Bud Selig’s Dictatorship (You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me - 3rd Edition)

In a report posted on ESPN.com (pops) on June 14, 2007, Bud Selig was reportedly willing to suspend New York Yankees’ designated hitter, and admitted steroid user, Jason Giambi if he would not cooperate with Major League Baseball’s steroid investigator George Mitchell.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

The request came on the heels of comments made by the swinger in the USA Today; here are Jason Giambi’s comments (pop) on May 17, 2007 on USAToday.com:

“I was wrong for doing that stuff,” Giambi told USA Today on Wednesday before playing the Chicago White Sox. “What we should have done a long time ago was stand up — players, ownership, everybody — and said: ‘We made a mistake.’”

“We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. … Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it.”

To you, Commissioner Selig, I say this:

Our First Amendment gives us the right to free speech and our Fifth Amendment gives us the right to silence. Giambi should not be punished for not meeting with the investigators if he doesn’t feel comfortable doing so (there is an honor code between the players in the dugout afterall) and he shouldn’t be the only player strung up by Major League Baseball just because he was the only one willing to go public.

Everything Giambi said is completely true and has been the one person honest about it from the beginning as it was leaked on December 2, 2004 that Jason Giambi admitted to steroid use (pops) in a Grand Jury testimony in 2003 regarding the BALCO investigation in San Francisco, California. In the same article as the Giambi admission, it is mentioned that penalties started in Major League Baseball for steroids in 2003 but testing with sample was not implemented until 2004.

Also mentioned in this article is the fact that Giambi was granted immunity from prosecution if he told the truth and that he “probably” would not be punished by Major League Baseball retroactively for past steroid use. However, Selig suddenly feels the need to throw around suspensions as a means to coerce people to talk. In this same article, Bud Selig had this to say:

“I’ve been saying for many months — I instituted a very, very tough program in the minor leagues on steroids in 2001. We need to have that program at the major-league level,” baseball commissioner Bud Selig said at an appearance in Washington, D.C. “This is just another manifestation of why we need that right away. My only reaction is we’re going to leave no stone unturned until we have that policy in place by spring training 2005.”

This statement, of course, goes against any statements Selig made in the 1990s regarding steroids when he was mum on the topic and claiming to knowing nothing and riding the home run wave that was saving Major League Baseball from the aftermath of the strike of 1994. Now, however, steroids are suddenly no longer creating positive publicity through home run races but negative publicity through a public witch hunt of the MLB, making it a prime time for Bud to jump off of the steroids bandwagon.

Furthermore, it seems as if Bud Selig, Major League Baseball, and the media just follow the release of books, those regarding the topic of steroids, with an astute ‘herd mentality’ when they’re trying to decide which direction to go in and who to persecute next. For instance, nothing much in the way of progress had been done regarding steroids in Major League Baseball until the release of Jose Canseco’s book, Juiced, on February 14, 2005. A mere 29-days later on March 15, 2005, a Congressional Hearing is launched to investigate steroids and interview Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and Jose Canseco.

The relationships between the players named in Juiced and Major League Baseball instantly begin to deteriorate as if all the problems were trying to be raked under the rug by Bug Selig. The firestorm began to die down and Bud Selig’s “ingenious” steroid policy was only turning up relative no-names (with the exception of Palmeiro) such as Alex Sanchez, Jorge Piedra, and Agustin Montero, to name a few (source (pops)). All is well, right?

Wrong. The ‘herd mentality,’ however, rears its ugly head once again with the release of Game of Shadows, by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, on March 22, 2006. First, Bud Selig publicly admits that he will review the book (pops), this statement comes on March 9, 2006 — two weeks before the book has even been released. Then, just one week after the book’s release, Major League Baseball launches an investigation (pops) of Barry Bonds on March 30, 2006.

If Bud Selig is willing to probe anything mentioned in a book, I have a strong inclination to write a book outlining the entire Saint Louis Cardinals’ steroid use during their World Series victory last season in an attempt to have them stripped of their title to appease my undying hatred of them (Hey, I’m a Reds fan, what can I do?).

Now I usually take a hard line approach to the steroid issue but I do appreciate honesty found in Jason Giambi and by all accounts, although I don’t have a source on this, he is a really great guy that made a mistake. I appreciate Giambi’s honesty but I am beginning to despise the unorganized witch hunt being conducted by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball with no apparent rhyme or reason. It is either all or nothing. Major League Baseball is being run like a dictatorship by Bud Selig right now and it is time for a systematic approach to this issue. No more passing out whatever punishment you want, to whoever you want and whenever you want; it just doesn’t work like that and Selig is losing all of his credibility. Either take a hard line approach to everyone like I have in the past on Barry Bonds or just turn a blind eye and let the “steroid policy” take care of things. One way or the other, Selig.

Now I understand that Jason Giambi has already agreed to meet with the investigator (pops), George Mitchell, but this article is just as much about Giambi’s treatment as it is about Bud Selig’s handling of this entire situation, or lack thereof.

