Wake up, Bud! Selig "Responds" to Bonds' Indictment

Bud Selig released an initial statement saying he hadn't bothered to actually read Barry's 10-page indictment, although he does "take the indictment very seriously and will follow its progress closely." The indictment isn't progressing, Bud. You don't have to chase it or catch it. It's posted all over the Internet. Selig went on to pontificate about MLB's strict policy on performance-enhancing drugs, touching on reforms like testing for amphetamines and adding HGH to the banned list while pursuing the development of an efficacious test for HGH.

Selig's response reminds dp of something. Let's see.... Baseball pretends to be ignorant of a patently obvious situation.... Hmmmm... What is this deja vu?

It sounds just like baseball's "reaction" to allegations of steroid use in the 1980's and 90's: Feigned ignorance. Drug problem? What drug problem? Oh, you mean cocaine? We cracked down on that one with a tough testing policy that required Steve Howe to actually apply for reinstatement each of the seven times he returned to the field after testing positive. It's not our fault that Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry were granted multiple chances to resurrect their playing careers but never got the help they needed to kick coke addiction.

Meanwhile, Selig's ploy of pretending to be too busy to read 10-pages while supposedly monitoring Bond's legal situation "closely" reeks of two things:
1) personal contempt for Bonds, similar to Selig "acknowledgement" of Bonds' record-setting home run, when he stood up only to keep his hands in his pockets.
2) official doublespeak that seeks to distance baseball from troubled players and ultimately protect the league against any liability.

Barry Bonds Indicted; Greg Anderson Released

Major Legal Issues in Major League Baseball

Barry Bonds was indicted Thursday on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The indictment alleges that Bonds lied during his 2003 testimony before a federal grand jury which had convened to investigate the BALCO steroid distribution ring. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 30 years in prison. Later Thursday afternoon, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered the release of Greg Anderson, Bonds' childhood friend and personal trainer who has sat in prison for contempt of court for nearly a year because of his refusal to testify about Bonds. The question yet to be answered: was Anderson's release contingent upon cooperation with a grand jury that otherwise lacked sufficient proof to indict Bonds?

Or was Anderson released because the grand jury has enough evidence without his testimony? Article 9 of the background section of the indictment states, "During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other professional athletes." Maybe the presence of this "evidence" means that Anderson is not needed to prove that Bonds perjured himself.

Upon closer examination of the ten-page indictment, three of the four counts of perjury against Bonds pertain to his answers to questions concerning Greg Anderson. Before analyzing what this could mean, let's pause to summarize each count:

* Count One: Bonds denies that Anderson ever gave him anything that he knew to be a steroid, and Bonds continues to profess innocence even when the grand jury proceeded to show him documents with his name and/or initials pertaining to positive test results for two anabolic steroids.
* Count Two: Bonds denies that Anderson (or any of his associates) ever injected him with anything, or gave him anything that required Barry to use a syringe to inject himself.
* Count Three: Bonds denies that Anderson ever gave or helped Barry obtain human growth hormone (HGH) or testosterone, in January 2002 or at any time.
* Count Four: Barry admits to using "the cream" and "the clear," but claims that it didn't happen until 2003, while the grand jury maintains that it happened at least as early as December 2001, according to the date of a calendar with his "BB" initials on it.
* Count Five (Obstruction of Justice): The one count of obstruction of justice is the product of Bonds' "evasive, false, and misleading" testimony as noted in the aforementioned four counts of perjury.

At first glance, it seems difficult for the government to prove that Bonds lied about his dealings with Anderson if Anderson himself doesn't refute Bonds' testimony. Then again, Anderson has already chosen to sit in prison indefinitely, so why would he suddenly squeal now? It seems that the calendars and documents that allegedly outline Bonds' drug use are not weighty enough on their own to merit the indictment; if they were, Bonds could have been indicted years ago. If that's the case, then the government would need another witness to verify Bonds' use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Kimberly Bell, Bonds' former mistress, has claimed that Bonds both told her about his steroid use and acknowledged Anderson's role in administering the drugs, so it is possible that she could back up the first three counts of perjury. The fourth count of perjury is a matter of timing: not whether Bonds used the cream and the clear, but rather when he used them. Even Barry admitted he "could be wrong" about this time frame, and it's possible that Gary Sheffield, who trained with Bonds before the start of the 2002 season and admitted he had also used the cream, could verify the time period in question.

The Steroid Era
All things considered, it seems unlikely that Anderson came clean about Bonds. In any case, the grand jury believes it can prove Bonds was definitively and irrefutably a drug cheat. Yet it's worth remembering that Bonds isn't actually being indicted for illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs; he's being indicted for lying about it. Certainly, lying before a grand jury is no small matter, but in return for his agreement to testify in 2003, he received immunity from criminal prosecution for anything other than perjury. If Bonds can't be punished for using substances that weren't banned by major league baseball at the time (steroids were added to baseball's list of banned substances in 2003; drug testing actually began in 2005, when HGH was added to the list, though no reliable HGH test exists yet), doesn't it seem that he's being unfairly singled out? Other baseball MVPs Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti, and Jason Giambi have admitted to past steroid use, and since 2005, many minor and major leaguers, including Jason Grimsley, Alex Sanchez, Guillermo Mota, Rafael Betancourt, and Rafael Palmeiro, have all served suspensions after testing positive. Moreover, these players only represent a fraction of those who have been implicated or suspected of PED use. How can Bonds alone be targeted when the evidence indicates that so many other baseball players also benefited from PEDs? Is Bonds really any different than Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez, Troy Glaus, or Rick Ankiel? Maybe the only real difference is that Bonds possessed more natural talent than any of these stars. If other guys had to cheat to catch up, why do we focus our scorn on someone who was already the best player in the game? Is it because Bonds didn't need to cheat? Is it because the best player deserves the bulk of the blame? Or is it because Bonds in the biggest jerk in the history of sports interviews, and people are pissed that a lying megalomaniac now possesses not just the single-season home run record (73 in 2001, beating McGwire's 70 in 1998) but also the career home run record previously held by Hank Aaron, a principled man of dignity and honor?

After Bonds hit his 756th homer, fashion designer Marc Ecko, the owner by auction of the historic baseball, put the fate of the ball up for an internet vote. Fans were given three options: one, send it to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hame of Fame; two, permanently brand it with an asterisk and then send it to Cooperstown; or three, blast it into outer space. Sadly, the asterisk option won with 47% of the 10 million votes cast. Worse, the Hall has tentatively agreed to accept the ball with an asterisk affixed. The asterisk is an insult not just to Bonds' personal legacy. More importantly, it's an insult to the integrity of the American pastime. Bonds doesn't "theoretically" hold the home run record; he has physically launched more bombs in major league games than anyone else in history. That's a fact. It's also a fact that he's never been suspended for violating baseball's PED testing program. It's also an indisputable fact that Bonds competed against other players who did test positive, and still more who undoubtedly used PEDs before they were officially banned in 2005. For better or worse, baseball's lack of drug testing spawned the now-infamous Steroid Era. While we can lament the fact that PEDs plagued baseball for about twenty years from sometime in the 1980's until 2005, we can't pick and choose who gets punished and who gets pardoned for their involvement. It's inconsistent to condemn McGwire and Bonds, and then forgive Cardinals pitcher-turned-slugger Rick Ankiel and Indians hurler Paul Byrd for their use of HGH.

The Dope on HGH

Jintropin is a popular strand of HGH synthesized by Chinese chemist Jin Lei, who learned his craft while getting a Ph.D. from UC-San Francisco in the '90s. Jin returned to China and opened a government-sponsored company, GenSci, which manufactures and sells Jintropin. Check out Shawn Assael's full story here. dp says don't be like Sylvester Stallone, who was detained for two days after trying to enter Australia without a prescription for his 48 vials of Jintropin.

Yes, both Ankiel and Byrd were initially prescribed HGH by doctors for medical reasons. Yes, Ankiel was recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery, as was Byrd, who also claimed that he suffered from a pituitary gland disorder that accounted for why he continued to buy nearly $25,000 of HGH over a three-year period. HGH is typically given to children with dwarfism and adults who suffer from AIDs-related "wasting," a degenerative condition. HGH is also FDA-approved for adults with adult growth hormone deficiency. It's possible that Byrd could fall under this last category, but it still wouldn't explain how he twice filled prescriptions for HGH from a dentist who was subsequently suspended for "fraud and incompetence" in 2003. That same dentist prescribed HGH to other baseball players, including Matt Williams, Ismael Valdez and Jose Guillen. All four players obtained the drugs from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center (PBRC), an anti-aging clinic. On Feb. 27, a slew of law-enforcement agencies led by the Albany County (NY) District Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency raided the PBRC as part of "Operation Which Doctor," a major investigation into an Internet-based steroid distribution ring. Meanwhile, agents in Orlando simultaneously raided the investigation's main target, Signature Pharmacy, which manufactured and distributed millions of dollars of drugs to PBRC, other anti-aging clinics, and other pro athletes including Ankiel, Glaus, and Jay Gibbons. All told, more than two dozen doctors, pharmacists, and business owners (including those of PBRC and of Signature Pharmacy) face a multitude of felony charges, including the illegal distribution of steroids and HGH. Some-- including PBRC co-owner Joseph Raich and his brother-in-law, heart surgeon Robert G. Carlson-- have already plead guilty.



Some of these anti-aging clinics have liberally expanded the use of HGH to combat the "disease" of getting older, and trumpet anecdotal evidence that suggests HGH's performance-enhancing effects include more red blood cells, healthier heart function, improved eyesight, higher energy levels and increased sex drive. Yet the larger medical community doesn't consider these claims legitimate, and no reputable doctor would prescribe HGH to a healthy adult. While HGH very well may help athletes recover faster from serious sports injuries by regenerating stronger connective tissue like tendons and ligaments, this use is not approved by the FDA, much less considered standard practice. Accordingly, MLB has never granted Byrd or any player a "Therapeutic Use Exemption" for HGH.

Baseball's Tarnished Legacy*
What does this all mean for baseball? The BALCO investigation, "Operation Which Doctor," and “Operation Raw Deal” (a series of raids conducted by more than 100 D.E.A. agents in 27 states from Sept. 20-24 that resulted in 124 arrests and the closing of 56 labs) focused on manufacturers and distributors at the top of the PED food chain, meaning that users would not be targeted for prosecution. But this certainly does not mean that professional athletes are off the hook. Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was suspended for four games by the NFL after he admitted to the Albany County D.A.'s Office that he used HGH prescribed by Carlson and obtained online from PBRC. Barry Bonds is not the only major league baseball player that has to worry. The Mitchell Report on Steroids, an investigation of PED use in baseball conducted by former Senator George Mitchell, is expected to be released sometime in the next month. The player's union has apparently learned that Mitchell's Report will name 11 current free agents. Bonds makes one, as the Giants dropped Bonds like a dirty habit. Paul "Crazy" Byrd no longer makes two, for the Indians exercised their $7.5 million team option. (We await the publication of "The Free Byrd Project," Paul's upcoming autobiography, for his full story.) It's unclear how many additional players already under contract will be named, but Commissioner Bud Selig has said that teams "ought to be prepared for (the) eventuality" of naming names. In a conference call with representatives from all 30 teams, Thomas Carlucci, a lawyer for the firm that represents MLB, said that Mitchell's report would be "salacious" (translation: "obscene").
Clearly, the Steroid Era has tarnished baseball's legacy, but it would be truly obscene to make Bonds the scapegoat for baseball's systemic sins. Bonds may be a lot of things, including a drug user, a jerk, an adulterer, and a liar, but he didn't create the Steroid Era; he just participated in it like so many of his competitors. While the history books should rightfully note the impact of PEDs on professional sport, there need be no asterisk on his record-setting ball. After all, we've got the image of Barry's enlarged head burned in our minds. We don't need punctuation.

dp's 2007 National League Awards

National League MVP- Jimmy Rollins, Phillies:

Many voters will cry foul and demand that the MVP has to be Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday or Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder. Prince held the Brewers together through every stretch, good and bad, throughout the season, bashing 50 home runs from his cleanup slot. He was clutch when it mattered most: in September, he hit .333 with 11 home runs and a sick 1.211 OPS. But the Brew Crew's playoff hopes went down like Bernie Brewer on the beer slide, with Fielder's MVP chances evaporating like foamy suds in the splash. Meanwhile, Holliday had an even bigger month, hitting .367 with 12 bombs, 30 RBIs, and a 1.244 OPS to ignite Colorado's improbable 14-1 finishing kick to win the wild card (and eventually get to the World Series.) Additionally, Holliday lead the league in batting average and runs batted in. Rollins didn't even hit .300 or knock in 100 runs (though he was close at .296 and 94 RBIs.) But before you cry bloody murder, consider this: first, Holliday benefited from the most pronounced home-field advantage in baseball. At Coors Field, he hit .376 with 25 HR, 82 RBIs, and 1.157 OPS. Away from the hitter's paradise, he managed only .301 with 11 HR, 55 RBIs, and .866 OPS. It's like he was A-Rod at home and Jeter on the road. dp's MVP should get it done consistently everywhere. Second, Rollins had an unbelievable season: he played all 162 games at the premium position of shortstop, hit 30 homers, stole 41 bases and scored a league-leading 139 runs. Additionally, he ripped 88 extra-base hits, more than any shortstop in any season ever other than Alex Rodriguez's 91 in 1996. Third, Rollins literally willed the Phillies into the playoffs, brashly proclaiming back in spring training that Philly would win the NL East. Everyone laughed at him, as the Phillies didn't spend a single day alone in first place this year- until the final days of the season, when they capped the latest, greatest comeback in baseball history to beat out the Mets, whom they trailed by seven games on Sept. 12. The boldness to think big, the audacity to ignore probability, the will to get it done.... That's Jimmy Rollins, the National League MVP.

