Though YF and I have done our best to cultivate a site that is short on innuendo and uninformed speculation about who has used PEDs, with the coming Mitchell Report I had to perform an experiment. Yesterday I wrote down ten names that I thought would appear in the Mitchell Report and sealed them in an envelope (I took a picture of the list with the atomic clock adjacent, just so the veracity of this post is without question). I intentionally stayed away from the names we all know already and who were guaranteed to appear in the report: Giambi, Sheffield, Caminiti, etc. And I stopped at ten because I couldn’t bring myself to name 60. The contents of the envelope are after the jump.
I think this shows the danger in speculating. Though we don’t know for sure if I was wrong on any one of those players on my list not named in the Mitchell Report, the risks in throwing names against a wall (as YF and I have avoided doing and discouraged here at YFSF) should be clear. The cynical effect that the drug issue in MLB has had should be evident by the names I was willing to put on this list. Nobody is without suspicion, in effect, though some guys draw more than others. That is the most damning outcome of Ownership and the Player’s Association waiting too long to do something about this problem.
For me, Brady was sure thing. Though there’s a difference between “what will show up in the report” and “who did roids”..
That Nomah entry seems…so sad. It’s like you struggled over whether to put it down and then said, Ah heck!, I have to!
That’s gotta be the worst handwriting I’ve ever seen. Who the hell is Pete Hasrkjflakjista?
HAHA Nick, good point. The absense of a last name makes it seem more personal, more real.
I’m kind of shocked about the absence of Nomar. So many weird injuries… I still think he prob. used.
Yeah, Nomar either uses steroids or has tendons as thick as dental floss.
Pete Harnisch.
Jackie.
You shouldnt be shocked by the absence of anyone. All that it means is that the guy who gave a player PEDs hasnt been caught yet. Like i said in another thread, Brett Boone isnt in there and if he didnt take steroids you can officially name my first child “Bananas”
Bananas-YF
There are worse names.
“Bananas-YF”
Redundant?
“(I took a picture of the list with the atomic clock adjacent, just so the veracity of this post is without question)”
Beh. You could have gotten that atomic clock from anywhere!
I did this same experiment yesterday, but without the atomic clock. My not-really-hard-thought list was:
Roger Clemens
Craig Counsell
Butch Huskey
Mike Lansing
Brady Anderson
Livan Hernandez
Julio Franco
Jeff Francoeur
Mark Prior
Ryan Freel
Alfonso Soriano
BJ Ryan
And I stand by this idle speculation. Okay, maybe not Ryan Freel.
I thought about Glenallen Hill today for the first time since he turned into Godzilla (the big radioactive one, not the porn-loving one) in late 2000 for the Yanks, when discussing probable names with some coworkers. I’m pretty proud of that one.
Apparently, Selig was shocked, SHOCKED!!! that people didn’t want to cooperate and volunteer to meet with the investigators. Heh.
True – I suppose I should say that I will be shocked if Nomar is ever fully exonerated from having done PEDs.
http://rogerclemensisacheater.blogspot.com/
Nick:
The Nomar entry was last not for any other reason than chance. I have actually long suspected him, ever since the days of his SI cover, where he appeared bulked up like his limbs were human sausage links. His physical breakdowns (not the broken hand thing, of course) seemed to be strong circumstantial evidence of the aftermath of PED use. I still have my suspicions, whether he was named in the Mitchell Report or not. I think the game has taken a big hit today, no matter what people say about the lack of current big names in the document. The question will be whether Ownership or the MLBPA feel any pressure to implement the more stringent testing requirements that Mitchell suggests prior to their 2011 negotiations. If they don’t, shame on them for being so passive.
SF: Nate Silver has a short, good read on BP that is in line with your overall message, a message that I agree with completely.
// I think the game has taken a big hit today, no matter what people say about the lack of current big names in the document. //
I think the lack of big current names is less surprising than it seems on the surface – I’d guess that a lot of people went off the juice a few years ago when the testing became a bit more stringent.
I am just relieved about Varitek.
disappointed in Brian Roberts though – though not an O’s fan obviously, he’s still one of my favorite players, and I liked how he played the game.
This isn’t over with.There will be plenty more names as long as there is money to be made.What did it cost for Mitchell 25 million and all he finds out is about the A.L. East(except Boston).Canseco will give a better report for less money.