As long as Bud Selig’s Dictatorship is in play, the piss poor handling of the steroid situation will continue. There is no rhyme or reason to how Major League Baseball conducts investigations other than it seems as if Selig simply follows popular opinion. And if this is the case, the tag line of this article sums it up best:

Dear Bud Selig,

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Regards,

“The Nasty Boys”

UPDATE: Mark Kreidler has a good piece on ESPN.com regarding the treatment of Jason Giambi (pops).

Other quality steroid related content found on “The Nasty Boys’ Sports Blog”:

An Open Letter To All Major League Pitchers by Matt

Barry’s Crucible by “Charlie Hustle”

Hey, Look At Me, I Am Barry Bonds’ Brother! by Matt

The Genius Of Jose Canseco by Matt

Twenty Years Of Testosterone by Matt

Sheffield’s Soundoff (You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me - 2nd Edition)

ESPN.com recapped a recent article in GQ magazine where Detroit Tiger’s designated hitter Gary Sheffield sounded off on the topics of African-Americans in the MLB:

“I called it years ago. What I called is that you’re going to see more black faces, but there ain’t no English going to be coming out. … [It's about] being able to tell [Latin players] what to do — being able to control them.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

First off, there “ain’t no English going to be coming out” of your mouth either, or at least not good English. Secondly, if by telling Latin players “what to do” you mean “coachable,” then the above picture of yourself might answer a few questions for you. Sheffield went on to finish his sociological dissertation with:

“Where I’m from, you can’t control us. You might get a guy to do it that way for a while because he wants to benefit, but in the end, he is going to go back to being who he is. And that’s a person that you’re going to talk to with respect, you’re going to talk to like a man. These are the things my race demands. So, if you’re equally good as this Latin player, guess who’s going to get sent home? I know a lot of players that are home now can outplay a lot of these guys.”

I would like a laundry list of the players Sheffield is talking about that are out of work but should be in the Majors because the Cincinnati Reds are in need of some help right now come to think of it.

All jokes aside, the lack of African-Americans in the MLB has nothing to do with flamboyant attitudes or not being able to tell African-American players what to do; owners will use anyone and everyone that they think will give them a better chance at winning a title. Why do you think teams keep taking a chance on Terrell Owens? He’s an African-American and has caused problems everywhere he has been but he has undeniable talent so teams pick him up, even against better judgment. And it goes both ways as Roger Clemens dictates when and where he will pitch, as well as when he will show up with the team and when he won’t, and Clemens is white. An unprecedented and often criticized setup, the New York Yankees still obliged because Clemens has undeniable talent.

It is clear to me that Sheffield did not put much thought in to these statements as I feel there is a simple answer to the so-called epidemic Gary speaks of:

The game of basketball.

If you want to know why African-American youth are playing basketball and not baseball, and the importance of this direction of focus, read Darcy Frey’s The Last Shot. Darcy outlines the importance of basketball to inner-city youth, mainly African-Americans, as being the only way out of the projects. Impoverished African-American boys do not grow up wanting to play baseball, and even if they did they would not have a place to play it or the means to do so. Inner-cities have one amenity, a basketball court, and playing the sport does not take much in the way of personal equipment. For youth in the projects, basketball, not baseball, is the one ticket out of a life of crime and drugs.

Furthermore, in the poorest of Central American communities, baseball is to Latin youth as basketball is to African-American youth. If you don’t believe me, read the article “Beyond Words” on Los Angeles Angel of Anaheim, Vladimir Guerrero, from a 2002 edition of ESPN The Magazine where Dan Le Batard outlines it all. Vlad grew up in the Dominican Republic without running water or electricity, drinking out of puddles and using an old milk carton as a baseball glove, perfecting his hand-eye coordination with a lime and a Guava tree branch.

“‘If I hadn’t been a big leaguer, I don’t know where I’d be right now,’ Guerrero says in Spanish. ‘I don’t know how to do anything else.’” - Vladimir Guerrero

Additionally, Gary, please do not act like whitey is holding you down in the sports world. According to The Detroit News during the 2004 seasons:

Percentage of the NBA that is African-American: 76%

Percentage of the NFL that is African-American: 69%

You do not see me complaining about there not being enough Caucasians in the NBA and then blaming race as the issue. I don’t complain about the lack of Caucasians in the NBA because I know why that is: lack of talent. Suburban white youth will never care enough to, or devote enough time to, basketball as a young African-American will in the heart of the ghetto. Rich white kids play baseball, on traveling Little League teams with the best equipment and two-parent families that go to every single game while Latin kids play baseball because it is their only way out; the same reason some African-Americans in inner-cities are playing basketball, not baseball.

There are obvious answers as to why there is a declining number of African-Americans in the MLB, but to chalk it up as a racial issue between the players and the management?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Their Headlines (You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me - 1st Edition)

Hopefully this is the first in a series of posts under the “You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me” tag line; enjoy.

