I like it. Adam Everett was such a liability at the plate that it negated his outstanding play in the field. I do hate to see Troy Patton go though, I think he could be very good someday soon.
Its upsetting to give up that much pitching and prospects but in the here and now they should be one of the best offenses in the NL (Lee, Tejada, Wiggington, Pence, Berkman, Bourn, not bad for NL)...to bad they don't have pitching past oswalt, and bullpen needs alot of help...There pitching went south once they let Hickey (former pitching coach) go...
and so begins <t>the scarlet letter campaign.<br/> <br/> there's blood in the waters, its time to feast.</t>
NO way to sugar coat this trade. One of the most huniliating and ill-conceived trades in baseball history. What a difference 24 hours makes!
I really have a hard time believing the Astros had absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of Tejada possibly using performance enhancing drugs. Maybe they didn't know whether or not he'd be named, but I bet they knew he possibly did. The in house club of baseball knows alot more about who is using what than they let on. Especially nowadays with so many players switching teams so often through free agency. I'm sure the Stro's factored that their might be a possibility of Tejada being named when deciding o make this trade. Honestly, with all the people named and what I am sure are an abundance of other players who managed to esc ape the scrutiny of this report, it's more of a situation of who ISN'T using. Tejada won't be suspended and fans are already jaded about most ball players being on drugs. I don't think the backlash or embarrasment level will be all that bad. Anyway, I don't think anything could possibly be more embarrassing than our Yankees paying millions for a pitcher who barely managed to pitch a game for them.
I'm going out and get me some 'roids in support of Tejada's god given right to abuse his body for the $$$$! Go Astros!! One guy I'm glad I didn't see on the list is Nolan Ryan. I'd have been heart broken if Nolan was on the list.
One name i was expecting to see and didnt was Luis Gonzalez. The year he hit 50+ he was substantially bigger than his lanky body he had prior to and his days in detroit. Especially after finding out Matty Williams used i figured it was a given that Gonzo used. He was never again as big as he was that year and never had those huge power numbers again...maybe he did or did not or maybe, by all-star break nobody is going to care about it and nothing will have been done about it anyways
well <t>Just because a name isn't on the list....doesn't mean that they didn't use steroids.<br/> <br/> Moving on with steroid testing will save this league... If you start taking out guys who are on a list and taking away their livelihood, they will start naming names on the way out the door..<br/> <br/> And then your heart will be broken..<br/> <br/> The media would LOVE that, but it would be the end of baseball...and your previous love affair with many of your heroes.</t>
Unfortunately, that is what we must believe. We have no choice. Like Corey, I hope it ends here and that steroid testing and a cultural changeover will get things cleaned up eventually. One saving thought I must hang onto is that while many users got away without being named, many, many players are clean.
Doubt that. Baseball would be damaged, as it was in the last strike, but it would not be the end. While the major league teams could suffer, perhaps even tremendously, the minor leagues might benefit through increased interest based on a perception of a "more pure" game. The minor league players would find their way to the majors eventually, perhaps even more quickly. Fans could benefit as a result of major league teams deeply discounting ticket and concession prices to re-establish their fan base. That last part is probably going too far. After a fire, the forest re-grows. Cue "Circle of Life". 8)
not so fast there Lion King <r><E></E><br/> <QUOTE><s> </e></QUOTE> We've been down this road before... After the strike, the state of the game was becoming dire. The strike had hurt the the image and the game itself. We've already seen a resurgent following of minor league clubs ala the mid 90s. Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga are but two small examples of the minor league 'shrines' to baseball that were built in an attempt to keep interest in the game.<br/> <br/> That young generation of players came up to the big leagues and are now front and center in the steroid scandal.<br/> <br/> No one wants to say this, but steroids saved the game. The game was struggling. The NBA and NFL had not only passed MLB but were beginning to lose it in the distance.. In 1996 Brady Anderson hit 50 HRs with an improved physique as he approached free-agency should have been the loudest warning bell, but it wasn't.<br/> <br/> Soon, balls were flying out of the yard at a rate never seen before. Was it the ball? Was it the parks? Global warming??? No. Those things weren't the answer then, and they aren't now. Steroids had taken over the game. Players rehabbed quicker and came back stronger. Some guys just blew the hell up and started hitting Mantle-like HRs on an almost weekly basis.<br/> <br/> The fans loved it, the media loved it. The turnstiles were spinning, the ball caps were selling and the fans were back cheering for their beloved heroes of their youth. People now remembered that the Cards and Cubs are rivals. Yankees/ Red Sox was now back on the tip of the tongues of fans across the nation.. not just Red Sox and Yankee Nations.<br/> <br/> Now this.<br/> <br/> The betrayal of the last strike was almost too much. This cannot be turned into a witch hunt, or it will be too much. I agree with you that baseball will be 'back' but it may take a solid generation or two if this 'list' grows and fingers start getting pointed at one another.<br/> <br/> Institute the random, aggressive drug testing program and move on. It should have been done at the end of the 90ds when it was clear that the 'riods had taken over the game, it wasn't.<br/> <br/> I should have been more clear though. The game can be saved by moving on with aggressive testing.. Where the game gets destroyed is if this turns into a full blown witch hunt in which the truth really comes out. Make no mistake, this is the tip of the iceberg.</r>
Yeah, that's why I wrote, "Baseball would be damaged, as it was in the last strike..." Cue "Circle of Life" 8) From the day we arrive in the bigs And, blinking, step up to the plate There's more to see than can ever be seen More wimmens than one man can date There's far too much at stake here To just drive a ball along the ground 'Roids can send that ball high Through the sapphire sky Screw that juiced-up jerk on the mound It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life
Terry, I see the Stros have made an offer to Mark Prior. I'd like to see him make a comeback but not with a team in the same division.
Grasping at straws Sid, you know that if there was much of a chance that Prior would make a comeback that the Cubs would have tendered him an offer. But he is still young, so I guess anything is possible but I would be suprised if he can contribute. Very sad, he was as good a young pitcher as I have ever seen. Astros have been remade by the new GM, I read that there are only 5 players left from the WS team. We should be much better at the plate this year but we'll need to be with a rotation that is composed of Roy Oswalt and 4 guys who are questionable even if they were the #5 starter, much less the #2,3 and 4 starters. Good god Woody Williams is still projected to be in the rotation, we'll need to score double digits on that day and the bullpen will have to be ready!! Terry