A-Rod Test For Positive For Steroids, What's That Mean For MLB?

By now, everyone has heard the news that New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 2003 baseball season. At the time A-Rod was playing shortstop for the Texas Rangers. He was also the AL's home run champion and the AL MVP. According to four different sources, A-rod tested positive for two anabolic steroids.

To be completely honest I could careless what this means for A-Rod or for the New York Yankees as I am not a fan of either. However, I do find the situation very interesting for Major League Baseball. This has not been the best week for Bud Selig and company in the home offices. Earlier this week Selig was ripped for earning $18 million last year. On Wednesday the federal government unsealed documents that will confirm the steroid use by Barry Bonds, and now you have one of the biggest names in the sport on the biggest team in the game testing positive for steroids. To be frank, MLB is hurting.

It seems that no matter what Major League Baseball does it just cannot get out of it's own way. They have tried to put the entire steroid era behind them by ignoring it, and it did not work. They confronted it with the Mitchell Report and it did not help. And now you have another major player testing positive and it just makes this whole thing feel like the nightmare you just cannot wake up from.

MLB has taken some major hits over the last 10 years. If it's not one thing it's another and obviously Bud Selig cannot right what is a very slow sinking ship. Perhaps MLB should scrap their leader bring in someone else and try start over again. Baseball will never return to it's glory days that is for sure. It is pretty sad to see how what was once an American pride has crumbled in the national spotlight.

MLB Winter Meetings: Who's Dealing?

The Major League Baseball offseason is well underway by now, and we're just getting into the climax of the winter meetings. A couple of teams have been steady making deals while others are sitting back and watching the action from their chairs.

For one, the New York Yankees are dealing for starting pitching after Mike Mussina's retirement earlier in the offseason. Chien Ming-Wang has been surrounded by injuries the past year of two, so the Steinbremmers must think it's time to go all out. The Yanks have already pretty much wrapped the C.C. Sabathia deal up and put a bow on it for Christmas. But, they have reportedly offered A.J. Burnett a contract as well.

New York's inter-division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, have also shown that they are ready to step their game up after dealing veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Ryan Freel and two prospects. This shows that Peter Angelos is ready for the younger guys to step up. Getting rid of the 32-year old catcher makes room for the young AA-er, Matt Wieters, who was this past seasons Minor League Player of the Year winner. The 22-year old catcher, a two-time All-American at Georgia Tech, has a great mixture of power and average on both sides of the plate while his big frame (6 foot 5, 230 pounds) makes him an easy target behind the plate.

Believe it or not, this isn't the only move Baltimore has made this offseason. The front office is close to completing a two-year, $6 million deal with former Blue Jay, Dodger, Cub, Pirate and Cardinal shortstop Cesar Izturis. The O's have had major issues at the shortstop position since the end of the Miguel Tejada era. Izturis does not have much power, or even all that much consistency in his eight seasons, but he does have a great glove. That is what they are looking for as of this point. Just someone who can hold the spot and get the job done. Izturis' career fielding percentage (.979) is better than Tejada's MLB career and, like most middle infielders, Izturis has speed.

I'm still not done with the O's. Angelos also finds himself in the middle of the Mark Teixeira talks. He may actually be in the lead, as of right now. They have reportedly offered Teixeira a seven-year, $150 million contract. The O's, as a matter of fact, are also said to be one of the four remaining teams going after Teixeira. The other three teams; Angels, Nationals, Red Sox.

Jake Peavy is not packing for Chicago after all. The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have called off the deal that would have sent the NL Cy Young winner, Peavy, to Chicago. The multi-player deal was reportedly called-off by Chicago GM Jim Hendry.

Of Saving Phil Hughes and Trading The Melk Man Anyway

Remember last year around this time: The Twins were shopping Johan Santana to the highest bidder and the Yankees and Red Sox appeared to be the prime contenders. Then the Mets swooped in and acquired Santana for a beavy of prospects and talent...and it still didn't get them into the playoffs.

Anyway, back in late 2007, the Yankees were unwilling to part with two of three pitching prospects: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian (Mr.) Kennedy. The Yankees responded by declaring Chamberlain untradable (fair enough) and would only package Melky Cabrera, a lesser pitching prospect and either Kennedy or Hughes, but not both.

Apparently, there was a contingent of fans who did not want to see even Hughes traded. Yeah, click that link...there's a "Save Phil Hughes" site. I wonder who has more egg on their faces, the Phil Hughes folks or the Fire Uncle Charlie guy. I go Hughes, because at least the Fire Uncle Charlie guy say a World Championship in the end.

So what did the Yankees keep? Well, they kept Hughes, who went on to pitch 13 games (before injury) with a 6.62 ERA. Kennedy? 9 starts and an 8.17 ERA. Melky Cabrera? 129 games with a .249 ERA, 37 RBIs, 8 Home Runs and just 9 steals.

So why bring this up now? Well, as I mentioned in the links for today, the Yankees appear primed to trade Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron. But more than a few people suggested that the Yankees trade Melky and sign Cameron...last year. So in the end, the Yankees have the centerfielder they could have had, and have both Hughes and Kennedy as huge question marks. Sure they got Sabathia...but who would you rather have, him or Santana? And at the same price no less (actually less for Santana).

Oh Yankees, when did you stop being so evil and become simply hilarious?

Pinstripe Pulse: Yanks sign Sexson; Damon, Matsui experience rehab setbacks

The Yanks yesterday came to terms with the recently released Richie Sexson, formerly of the Seattle Mariners. Sexson, in his twelfth major league season, has seen his offense inexplicably disappear in the last year and a half. A lifetime .261 hitter with 305 homers and 937 RBI, Sexson has had five career thirty homer seasons, yet over his past 175 games has only hit 33, while hitting an anemic .211. So far this season, he has hit .211/11/30, with a woeful .178 average against righthanders. He has posted .344/5/12 numbers in 61 at-bats against lefty pitchers, the Yanks subsequently will platoon Sexson exclusively against southpaws. Sexson is a good fielding first baseman, he likely will see some late inning defensive assignments in place of Jason Giambi on days when he is not in the line-up.

Despite the pick-up, the Yankees are still in the market for a full time outfielder with a power bat, preferably from the right side. With Hideki Matsui likely out for the rest of the season, the Yanks will need to fill holes both offensively and defensively. ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kirkjian, during his weekly appearance with ESPNRadio affiliates, reported Brian Cashman and Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington spend considerable time during this past weekend's Futures Game discussing a possible deal for, surprisingly, Jason Bay.

The Yanks had targeted Sexson as the righty first base option since his release last week, thus eliminating the need for Xavier Nady. While Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner are adamant they will not mortgage the future by trading off three or four prospects, Kirkjian reported Huntington to be open to a deal involving one or two prospects, a current member of the 25 man roster, and, in lieu of the extra prospect, cash.

The flux of the Yankees current roster is also up in the air. Johnny Damon is scheduled to be activated from the DL on Sunday, however, he cut short his hitting session on Tuesday due to discomfort in his injured left shoulder.

The situation with Hideki Matsui's injured left knee has taken an unfortunate turn for the worse, it appears he will have surgery and will be lost for the rest of the season. Matsui had been rehabbing the the Yankees Class A franchise in the Florida State League, he too cut short his rehab after a hitting stint on Tuesday resulted in pain and swelling. Matsui returned to New York on Wednesday and is scheduled to see Team Physician Dr. Stuart Hershon today, it is expected Dr. Hershon will recommend surgery.

Righthander Phil Hughes, on the DL since May with a broken rib on his rightside, threw his second bullpen session on Sunday in Tampa, cutting loose 25 fastballs and a dozen breaking balls, and reported no discomfort in the area. Because of the injury, Hughes was severely limited in his rehab option, not only will he need to regain arm strength, but leg strength and his stamina as well. The Yanks have put no ETA on Hughes' return to the rotation, the same can be said for Chien-Ming Wang. Wang, on the DL since June 17th with a torn tendon in his right foot, won't return until September at the earliest. The Yanks will need to activate Wang by August 31st for him to be eligible for possible postseason action, from that date he can have a maximum ten day rehab assignment, meaning he would have to be placed on the active roster no later than September 10th. The question is will he be strong enough to pitch by that date. The Yanks don't want to risk activating him too early, they also don't want to risk not activating him and losing him for October play if he needed another couple days of rehab.