An actual headline on Reds.com yesterday:

“Reds won’t choose draftees based on need”

After clicking on the link the full headline reads:

“Reds won’t draft for big-league needs”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

It is like the Reds are are actually trying for last place. Now I realize talent drafted could take up to four or five years to reach the big leagues, so immediate needs can rarely be addressed; however, if my memory serves me correctly pitching was an issue for the Reds five years ago and if I were a betting man I’d say pitching will be in issue five years from now as well. With the Reds in the sad state of affairs that they’re in, this headline is the LAST headline a Reds fan wants to read, regardless if the article somehow justifies it.

Furthermore, the Reds Scouting Director, Chris Buckley, was quoted in the article:

“When you’re drafting out of need, you end up elevating players and pushing them. I’m against drafting for need.”

Now I understand the logic in the first statement, you don’t want to give someone with substantially less talent preferential treatment just because the Reds are in dyer need at the position at the Major League level, especially if there are other draftees still on the board with plenty of more upside. I understand this.

But being against drafting for need, did he really just say that? I thought the sole purpose of a draft WAS to address needs. Needs numbers 1-5 for the Reds? Pitching. Buckley even touches on the topic of pitching:

“There is such an attrition rate with pitching. You like to sign a lot of them in order to get a few of them.”

Keeping his philosophy on pitchers in mind, let us look at the last two first round draftees for the Cincinnati Reds, taken straight from the above article.

- “OF Drew Stubbs, 2006 (eighth overall): A three-year starter at the University of Texas, Stubbs signed quickly and batted .252 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 56 games with rookie-level Billings. Although he’s an exceptional athlete with speed, the organization is working with Stubbs to cut down on his strikeouts.”

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! A .250-hitting, free swinging outfielder from the University of Texas who is prone to strike-outs. DOES THIS RING A BELL WITH ANYONE BESIDES ME?!?!

(Adam Dunn — a career .246 hitter with 70 strikeouts this season and 14 homeruns)

Hopefully whoever is helping Stubbs “cut down” on those strikeouts is the same guy that gave Adam Dunn his “new swing”……….

- “OF Jay Bruce, 2005 (12th overall): At advanced Class A Sarasota, the 20-year-old is among the Florida State League’s batting leaders and remains one of the organization’s top prospects with five-tool talent. In 2006, Bruce batted .291 with 16 homers and 81 RBIs for Class A Dayton and was Baseball America’s low Class A player of the year.”

Now I realize the philosophy of not drafting for big-league needs, but how can you justify drafting outfielders when we CLEARLY DO NOT NEED ANY, farm system included. In the past two seasons we’ve been forced to dump our plethora of outfielders for pitching:

• July 13, 2006: OF Austin Kearns was traded in a deal to the Nationals to acquire, in part, pitchers Gary Majewski and Bill Bray. Majewski recorded an ERA of 8.40 in 19 games for the Reds last season and an ERA of 10.80 in 2 games this season. Bray offered a 4.23 ERA in 29 appearances out of the Bullpen for the Reds last season and has yet to lace ‘em up in “the bigs” this season.
• April 27, 2007: OF Chris Denorfia was traded in a deal to the Oakland Athletics to acquire, in part, pitcher Marcus McBeth. McBeth has not made an appearance for the Reds this season but is doing well in Triple-A Louisville — I can sleep easy at night knowing the Bats are beating up on competition in the minors, that’s all that really matters.
• March 20, 2006: OF Wily Mo Pena was traded in a deal to the Boston RedSox to acquire pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and thankfully that has turned out quite well for the RedLegs, but it is clear that we did not need, or have room for, Pena.

So please remind me why our last two first rounders were outfielders, even when there is a known, and admitted, attrition in the number of drafted pitchers to the number of successful pitchers. Now I realize our 2004 first rounder is Homer Bailey, a pitcher who is, as “Charlie Hustle” put it, “mowing down AAA batters like there’s no tomorrow.” However, who gets slid in to the fifth slot in the starting rotation when Eric “Fly Ball” Milton lands on the disabled list? Kirk Saarloos. Where Saarloos now, after only two starts? Triple-A Louisville. Let’s take a look at Saarloos’s starting rotation numbers:

1. May 22, 2007: 5.1-innings, 6-hits, 3-earned runs, 2-strike outs, 2-walks
2. May 27, 2007: 0.0-innings, 5-hits, 5-earned runs, 0-strike outs, 2-walks on 40 pitches without recording an out

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I COULD DO BETTER THAN HIS LAST START, and I am assuming Homer Bailey and any incoming high school senior could as well, yet we aren’t going to draft based on need.

It sounds like the Reds organization is in a dyer need of an overhaul. Someone needs to come in and teach this ball club how to draft and play “small ball” as this is the only way the Reds are going to be successful in a “small market.” The Reds are in for a long season if they continue to pitch and play like they have in the month of May, thus all that I can say is “God speed.”

It is times like these that make me miss this woman: