November 29, 2007
The Name Game
Arte Moreno on the Mitchell Report:
But Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno raised the bar Wednesday when he said the report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball will include names of players.
"The names of players will come out that people will be mad about," Moreno, quoted by The Los Angeles Times in Thursday's editions, said. "Some of my information is secondhand, but I know there's going to be names."
Moreno apparently did not elaborate as to why he felt players, fans, management officials and others would be angered by the identity of any names that come from the report.
They're going to be upset because some name is going to be a fan favorite. Think about the icons on certain teams, someone whose name never came up before. Someone the fans think is an upstanding person who doesn't get into trouble, gives back to the community, etc. Fans will feel angry because they've been duped.
Posted by David Pinto at
04:23 PM
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You should make a post asking people to throw their guesses in the ring of who they think will be named next. That would be very interesting. Can you imagine the anger or disbelief if Roger Clemens was named? Heh.
That's supposed to be "wasn't" in the case of Clemens, right? He ought to be on the cover along with Bonds.
Guesses as to who else: Ortiz, Manny, Damon, Lowell, Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Luis Gonzales, Palmeiro, Kent, Bagwell, Delgado . . . .
I think Moreno's second hand information and the Torii Hunter contract are somehow linked.
I could see Ortiz being one of the shock names.
Manny? Doesn't it seem like too much of an effort for him to get and use the drugs? And shhheeeet, dude came out of the womb hitting.
The only reason the owners would want these names released is to keep players salaries down so it has to be either a free agent this year or next, right? Unless the owners will try to use the list to get out of bad contracts like Gary Matthews which doesn't seem likely.
They might be mad because every team has a name on the list except for Mitchell's Sox.
If Gary Matthews is named in this report (as rumored), is it possible for the angels to get out of his contract? If so this could make the hunter signing look good.
Jeter?
Pujols?
Pedro?
Chipper/Smoltz (while teamates with Sheff)?
Griffey?
I have no actual basis for any of those guesses and i certainly dont like to judge (especially without valid evidence) but based on art's statement they seem like good educated guesses.
There are those who will argue that the game has never been healthier because of revenue. The credibility of the sport is shaky at best--but Bud's making everybody cash.
I can think of someone that people would be mad about. It's someone I've been surprised hasnt come up in the discussion. He is a fan favorite, and is in the Hall Of Fame. He is also dead.
Yes, doesn't Kirby Puckett raise anyone's suspicions?
Here are clues.
- he had a ridiculous, uncharacteristic surge in HR in his 3rd full season in the majors, in 1986, which he kept for the rest of his career
- that career was cut short by glaucoma, a disease often associated with steroid use.
- he suffered many post-career ailments, including hypertension and hemorrhaging, and finally tragically died at an early age due to the breakdown of his body.
- and oh, yeah, his head did seem too big for his body.
all circumstantial, I know. But we were asked about wild speculation, so there it is.