chicks dig the long ball”. It’s not surprising that both teams sometimes live and die by the long ball. Both teams looked beatable in their respective league championship series, but both overcame their bullpen obstacles to win and advance. Both teams are led by their RBI machines: Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Ryan Howard of the Phillies. A-Rod has stripped the label of “postseason choke artist” and become the Yankees best postseason offensive threat. This will be A-Rod’s first World Series appearance. Howard has continued his usual late season hot streak into the postseason, earning NLCS MVP. Both tied the MLB postseason record for consecutive games with an RBI. It will be interesting to see how the managers elect to pitch to these two sluggers.

Both teams have a few questions marks in their lineups. The Phillies Chase Utley has a 25 straight postseason games of reaching base streak, which ties a ML record. Though he has been on base, he really has not been hitting (.211 against the Dodgers). The Phillies need more than just Victorino, Howard, and catcher Carlos Ruiz to produce. Rollins will need to be the fire-starter and put pressure on the pitchers and Jorge Posada behind the plate for the Phillies to be successful. Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher of the Yankees have been struggling throughout this postseason and some have talked about benching Swisher. The Yankees are relying on Swisher becoming the clutch hitter he has been all season long and Tex to be the power-hitting, RBI machine he was all season.

Both teams have question marks in the bullpen. Ryan Madson, the setup man for the Phillies has been inconsistent all season and has mostly struggled this postseason. Closer Brad Lidge seems to have found his 2008 self. Chad Durbin has been lights-out coming in to get out of jams and if his sinker is working, double-play balls will be common. Everyone else is either hurting or coming back from an injury (Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, and Brett Myers) or inexperienced (Antonio Bastardo, Happ). Yes the Yankees have postseason sensation Mariano Rivera as their closer, but he has been far from dominant in the last year or so. Getting to Mo has been a challenge and manager Joe Girardi has been using him for more than an inning lately. I think that the young bullpen pitchers have struggled lately mainly due to overuse throughout the regular season. Look at box scores and some pitched almost every day (like Phil Coke and his 72 games). Alfredo Aceves ended up with 10 wins, mainly out of the bullpen. Dave Robertson was in the top 5 in the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (12.98) and has been dominant. Phil Hughes has been struggling though he has been the 8th inning setup man for most of the second-half. Since Girardi seems to have lost some confidence in his bullpen, Brian Bruney has been added to the roster and could regain his role of setup man if he dominates.

The pitching staffs are evenly matched. Both have seasoned playoff veterans in Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez. Both managers have decisions to make regarding their Game 4 starters.

Game 1: Cliff Lee @ CC Sabathia
This may be the best pitching matchup that the World Series has had in a long time. They are the last two American League CY Young award winners. They were teammates with the Cleveland Indians up until last July. Lee and his Indians opened up new Yankee Stadium this year against Sabathia and his Yankees, winning 10-2. Sabathia has pitched better than ever in this year’s postseason, rather than in year’s past and is earning every penny the Yankees are paying him. Lee has made other teams look silly for not pulling the trigger and adding him to their pitching staff. Lee has been dominant in his first experience in the postseason.

Game 2: Pedro Martinez @ AJ Burnett
Pedro is sure to hear “who’s your daddy?” throughout this game at Yankee Stadium. He was not well-liked in his Red Sox/Mets days when playing at Yankee Stadium, so it should be no different being with the Phillies. Pedro dominated the Dodgers in his lone playoff game this season for the Phillies (though the bullpen blew his win), and manager Charlie Manuel is hoping for Pedro’s continued playoff success. Burnett is known to be wild but can keep the damage to a minimum if he keeps his emotions in check. Burnett got lit up by the Phillies in back in May, but that was a long time ago. Manager Joe Girardi is hoping for an ALCS Game 2 type outing (6.1 IP, 2 R, 2BB, 1 HBP) from Burnett rather than ALCS Game 5 types outing (6+ IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP).

Game 3: Cole Hamels vs. Andy Pettitte

Pettitte is the seasoned playoff veteran and he continued his playoff dominance against the LA Angels in the ALCS, winning the deciding Game 6. That win was Pettitte’s 16th career postseason victory. Hamels was last year’s NLCS & World Series MVP. He has not been close to the same pitcher so far this year. The Phillies will need the 2009 version of Hamels to regain his 2008 form.

Game 4: Joe Blanton/JA Happ vs. Sabathia/Chad Gaudin/Joba Chamberlain
This is where the debate begins. Happ made his first start of 2009 at new Yankee Stadium back in May and dominated (though Brad Lidge blew the game). Blanton has been the most consistent starter for the Phillies and the backbone of the rotation. Both will be available out of the bullpen for the first two games and whoever pitched the least will probably get the Game 4 nod. Girardi has used the 3 –man rotation throughout this year’s playoffs, though Sabathia has been the only one to pitch on short rest. With only one guaranteed off-day (2 total) and inclement weather looming, can Girardi afford a 3-man rotation? Can all 3 pitch on 3 days rest? Gaudin only made one playoff appearance so far this postseason (1 inning) and Chamberlain has struggled out of the bullpen lately. Neither is stretched out for a long starting stint. Depending on the first three games of the series may dictate how Girardi chooses the Game 4 & 5 starters.

