Bug Selig Has Options

So I have about two off season issues that Bud Selig is going to look at (in my eyes). He already said on "Pardon the Interruption" that he was going to consider instant replay for baseball. Now mainly this is because it was the day after Matt Holiday didn't touch home plate, but as we know instant replay would ruin baseball forever. I don't even have to think that one person wants instant replay because if they do, they aren't American. Really though, how would they do this? The red flag idea? No way. You have to make it something cool like the manager has to run out onto the field, pick up 2nd base and deliver it to the crew chief. Then the umpire has to open a secret door inside the tube they roll the tarp up in. Now inside this tube is a system of cameras where the instant replay will be viewed and then he comes out with his decision. Just a proposal...

The other thing Selig needs to implement is the good old fashioned mercy rule. Remember the days of little league baseball when your team was pathetic and you would get beat 10-0 in 5 innings or 15-0 in four innings? Just think of how funny that would be if it could happen in the major leagues. Umm yea sorry Buddy Belle but you just got ten runned umm the game is over... The fans get to see a half of a game because their team either sucked or dominated. Everyone is happy. There is no reason for another game where the final score is 30-3. Just end it at 10-nil. This seriously needs to be taken into consideration.

End of an Era

I never really thought about it until I saw the Rocket walk off the mound. It felt weird to see the greatest pitcher of my time leave the field for the last time. Roger Clemens has been pitching since before I was born. He has been part of baseball for 24 years, and it is going to be strange to have a season without the man. No one will pay him the ridiculous amount of money he requires to pitch another year, and his heart lies with his family now anyways.

You can say you hate him, but you can't deny his skill. His numbers speak for themselves. 354 wins, with six seasons of 20+ wins including his third year in the bigs with a 24-4 record. In two seasons, his ERA was actually under 2.oo. That happens about as often as Joe Borowski not giving up a run in a save situation (never). He has a lot of strikeouts. 4700 some. He threw a bat at a homosexual catcher. Hate him if you want, but he is the best in this era.

I don't like welcoming a new age of players into baseball. I just don't think they will ever have the same stuff, or be as good. I love veterans and I don't think it's possible for guys like Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett, and CC Sabathia to be the next Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Dave Burba. I even have a hard time with some of the hitters like Jose Reyes, David Wright, the whole Rockies lineup. It just doesn't seem like old fashioned ball the way it used to be. That's why when Bonds was getting close to Aaron, I started to care and was ready to see the record broken. When he hit it, I accidentally missed it, and I was pissed that I didn't get to see history happen.

We may never see another pitcher as dominant as Roger Clemens. Just like there will NEVER be another Michael Jordan or Muhammed Ali. There could be another Rocket, but there will always be the talk of steroids and the game will never be the same. At the bottom of this blog it says hating Roger Clemens since 1996... I can't hate him at all, I respect him too much.

Tribe-Yankees Game One: Sabathia vs. Wang (Insert Penis Joke Here)

Let's make this quick. The Indians play host to the Yankees tomorrow evening at 6:30 for Game 1 of the ALDS. Certain victory looms for the Tribe, as the Yankees haven't faced off against Sabathia since 2004, before he was a real ace. And with a name like Wang, you're asking to get slapped.

But seriously, this game will set the tone for the rest of the series. Although that may be true for every series, it is especially true for this one. The Yankees beat the Indians in the season series 6-0. If the Tribe can't win with their ace on the mound at the Jake, this team might start agreeing with everyone else; that they just can't beat the Evil Empire. I will be in Cleveland for this game, but not in the stadium. That way I can be there if the city sees fit to set up the collective noose. I imagine Derek Jeter would be the one kicking the chair.

Speaking of Jeter, I found it absurd outrageous appalling all of the above that he doesn't appear on Simmons' 25 Players to Watch in the ALDS. Seriously, I typed "Jeter" into the "Find" feature after reading the article and there were no results. Either it's some weird Boston thing where you can't say his name in October or Simmons is just a big jackass.

"Too high. It's too high."

Uh Oh, Joe Blowrowski is on the Prowl

Don't look now, but Indians' closer Joe Borowski has been having a rough couple of games. Actually, a rough season. However, in his last two appearances, Borowski has blown both save opportunities against the Seattle Mariners. Very encouraging with the playoffs on the horizon. But here's the problem-- Cleveland fans aren't surprised at the least by this. Here's why:

G	IP	H	R	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	WHIP	ERA
67	63.2	75	39	9	16	57	4	5	43	1.43	5.23

Why does Joe Borowski still have the closer job? One stat: saves. The dumbest stat in all of baseball. The stat that managers actually manage around when deciding whether or not to bring their "closer" in. Rafael Perez and Rafael Betancourt, the other two pitchers in the back end of the Indians bullpen, have ERAs of 1.66 and 1.49, respectively. Either of these two (probably Betancourt) should be the closer for this team. Just don't say I (and the rest of Indians fans) didn't warn you when Joe Blow pulls a Jose Mesa in late October.

Better Late Than Never

On Wednesday night, heaven was hopping. God, the angels, the Holy Spirit, and even J.C. were hanging out just watching some baseball. While the Angels, their favorite team, were on commercial break, the Holy Spirit flipped over on God’s DirecTV MLB package to see what the Cubs and Reds were up to. As Ken Griffey, Jr. stepped up to the plate in the 8^th inning, bedlam occurred:

God: Wait, Ken Griffey, Jr.? Didn’t I already get that task over with?

Holy Spirit: No, I was wondering what you were doing-- he’s been healthy all year. He’s got 30 homers, 93 RBIs, and he’s batting .277. But haven’t the Reds suffered enough? This would be totally unnecessary.

God: Wow. I’m really disappointed in myself. I usually take care of him by about June.

(fast forward to bottom of the eighth-- Ryan Theriot singles to right field… and Griffey injures himself…. Throwing the ball??-- a deep laughter is heard throughout the heavens)

Jesus: Dad, you’re such a dick.

Poor Ken.

The Magic Number: 7

The Indians expanded their lead over the Tigers in the Central to 5.5 games Monday night. Jhonny Peralta hit two homeruns, one of which tied the game in the bottom of the 8^th. The Tribe went on to win in the bottom of the 11^th off of Casey Blake’s walk-off home run, his second in the past four games.

This qualifies for excitement in Cleveland. With two more games with the Tigers coming up today and Wednesday, it is possible that the magic number could be down to five, or even (gasp) three with a sweep.

Back to Blake: Sammich and I were discussing this last night. Indians fans have always looked at Blake as a "glue guy." What does this exactly mean?

1 cup leadership
2 cups clubhouse persona
1 cup versatility
1/8 cup (is that possible? I'm bad with measurements) clutch hits

add water... and what do you get?

Well, in 2007 you get a .267 average, 17 homers, 72 RBIs, an OBP of .337 and a slugging % of .434.

And two walk off home runs when the Indians needed them most.

Watch out for this team in October (assuming we get there-- yes, I am paranoid enough to cover up my possible jinx). Sabathia and Carmona is a pretty scary one-two punch. And I guess watch out for Blake too.

In other Cleveland news as you may have heard, the Browns beat the Bengals 51-45. I still haven't quite figured out how this happened yet (most people are saying a combination between Charlie Frye was a cancer and the Bengals defense is horrid), but maybe I'll be able to sort more of this out after we see a road game this weekend.

Lingering Long Weekend Thoughts

• If I ever say that I think that the Mariners will win the Wild Card, I will punch myself in the face because I’d be lying. Before Monday’s win, they had dropped nine straight. Sounds like a pretty big collapse that everyone expected, but they’re tied in the loss column and down only 1 game to the Yankees for the Wild Card.

• The Indians beat Santana again today, 5-0. That makes him 0-5 for the year against the Lake Erie Warriors. For all related jokes to this news, refer to Sammich’s post from last week (Johan's 4th loss against the Tribe).
  

• Lots of college football happened. And a friend of the blog was actually at the Michigan-Appalachian State game. He and his brother have a rather new tradition where they pick a random college game every year to go to, and they stumbled upon tickets to this one about 3 weeks ago. Pretty random and lucky pick. Since it wasn’t on TV, here’s what he said happened during the final play of the game:

  Lining up for the field goal: Pure excitement, everyone standing, bedlam

  The block: collective “GASP!”

  The aftermath: complete silence (no one left their seats for ten minutes)

  What a way to go. If Youngstown State would have beaten Ohio State, I probably would have just laughed it off. That’s pretty much all Michigan fans can do. Except this one.

• I have the Clemson-Florida State game on. Florida State looks pretty bad, and James Davis just had one of the best touchdown runs I’ve ever seen. I’m sure you’ll see it on the highlights.

That is all. I should be back tomorrow with something of more substance.

Fred McGriff Screwed by Tom Emanski

In a shocking turn of events, Fred McGriff’s 16 years worth of endorsements from Tom Emanski’s Defensive Drills series have finally run out, forcing the ‘Crime Dog” to seek employment with a local Tampa Bay news station.

Today, Bay News 9 reported that:

Former Devil Ray first baseman and five-time All-Star Fred McGriff has joined Catch 47. McGriff, 43, co-hosts Catch 47's newest programming addition, The BaysBall Show. McGriff is also be a member of Catch 47's baseball broadcast team as a color commentator.

I hadn’t seen the Tom Emanski AAU infomerical in 6-8 months, so I was beginning to suspect that something was up, and this report confirms my suspicions. Tom Emanski wasn’t available for comment, as he’s not a real person. Early reports suggest Fred will have to wear that ridiculous hat that is too small for his head, and point at the camera before every segment saying, “I’m major leaguer Fred McGriff, and I endorse this message.”

I found a site where I can still purchase the video series, but have decided I’m just going to turn my bathroom trash can on its side, and gun tennis balls into it from my bathtub. I figure I’ll save myself 20 bucks, and if I can get a few friends who are willing to stand in a circle, bent over, slapping a baseball around to each other, I will have captured the two most effective training techniques the video offered.

Remember the instructional series is the “same tested under fire techniques used by Baseball World's back to back to back A.A.U. National Championship teams and the U.S.A.'s Gold Medal Winning Entry in the 1996 Junior Pan Am Games a team that defeated Cuba twice!”

Wow, I almost forgot why those teams competing in this year’s Little League World Series are so damn good.

Bay News 9

Chasing Barr: Bobby Jenks

Yesterday afternoon Bobby Jenks tied a record that you've probably never heard of. It's not quite as popular as Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played or Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak but Jim Barr's 41 consecutive batters retired is an incredible feat that had not been equaled by anyone in Major League history until Jenks did it on Sunday. It's hard to put into words how impressive this actually is. It's hard enough to retire a major league hitter but Jenks, being a closer, has to face everyone in a pressure packed situation with the game on the line every single time. A closer look at the streak shows that since blowing a save against the Indians on July 17, he has made 13 consecutive appearances without hitting anyone, walking anyone or allowing a hit. Pretty remarkable stuff. His official line for the streak is 13 2/3 innings pitched, no walks, no hits, no runs and 13 strikeouts. No one seems to be talking about this though and I'm pretty sure it's because it's the White Sox and sadly, no one really gives a shit about the White Sox. Plus Jenks looks like a huge joke. Whatever. If this were Mariano Rivera or Jonathon Papelbon I think ESPN would literally hire someone to suck their respective dicks. On a side note, I have a pretty fun fact about Jenks. He never even played a single inning for his high school because his grades were so low that he was considered academically ineligble for his entire career. Now I'm not exactly sure what the minimum GPA needed is but it seems like you have to be dumb as shit to be ineligible for that long. Regardless, I think we can all agree that Jenks is a badass. The White Sox next game is Tuesday against the A's so it looks like he'll get a chance to break the record at some point in Oakland. However, knowing how bad the Sox are he may not get a save situation for awhile. So stay tuned.

Just like the best ALL-Star Team Ever

Dear friend Mike Blair sent me over to his FLB page today to view his league office homepage. I completely agree with each of his selctions. I might have to name some reserves as this just seems to good to pass up. My favorite, of course, is Dante Bichette, who looks absolutely ridiculous.

Without further ado, I give you the:

"Best All-Star Team Ever"

You get it idiots?

Thanks, Mike.

Terror Alert: John Lackey Hates the Midwestern and Eastern United States

Anaheim Angel's pitcher John Lackey started his own blog over on Yardbunker, and though he’s no Greg Oden, he’s offered some startling insight on “crappy” weather and “crappy” baseball stadiums across the Midwest and eastern part of the United States. I think the Department of Homeland Security might want to start investigating.

On April 24th, AOL Fanhouse reported that John Lackey had started his own blog. By that time, it had already been a week since Lackey delivered this chilling blog message on Yardbunker, which at the time seemed harmless:

“I'm fired up to be back on the west coast. It's been a brutal trip. The weather was crappy back east and we've been getting our butts kicked. It's just been a crappy trip. We had to go to Milwaukee last week to play Cleveland. I've never heard of anything like that. It was snowing in Milwaukee too, a lot. I'm a Texas guy. I've never seen it come down like that.”