Ian Kennedy was activated from the DL on June 28th, after missing five weeks with a back strain caused by bursitis in his throwing shoulder. Kennedy has made three rehab starts with Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, going 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in 11 innings, allowing 13 hits while striking out eleven.

Reliever Brian Bruney, on the shelf since May 4th with a broken foot, took the loss in his first rehab outing this past weekend while pitching in Double A Trenton. The Yankees also signed former top draft pick and Minnesota Twins ace Eric Milton to a minor league contract. Milton, out since June, '07 after Tommy John surgery, threw a 25 pitch bullpen last week and reported no stiffness or swelling.

Loss of an Idol

We all remember specific moments which serve as a lifetime of memories that form the connections to our favorite sports and the teams we love. The first time you saw how green the grass was at Fill in the Blank Stadium. The first time you heard the crack of the bat which wasn't broadcast enhanced by some engineer in the sound truck. Even though the moments happen time and time again afterwards, the memories are just one. You've probably seen the green grass or heard the crack of the bat thousands of time since, you'll never forget the first time.

R.I.P Bobby
What connects us, for life, to our favorite sport or team is our favorite player. And for most of us, that player isn't a superstar, heck, he may not even been all that good. But for some reason, we identified and connected to him for a long forgotten reason. He became such a part of us, we almost became him. Copied his batting stance. Bounced the ball lefthanded three times before shooting a righthanded free throw. Wore the same uniform number. After he was long retired, and after we had long grown up, you might see him around, maybe he's the team broadcaster, or you drive 40 miles to see him at an autograph show. When watching on TV, you don't see him as someone approaching Social Security age, you see the same young face he had as a player, no way can we accept him growing old.

Then one day, you hear on the radio, or read on Armchair, that this player has passed away. And you feel like a part of you just did too. You unashamedly shed more than a few tears, as if you had lost a close relative or friend. And your lifetime connection to the sport or team you grew up loving, because of him, has been forever broken.

That moment happened for me today. Bobby Murcer was, and always will be, my all-time favorite Yankee. I wore #1 on my junior high school team because that was Murcer's number. In high school, #1 was taken by an upper classman, so I wore #11. A natural righthander, I taught myself to hit lefthanded because Bobby Murcer swung from the south side. I played third base and centerfield because Bobby Murcer did. I refused to watch or listen to Yankee games for awhile because they traded Bobby Murcer. I think deep down one of the reasons I bought the MLB TV package is because I could listen to Murcer broadcast on the YES network, even knowing I'd have to listen to John Sterling's voice, too.

At some point in the next few days, I'll go into my memorabilia box and fish out my 1967 Yankees yearbook. For the past 42 years, every time I pick that book up, it takes me back to being ten years old, back to seeing Yankee Stadium for the first time, of seeing Mickey Mantle whack one off the right field wall, and of a twenty-one year old expected to become the next Mickey. I'll see the sections on Mel Stottlemyre and Bobby Cox, then turn on SportsCenter knowing I might catch a glimpse of one of them, still in uniform and contributing to our greatest game. Towards the end of the book, when I come to Murcer's page, I fear those feelings and memories I've experienced every time I've seen it won't be the same, and I'm scared. Scared baseball won't have the same meaning anymore. Scared the memories will start to fade away now that the connection which held them all together has broken.

I was fortunate enough to have met Bobby Murcer a handful of times during my time working with the Yankees, in 1979. He had just returned from his exile to the National League and was excited beyond words to be back "home". I told him my little story, the same one I've shared with you, he seemed genuinely interested, which I appreciated. He was a real nice guy, more importantly, he was my first idol. To me, he always will be the ultimate Yankee.
On October 22, 1974, Bobby Murcer was sent to the Giants, I shed a couple tears, but I recovered. On July 12, 2008, Bobby Murcer was sent to eternal life, I've shed more than a few tears, and I'm not sure if I will recover. My lifeline to baseball is gone.

God Bless, Bobby, I'll miss you.