Reason to Suspect Quentin is Using Illegal Substances

[fathom]

Instead of articles that try to hurt guys doing good, why not have articles bashing certain players who's performance has fallen off the charts since PEDs were banned?

[whitesoxfan101]

Instead of articles that try to hurt guys doing good, why not have articles bashing certain players who's performance has fallen off the charts since PEDs were banned?

 

Because nobody has the balls to write the article about how random and suspicious losses of power by Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner are the real reason the Indians are such a mediocre team right now.

Edited May 24, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[BearSox]

re: Chipper Jones and Berkman -- nothing would surprise me, but Jones has hit more singles this season than at any point in his career and besides, his late-career evolution is not without precedent in guys like Molitor or Brett. It is a little suspicious that he's having such amazing seasons, but who knows. Berkman I don't know either, but it's possible. I don't want to play that game that oh, he's doing really good... I don't think either of them have yet shattered any records, so we'll have to see the end of the season for statistical analysis.

Jones and Berkman have great hitters their whole lifes. I'm not going to say they've been clean players, as it's tough to say if anyone has been clean, but just because these 2 great hitters are off to ridiculous starts shouldn't raise anymore or less questions than before.

[StatManDu]

Jones and Berkman have great hitters their whole lifes. I'm not going to say they've been clean players, as it's tough to say if anyone has been clean, but just because these 2 great hitters are off to ridiculous starts shouldn't raise anymore or less questions than before.

Ludwick would evoke suspicion now, I believe

[jackie hayes]

Ludwick would evoke suspicion now, I believe

Don't forget Justin Upton. Just this year, that guys hit three times as many homers as he did in his whole career! It just makes me sick.

[Marky Mark]

PED is so common in baseball that there is no reason for people to even write articles making accusations, or for people to write responses in defense of a player. PED's existence in baseball should probably just be accepted since it will never stop.

[Controlled Chaos]

I have questions about Quentin. When I heard players refer to him as "Little Canseco," even if he does look like him and he does stand like him it certainly evokes steroids. Is he? I make no allegation. I simply have suspicions.

 

Puke...I can't believe you even wrote this.

 

In fact, the whole article is puke. It's like I'm in that Seinfeld backwards episode. Baseball today, has the strictest standards regarding PDA's it has ever had. I know they're still not perfect, but if anything, the guys performing now should be applauded more than any in the past 15 years.

 

As for you passing any judgment whatsoever on someone because of a nickname....it's just beyond f***ed up.

 

 

[Texsox]

Really? Who suggest this about Monreau in 2006? Anyone? Anyone?

I guess if that is the test, I retract my statement. I was thinking beyond one player. I am also trying to think of a single player we suspected while he was playing for the Sox. Anyone? Anyone?

[eickevinmorris]

Wow. Pratt, you're ridiculous. Suspicions based on a nickname. A new low.

[hammerhead johnson]

Whoever said that Rosenbloom is worse than Mariotti has not read Rosenbloom. Whereas Mariotti yells fire! and runs, Rosenbloom will try to justify his writing. He's not always right, sometimes he's downright wrong, but he's always a good read in my opinion.

 

I've been reading his stuff and listening to him on the radio since the early 90s. I'd say that he's on point in the vast, vast majority of cases. His wit is amazingly sharp, and his brand of humor is similar to that of Boers & Bernstein.

 

The Quentin thing is stupid, I'll concede that.

[Gregory Pratt]

I wrote up this response to the criticism that I've faced in this thread and had Balta read through it to make sure that it is proper because I do not want to cross any lines. He approved it, though that doesn't mean, of course, he agrees with it.

 

 

 

As far as I am concerned, MLB players -- through their union, their commissioner and their own refusal to speak with investigators or come clean with the public -- are all worthy of suspicion except for men like Thomas who spoke with the investigation and others who have been forthright. When someone who is a big guy putting up big numbers is referred to by his teammates as "Little Canseco," it has to give me pause. The question is, "Why?" Why is a nickname reason to have some doubts? Well, the first answer is that the lack of testing for HGH, the fact that there are still designer drugs all over the place, that the processes used by the league might not be trustworthy, all make the league and its players' achievements suspect. The other answer is that MLB players have long been arrogant in their belief that they can't be caught, that they won't be caught, that reporters won't go after them, that the fans don't care, etc. etc. This has manifested itself in some disgusting ways: if some sources are to be believed, and I think they are, clubhouses often saw players injecting in their clubhouses and locker rooms as if they were exchanging baseball cards. With this open defiance, with these indiscretions in mind, when I hear that one player is referring to another as "Little Canseco," I immediately think of steroids. "Canseco" and steroids will forever be linked, and comparing anyone to Canseco has an implicit connotation.

 

That's all I'm saying, and I don't think it's an unreasonable or "ridiculous" assertion. Until players can be more forthright in regard to testing and their pasts, until the League becomes serious about steroids, I don't give the benefit of the doubt to many people and I will be skeptical about almost all, especially if they're being referred to as a Little Canseco and lead the league in homeruns. No offense to Quentin -- I like him very much. He's a good player and seems like a good guy. I'm just not sold on him being clean, but I'm not sold on many people being clean anyway. I think you guys are overreacting to my remark, and I hope that this clarification is helpful. I don't believe the game is clean or anywhere near it. That's going to be a long time. Maybe I shouldn't have even made a remark because of course fans of our team and our player are certain to take exception, but I did, and I don't mean to needlessly offend or even to offend. My suspicions are based in a wide variety of things, though like I said I think the author of that blogpost is being silly. Maybe I am too. I'm human.