NL Cy Young- Jake Peavy, Padres:

Despite getting knocked around in the tiebreaker with Colorado, Peavy dominated the NL all year, winning the league's pitching Triple Crown with league-leading totals of 19 wins, 240 strikeouts, and a 2.54 ERA. Peavy was far and away the stingiest starter in the bigs, as his ERA undercut his closest competitor by almost a half of a run per nine innings. Peavy also led the majors in dominant starts (defined as 7 innings with 2 or less runs allowed and 7+ strikeouts) with 12. No other pitcher had more than 10.

NL Rookie of the Year- Ryan Braun, Brewers:

Yeah, it's tough to give it Braun, who didn't get called up to the bigs until May 25, while Troy Tulowitzi got it done all season long for a team in the World Series. It's also true that Tulowitzki plays Gold Glove defense and anchors the Rockies' infield at shortshop, while "E-5" Braun, who committed an amazing 26 errors in 112 games at third base, gets lifted for a defensive replacement in the late innings of close games. But the bottom line is pretty simple: Braun is an extraordinary offensive force, the only player in the league comparable to A-Rod, at least according to his offensive production in 2007. Only A-Rod had a higher slugging percentage than Braun's .634. He bashes the baseball all over the park, hitting for power with 34 homers and 97 RBIs and average at .324. He's also a threat on the basepaths with 15 steals and 91 runs scored. Tulowitzi, meanwhile, is statistically more comparable to another young Brewer, OF Corey Hart. Both Hart and Tulowitzki hit 24 homers; Tulowitzki had more runs, 104 to 86, and RBIs, 99 to 81; Hart hit for higher average, .295 to .291, and slugging percentage, .539 to .479. Troy, congratulations on a great year (and good luck blowing the World Series to the Sox- how many balls did the Sox hit just beyond Tulowitzki's reach in Game 1? Five? Ten?), but dp joins The Sporting News and Baseball America in naming Ryan "The Hebrew Hammer" Braun as the NL Rookie of the Year.

NL Comeback Player of the Year- Barry Bonds, Giants:

Barry could very well be indicted for perjury and tax evasion any day now, but there's no denying he's still a one-of-a-kind talent. In part due to his 132 walks in 126 games, he led the majors again in OPS at .480, 35 points ahead of David Ortiz in second place. You may say, "Wait a minute... Shouldn't Bonds have won the Comeback Player Award last year, when he hit 26 home runs after missing all but 14 games in 2005?" Yes, it is unconventional (and probably unprecedented) to honor a player whose 2007 statistics are nearly identical to his 2006 stats (.270 with 26 homers in '06, .276 with 28 homers in '07), but it's a legal miracle that Bonds even played at all in 2007, what with his personal trainer sitting in jail for refusing to disclose info about Bonds' peformance- enhancing dug (PED) use and the accompanying cloud of controversy constantly swarming around wherever his enlarged head sulked. Yet Bonds maintained both his indignant innocence and his unparalleled concentration long enough to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. dp's odds on Bonds returning to play baseball in 2008? About 50/50 (or the same as his chances of a criminal conviction when George Mitchell's report on PEDs in baseball comes out in the next month or two.)

NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin, Diamondbacks:

Thanks to Melvin's managerial magic, Arizona compiled the best record, 90-72, in the National League, despite being outscored by 20 runs for the season. Yes, Clint Hurdle deserves credit for getting the Rockies into the playoffs. Yes, Lou Piniella deserves credit for helping the Cubs overtake the Brewers to win the NL Central. Yes, it is a bit silly to even give out a manager's award considering that baseball is the most individualized of the major team sports and the players factor more heavily in deciding the outcome of games than in football or basketball. dp says don't protest, just give the flicking thing to Melvin and close the curtain on the lesser league's 2007 season. There will be no more Mountain Highs in Colorado, as the Rockies have hit rock bottom, down in a 2-0 hole to the AL (Actually Legit)'s best, the BoSox.

Dustin Pedroia Powers Red Sox to World Series: dp's 2007 American League Awards

American League Champions

AL Rookie of the Year- Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: .317 BA, .822 OPS, 86 runs
Ladies and gentlemen, dp devotedly presents another DP, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, as your American League Rookie of the Year. Pedroia batted .317 and provided excellent defense, displaying vast range and a knack for the spectacular at second base. If there were any doubters out there who were tempted to vote for Florida's Delmon Young (whose OPS was nearly 100 points lower than Pedroia's) or a pitcher like Dice-K or Joba Chamberlain, Pedroia's clutch performance in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, an 11-2 Boston victory over Cleveland, sealed the deal. Leading off the bottom of the first, Pedroia singled and later scored the game's first run. Pedroia has excelled in setting the table for the Sox, scoring eight runs in the ALCS, but he himself had zero RBIs through six games. Well, only until Sunday, when Pedroia got five RBIs in two innings in Sunday's Game 7. In the seventh inning, he broke open a 3-2 game with a huge 2-run bomb over the Green Monster off Rafael Betancourt, who had given up zero runs through 8 2/3 postseason innings until that point. Then in the eighth, Pedroia rocked Betancourt again, this time with a bases-clearing 3-run double. Dustin Pedroia, we really like to knooow ya! Kevin Youkilis followed with his own 2-run jack over the Monster to push the lead to 11-2 and totally crush Cleveland's hopes. Jonathan Papelbon recorded a six-out save for the first time in his career, aided by spectacular catches by Jacob Ellsbury and Coco Crisp, who ended the game by robbing Casey Blake of extra bases to send the Sox on to face the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.

What an amazing team victory in this series for the Sox. Slots 1-9 in the lineup all contributed about as evenly as is realistically possible in a seven-game series. In fact, dp struggled to decide upon the ALCS MVP. With his .345 BA and Game 7 heroics, Pedroia merited consideration, but so did Manny, who hit .409 with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs, and Youkilis, who hit .500 with 3 HRs and 7 RBIs, and Mike Lowell, who batted .333 with 8 RBIs, and JD Drew, who hit .360 and ripped the game-breaking grand slam in Game 6 off Fausto Carmona, and of course usual suspect David Ortiz, who scored seven runs and posted a .966 OPS.

With this wealth of production, dp was still waffling when Josh Beckett received the MVP. Duh. Beckett posted a stingy 1.93 ERA with 18 Ks in 14 innings to win both Game 1 and Game 5.
AL Cy Young- Josh Beckett, Red Sox:
20-7, 3.27 ERA, 194 Ks
















Ladies and gentlemen, your AL Cy Young, Josh Beckett. Making menthol-smoking, scruffy skater dirtbags everywhere proud, Beckett utilized a lethal mix of power pitching and pinpoint control (a rare Clemens-Maddux hybrid) to become the majors' only 20-game winner. Throw in a grade-A post-season legacy (2003 World Series MVP with Florida; 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA and three shutouts in eight career starts) that includes three dominating wins this October, and the 26 year old looks to be a good bet to keep adding more hardware to his trophy case. Beckett is good for at least two more World Series victories and very well may repeat as MVP in helping the Sox fulfill dp's perfect post-season predictions.

Check out ESPN.com's sweet 10 question World Series poll to see how America views Red Sox Nation versus Rocktoberfest: POLL

AL MVP- Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: .314, 54 HR, 156 RBIs, 143 runs
Sometimes the MVP is a guy who singularly outperforms everyone else in the league by a wide margin. Sometimes the MVP is a guy who single-handedly carries his team on his back into the playoffs. Once in a while, the MVP is both guys, like A-Rod this year. A-Rod batted .314 and led the majors with 54 home runs, 143 runs, 156 RBIs, .645 SLG, and 1.067 OPS. His ridiculous output paced the Yankees' second-half charge to make the playoffs. Magglio Ordonez hit .363 with 139 RBIs for the Tigers, but he picked the wrong season to have a career year. Rodriguez picked the right year to max out, as he has the right to opt out of his contract and potentially sign a $300 million deal as a free agent. Whether he returns to New York is one of the big baseball questions to be settled after the conclusion of the World Series.

AL Comeback Player of the Year- Carlos Pena, Devil Rays: 46 HR, 121 RBIs, 1.038 OPS
In another no-brainer, Carlos Pena is hands-down the 2007 AL comeback player of the year. If the D-Rays were a bit better, Pena would be a legitimate MVP candidate. After appearing in only 18 games for Boston in 2006, he rebounded in a big way in 2007, batting .282 with 46 HR, 121 RBI, 99 runs, 103 BB, and an outstanding 1.038 OPS. What an amazing turnaround for a career .252 hitter who hit more than 20 homers in a season just once before 2007. What a sleeper for lucky fantasy baseball managers who stole him late in their drafts.

AL Manager of the Year- Eric Wedge, Indians: 96-66, 1st in Central Division
Joe Torre, Mike Scioscia, and Terry Francona all deserve congratulations in leading their teams to the playoffs, but then again, the Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox all enjoy perennially high payrolls and high expectations. In other words, back in spring training these teams were supposed to make the playoffs, while the Indians looked to be fourth behind the Tigers, White Sox, and Twins in the AL Central. For expertly guiding a young team to within one game of the World Series, Eric Wedge (pictured with Indians GM Mark Shapiro) wins the award for top AL manager in 2007. At least one fan in Cleveland appreciates the job the Indians have done this year.

Check back Tuesday for dp's 2007 National League awards.

FLICKsport Poll: Who win will the World Series?

The Rockies, peaking on a 21-1 run, are in. Cleveland, leading Boston 3 games to 1 in the ALCS, is close. (In other words, the Sox got 'em right where they want 'em.)

FLICKsters, who do you think will prevail in the fall classic?

Who will win the World Series?
Rockies
Indians
Red Sox
Poll starter: dp See Results

Sabermetrics Analysis Supports dp's MLB Playoffs Picks

Incredibly, shoutmouth.com's master of ceremonies, Neutralmilk, ran an advance study to predict the Divisional Playoff series winners, and the results corroborated with dp's poker instincts. Check it out here:

Predicting the Baseball Playoffs by Closing Pitcher Songs

Flick, flick, hooray to sg who alerted dp with the key karmic connection.

Check out this sick tribute to Jonathan Papelbon, biggest badass wicked killa closer in the game.

Here's what it feels like at Fenway when Pap enters the game.

AL Ring Game: Predictions for Baseball's Postseason Poker Showdown

With the postseason heating up this week, here’s a preview of each Divisional Playoff series. Matchups are evaluated logically (Head), emotionally (Heart), and instinctively (Gut). [dp's note: all predictions were made before Thursday’s games]

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yankees-Indians: Game 1 at 6:30 ET Thursday

Head: Conventional wisdom favors the Yankees, who beat the Indians all six times they played this year and boast a vast advantage in postseason experience. Plus the Yankees feature the scariest batting order this side of Murderer’s Row, leading the majors in nearly all batting statistics and outscoring second-best Philly by nearly half a run per game. The Indians have some great young players like C Victor Martinez, CF Grady Sizemore, and DH Travis Hafner, but even this trio can’t compare to the likes of C Jorge Posada, LF Hideki Matsui, SS Derek Jeter, and 3B Alex Rodriguez.
Heart: Still, everyone outside New York loves to hate the Yankees, making Cleveland the sentimental choice. Cleveland did post the best record in the AL, and does have the best two starters in the series in C.C. Sabathia (19-7, 3.21 ERA) and Fausto Carmona (19-8, 3.06 ERA). Starting at home at Jacobs Field, these two could quite possibly stake the Indians to a huge 2-0 series lead.
Gut: In playoff baseball, much like poker, it’s best to be holding pocket aces. Indeed, great pitching beats great hitting in October. Sure, the Yankees have the better closer in Mariano Rivera versus Cleveland’s shaky Joe Borowski (45 saves but a 5.07 ERA), but this edge won’t matter if the Yankees starters can’t keep it close against Sabathia and Carmona in the early going. Indians win series in 5.

Angels-Red Sox: Boston leads series 1-0

Head: After Wednesday’s 4-0 victory, Josh Beckett now has 3 shutouts and a 1.74 ERA in 6 career postseason starts. The smart money's on him to win again in Game 4, meaning Boston only has to win one other game to move on the ALCS. With two of those chances at Fenway, where Anaheim is just 2-6 this year, it doesn’t look good for the Angels. Furthermore, with Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis fully recovered, Boston’s lineup is in top form, while Angels CF Gary Matthews is still out and RF Vladimir Guerrero is only able to DH on account of his bad elbow.
Heart: Sorry, Californians, even in Los Angeles there are more of you in the Red Sox Nation than in the Disney Kingdom. For proof, witness the teams’ only series played in Anaheim in early August: Sox fans arrived early to tailgate in the parking lot, while Angels fans finally settled into their seats by the fourth inning before stretching and leaving in the seventh. Finally, it’s hard to go on about the Red Sox without mentioning reigning MVP David Ortiz. Big Papi is probably the most beloved player in all of baseball, and he seems to have recovered his knack for delivering clutch hits.
Gut: Theo Epstein built this team around power pitching. That’s what enabled Boston to beat out the Yankees for the AL East crown, and that’s what will launch them toward postseason success. With dazzling rookie Dice-K to complement big-game pitchers Beckett and Curt Schilling, plus closer Jonathan Papelbon waiting in the wings to lockdown the ninth, it’s going to be tough for anyone to beat the Sox in a best-of-7 series, much less a best-of-5. Red Sox win series in 4.

AL Championship Series: Sox beat Indians in 6

NLCS: Rockies beat D-backs in 7

World Series: Sox beat Rockies in 7

NL Ring Game: Predictions for Baseball's Postseason Poker Showdown

Tonight: Red Sox to go up 1-0; Rockies to go up 1-0; Diamondbacks to go up 1-0; all to win series.