Unfortunately, Lackey’s message of hate didn’t end with that Spring post. We were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as winter should have been turning to spring by that point and April snow, even in Milwaukee, is atypical. However, tonight I happened to stumble across Lackey’s blog again after finishing Oden’s nausea inducing “Crib’s Video Blog", and found a post that should certainly worry any God fearin' American. Here’s what he had to say:

“I've got to say, Tampa has a great clubhouse. They have some of the best food in the league, but the stadium sucks. They have a good lunch here which is big because there really isn't much around the hotel. They have a really good post game spread too. It's kind of like a convenience store, they have a little bit of everything. Now once you leave the clubhouse inside the stadium is not so good. It would probably be worse to be playing outside though. It's 95 and 100 percent humidity. It's pretty miserable. It's like East Texas weather. I'm from West Texas where it's more of a dry heat. I guess I've been in California too long, I'm not used to the heat anymore. Honestly, this is one of the worst stadiums in the league, definitely top two or three. We leave today for Minnesota so we get two really bad ones on this trip. At least Minnesota is getting a new one though.”

He posted 20 days ago, and I just connected the dots, so I’m not blaming our intelligence agencies for missing this one.

Notice how much the level of hate has increased in the short span of 3 months. He’s isolated himself as a “Texas Guy”, and is only comfortable in California where there is no snow, cold, heat, or humidity. The Angels begin a 7 game trip out east next week which starts in Toronto and ends in Boston. I can’t even begin to imagine how much animosity he’s built up towards Toronto (Canadians in general), and their outdated Roger’s Centre field. He can’t be a fan of the Green Monster or those humid Boston nights either. I’m worried, and hope this threat isn’t taken too lightly. Can anyone say severe? He needs to explain himself immediately; due process can wait for a less critical time. Kiefer Sutherland, where are you?

Umps Really Do Suck

At the start of this week the Major League Umpires’ Union refused the league’s request to perform background checks. Clearly, the commissioners office made this request due to the NBA’s recent scandal involving Tim Donaghy’s connection to organized crime. Though the league’s intentions may not be good, and they haven’t been in many decisions lately, the overall idea of background tests is necessary for the integrity of baseball.

People don’t seem to believe that there is a great threat of ‘fixing’ games in baseball, and that’s probably true. There is no need for crooked umpires to determine a game’s outcome in order to win someone a bet. The easiest way for an umpire to win someone a bet is by changing their strike zone. If they tighten their strike zone, that means players have easier balls to hit, they will draw more walks, and, therefore, score more runs... that means the game will go over the bookie's total. In contrast, umps can increase their strike zone, thus leading to more strikeouts, less walks, and fewer runs.

Bettors have caught on to the importance of umpires on an over/under bet; they are arguably the most important part of the bet. Basically, the average percentage of called strikes is anywhere between 61.5% and 63.5%, anything outside of that zone would be bet accordingly; games with umpires over 63.5% would be bet under and visa versa. This year, for example, Lance Barksdale has one of the biggest strike zones this season at 64.68%, that lead to an average of 8.71 runs/game. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is someone like Greg Gibson who only calls strikes 60.7% of the time. This doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but his games average 10.65 runs/game... almost a two run difference.

The problem is that Major League Baseball recognizes the imprecise nature of calling balls and strikes, they also realize each umpire’s specific trends. They hide the identity of their home plate umpires before a series begins. Bettors scramble to find out this information, the umps are released about two hours before game time. Therefore, an umpire does not even have to adjust his personal strike zone to help someone win bets. All an umpire would have to do is let the highest bidder know who is behind home plate before everyone else knows. That’s it. Baseball can’t check things like that through statistics, they’d have to do background checks to find out what type of connections these umpires have. The bettor most likely wouldn’t draw suspicion from their bookie because they wouldn’t be winning 100% of the time, rather, 65-70%. Depending on how much is being bet, the difference between winning 55% of the time and 65% can be hundreds of thousands of dollars with the umpires getting a nice piece for themselves.

Umpires have very little at stake by giving this information to people, and wouldn't be affected by their conscious because the information does not directly affect the games. However, any connections these umpires might make could turn ugly, a bookie with ties to organized crime could easily pressure a umpire for better results, hence the necessity for MLB intervention.

Umpire Stats

I've Been Wondering what Josh Barfield’s Greatest Talent Was

Note: I would have posted this earlier, but I couldn’t find the booklet until I found it under my car seat a couple of days ago.


I was at an Indians-Royals game back in early June and was handed the week’s edition of “Batter Up!” that the workers hand out when you’re walking in. It contains rosters, concession stand details, the season schedule, and most importantly, a feature player and a story about him. Well, this particular week’s was Josh Barfield, second baseman ordinaire. I flipped through to the middle page, where the feature story was waiting. Usually, it’s something about the player and his kids or his contributions to a charity organization. Barfield? Not so much.

The article, titled “A True Gamer On & Off the Field” written by David Briggs of MLB.com, goes on about Barfield’s “achievements” and time spent playing video games. Take special note of the complete seriousness of the author. I will do my best to summarize the article with some quotes from it:

His days often start with video games. He then heads off to work, where his portable PSP system allows him to sneak in a few more games. And finally, before he crashes, the night winds down with yet some more gaming back at his apartment with his roommate (Ryan Garko).

It’s a scholarly video-gaming lifestyle Barfield shares with many young players in the big leagues. How many other guys walked the red carpet at last year’s Video Game Awards in Las Vegas, participated in a gaming competition during Super Bowl week in Miami and are a member of the Professional Baseball Gaming League? Yes, a professional video game league. Formed by Yankees center fielder and self-proclaimed commissioner Johnny Damon.

To Barfield’s credit, he never slacked off on his rigorous gaming routine once he made it big. In fact, his passion has only heightened over time.

“I’ve never seen anyone with so much enthusiasm for video games,” Garko said. He plays in the afternoon, at night, at the park, on the plane, pretty much anywhere but second base.

If you’re an Indians fan, you’re asking yourself where that enthusiasm and “rigorous routine” is when the guy is at the plate. As of August 7, his batting average stands at .245 (OBP .273, SLG .320). He has 2 HRs and 48 RBIs through 106 games. What a joke. I almost guarantee his stats in MLB 2K7, or whichever baseball game the kids are playin’ these days, are about double that considering his gaming abilities compared his actual baseball talents.

Barfield also loves the competition…

Right now, that competition comes from his daily NBA 2K7 showdowns with Garko, a guy who just might be Barfield’s match. The roommates guess they’ve split about 100 games in the virtual basketball arena, though Barfield is coming on strong. Winning three straight, Barfield has sent his buddy into panic mode, which means Garko’s hometown Lakers will be making a cameo.

