Jake

Makes the most sense for them to compromise and play in the middle

There is nothing that can change onfield outcomes in the way that well-used steroids can. Greenies can increase your focus and energize you in a long season. Andro could give results that would be indistinguishable from what the average person would get by slightly improving their diet or exercise routine. Steroids could turn your shallow flies into homers and do so with little expertise in diet, exercise, or even steroid use -- just use enough of the right stuff, half-ass your post-cycle therapy, and lift some weights. You'll get a lot better. Even better, it will slash your injury recovery time and perhaps an in-season cycle will keep you from that yearly in-season weight loss/nagging injuries. It won't make Reddy or me into an MLB ballplayer, but it can certainly make a marginal MLB player into a highly coveted, one of the best in the league types of player. It can help an aging player be better than he was in his prime. They can make a minor leaguer into a usable MLB player.

My older brothers used to play catch with me and once upon a time they chucked me right into a bedside table. I'm assuming it is the root of all my problems

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 13, 2014 -> 12:11 AM) Actual sources. I'm not saying it's unreasonable to believe he's clean -- we see lots of sportswriters voting for him. You just have to recognize that there are reasons for others to not vote for him, which many sportswriters aren't doing...probably due to the widespread suspicion/knowledge among players and writers about his steroid use. There are also probably a few folks that he rubbed the wrong way with his "there is a 'Hispanic conspiracy' against me just because I said all Hispanic players should learn English if they are going to play ball in AMERICA"

He loses his position to a Darin Erstad/Rob Mackowiak platoon by midseason after we rehire Ozzie

If the FO is "doing everything they can to get a top 5 pick" they are waiting for the lottery to end and offering Joakim Noah for one of those picks

In Groce I trust. Losing to NW last year is when I started really doubting him. He'll get the s*** together and get us playing our best ball by the end of the year.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 12, 2014 -> 06:54 PM) I'm guessing that's 20%? lol...yes...20%

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Jan 12, 2014 -> 05:17 PM) Rail releases "studies" like this all the time. CSA, HoS, theyve been aggressively targeting the trucking industry for about 20 years now. Its all bulls***. Besides that almost entirely deals with oversized loads, I never go heavy and if I do I have to get permits for it that are not cheap. the 9600 figure refers to a truck that is not overloaded

Two brothers a few years younger than me back in school were named Vince Lombardi and Brett Favre

Abreu's worst strikeout year in Cuba was 20%, which is just a tick below MLB average. This was when he was 21 years old. In the four years since, he has struck out at a 10.9% rate. I would expect it to go up some now that he won't be getting intentionally walked in 10% of his at-bats. Alexei's and Dayan's K and BB numbers are not much different in the MLB than they were in Cuba, FWIW EDIT: Dunn has to strike out at about 29%-33% clip, depending on playing time, to strike out 200 times

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 12, 2014 -> 06:32 PM) So an unnamed veteran and Reggie Jefferson are our sources? That's the best we've got? And a New York sportswriter as well as numerous other sportswriters who can't talk about it on the record since he told them outright? How much do we expect to get here?

I would like the Seahawks, but god damn do I hate Pete Carroll

I'm not concerned with Andro nor am I especially concerned about greenies I'm concerned with this: That's a published excerpt from Jeff Pearlman's book about (mainly) Roger Clemens's career

Contreras had never proven himself over 1300 IP against Japanese League competition -- I know TUC isn't a big "fan" of NPB, but it's way, way better than Cuban leagues. Jose's best year in Cuba was a "meh" season by Tanaka standards. There was a lot more risk with Contreras, who was also substantially older at age 31 when he debuted; you knew you were getting a post-prime pitcher who had only pitched against A-ball competition.

http://archive.gao.gov/f0302/109884.pdf One 18 wheeler at 80,000 pounds wears on the roads as much 9600 cars. Is your tax burden 9600 times higher? I'm happy (again as a person whose life has depended on the trucking industry) that the general public supports the highway system.

There has been a lot of discussion from former players about suspected use from Piazza. A grown man who suddenly gets outbreaks of back acne is a telltale sign

Oswaldo Kenny Rick (only if Tanaka is signed) Craig Krenzel

With a guy in Tanaka's position, there will be other costs, benefits, and risks to think about beyond mere guaranteed dollars. Take the Cespedes deal as an example -- people don't think Oakland offered the most money, but they renounced their team control of him after the contract ends. Cespedes was willing to take that gamble.

Easy to say players always go for the money when we hardly, if ever, know what their other offers were

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 11, 2014 -> 08:58 AM) So what about Frank's "physique"? He went from 240 in 1990 to 275 a couple years later. This is 18-19 year old Frank Thomas This is ~27/28 year old Frank Thomas This is 38 year old Frank Thomas This is 44 year old Frank Thomas Here is a freak of nature, huge for his whole life, saw his waistline expand while the rest of him stayed the same, and had a pretty benign career in terms of really suspicious events. Was phenomenal, then started missing time from injuries as he got to around age 30, started getting really slow and dealing with more injuries, kept chugging along while becoming more one-dimensional and flawed as a player. By the time he turned 40, he wasn't fit to be a DH in the MLB anymore. He was also a lot less...fit. But hey, at least he's not as fat as Tony Gwynn

I usually hate myself after eating Five Guys. Those Cajun fries coupled with the pure indulgence means I'm perspiring after a meal

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I don't have hard evidence, but the sparse evidence/anecdotes I have along with my gut feeling based on physique and all that make me want to withhold my "vote." I'm more amenable to voting for Bagwell than Piazza, but I'm not yet comfortable making that vote. The fact that many other writers aren't, despite his quite wonderful career, makes me think I'm not alone in that suspicion.

There are serious doubts about how much money the Cubs can spend -- they have very few future salary commitments, but adding a $20M/year guy will make things real tight over there