In California baseball this season, it's better to be divine than merely pious, as Anaheim's cherubs of Los Angeles are in and San Diego's priests are out of the playoffs. In postseason baseball this October, it's better to be lucky than good, as the tough-luck Padres discovered on Monday in the wild card tiebreaker against the Rockies.

With an 8-6 lead in the bottom of the 13^th and all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman on the mound to close out the win, the Padres could taste the champagne of the imminent post-game celebration. Yet the Rockies capped an improbable 9-8 comeback victory when, despite not crossing home plate, Colorado's Matt Holliday was fortuitously called safe with the game-winning run. Replays showed that after Holliday tagged from third base on Jamey Carroll’s shallow fly to right and slid headfirst into home, catcher Michael Barrett blocked Holliday’s left hand from touching the plate. Regardless, umpire Tim McClelland signaled safe, ending San Diego’s season in dramatic walk-off fashion. Check out the replay below.

With the postseason heating up this week, here’s a preview of each Divisional Playoff series. Matchups are evaluated logically (Head), emotionally (Heart), and instinctively (Gut). [Editor’s note: all predictions were made before Thursday’s games]

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rockies-Phillies: Colorado leads series 1-0

Head: The Phillies have the best starter in the series in Cole Hamels and the NL's most potent offense, led by the majors' best-hitting infield with SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Chase Utley, and 1B Ryan Howard, all of whom are MVP candidates. With CF Aaron Rowand and LF Pat Burrell having career years, it would seem that the Phillies have too much firepower for the Rockies to contain. Yet Jeff Francis did just this in Wednesday’s Game 1, allowing only 4 hits and 2 runs to out-duel Hamels and give Colorado a 4-2 victory.
Heart: In spring training Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win the NL East. Until the last day of the regular season, no one believed him. Rollins believed and, through the force of his will, pushed the Phillies all year long to get there. That's an MVP. Plus, the Phillies made the latest, greatest comeback in baseball history to beat out the Mets, whom they trailed by seven games on Sept. 12. That’s heart.
Gut: But all logic aside, in the end, how can you bet against a team that's won 15 of 16 games? Even though Philly also stormed back to make the playoffs, these Rockies just seem to have an extra special something. They made it this far only because Matt Holliday proved that you actually can score without hitting home. That kind of good fortune is priceless. Weigh the overwhelming evidence favoring the Phillies, then flick, let it go. As any tournament poker player knows, in the short term- like a 5-game series- it's good to be the guy on a rush. Colorado will ride it all the way to the World Series. Rockies win series in 4.

Cubs-Diamondbacks: Arizona leads series 1-0

Head: The Diamondbacks, despite having the best record in the NL at 90-72, were actually outscored 732-712 for the season. Credit manager Bob Melvin for making all the right moves to win a lot of close games. He’s handled his pitching staff like a wizard, as was the case again in Wednesday’s Game 1, when he preserved ace Brandon Webb’s 3-1 win by getting two scoreless innings of relief from Brandon Lyon and Jose Valverde. The Cubs also rely on excellent pitching, with the NL's second-best ERA of 4.04. Yet Webb, last year's Cy Young,, who will definitely win again in Game 4, meaning the Cubs will have to win Games 2, 3, and 5 to advance.
Heart: It's a no-brainer to pull for the Cubs. Since 1908, from the curse of the goat to the meddling of Steve Bartman, it's been nothing but heartache for Wrigley's faithful. No one deserves to win more than Cubs fans. The Red Sox finally got their title in ’04 after 86 years, and the cross-town White Sox got theirs in ’05 after 88 years, so why can't the Cubs join them this year, right?
Gut: Wrong. The Cubs never win. Ever. Not in 99 years. Usually in Texas Hold ‘Em, no matter how bad you're beat on the flop, you have that one-out miracle left in the deck, perhaps that fourth ace, or a royal flush filler, or runner-runner to a straight. Unfortunately, sometimes you're the Cubs, who, after a century of heartbreak, are drawing dead. Diamondbacks win series in 5.

Check back Thursday for dp's American League preview.

Milwaukee Brewers 2007 Report Card

Although the Brewers did record their first winning season since 1992, 2007 still must be considered disappointing given that the Brew Crew spent 133 days in first place in the NL Central before ultimately falling 2 games short of the Chicago Cubs and missing the playoffs. (A small consolation for dp: with Sunday's victory over the Padres, the Brewers not only helped pave the way for Colorado to complete its incredible stretch run to secure the wild card spot, the Crew also won their 83rd game of the season, nudging just past the over-82.5-season-wins bet a former colleague placed for dp back in March.)

Steven Colbert knows brat-loving Brewers fans won't forget the Brew Crew's September blues.


With the Milwaukee Brewers' 2007 season over and nothing left to do but overeat comfort food and dwell on such a sad finish, dp, the discerning professor, hands out report cards for all the Brewers' regular players, pitchers, and principal decision makers.

STARTING LINEUP: B

The Brewers led the majors in home runs, bashing a club-record 231 bombs, yet were only 11th in runs with 804 and 21st in batting average at .262, revealing an over-reliance on the longball to score runs. The Brewers hit for power but need to do a better job in 2008 playing small ball. First, the defense, ranked 25th with .982 team fielding percentage, needs to tighten up. Second, the Brewers need to learn how to manufacture runs in low-scoring games. To do so, the Brewers need to improve their 21st rank in OBP, and exhibiting more patience at the plate is the key that can drive this development. Better pitch selection will lead both to more walks and more favorable pitches to hit when pitchers get deeper in the count. In turn, more baserunners plus a higher batting average equals more runs. If young free swingers like J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun can lead a team revolution in better pitch selection, the Brewers could join the offensive elite with the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, and Tigers.

1. 2B Rickie Weeks: C-
Rickie deserves a lot of credit for working back into the leadoff slot and providing the Brewers with a September spark. In his last 39 games, he was arguably the best leadoff hitter in baseball, as he hit 11 home runs, stole 13 bases, scored 40 runs, drew 33 walks and posted a .429 OBP. During this stretch over the final quarter of the season, Weeks hit .292 to raise his average from .206 on August 18 to .235 on September 30. Still, if it weren't for this late resurrection, Rickie would've gotten an F for the season. He hit 5 homers in April, then batted only .193 in May, June, and July. He bottomed out on July 31, when, sporting a .212 BA and in the midst of a horrible 7 for 66 slump, he was demoted to the minor leagues to work on his swing. A lingering wrist injury that ended his 2006 season may partially explain Weeks' midseason swoon. His strong closing burst in September suggests that he has finally fully recovered and could be on track for a breakthrough performance in 2008.

2. SS J.J. Hardy: B
J.J. Hardy was hot in April and May, even drawing early MVP talk back in mid-May when he briefly led the NL in homers. Through 2 months, J.J. was hitting .302 with 15 HR, 46 RBIs and a .917 OBP. He began cooling off in June, and after sustaining a back injury on June 20, Hardy was hardly the same: he hit a home run in his return 4 games later, then went on a 35-game homerless drought, finally connecting again on August 10. He did bounce back to post solid numbers in August and September and regain his role batting second in the Brewers lineup. Overall, Hardy hit .277 with 26 HRs, 80 RBIs, and 89 runs. While Hardy's struggles at the plate in June and July corresponded with the Brewers struggles to win games, dp can hardly complain about a solid comeback season in which Hardy played 151 games to dispel the notion that he's injury-prone. He's not Hanley Ramirez or Jimmy Rollins, but Hardy looks to be an above-average run producer at shortstop for a long time.