“They’re my emergency team when things aren’t going well,” Garko said. “That’s when I take it personally.”

But Barfield will be waiting. And acknowledging he’s now reached the “big time” in the video gaming world, Barfield knows he cannot be dethroned by a mere amateur.

If I’m Mark Shapiro (Cleveland's GM), I get a trade lined up involving Barfield and Garko, ASAP. This is going to turn into a carpel tunnel syndrome nightmare.

BARRY BONDS: An American Legend!!

(I put this picture up because he looks like a big prick in it! BARRY, BARRY,BARRY!)

So, Barry’s finally done it. The chase, which had seemingly turned into a marathon, ended when Bonds blasted #755 into the left field stands at Petco Park in San Diego. Fittingly, Chad Hensley gave up the historic home run. He tested positive for a banned substance in 2005 and was suspended by MLB for 15 games.

Bonds admired his work, as he’s done so many times, before he started making his way around the bases. The crowd’s reaction was more positive than expected, and it’s a safe to assume that 60-65% of those in attendance were applauding. I waited on this column for a long time because I had grown tired of the nonstop attention Bonds has received over the last 3 or 4 years, but now I think its fitting to fully articulate my position on Bonds and offer some coping techniques to those who absolutely can’t stand the man. Before I do all of that, I will first go on a bit of a rant about Bud Selig.

Selig created this entire mess 8-10 years ago when it was blatantly obvious that a large percentage of Major League ballplayers were using steroids. He was perfectly content using the long ball to bring baseball back. In fact, he looked like a kid in a candy shop as Sosa and McGwire went on their juice-filled pursuits of the record. Once the backlash finally came, and the fans wanted the “cheaters” called out, Selig finally stepped up and admitted there was a problem. He was the only commissioner across the 4 major sports in America who openly allowed the federal government to investigate his league. Hmmm, I wonder why? Selig only started tackling this problem when it became a black eye for MLB. Don't pretend like he gave a shit about the fans. He turned this damn thing into a circus to protect the league! Ultimately, his plan failed, but his motives are obvious. The same people who argue against ESPN for abandoning "the people who got them there" should have just as big a problem with what Selig's done to MLB. He let steriods run rampant to increase the league's entertainment value and draw fans back. Right when fans caught on, he started this huge crackdown to win back their trust and support. I don't hear to many people saying fuck MLB and predicting its demise. Doesn't make sense to me.

Anyone close to baseball had to know the severity of the steroid problem well before this crackdown begun. Even casual observer’s unquestionably knew something “smelled funny” when they watched offensive production skyrocket across the league. When Bret Boone hits 37 home runs and has 141 RBI’s, something is definitely up. Why wasn’t he doing something then? Bret Boone hitting close to 40 bombs is about twice as insane as Bonds’ 73. (I’ll prove it to you if you don’t believe me.) Oh, and look at the statistics in 98'/99' and tell me their not ridiculous.

Selig’s motives have been selfish from day one, and it’s amusing how many people think he’s done nothing wrong. He should be the man facing this intense scrutiny. Instead, he’s been patronized and given the benefit of the doubt. Leaders, in other professional business settings, face punishment when they close their eyes to unethical and illegal behavior being carried out by their employees. Moreover, it’s usually discovered that they were aware of what was going on and did absolutely nothing to stop it! Lastly, employers should face the most severe punishment in the rare instances when they actually aren't aware of what's going on. They are responsible for making sure illegal things aren't happening within the organization!

Selig basically ok’d the use of steroids in MLB in order to bolster the league's public image, and now is criticizing those who used the steroids to bolster that same image again. If the media driven steroid backlash he created didn’t exist, Selig would be inviting Jason Giambi out to dinner, not forcing him to testify as part of some joke investgation. If I’ve been confusing and you’ve missed my point, go get a dictionary and look up the word hypocrite. You’ll understand what I mean.

So, when he sits out in California looking completely disinterested and says, ““I don’t think anybody can say I haven’t made a Herculean effort” when asked about his involvement in Bonds' pursuit, I hope you can understand why I want to get on the first flight to California and punch him straight in the face.

He stood up about 5 seconds after Bonds struck the historic ball . The ball was already in the stands, and the others in attendance had long since been on their feet. Some cheered and some booed, but one thing was certain, everyone at least had some short of reaction. I guess I understand why Selig stood there expressionless. He was thinking one of two things to himself.
“I created this whole mess, and now have to act like I’m upset even though I would be cheering if everyone was oblivious to the steriods that invaded my league as I sat back and allowed it to happen.” Or, “I am pissed that he tied the record because now I’m going to have to act like I give a shit about steroids for reasons outside my bank account, my public image, and place in baseball history “ Wow, I’m getting nauseated just talking about this. He should have stood up like a man and given Barry his proper respects. After all, he's the one who basically said steriods were alright by not saying anything! His reaction would have been merited only if he had truly tried to stop the problem when it started.

One reaps what he sows. Selig’s like the idiot farmer who plants corn seed, only to act pissed, disappointed, and shocked when its harvest time. “Damn it, I planted corn seeds and got corn!" Well, no shit buddy. Corn is going to grow if you plant corn seeds. The steriod problem is going to grow if you plant the seeds of their acceptence early on! Why is this man being let off the hook with the obviously idiotic defense of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."?

Back to Bonds

Unlike the announces calling the game, I knew the ball was gone once it hit the bat. I’ve marveled in too many Barry home runs to have any doubt. His pose, only rivaled by Griffey, sealed the deal, and I excitedly jumped out of my seat.

I was on cloud nine. I’ve been on “Barry Watch” for a long, long time. The whole damn thing was finally over. I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to get there with all of his injuries, his age, and his growing disgust for the personal attacks. Immediately, I sent out the same text to around 20 people, both to inform them of the historic accomplishment and create a little controversy. Below is a sampling.

Bathrick responded saying “Liking Bonds is so unAmerican. You are a homosexual”

Keg said, “Ya I’m watching juicefest.”

McCready said just one word, “awful”

Smarty (Brian Joines) Said: “I better go turn it on.” I assume he was being sarcastic.

So, the moment had arrived, and was over just as quickly. The game wasn’t stopped; no long tribute, and no Hank Aaron. He was probably somewhere far away lamenting the day Barry Lamar Bonds was born. I expected this type of reaction. The whole thing was unremarkable and that might even be an understatement. It was as if something extraordinary didn’t just happen. The most revered and sought after record in sports had been tied, and everyone sat around flummoxed (my new favorite word) This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, but it made sense nonetheless.

