Volquez gets 50 game suspension

[ballyhoohoo]

maybe he needs to let Aaron Harangatang use some of his PEDs (http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2010/04/20/edinson-volquez-suspended-50-games/)

[BandAid]

classic

[GoMuskies]

This is the best suspension ever. The player himself is the only one who suffers (loss of pay). The organization and fans are completely unaffected.

[GuyFawkes38]

Is it safe to say that all the hope around this team 2-3 years ago is now gone?

[X-band '01]

Ah, the old "My wife and I were trying to have a child" excuse. You get points for creativity, but prepare to get blasted by all of the talking heads in the next few days to come.

[Juice]

Ah, the old "My wife and I were trying to have a child" excuse. You get points for creativity, but prepare to get blasted by all of the talking heads in the next few days to come.

Better than Manny who was taking some estrogen supplement.

[JimCoker]

I would be fully accepting of him if he would say

"Look, I am a 25 year old guy at the crossroads of my career, and I will do anything to help me recover from this injury. If I have to cheat and give up 50 games worth of pay in order to rehab it quicker and more thoroughly, so be it. Everyone else cheats, so I decided I would too."

The fact that he is already on the disabled list means that nobody will even remember the suspension by the weekend. But don't insult our intelligence with lame ass excuses.

[LadyMuskie]

Just one more reason I don't enjoy baseball anymore. With almost all the players cheating and everyone knowing it, there's nothing to cheer for or get excited about. Such a shame.

[PMI]

A professional baseball player on performance enhancing drugs. Shocking. Is this really newsworthy anymore?

[Juice]

Just one more reason I don't enjoy baseball anymore. With almost all the players cheating and everyone knowing it, there's nothing to cheer for or get excited about. Such a shame.

Like Rashard Lewis of the NBA or Shawn Merriman of the NFL?

By many accounts, the NFL of the 70s was much worse than MLB.

[Kahns Krazy]

Like Rashard Lewis of the NBA or Shawn Merriman of the NFL?

By many accounts, the NFL of the 70s was much worse than MLB.

That is precisely why I don't watch 1970's football anymore.

[Juice]

That is precisely why I don't watch 1970's football anymore.

No my point is that every sport has doping problems but somehow baseball is singled out. Track and field is probably the worst but people still tune in every 4 years during the Olympics.

[PMI]

No my point is that every sport has doping problems but somehow baseball is singled out. Track and field is probably the worst but people still tune in every 4 years during the Olympics.

Because baseball is the only sport where it is assumed that the majority of the best players were all cheating. Who's the best NFL player to get caught, Shawn Merriman? Who in the NBA, Rashard Lewis? Something tells me that if Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant were getting busted, the issue may be discussed a bit more. It's pretty apparent, though, that just about all the guys who are best at throwing and hitting the white ball are at the very least reasonably surrounded with suspicion of performance enhancing drug use. I also think baseball is the game that most NEEDS steroid use in order to keep it's product exciting to make up for excitement factor that it inherently lacks in comparison to the other three main sports. Before the summer of '98, baseball was in need of a real, err, boost, if you will. Hell, I almost forgot about baseball at that point, and this wasn't long after my favorite team was actually really good.

All sports do have issues with juice, sure, but there's a reason baseball takes the front stage, and that's because it seems like it has the biggest issue, particularly among the best players, and for a long time did the most laughable job at policing it all, which served the game's interest given the fact that almost all its stars were injecting each other in their asses between double headers.

[Juice]

Because baseball is the only sport where it is assumed that the majority of the best players were all cheating. Who's the best NFL player to get caught, Shawn Merriman? Who in the NBA, Rashard Lewis? Something tells me that if Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant were getting busted, the issue may be discussed a bit more. It's pretty apparent, though, that just about all the guys who are best at throwing and hitting the white ball are at the very least reasonably surrounded with suspicion of performance enhancing drug use. I also think baseball is the game that most NEEDS steroid use in order to keep it's product exciting to make up for excitement factor that it inherently lacks in comparison to the other three main sports. Before the summer of '98, baseball was in need of a real, err, boost, if you will. Hell, I almost forgot about baseball at that point, and this wasn't long after my favorite team was actually really good.

All sports do have issues with juice, sure, but there's a reason baseball takes the front stage, and that's because it seems like it has the biggest issue, particularly among the best players, and for a long time did the most laughable job at policing it all, which served the game's interest given the fact that almost all its stars were injecting each other in their asses between double headers.

I read something (not very specific I know) about how the entire offensive line for the Steelers was using steroids during the 1970s, a decade they won 4 Super Bowls in.

Shawn Merriman was a Pro Bowler the same year he was suspended for steroids and Rashard Lewis has been an All-Star twice. Though not the best players in the league, they are both pretty good.

Baseball did have a shitty policy on steroids but now it is pretty good. In the last two years they have suspended Manny Ramirez and Volquez. The suspicion should not be there for current players, unless of course they test positive.

[PMI]

I read something (not very specific I know) about how the entire offensive line for the Steelers was using steroids during the 1970s, a decade they won 4 Super Bowls in.

Shawn Merriman was a Pro Bowler the same year he was suspended for steroids and Rashard Lewis has been an All-Star twice. Though not the best players in the league, they are both pretty good.

Baseball did have a shitty policy on steroids but now it is pretty good. In the last two years they have suspended Manny Ramirez and Volquez. The suspicion should not be there for current players, unless of course they test positive.

I absolutely agree with all of this, but I think the most important thing to consider is the timing. Steroids became a huge issue in the last 10-12 years, at least among mainstream media. Hell, if you really wanted to target the business with the higher percentage of offenders, look no further than the WWE, where even the friggin head guy has clearly taken them! But the issue is biggest in baseball, mostly because of the caliber of players who were caught/accused and the lack of policy they had when it really started to hit the wall. That perception won't go away, even if it has cleaned up, because people keep getting caught every year still.

[blobfan]

... I also think baseball is the game that most NEEDS steroid use in order to keep it's product exciting to make up for excitement factor that it inherently lacks in comparison to the other three main sports. ...

I disagree with that. The thing that makes baseball so boring these days is it's all about the home run. There's no drama if a batter hits a ball and makes a run for the plate. It used to be you'd wonder if he'd be fast enough. Now you know: they are all too big to move very fast.

I love to go to games. It's sort of an expensive open air date night with hubby; a picnick with no ants. The games are irrelevant.

[LadyMuskie]

Like Rashard Lewis of the NBA or Shawn Merriman of the NFL?

By many accounts, the NFL of the 70s was much worse than MLB.

I wasn't alive in the 70s, so I have no idea about the NFL in the 70s and can't comment on it. Cheating goes on in every sport for sure, and the NBA has a myriad of problems above and beyond drug use. But baseball is an American institution and its being destroyed by drug use.

[LadyMuskie]

I disagree with that. The thing that makes baseball so boring these days is it's all about the home run. There's no drama if a batter hits a ball and makes a run for the plate. It used to be you'd wonder if he'd be fast enough. Now you know: they are all too big to move very fast.

.

This is 100% accurate. They all look like milk trucks lumbering around the bases. Anymore, games are about as exciting as a curling match.

[BandAid]

It's pretty apparent, though, that just about all the guys who are best at throwing and hitting the white ball are at the very least reasonably surrounded with suspicion of performance enhancing drug use.

racist

[Kahns Krazy]

No my point is that every sport has doping problems but somehow baseball is singled out. Track and field is probably the worst but people still tune in every 4 years during the Olympics.

I disagree that baseball gets singled out.

[DoubleD86]

I disagree that baseball gets singled out.

How? Football and basketball get a pass. Baseball is the only one where it becomes a huge media story and where Congress gets involved.

The part I never understand is, people always talk about how steroids have infiltrated high schools and this is so horrible (which it is), but baseball seems to be the only sport where it is assumed everyone uses. If it is so rampant in high school, why do people suddenly think NBA and NFL players stop? The fact is, every professional sport has pretty strong steroid use.

[MuskieCinci]

Baseball is the oldest popular American sport. Baseball is the ultimate statistical sport. Those are the only reasons you need. No one gives a shit about basketball and football records. The games have changed so much in football and basketball no one really needs a record book, you can figure out which players are good and their place in history by watching them. With baseball every stat matters, it more than any other sport relies on stats and longevity to determine if a player goes into the hall of fame. That is why people get so upset about baseball. People have been playing baseball in this country and having it actually matter since the 19th century. People don't want a juiced generation to knock off the greats from the past in the record books because they have an unfair advantage, people want it to still matter.

[PMI]

I disagree with that. The thing that makes baseball so boring these days is it's all about the home run. There's no drama if a batter hits a ball and makes a run for the plate. It used to be you'd wonder if he'd be fast enough. Now you know: they are all too big to move very fast.

I love to go to games. It's sort of an expensive open air date night with hubby; a picnick with no ants. The games are irrelevant.

That's your opinion and that's fine, and I enjoy the game day experience more than the game itself too these days, but I don't think the general sports-interested public agree with your first paragraph. First, you can use performance enhancing drugs for more than just getting huge and strong. Why do you think track and field is full of doping? But like it or not, MLB was in bad shape for awhile in the mid 90s and ratings were down, and then the summer of '98 provided the nation an excellent story line to follow in baseball. People who would've been playing golf or hanging out at the beach were actually watching an exciting race in baseball again. Ratings went up, thus the MLB turned its other cheek for awhile until the initial benefits started to become heavily outweighed by the problems that were brought by doping.

Steroids do enhance baseball the most because it is a numbers game, as mentioned. Numbers became inflated, which in baseball means the players got better. The other sports don't rely on records being broken (it's rather just icing on the cake) to give the casual fan a reason to watch or to be considered at a high level as much as baseball does. If it somehow never got out that steroids were being used this whole time baseball would have been in the middle (or maybe a little past) a stretch of time that would have been considered one of the most outstanding and exciting in its long history. That time happened to be when steroid use was very high.

[SixFig]

I've found its a waste of time trying to convince people who say they "don't like baseball anymore" that the game is still great. They always have some excuse be it steroids, too many home runs, too few home runs, lack of parody (the biggest myth EVER), my little league coach beat me bla bla bla bla.

[BandAid]

I've found its a waste of time trying to convince people who say they "don't like baseball anymore" that the game is still great. They always have some excuse be it steroids, too many home runs, too few home runs, lack of parody (the biggest myth EVER), my little league coach beat me bla bla bla bla.

I'd try to rep you for that last excuse, but it wouldn't let me...

Personally, I greatly enjoy watching a really good pitcher. I'd rather watch Lincecum or Greinke take the mound than Howard or A-Rod step up to bat. But that's just me.

[rhyno2110]

I'd try to rep you for that last excuse, but it wouldn't let me...

Personally, I greatly enjoy watching a really good pitcher. I'd rather watch Lincecum or Greinke take the mound than Howard or A-Rod step up to bat. But that's just me.

I hate Greinke. I may be the only one, but I think he is a cocky SOB. I watched him pitch against the Blue Jays yesterday, and I don't like the way he carries himself. Buck Martinez (the announcer) said that before one of Greinke's games in highschool, a scout told Greinke his fastball wasn't good enough for the majors. In turn, Greinke said straight to the scout, "I'll throw only fastballs the whole game, then you can decide how good my fastball is." What high school kid would say that to a scout? That's not confidence, that's flat out cocky.

[GoMuskies]

I hate Greinke. I may be the only one, but I think he is a cocky SOB. I watched him pitch against the Blue Jays yesterday, and I don't like the way he carries himself. Buck Martinez (the announcer) said that before one of Greinke's games in highschool, a scout told Greinke his fastball wasn't good enough for the majors. In turn, Greinke said straight to the scout, "I'll throw only fastballs the whole game, then you can decide how good my fastball is." What high school kid would say that to a scout? That's not confidence, that's flat out cocky.

I assume that scout now bags groceries for a living.

[X-band '01]

I hate Greinke. I may be the only one, but I think he is a cocky SOB.

If it makes you feel better, he's on the Kansas City Royals. Isn't that punishment enough?

[BandAid]

Greinke is an odd guy when you listen to his interviews. He has had psychological problems in the past. He actually went on to the disabled list a couple years ago for an extended period of time while battling depression. Whether the depression was the result of a broken ego or the ego a result of conquering depression I do not know. But I do know I like watching him pitch.

People used to complain about Ken Griffey Jr being arrogant, but sure did have a sweet, sweet swing.