3. 3B Ryan Braun: A-
Although Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki will warrant closer consideration now that the Rockies have furiously fought their way into the playoffs with last night's thrilling victory over San Diego in the wildcard tiebreaker, Braun should be a lock for NL Rookie of the Year. Despite not being promoted to the majors until May 25, Braun led all rookies with a .324 BA, 34 HRs, .634 SLG, and 1.004 OPS. Additionally, Braun amassed 97 RBIs, 91 runs, and 15 SBs, comparing favorably to stud fantasy third basemen like David Wright, Chipper Jones, and Miguel Cabrera. Braun even won the NL Player of the Month award for July. Still, Braun, whom Ned Yost often lifted for a defensive replacement to protect a lead in the late innings of close games, has room to improve. With 26 errors and a horrible .895 fielding percentage in 112 games at third base, Braun has to work hard this offseason to shed the derisive "E-5" nickname critics have coined. If Braun can mirror the defensive upgrade that Rickie Weeks has achieved on the other side of the infield, he will help bolster a Brewers defense that ranked 13th in the NL with a .982 fielding percentage.

4. 1B Prince Fielder: A
While Fielder's hopes of the NL MVP may go unfulfilled in light of the Brewers' playoff elimination, he nonetheless logged a positively princely 2007, becoming at 23 the youngest player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in one year. On a young team marred by inconsistent performances, Fielder cemented the cleanup slot in a shifting lineup and consistently produced big hits all year long, finishing at .288 BA/.395 OBP/.618 SLG with 50 HRs, 119 RBIs, and 109 runs. Fielder won the NL Player of the Month Award for May, and may very well be in line for another award for September, when he hit .333 with 11 home runs and a Bonds-like 1.212 OPS. (Then again, dp wouldn't be surprised to see Colorado LF Matt Holiday, the catalyst for the Rockies' improbable playoff run, win both the September and the MVP award.) Although we have to say, "Good night, sweet Prince" for now, the sky is the limit for Fielder in 2008.

5. RF Corey Hart: B+
Corey Hart provided a real offensive boost once he earned a full-time starting role in the outfield. With 24 HRs and 23 SBs, Hart became the fifth Brewer to join the 20/20 club, and his .295 BA (an even more impressive .339 w/RISP) was the team's second-best. He hit well all over the lineup, finally settling into the 5-hole and providing good protection for Prince Fielder. Hart is also 6' 5", ridiculously good-looking, eminently lovable to fans and teammates alike, and the fastest man in Milwaukee. Add in a 22-game hit streak, a clutch September (.330 with 6 HRs and 20 RBIs), and a sweet FLICKname (forthcoming), and the future gleams bright for Corey "Bigtime" Hart.

6. LF Geoff Jenkins: C+
Jenkins, the resident grandpa of the Brew Crew with 10 years' experience in Milwaukee, provided just about what could be expected of a 33 year old who doesn't hit lefties well (.215 BA in 2007). A consummate professional, Jenkins accepted a reduced role this season, appearing in 132 games and platooning in left field, mainly against right-handed pitchers. Though Jenkins' .319 OBP was his lowest since his rookie year, he did belt 21 home runs, exactly his career average, to rise to 2nd on the Brewers' career homers leaderboard, trailing only Robin Yount. With a $9 club option on Jenkins for next year, it's unclear whether he'll be back for an 11th season in Milwaukee. With the Brewers' glut of young talent, he may be expendable enough for the club to try to trade, or even simply buyout his contract for $1 million and let him become a free agent.

7. CF Bill Hall: D
Easily the biggest disappointment for the Brewers, Hall hit only .254 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs after hitting .270/35 HR/85 RBIs in 2006. His .OBP dropped 150 points to a pedestrian .740; he hit only .227 after the all-star break; and by season's end he wasn't even a full-time starter, platooning in the outfield and hitting 7th or 8th in the order. Hall did lead the Brewers in doubles with 35, but he also led them in strikeouts with 128 and finished 9th in slugging percentage, even trailing pitcher Yovani Gallardo. Hall wins dp's personal Worst Fantasy Pick Ever award, as dp, thinking he'd get a lot of lineup versatility with Hall's 2B/3B/SS/OF status, selected him in the 2nd round of the Empyreal Dynasty's draft. Hall went on to post the 706th-best fantasy performance of the season. In one small whiff of positivity, Hall did make a successful position change, transitioning from SS to CF to allow for J.J. Hardy's return, but if Hall's bat doesn't regain its pop in 2008, he may not have a spot in the lineup at all.

8. C Johnny Estrada: C-
Scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to repair knee cartilage damaged on Sept. 22, Estrada disappointed in his first year as the Brewers' backstop. To be fair, Estrada played through a nagging hamstring strain that bothered him for months. nonetheless, dp would think that a catcher should have good knowledge of the strike zone and could theoretically differentiate balls from strikes, but Estrada proved dp wrong, managing to draw only 12 walks in 120 games. It's not like he was knocking the cover off the ball and didn't have to exhibit patience: he managed only a .278 average with 10 homers. He didn't fare very well behind the plate, either, throwing out only 11 of 84 attempted base stealers. The Brewers would benefit from a new look at catcher next year but will probably have to settle for the hope of a healthy Estrada whose improved offense compensates for his weak defense.

STARTING PITCHING: C+

Overall, the Brewers starters were decent, going 60-47 with a 4.80 ERA (8th in NL). While no one was especially good, no one was exceptionally bad, either. Ben Sheets went 12-5 with a 3.82 ERA but missed 10 starts due to injury. Jeff Suppan, signed in the offseason to be the #2 starter, was predictably average, soaking up 200+ innings to go 12-12 with a 4.62 ERA. Dave Bush was no better, going 12-10 with a 5.12 ERA. Chris Capuano struggled and had some bad luck, including a 20-game winless streak, to go 5-12 with a 5.10 ERA. Claudio Vargas managed to go 11-6 but also posted a 5.00+ ERA. Considering that the Brewers' original top three starters-Sheets, Suppan, and Capuano- went almost two months (late June to late August) without a victory, it's amazing the Brewers were able to contend for the playoffs at all. That realization alone is enough to generate optimism for a first-place finish in 2008. Combine it with Yovani Gallardo's impressive rookie campaign (9-6 with a 3.67 ERA in 17 starts), and the 2008 Brewers should pitch more like the staff that accumulated a 4.10 ERA before the all-star break.