I couldn’t contain myself though. If you hate Barry, don’t read the next few paragraphs unless you have a barf bag freely at your disposal.

I’ve loved Barry Bonds since I can remember. I used to choke up on my bat in Little League, and had to fix the “hitch” in my swing because I mimicked his. (I guess I just never had the same bat speed.) When All-Stars came around, and we choose numbers, I always took #25. I remember watching those painful series against Atlanta in the early 90’s, and can still name off half of that Pittsburg Pirate’s roster because of him. I remember his massive first year in San Francisco, his 40/40 milestone, and how sweet he was in RBI 93 and Tony LaRussa Baseball for Sega. I loved that cross ear ring he wore. I loved the walk after he hit bombs, and I loved that really weird “snag” catch he did in the outfield for one or two years until someone told him that he looked like a cocky asshole when he did it. (I tried that in Little League too, and was unsuccessful.) Don’t ask me why, I just thought he was freakin’ sweet. I’ve met only one other true Bonds fan my entire life (Conroy aka Big Slick), so it didn’t surprise me that I was the only person in Indiana wearing an orange and black SF hat from 1994-1997.

As he approached the single season HR record, I was a senior in high school. I followed his games, and remember his record tying #70. He was in Houston, and he launched a ball deep into the stands, right in the left center gap. I remember winning a bet against Murphy because of it. I sensed Bonds was going deep, and made a 5 beer shotgun bet against him. Bonds delivered, and so did Murphy as beers were immediately being shot gunned in my kitchen sink. I remember the 2002 World Series when Barry finally lived up to his potential in the situation that mattered most. The homerun he hit against Anaheim in Game 4 or 5, was the most impressive sports moment I’ve witnessed. I have never and will never see a baseball hit that hard again. I remember reading Tim Salmon’s lips in the dugout as he said, “Oh my god. I’ve never seen a ball hit that far.” The ball didn’t land anywhere. I think its still orbiting the earth. When the Giants BLEW that series and lost, I was shocked. They were a few outs from a World Series. Barry almost had his fucking ring.

Bonds put together monster years in 2003 and 2004, but then age, injuries, and maybe a lack of steroids, caused him to slow down. The chase became a grind, and the negativity, resentment, and animosity surfaced on an even grander scale. I never worried that Bonds was going to retire before the record. He has too much pride, and is too big a prick. He wanted this record. He thinks he’s a victim. He wants to be the “martyr” who takes all of the heat for the league wide epidemic. He’s ego is so big that he thinks it only makes sense “they target me because I’m the best.” I know that’s what he is thinking.

I’ve never argued that Barry Bonds was the nicest guy. I’ve never argued that he doesn’t deserve all of the negativity. I only argue that he’s a damn good baseball player. He was the best I’d ever seen; even before he supposedly started using steroids. The only other player in his league during the 90’s was Griffey. Their numbers during that stretch are eerily similar. I just want people to understand that Bond’s never tested positive to using steroids. Moreover, he has support from a majority of Major League players both past and present. He was going to be attacked by the media regardless of whether or not he ever touched a steroid. He’s a villain, always has been and always will be. Don’t pretend that Griffey would be facing the same backlash if he was the man pursuing the record and some unproven allegations had surfaced about him. I don’t say that to attempt to prove Barry’s innocence, I just want people to admit that Bond’s would be getting attacked even if he never touched a steroid. In the end, no asterisk will be placed next to his name, and history will once again prove it has a way of forgetting how a person achieved something; it tends to focus only on results.

So, my advice to those who hate Bonds is this: Get over it and move on. A-Rod will be right on Bonds heels in around 7 years, and then we’ll have another hated guy facing unproven accusations. I think I’ve started to hear some A-Rod steroid rumors already this week. The record is Bonds’ and nothing can be done to change it. I don’t waste my time on arguments that really aren’t relevant moving forward and suggest everyone does the same. I hope people divert their attention to Selig soon. He’s the real asshole in the situation even though its far more subtle.

Barry, congratulations my man. I am happy this whole deal is almost over. Soon, I’ll only have to defend you with the simple line “what’s done is done.”

As a kid, I always loved the flashiest and most entertaining athletes, even though I am pretty close to emotionless when I compete. (Well other then the massive temper that causes me to yell at my own teammates, or criticize an idiot on the other team.) Agassi, Barry Sanders, Michael Jordan, and Barry Bonds were the athletes I started following at a young age, and they all still have a soft spot in my heart. You should have seen me during Agassi’s last US Open. I grinded out every match like I was fucking coaching him, and legitimately believed he had a shot at winning the title, even though he was moving around like a 70 yr old man. I just can’t stop rooting for the people I loved growing up. So, if I would have picked up baseball at a later age, maybe I hate Barry Bonds right now. But hey, you gotta appreciate my loyalty to the guy’s I’ve been following for over 15 years now. I can guarantee everyone that will never change!

Quick side note: My first sports recollections really start in 91’ with the Bulls win over the Lakers in the NBA finals, and then the Pirates loss to the Braves in the NL league championship. (Bonds lost three straight NL Championships. One to the Reds (4-2) and two straight to the Braves (4-3).)

It's Delivery, not DiGiorno

In the recent past, rumors have swirled about regarding the heist that Log's Blog and friends were attempting to pull on both pizza places and Cleveland athletes (primarily Damon Jones). Tuesday night, all of our dreams came true. However, I regret to inform you that there is no photographical evidence due to the bad quality of the pictures/videos we tried to take. It was simply too dark to get anything even close to good. But allow me to paint you a little picture.

At about 10:00pm, five men with a plan started their trek from Jacobs’ Field to the neighborhood of Damon Jones. Sadly, he was not home to take part in the festivities that were about to take place at his house. It was ignorant of us to think that a guy like Damon Jones would be home on any night of the week. Anyway, a simple order of 2 large pizzas, Howie Bread, and a two-liter were on their way from Hungry Howie’s-- but Damon wasn’t there to feast. The delivery man still put on a great show as we followed him back to Howie’s home base, as he appeared quite pissed off while explaining the ordeal to his co-workers (and rightfully so).