 

But if I were a MLB player, and anyone referred to me as Little Canseco, I'd probably tell them to get me a new nickname.

[eickevinmorris]

That is terrible logic. There's just no other answer.

Edited May 25, 2008 by KevinM

[Gregory Pratt]

We disagree. No problem.

[whitesoxfan101]

I've been reading his stuff and listening to him on the radio since the early 90s. I'd say that he's on point in the vast, vast majority of cases. His wit is amazingly sharp, and his brand of humor is similar to that of Boers & Bernstein.

 

Hell no to the bolded. He, like Boers and Bernstein, started his radio show in the late morning originally. Nine years later for B&B, and they have a top of the line late afternoon drivetime show, while Rosenbloom's show bombed after a year (if it was that long). If he were so smart, he wouldn't have been forced to run back to the newspaper only after a miserably failed radio show.

Edited May 25, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[knightni]

Your nickname used to be 'Brokeback Pratt', should we be making assumptions?

[MHizzle85]

But if I were a MLB player, and anyone referred to me as Little Canseco, I'd probably tell them to get me a new nickname.

Not to make this into a bigger argument, but i'm sure the nickname is due to his batting stance. Who knows maybe Quentin parties like Canseco too. So if he doesn't find it a big deal to have a nickname that involves a known steroid user then why should anyone else?

[eickevinmorris]

I'm assuming Quentin doesn't tell them to give him a new nickname because he trusts people won't jump to hilarious conclusions based on a f***ing nickname.

[Gregory Pratt]

Your nickname used to be 'Brokeback Pratt', should we be making assumptions?

 

Probably not. But I've explained the nickname before, and am happy to reiterate that I like women.

 

Like I said, my suspicions about Quentin have more to do with other things than just the nickname. We'll likely never know whether or not Quentin or anyone else on the team is clean because the league and the players themselves aren't interested in cleaning up the name in theory and in practice, so I'm sorry I said anything at all.

[hammerhead johnson]

Hell no to the bolded. He, like Boers and Bernstein, started his radio show in the late morning originally. Nine years later for B&B, and they have a top of the line late afternoon drivetime show, while Rosenbloom's show bombed after a year (if it was that long). If he were so smart, he wouldn't have been forced to run back to the newspaper only after a miserably failed radio show.

 

The Rosenbloom & Baum show was great. It aired on Saturday mornings from 6 AM to 10 AM on the Score, so most people on here probably didn't catch it too often, but I looked forward to it every week (it coincided with my work hours).

[whitesoxfan101]

The Rosenbloom & Baum show was great. It aired on Saturday mornings from 6 AM to 10 AM on the Score, so most people on here probably didn't catch it too often, but I looked forward to it every week (it coincided with my work hours).

 

I was actually referring to his short lived show on ESPN Radio with Salisbury. I never heard that show because that's the one time I get to sleep, but maybe it was better and Rosenbloom was just bad with Salisbury.

[chitownsportsfan]

Let's see, a well built player with a crouched stance (very much like Conseco) and a Latin last name gets the nickname Consequito. A diminuative, and a awesome one at that.

 

Give me a break, the testing system is much harder these days and Q has never tested positive for anything. He had no history of injuries while in H.S. and College and then ran into some bad luck -- that doesn't mean he's juicing.

 

It's sad that we even have to talk about this. Christ, I'm as suspicious as anyone, but CQ is just a good player hitting his stride after battling injuries early in his career. He takes good care of his body and has always been a 5 tool player.

 

This is just dumb logic to use his NICKNAME as a basis to suspect the guy is on roids.

[RockRaines]

We disagree. No problem.

Thanks for getting your awful response approved. Basically you dont think any player is clean, does that include Uribe?

[DBAHO]

It's unfortunate that something like this will come up, but that's the nature of the business.

 

Because Carlos is doing so well, and people haven't really seen this from him before, there's going to be questions asked.

 

But, if people actually did their research and saw that he had crushed minor league pitching, and did well in the majors before he hurt his shoulder, they would know, that Carlos Quentin is a very talented baseball player who basically only needed a chance.

 

He's hitting in a perfect ballpark, and he's excelling because of it.

[StrangeSox]

Probably not. But I've explained the nickname before, and am happy to reiterate that I like women.

 

Like I said, my suspicions about Quentin have more to do with other things than just the nickname. We'll likely never know whether or not Quentin or anyone else on the team is clean because the league and the players themselves aren't interested in cleaning up the name in theory and in practice, so I'm sorry I said anything at all.

 

So then its fair to assume that everyone who does well in baseball is using some sort of PHD?

 

That your suspicions have anything to do with a nickname based on his batting stance is just ridiculous.

[WCSox]

To paraphrase an old saying, being skeptical is a good thing but being cynical is not. And while I completely understand Greg's frustration regarding the league and union's handling of the PED problem, I think that his post is more cynical than skeptical.