BULLPEN: D+

Milwaukee lost a major-league leading 16 games in which they blew a lead of three runs or more. Even worse, the Brewers lost a whopping 10 games during August and September in which they held a lead entering the 7th inning. (To be fair, they did manage to win four games after trailing in the 7th inning. Still, a 4-10 record in comeback situations isn't the mark of the playoff team. Had the Brewers simply gone 7-7 in these games, they would have surpassed the Cubs.) Unquestionably, the bulk of the blame for these self-induced defeats lies in the Brewers' faltering bullpen, which, ironically, was once lauded as a lockdown, airtight force earlier in the season. Indeed, other than closer Chad Cordero, who posted a 2.98 ERA, a .213 BAA, and 86 Ks in 63.1 IP while converting 44 of 51 save opportunities, every key Brewer reliever struggled down the stretch. After breaking Pedro Lopez's jaw with a pitch on July 26, 7th inning setup man Matt Wise fell apart, posting a 9.00 ERA in August and September. Derrick Turnbow, normally the 8th inning link to Cordero, blew up for a 9.35 ERA in September. Scott Linebrink, acquired in late July from San Diego, gave up 14 runs (10 earned) in 23.1 innings in August and September. Ned Yost didn't have any reliable relief options in close games, so it's hard to totally blame him for the Brewers' slew of come-from-ahead losses.

MANAGEMENT: B-

Understandably, manager Ned Yost hasn't escaped criticism for his perceived contributions to the Brewers' fall from first. Owner John Attanasio gave Ned a vote of confidence last Tuesday, but Yost has taken a lot of heat from the media for his constant lineup changes, among other things. Yet part of the reason he’s shuffled the lineup so much lies in the fact that many Brewers, as noted above, have had inconsistent years. Both Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin value stability and continuity, so Yost's post looks to be safe for another year. Meanwhile, Melvin had a mediocre year in terms of his personnel moves. Melvin's big in-season trade, obtaining RHP Scott Linebrink from the Padres to bolster the bullpen, didn't really work out. In terms of the free agents he signed, the picture is still underwhelming. Johnny Estrada underperformed and now requires surgery, while Jeff Suppan, a dependable starter to be sure, isn't really worth $65 million.

Yet in terms of finances, Attanasio cashed in this year as the Brewers set a new attendance record, attracting 2.8 million fans to Miller Park. Additionally, with increased corporate sponsorship brought about by the team's success, the Brewers may even be able to increase a $68 million payroll a bit further to add a missing piece or two.

2008 OUTLOOK

If only the Brewers can stop hemorrhaging runs after the sixth inning (they were outscored by 65 runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings), reaching the playoffs seems a realistic goal for 2008.

Be sure to check the FLICKsport Rap frequently for dp's Brew Crew updates throughout the offseason.

President's Race 9/27/2006

Farewell, RFK!

To give you a sense of RFK Stadium, check out the presidential sausage race from last night's game- the last Nationals game ever to be played at RFK, as the Nats are set to move into a sparkling new facility next spring. Look for dp's stadium feature coming soon to the FLICKsport Rap.

FLICK life: Foul is Fair

The FLICKsport life is really pretty simple. It's about doing it right in the right place at the right time.

For example, on Monday, September 17, dp attended the Washington Nationals v. New York Mets baseball game at soon-to-be-defunct RFK Stadium. Sitting in his customary seats behind homeplate, dp scrambled over a few rows of empty seats to make a backhanded snag of an 8th inning foul ball, taking care not to spill a single drop of beer in the pursuit. dp was of course thrilled to have finally nabbed a baseball after 20 foul-free years attending hundreds of ballgames at dozens of stadiums across the country.

However, dp was not alone in tracking the foul, as a young boy in a Nats jersey had raced to the spot in the aisle where the ball would have trickled down if not for dp's deftness. Looking first at his own half-full beer and then at the boy's empty baseball glove, dp knew how to do it right.

So with a flick of the wrist, dp dropped the ball down into the boy's glove.

The unassisted Double Player always lends a helping hand.

Further, the Dharma Prince knows that what goes around comes around, just as FLICKsters know to just let it go. It will come back.

And of course it did on that glorious late summer night: a cameraman captured the whole moment for display on the scoreboard. The ensuing roar from the appreciative crowd gave dp an even better thrill than catching the ball.

FLICK. Just let it go.

Barry Bonds #756

Barry Bonds Bids San Francisco Good Bye

Last night Barry Bonds played his final home game for San Francisco. Just like when he hit his 756th career home run, another truly special moment captured in the video highlight above, Giants fans showed him the love.


With the "Thank You Barry- A Giant Forever" banner hanging behind him on the wall in left field, the constant chants of "Barry, Barry," and multiple standing ovations throughout the game, San Francisco fans let Bonds know they will always love him.

With the "Bonds 25" inscription painted on the left field grass, Giant owner Peter Magowan's tearful postgame interview, and executive vice president Larry Baer's hope that Barry could retire as a Giant even if he continues his career elsewhere, the organization let Bonds know that despite the decision to not bring him back next year, the Giants still love him, too.

Even the opposing Padres paid their respects to the man who has hit more home runs (87) against them than any player has ever hit against one team. In the 6th inning, after a final at bat in which he wowed the crowd by flying out to the warning track in deep right-center, Bonds walked to the mound and hugged Cy Young favorite Jake Peavy, who returned Bonds' words, "I love you." After the game ended, Greg Maddux lingered in the visitors' dugout to watch a six-minute video tribute to Bonds on the scoreboard.

With all the negative publicity that has swirled around Bonds for the last few years, it's easy to forget that he is one of all-time greatest players from any era. dp wishes that more true baseball fans were out there to join the Bay Area faithful in appreciating Bonds for his once-in-a-lifetime talent and monster performances throughout a remarkable career.

Instead, it seems the average fan has labeled Bonds the poster child for the Steroid Era. In fact, in a related story that seemingly validates this depiction, the fate of Bonds' 756th HR ball has been decided in an Internet vote brought about by the ball's owner, a fashion designer/publicity whore whom dp will not gratify by naming here (a stunt both petty and futile, to be sure, but certainly not as disrespectful as the perpetual indignity suffered by Bonds). At least the ball will not be blasted into space; rather, it will be displayed in the Hall of Fame- but with an asterisk affixed to its cover.

dp authored an article for the Taft Independent back on August 7 when Bonds broke the record. It's reprinted here below.

“Shooting Stars:
Taking Aim at Bonds’ Stock in History”

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Taft, CA—Over the last few weeks, Barry Bonds’ pursuit of the home run record has carried him up and down California, from the friendly home crowds at AT&T Park in San Francisco, to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and on to Petco Park in San Diego. Finally, back in San Francisco, five years to the day after Major League baseball instituted mandatory steroid testing, Bonds hit career home run 756 to best Hank Aaron and stand alone as baseball’s all-time home run king.

While Aaron braved a racist backlash of boos, hate mail, and death threats as he chased Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 homers, Bonds has also faced controversy. Yet while the bigotry that plagued Aaron has faded, the issues that swirl around Bonds are stickier. Even though Bonds’ name has replaced Aaron’s atop the homerun leader board in the history books, myriad questions concerning the record’s legitimacy—and ultimately Bonds’ legacy—linger.

Indeed, bouncing back from a horrid July, in which Bonds batted a paltry .186, is the least of his concerns, as the possibility of a federal indictment for tax evasion and perjury charges related to his testimony before the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) grand jury still remains. Yet perhaps even more damaging to Bonds’ ego—and major league baseball’s image—is the court of public opinion.

More polarizing than shock jocks like Don Imus, Howard Stern, and Rush Limbaugh, Bonds inspires passionate debate about the presence of performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. The vast majority of local fans in San Francisco support him and his quest to break the home run record, while much of the rest of the country is against him. Yet listening to the chorus of critics among the national media, it seems like everyone is unanimously against Bonds. Recent Hall-of-Fame inductee Cal Ripken Jr. has said of Bonds’ performance, “I’d prefer to believe this is all on the up and up,” but 85% of respondents to an ESPN Sports Nation poll believe Bonds has used performance-enhancing drugs.

Meanwhile, very few current players will publicly rip Bonds. These guys understand the pressure to perform. They may not particularly like him, but they admire his talent and respect the contributions he makes toward his team’s success. Moreover, these guys have dealt with, or perhaps are still dealing with, the temptation to use performance-enhancing drugs. Judging from the wall of silence offered to George Mitchell’s investigation into steroid use in baseball, the players’ perspective is simple: look the other way. See no evil; hear no evil; most of all, speak no evil—not about yourself, but especially not about your teammates.

If nothing else, ballplayers are realists, recognizing the sports industry for what it is—a multibillion-dollar transnational empire. With that reality in mind, is it reasonable to discount Bonds’ accomplishments? By all accounts, Bonds was already the best player in baseball before he allegedly used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. What about the countless other ballplayers who were secretly juicing and competing at the same time? Even the “magical” 1998 season, when fans embraced Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa as they pursued the single-season home run record, now seems more chemical than magical, as both players are strongly suspected of steroid use. In “Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero,” Jeff Pearlman reports that in an alleged 1998 private conversation with Ken Griffey Jr., a conversation Bonds denies and Griffey reportedly does not remember, Bonds expressed frustration and jealousy over the fan appreciation enjoyed by McGwire and Sosa, and Bonds decided to take steroids the following off-season, figuring that he may as well enjoy the same benefits himself.

So, how do average fans who grew up innocently loving baseball process these sobering revelations? Like most baseball-loving boys growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, my brother and I collected baseball cards. My brother’s most prized treasures were two mint-condition rookie cards: Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds. Of course, these two shared more than center stage on my brother’s trophy shelf: both possessed a baseball pedigree, having grown up as the sons of former major leaguers; both were five-tool superstars who could hit for average and power, steal bases, and win Gold Gloves in the outfield; both players have averaged 41 home runs per 162 games played over the course of their careers. In short, both were the best players in their respective leagues throughout the 1990s.

Yet after their alleged conversation in 1998, Bonds’ and Griffey’s paths diverged in the next decade. From 2001-2004, the years in which Bonds is accused of juicing, Bonds won four consecutive MVP awards, stringing together an incredible stretch of mind-popping statistics including the single-season record 73 home runs in 2001 and batting titles in 2002 and 2004. Meanwhile, the injury-prone Griffey strung together long periods on the disabled list. But now the tables have turned again, as Griffey enjoys a strong bounce-back season while Bonds is greeted with boos wherever he goes.

Certainly, Bonds’ aloofness and hostility toward the media has not endeared him to some, but is he really the villain that he is made out to be? What has Barry Bonds done that is so bad?

By most accounts, it seems that Bonds’ biggest crime is his physical transformation from the wiry lead-off hitter as a rookie in 1986 for the Pittsburgh Pirates to the bulky, hulked-up slugger of today. It’s true that Bonds broke into the big leagues as a 21-year old, 190-pound lead-off batter who hit line drives and stole bases. He still hit his share of home runs but did not become a middle-of-the-lineup threat until 1990, when he won his first of three MVP awards in the 1990s by recording his first 30-homer, 100-RBI season. Meanwhile, he averaged 34 stolen bases per year in his first 13 seasons. While steroids may have made him bigger, it seems they did not make him faster, as he has not accumulated even 20 steals in a single season since 1998. So steroids must have turned him into a home run hitter, right? Yet even before he allegedly began juicing in 1999, Bonds had already won a home run title with 46 in 1993 and finished among the top four in six other seasons.

I tend to agree with Chris Rock, who said, “At worst [Bonds] pulled a fast one on us.” As Rock pointed out to Bob Costas recently on HBO, “You have to have a rule in place to break a rule.” While most outside San Francisco believe Bonds to be guilty of taking performance-enhancing drugs, baseball did not have steroid testing in place until 2002, and Bonds has never tested positive for steroids (though he did allegedly test positive for amphetamines in 2006.) Even if he did take steroids, Bonds still had to work tremendously hard to get bigger, stronger, and better. He still had to hit home runs against major league pitching.

As bleak as his legacy may seem now, only time will tell how Bonds is ultimately viewed in the annals of history. While Bonds is criticized for not being more like the universally respected Aaron, Aaron himself was knocked for not being like the larger-than-life Babe Ruth. Unlike the folk hero Ruth, who ate and drank prodigiously, chased women, and clashed with teammates and authority figures, the quiet and private Aaron kept to himself and steered clear of the spotlight. Unlike the spectacular Ruth, who blasted moon shots high into the sky and deep into the bleachers, Aaron yanked line-drive lasers barely over the fence. Unlike Ruth, who amassed some of the most incredible single-season performances ever, including the fabled 60-homer mark in 1927, Aaron never hit so many as 50 home runs in one year. Yet years later, Aaron is admired for his enduring humility and consistent excellence.

Perhaps one day Bonds will also be remembered in a positive light. The good news for Bonds right now? There is even worse news breaking in other major sports, like the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal in the NBA and the Michael Vick dog-fighting indictment in the NFL. And baseball does not have a monopoly on performance-enhancing drug scandals: just recently, cycling’s doping epidemic surfaced again at the Tour de France, and professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his family in a violent rage. In the end, the controversy over steroids may fade, but the home run record will remain… at least until A-Rod breaks it in five or six more years.

Brewers 2 behind Cubs after Fielder hits 50th in 9-1 win over Cards

Prince Fielder hit his 49 and 50th home runs of the season to lead the Brewers to a crucial 9-1 win over the Cardinals. In addition to being the youngest ever to hit 50, Fielder joined his father Cecil in forming the only father-son tandem to both hit 50 in a single season. Combined with NL Central leader the Cubs' 4-2 loss at Florida, the Brewers inched to 2 games back with 5 left to play.

Fielder strengthened his MVP candidacy with the clutch performance. Hearing the legions at Miller Park whose cheers drew Fielder out of the dugout for curtain calls after both blasts, dp thinks the MVP will be Fielder's provided the Brew Crew sneak past the Cubs and into the playoffs.