After the amusing, yet disappointing, run at Damon’s house, Paul Byrd’s was next on the agenda. Upon staking out the scene to get a good grip on the situation, Byrd was easily viewable in his living room, hanging out with no shirt on, which was easily the highlight of the night at this point (we’ve gotta look into getting Rich Garces’ address). Then, Coop called in the pizza from Papa Johns at about 11:30pm (two large pizzas, one with green peppers and pepperoni, one with sausage and mushrooms, cheese sticks, and a two-liter of Coke-- in case you were wondering). At first, the plan was to be on foot, “just taking a stroll through the neighborhood.” After realizing how bad of an idea it was, we just parked the car on the opposite side of the street of Byrd’s house, where the front door was right in our sites. Then we waited-- after all, Papa Johns gave us a 40 minutes to an hour time-frame. After about 45 minutes, the delivery car pulls into the driveway. A pizza girl (yes, girl) strolled up with the pizza not knowing what was about to hit her. She knocked. Nothing. She knocked again. Nothing. Then she went back to the car, looking to make a phone call to the number that we gave Papa Johns (which just happened to be a friend back home who was waiting for the call). She called and I’m sure the conversation went something like this--

Pizza girl-- I’m outside of your house with your order sir
Our intoxicated friend-- Yeah I’ll be right down thanks!

She goes back up. Knocks again. Still nothing. Knocks one more time-- and there he is! Paul Byrd himself flicks on the porch lights and tells the girl to go away! And the kicker-- he’s pitching Wednesday night! I swear to God I didn't even know until after the fact.

Sorry, Paulie. We love you, but it had to be done.

(Note: A special thanks to everyone involved. You know who you are)

The Teixeira Trade Revisited

I wanted to clarify my comments from yesterday about recent Braves acquisition Mark Teixeira. What I said was that while it was still a great trade for Atlanta, Teixeira was somewhat overrated. Actually, a better word choice probably would have been overvalued. There are two main reasons why Braves fans’ enthusiasm should be slightly restrained.

The first issue is the ballpark that Teixeira has played in his entire career. Baseball Reference lists the Ballpark at Arlington as having a Park Factor of 104 for hitters (anything over 100 favors the hitter, under favors the pitcher). Turner Field, on the other hand, has a Park Factor of 97. The effect of the park can be seen in Teixeira’s career line. His career OPS is 107 points higher at home, and most of that difference comes from his home/away slugging split.

The other thing to consider is Teixeira’s future, since he will be a free agent after next year. The switch hitter is a Boras client, and Boras almost always has his clients hit free agency to get full value. Now I realize that the Braves will most likely be off the hook for Andruw Jones’ contract and their ownership is increasing payroll. However, the important thing to remember is that the Yankees will also be looking to fill a spot a first base with Jason Giambi’s massive contract coming off the books. The Orioles and the Red Sox could also potentially be interested. Boras almost always gets people to overpay for his clients (Barry Zito, J.D. Drew, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, to name a few). My point is not that the Braves can’t or won’t sign him; it’s just that if they do they will pay a very steep price.

Like I said before, this is still a good trade for the Braves. I think Teixeira is still a very good player and he greatly improves their lineup and it doesn’t cost them anything that will hurt them in the long term.

Trade Deadline Loooooming

After lots of talk and speculation we've finally had a deal worth talking about. Teixeria (and reliever Ron Mahay) were traded to the Braves for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. While I think Teixeria is a little overvalued, this is still a good deal for the Braves. They needed to make a move and gain some ground on the Phils while Utley is out. They gave up a very good player in Saltalamacchia, but he was basically redundant because of Brian McCann.

From everything I've been reading it looks like Jermaine Dye could very well be a Red Sox before long. This scares me. Yes, Dye would be a good fourth outfielder and an upgrade over Wily Mo Pena. But I've heard that they might have to give up Manny Delcarmen to get him which makes no sense. Why downgrade your bullpen to upgrade your bench? Not to mention the fact that Dye has voiced his concerns about playing time and could be a problem in the clubhouse if he is reduced to back up for J.D. Drew.

There's been a lot of talk about a lot of players potentially being moved, but in my opinion there are only a few who could make a difference. Obviously when and if Gagne and Dotel get moved that is going to help someone. But I really believe that Jose Contreras could be beneficial to an NL team looking for some rotational help. We'll see what happens.

P.S. If you're asking yourself what Kruk has to do with this article, he has nothing to do with it. I just thought this was a funny picture.

Baseball, Gambling, and Lots of Nerd Talk

Log and I are attempting to do a comparison between Clay Davenport's Baseball Prospectus projections and the lines Las Vegas has created in regards to MLB teams winning their respective divisions. The projections BP produces give us the different probabilities each individual team has of winning their division or wildcard, and then sums those two totals to calculate an individual teams total probability of making the playoffs (presented as a percentage number.) I will focus only on the odds/projections of each team winning their respective division as those are the only bets Vegas allows for.

Baseball Prospectus gives us the ability to make predictions based on current cumulative statistics and future projections that are as accurate as any other baseball projections analysis tool used by statisticians(we know about). Using that information might enable us to find some holes in the lines of Vegas, which are actually lines the public creates. Once we know that the public may have missed the boat on a line, we can avoid it or bet against it, and consequently, increase our bets expected value as we aren’t basing our decisions on public perception but rather statistical projections rooted in fact

Please look at the spreadsheet and understand that the Vegas % you see for each team is essentially the public’s perception about each team winning their respective division. Then, look at the public’s perception and compare it to Baseball Prospectus’ projections. You can see that they differ a lot in some instances, and sometimes not at all. The spreadsheet indicates that the publics perception of a team and the most accurate projections of a team actually winning their division are sometimes completely different.

Throughout the rest of this article we will attempt to:
1) Explain how Baseball Prospectus arrives at their projections and prove their accuracy

2) Explain how an individual can accurately measure the public perception of an event by explaining how Vegas Lines are created and what they mean

3) Compare the results of the publics perception (Vegas betting odds) against the Baseball Prospectus projections that should be more accurate

4) Show you how you can use these comparisions to find holes in the betting odds Vegas produces

Let the fun begin!

1. First we need to convince you that these odds from Baseball Prospectus are legit and explain where they are derived from. Davenport starts with what’s called a team’s third-order winning percentage. W3, as its called, is derived from a team’s Equivalent Average or EQA which incorporates all offensive production into a single number that looks like a batting average. It is adjusted for park factors as well league factors. Adding each player’s EQA yields a new runs-scored total for each team and from this you can compute runs allowed using the total pitching line. After that strength of schedule is factored in and the results are used to calculate a Pythagorean record. It was originally developed by Bill James and has since been perfected. It has proven to generally be accurate to within three games.

If you’re still with us hold on because this will get a little more confusing before it becomes clear. Davenport now uses a Monte Carlo simulation, which, very simply put, takes a set of data and random simulates possible outcomes to find the most likely scenario. In order to take into account the random variance in the EWP the simulation uses a regression. Normally the regression would be to the mean (.500) but in this case Davenport uses the PECOTA projections from the beginning of the year. Davenport simulates the season a million times and the percentage of times each team wins the division is what we will use for our “odds”.

Baseball Prospectus is the most trusted name in baseball stastics. Part of Davenpor'ts projections use the aforementioned PECOTA projections that were 73.6% accurate for the 2006 baseball season. We think we can fairly assume that the predictive nature of Baseball Prospectus numbers won't deviate more than 10% from the actual outcome (i.e. which teams win their division.) No system is perfect, and Baseball Prospectus attempts to get us closer to perfect information. Basically, just assume we are right in suggesting that these projections are about as good as we can expect to do!

(If you want to see a more detailed explanation check out this, this, and this, as well as the actual projections, updated daily.)

2. Now we need to get rid of a common misconception many people have when looking at gambling lines. In order for us to compare the two systems, we must first understand the underlying "meaning" of any line Las Vegas creates.

Most see a horse or baseball team at 4:1, and assume those odds are the probability of a horse or team winning their respective events. In actuality, The 4:1 number is not a probability at all, but rather a "money ratio" of how much you have to pay to win. (PAYING ODDS!!!) To reiterate my point: the odds we see from Las Vegas are not "the chance an event will occur", but rather the amount a bookie pays if he loses or, collects if he wins. Please reread that section if you don't understand, because if its not grasped the rest of this article will look like it's written in Chinese. (It might even if you've understood me up to this point!)

So, when public perception of a team is high, a bookie starts getting a lot of bets for that particular team. In an attempt to protect his ass and minimize his loses (in the case that the public favorite does actually win) he has to start adjusting his “paying odds” ratio so that more action is giving to the other team (the public dog.) Remember we are talking about money and not probabilities. Hypothetically, if a bookie was sure about the probability of a random event, a natural line would be created, and he'd only take action if the public produced a "paying odds" line that gave him positive expected value. If they wouldn't, he would simply avoid the action and wait until the public bit, and produced a favorable line. In the long run, he would win every single time!

For example, if people were paying a bookie $50 dollars to win $1 on coin flips, he would never move his line because the "public perception" was that heads was the "hot" side of the coin and "it could never be beaten". The true odds would be 1:1 and people would be paying 1:50!! He would be as rich as Bill Gates. That's why a flip of the coin bet will always be even money, unless you are a degenerate like me and would give someone 13/10 odds on one side just so you could get action. (Yeah I've done that a couple times). If the public thinks the tails side of the coin, for whatever reason, didn’t have the same expectation of “winning” as the heads side, and wouldn't bet it, he would have to wait until those perceptions shifted back and created at least an even money bet. He would only be willing to take action if one side of the coin was perceived as being a better bet then the other side of the same coin. In that instance, he would win every single time over the long run!

3. Saying all that, I think that the "paying odds" ratio for random Team A, (expressed as X to Y, X:Y or X/Y )do in fact correlate to the actual probability of random Team A winning or losing an event.

Inherently, a "futures" bet involving playoff projections is different than the flip of a coin. Based on information (PECOTA), one can start to predict probabilities that move the "paying odds" ratio away from 1:1(even money.) Remember, the "paying odds" should tend to correlate with the true probability odds of an event because as a large number of people start betting, the "paying odds" ratio (X :Y) actually becomes the public ‘s perception of the likelihood of a team either winning or losing. We, as a betting public, have the ability to somewhat predict the likelihood of an event by creating the very lines we bet on.

Say this with me: We create the lines we bet on! Those lines we create indicate our future probability projections. We wouldn't be willing to put up a $100 to win $1 if we didn't think we knew something was almost guaranteed to happen!

Would anyone bet that the Red Sox are making the playoffs if they had to pay $3000 to win $1, with their current standing atop the AL East? Definitively, the answer is no. However, people are willing to pay $50 to win $1 dollar because that's where the line is it. The public created that line and it suggests that the Red Sox have a very, very, good chance of making the playoffs. Basically, that large a pool of bettors can't be wrong, so Vegas is only willing to pay out $51 on your 50$ risk! IF the public perception of the Red Sox started declining, the line would move down and we would have to pay less up front to win that mighty dollar. Are we smart enough as a group to predict probabilities? Well, Vegas sure thinks so. I'll attempt to explain why.

I first took the "paying odds" ratios and created a makeshift percentage which looked something like this:

Percent of future win paid= Y/ (X+Y) where the "paying odds" ratio is set up as X:Y or X to Y. (i.e. The Orioles "paying odds" ratio is 250:1 or 250 to 1)

This formula, which attempts to show the public's perceived probability of success, calculates the amount of money one has to pay in a "paying odds" ratio and compares it to the total amount of money earned from a future win based on that same ratio. So, in the Red Sox example, the "paying odds" ratio was 1:50, which means someone has to wager $50 to win $51.

The formula looks like this: 50/ (50+1)= 50/51=98%.

We have to pay 98% of any future win initially if we even want to take any action. So, anyone who takes this bet must believe that the perceived probability of success (the Red Sox making the playoffs in this example) is close to 98%, because that person is willing to put up 98% of any future win just to take the action. Along those lines,, this example suggests that Vegas thinks there is an extremely high probability that the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs (or the line would move to a lower number to get proper action). The Royals aren't viewed quite so highly as the "paying odds" ratio is 250:1, which means we have to pay $1 to win $250.

The formula looks like this 1/ (250+1)= 1/251= .04%.

We only have to pay .04 of any future win initially if we want to take the action.

After I calculated this P% of future win paid (perceived probability of success) and then compared it to the projections Baseball Prospectus created. A quick observation suggests that the "paying odds" ratios, when broken down into a P% of future win paid, are extremely similar to those probability odds of BP. The long shots shouldn't even be considered. Vegas, as well as the public, know that these teams have no chance of winning a division. The chance of a team like KC winning their division becomes almost as predictable as a flip of the coin and Vegas doesn't have to move their line from an optimum point. Believe it or not, even these teams are over valued!

Think about it, if you agree that the public sets the line, and that the line is a pure "money odds" ratio, we would have to see if that ratio is similar to the % projection probabilities BP creates. The only way to do that is by creating a Percent of future win paid #, which would suggest our perceived probability of success for any given team and comp, and then comparing it to the probabilities generated by BP.

4. Taking the average difference between our perceived probability and that of the lines of Vegas, one can see that our probabilities and those BP are very similar. Over the entire league my "Probability of Success" % is only 6% different than that of Vegas. (see chart)

The 6% difference is due almost entirely to "public plays" that are statistically (based on our PECOTA projections) awful.

Ten Teams were +4% or more away from the mean.

NYY- 10%

LAA-10%

SEA- 12%

ATL-13%

SDP- 13%

MIL- 14%

CLE- 15%

ARZ- 15%

PHI- 18%

The Yankees are projected to make the playoffs 6.50% of the time based on our BP projections, while the public suggests they will get there 16.66% of the time.

The Phillies deviate furthest from the mean, as BP's statistical projection has them making the playoffs 7.45% of the time, but the public sees them getting in 25% of the time; creating the 18% difference. (See chart) This makes the Phillies the most "public Play", and statistically the worse bet one could make this year when considering MLB division futures. I find this very interesting, and if not for "public plays", that are based on nothing more than a feeling, Vegas would only be collecting the juice. They are content with taking action this far away from the mean because they are going to win more than they lose.

I found one interesting case where the public's perception (the Vegas Line) was less than that of BP's playoff projections. The Mets, under BP, are supposed to make the playoffs almost 80% of the time, but the public is only willing to put up 75% of any future win (perceived probability) to take action. This suggests that they are a public dog, and would be the best bet. I guess this turns into the contrarian theory of betting, but statistical projections suggest they are undervalued by 5%in the eyes of the public, whereas the ten teams listed above are extremely overvalued. The Sox are right at the average, but are also overvalued as a team.

Remember, the BP projections are historically around 70-75% accurate, so a better system could certainly be created that would produce better probability projections. However, it is a start. I've learned that this tool could be more valuable in preventing people from making stupid, public bets then in finding teams Vegas has really missed the boat on. However, saving bets is important in any form of gambling. Money saved is money earned.

We hope you were able to follow this article at least somewhat. Our findings were anything from earth shattering, but you know who to stay away from with any 'futures' betting you might do this year. GO METS!!!

Indians Fans-- Get Your Kenny Lofton Jersey Shirts Out of the Closet

He's back! The Indians traded single A catcher Max Ramirez (acquired last year for Bob Wickman from the Braves) to the Rangers for Kenny Lofton today, marking Lofton's third stint with the club. We all remember the Lofton for Grissom trade before the '97 season-- it was painful. Anyway, I refuse to believe that this is all the Indians are going to announce today. The press conference has to be at 4 o'clock for a reason-- there's gotta be another trade in the works. Think about it-- the Indians outfield now includes Grady Sizemore, Kenny Lofton, Trot Nixon, Jason Michaels, Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, Sin Choo-Choo in the minors (no, I didn't make that name up), and Dave Dellucci on the DL. That is downright absurd. I'm going to speculate that Francisco and/or Michaels are on their way out for a relief pitcher of some kind. At least I'm hoping.

As far as the actual trade goes, I think it is good for Indians' fans excitement. The Jake has not been getting filled up lately and any bandwagon fan that used to love Kenny Lofton will be going out to support him and the rest of the guys that are foreign to them. As far as upgrading in actual baseball terms, it can move Sizemore down in the lineup so he can now bat third as many Indians fans have been calling for. We've got karma on our side as well, considering that Lofton has been to the playoffs five times with the Indians with one World Series appearance. I won't continue to subject you folks to my trying to talk myself into the idea of bringing back a corpse of a former Cleveland hero.

More on this after all of the dust settles.

Crisis Management for the Big Three

The NBA, NFL, and MLB have all had some problems lately. Since I am a bit appalled by all of this (but not surprised), and am fortunate enough to be a contributor on a blog that at least a few people read, I think it’s time to ramble. So let’s take a look at the Big Three sports and their problems.

National Basketball Association

The hottest topic as of today-- Tim Donaghy, referee, is accused of fixing and/or shaving points from games. Is anyone actually surprised? To a degree, yes, but as Buzzsaw mentioned in a comment, the NBA is pretty shady. It is a damn shame that this news came out, because it used to be fun to laugh at the thought of NBA games being fixed. But I’m sure that most of us didn’t actually think they would do it AND make it so blatantly obvious in the process (see the Heat’s NBA Finals win-- I know Donaghy wasn’t a ref in that series, but wow). The worst part about it is that everything involved in the NBA is going to become a big joke. Remember that youtube clip of the Ewing draft lottery? Most controversialists will probably start to really believe that it was fixed for the Knicks. Your team loses a tight game on a shady call? Blame that it’s fixed. I just hope that the same type of news doesn’t come out about poker websites. It would be the same exact kind of response; I jokingly say it’s fixed but I don’t actually believe it, but if it came out that it was fixed, I couldn’t possibly be surprised. So there you have it-- the NBA is the Pokerstars of sports. Good luck, Dave Stern.

(Hopefully you guys can see the most likely photoshopped "five Aces" picture. Remember, "When there's an A, there's a way")

National Football League

Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson, and, oh, Michael Vick have a lot to do with this one. I like the stance that Roger Goodell is taking by not putting up with any shit. The timing is strange more than anything because all of this ridiculous news has been coming out about Vick and his dawgs (his entourage or his pets; you decide). As sad as it is, I feel like the NFL is the sport that is being least affected by its bad PR lately. And that isn’t because it’s not that bad (because it is), but because the other two have to do with cheating and actually affecting the outcomes of games. Anyway, I like what Goodell is doing and the only thing he can really do is stay strict. If there are bad seeds in the league, they will reveal themselves over time.

Major League Baseball

It’s funny that steroids are being focused mostly in baseball and that the players associated with it are completely turned on by the public. But then it shows up in the NFL, Shawne Merriman gets suspended for a few games, then comes back and gets to the Pro Bowl and everything is just fine. What the hell? I’m definitely not a Barry Bonds guy (I think he is a douche bag), but it is a little bit unfair. The only difference I can see is the degree of the results. Bonds is about to break the career HR record and Merriman is just an ass hole that got to play in the shitty Pro Bowl in Hawaii (no one actually watches it anyway). Baseball is turning into a joke to some people, but I’m starting to try to consider steroids as just part of the game. Kind of like a bad referee in a college basketball game or something. I’m sure that these guys will always find ways to pass the drug tests. If you want to shorten your life and ruin your body to make a few extra bucks, be my guest.

To sum things up, I will reiterate my point that the NFL is the sport least affected by this terrible PR. To put that in perspective, we’re putting criminals in the NFL above steroid users and cheaters in both the MLB and NBA, respectively. Maybe my perception on this is all wrong, but that is how I am seeing it. No one is really turning on the NFL like they do with the other two. That is pretty much all I’ve got. Give me my bashing in the comment section-- I will take it like a man.