The Phillies won the season series in NY 2-1, though Lidge was not lights-out (2 blown saves and a loss). The Yankees are trying for their 27th World Series title (these reason Girardi wears number 27 on his jersey) and the Phillies are trying for their 2nd consecutive. Both teams have played loose throughout the postseason. On paper, the Yankees would be the choice to win, but the Dodgers on paper looked like the team to be in the World Series. It’s time to throw out all the stats and watch the two teams play ball. It should be exciting.

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Brad Lidge, Brian Bruney, CC Sabathia, Chad Durbin, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Dave Robertson, JA Happ, Jimmy Rollins, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, NY Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Phil Hughes, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, World Series

The Major League Baseball postseason is a time for unknown players to become household names. Last year the Phillies Shane Victorino became known in more than just Philadelphia for his great catches in center field and his clutch homeruns. He even became hated in Los Angeles for his antics after Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda threw at his head. The Phillies Matt Stairs is a folk hero in Philadelphia as his game-winning pinch-hit 2-run homerun off of Dodgers closer Jonathon Broxton will be the lasting memory on Phillies fans from last season’s World Series championship. Last year the Rays David Price became more than just a number one overall pick in the draft. He became a hero in a beleaguered bullpen against Boston, saving Game 7 of the ALCS and sending the Rays to the World Series. There would not have been controversy following the 2006 season about whether or not the Cardinals Adam Wainwright should be a starter, if he had not been dominant in the playoffs and World Series as a closer in 2006. David Eckstein, who introduced himself to the nation as part of the 2002 World Series champion Angels, re-introduced himself as the 2006 World Series MVP with the Cardinals. Eckstein is regularly criticized because of his throwing motion and his stature, yet he carried his teams into the postseason and put up numbers worthy of an MVP (.364, 4 RBI, 3 doubles, and just one strikeout). He also tied for the team lead in World Series RBIs.
Dave Roberts of the Boston Red Sox is remembered for one of the greatest plays in Red Sox history and is a folk hero in Boston. His stealing of second base in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees led to him scoring and tying the game. Everyone knew he was going to try and steal and yet he still made it. This then led the way for the Red Sox shocking victory after being down 3-0 in the series. This then lead to the Red Sox winning the World Series and ending the curse. In 2005, White Sox rookie closer Bobby Jenks became known as the tall, wide guy coming out of the bullpen every time manager Ozzie Guillen came out to make a pitching change for him. Who can forget Guillen’s hand signals?
Who can forget Josh Beckett’s dominance of the Yankees in the 2003 World Series for the Marlins? In winning the World Series MVP, Beckett had the most innings pitched of any Marlins pitcher, along with a 1.10 ERA and 19 strikeouts. The other unknown young Marlins also became hot commodities as teams jumped on the chance to cash in on another Marlins fire-sale: Beckett, Mike Lowell, Derek Lee, Juan Pierre, Miguel Cabrera, Brad Penny, Carl Pavano, and Dontrelle Willis. The 2002 playoffs was the year of the Rally Monkey, but a rookie reliever was the player who stood out. Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez became an overnight sensation for his devasting pitches (fastball and 2 types of curveballs) and celebratory antics after the final out. K-Rod won 5 postseason games yet had only pitched in 5 games all season for the Angels before making the postseason roster. He had 13 strikeouts in just 8.2 innings pitched in the World Series. The above listing is only of the postseason surprises and heroes of the 2000s. There are so many more and too many to name (like Craig Counsell with both the Diamondbacks and Marlins and others).

So who are the 2009 surprises and heroes? Jeff Mathis of the Angels. The catcher had the worst batting average of any position player in 2009, yet he had hits in 6 straight at-bats in this postseason, along with a game winner. Does this mean Mathis will play more than just catching John Lackey or as a late-inning replacement? We will see.

Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies. “Chooch” could have (and to me should have) won the 2008 World Series MVP. However he seems to still be a secret among fans and opposing teams. Teams run on him and he throws them out trying to steal and they pitch to him and he crushes it (at least in the postseason). Ruiz has learned that the postseason is the time to shine. In 2008, Ruiz hit .261 overall in the postseason, though in the World Series he hit .375 with 3 RBIs and with 3 of his hits being for extra bases (2 doubles, 1 homerun). In 2009, Ruiz has been better, hitting .346 with 7 RBIs. Even NLCS MVP Ryan Howard admitted that without Ruiz, the Phillies would not be in the World Series.

Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees. Okay, A-Rod is not the typical surprise but knowing his career postseason statistics, he is surprising everyone. A-Rod has been absolutely on fire and manager Joe Girardi is usually speechless when talking about what he has done this postseason. And what has he done? Oh just hit .400 with 5 homeruns and 11 RBIs. This after only having 7 homeruns and 17 RBIs in 39 prior postseason games. The postseason is not finished yet, as the World Series is right around the corner. Will there be another unsung hero on the final two teams?

Tags:

Adam Wainwright, Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Jenks, Carlos Ruiz, Dave Roberts, David Eckstein, David Price, Francisco Rodriguez, Jeff Mathis, Josh Beckett, Matt Stairs, MLB Postseason, Shane Victorino