Afternoon Links: Clemens/Pettitte Drama, NL West Defense and some Football

I always believed Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were buddies. They were both Texans, they worked out together and they both went to Houston to pitch in 2004. I guess, according to an anonymous friend, they really weren’t friends.

I find it interesting how the media weaves stories, sometimes falsely, because its fun to think about for fans (and it sells papers). Maybe, they’re more friends than we think and this is yet another example of media story telling, maybe the steroid thing ruins friendships (see McNamee v. Clemens), but either way, we as fans, sure buy into all this fluff.

They’re both still great pitchers and Clemens may be the greatest ever.

Funny, though, that there’s all this controversy.  Clemens admitted to everything, steroids, everything.  (All Talk Sports)

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69 Days until opening day, reports Obscure Sports Quarterly (a fellow Bruin). I can’t wait.

In other news, the Baltimore Orioles suck.

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Rox Girl of Purple Row breaks down the defense in the NL West in 2008. She’s a homer, predicting the Rockies to vastly outperform the AZ Diamondbacks defensively (I’m not so sure), but it’s a good read.

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Other Sports (They Exist):

UCLA Football is Finally Legit with the hiring of Norm Chow as offensive coordinator, reports Larry Brown. I love it. (Larry Brown Sports).

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Indianapolis Colts headcoach Tony Dungy Can’t Quit Colts. For a well-known homophobe, was this headline a coincidence? asks The Big Lead.

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Bret Favre, No Super For You! Best Use of Photoshop. HA! (Epic Carnival)

Quick Hits: Interview with Depo, Some Plaschke Bashing and more..

An interview with San Diego Padres special advisor, Paul Depodesta on Beyond the Box Score in the SB Nation (always a good read). There’s a certain self-consciousness that you can pick up based on all the bashing he got during his time with the LA Dodgers as general manager. Everyone, despite what Bill Plaschke thinks (note: Plaschke doesn’t think), Depodesta does know what character means.

Speaking of which, Plashke changed his view of Depo when the Mitchell report broke noting, “give new boss Paul DePodesta credit for trading Lo Duca to the Florida Marlins. I wrote that sending Lo Duca out during the middle of a pennant race was one of the worst trades in team history. If DePodesta made the trade based on steroid use, then I stand corrected.”

An oversimplification, of course, but it’s something from Plaschke. I say it was a great trade because Lo Duca was worthless after the month of June, but that’s just splitting hairs at this point.

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Aaron Rowand thinks the San Francisco Giants will be competitive in 2008. He is alone in that regard. I’d say they’d be lucky to be good in five to ten years.

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Newbie Hall of Famer Goose Gossage thinks all the roiders should come clean. I agree with that. Who will step up and be the first? I won’t hold my breath.

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Curt Schilling is a World of Warcraft dork.

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My boy Andy, of Gutty Little Bruins, weighs in on Pete Carroll and the NFL.

MLB Hall of Fame: Goose Gossage to Cooperstown

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) has elected to enshrine Rich “Goose” Gossage (1972-1994) into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the BBWAA’s lone selection in 2008. In 1809.1 IP, Gossage dominated to the tune of a 3.01 ERA, 1497 hits, 1502/732 K/BB. He was a relief pitcher of the “fireman” mold, pitching multiple, high leverage innings as a relief ace. He finished his career with 310 saves.

Attempting to compare Gossage with relief pitchers from the modern era is difficult and somewhat meaningless. He pitched in an era where relief usage patterns were still fairly limited and Dennis Eckersley had yet to invent the 9th inning closer. He is better compared to a Bruce Sutter (1978-1988) or a Rollie Fingers (1968-1985), both Hall of Famers and he pitched as well as both.

Jim Rice (1974-1989) was closest to enshrinement of those left out at 72.2 % (75% needed). Andre Dawson (1976-1996) fell short at 65.9 %. I was sorry to see Bert Blyleven (1970-1992) still fell short at 61.9 %. He’s moving up and the writers are coming around. I never thought being 13 victories shy of 300 would mean so much for one of the great pitchers of all time. I think 13th all-time IP, 5th all-time strikeouts, 9th all-time shut-outs would be enough. Still, they’re coming around.

Tim Raines fell short at 24.3 % in his first year of eligibility. It will take him a while. Mark McGwire fell short at 23.6 %. This whole steroids elephant is going to have to work itself out a bit more before McGwire will be allowed in. It’s random and arbitrary but he was the first great who was fingered. He has the rookie record for homers at 49 (!!). He is a Hall of Famer but it may be that steroids are a part of the picture. I like Alan Trammel as a Hall of Famer but he’s a ways off a 18.2 %.

It will be interesting to see how the steroid suspects get received, as well as modern closers such as Trevor Hoffman and Mariano River–who I see as the only sure things of the modern closers, but others are comparable. Does a Billy Wagner or get in? It’s hard to say beyond those mentioned.

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Links

• Larry Brown breaks down Roger Clemens on 60 Minutes.

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• Blez from Athletics Nation interviews John Sickels of Minor League Ball on Oakland Athletics rebuilding and their new minor league prospects. Great interview.

Quick Hits

Curt Schilling calls out another great, after A-Rod (bush-league), Barry Bonds (cheater) and now Roger Clemens (cheater). I saw the story on ESPN and had to read the article before jumping to conclusions, but I went in pissed on Roger’s behalf. After reading it, I have to admit, I agree with him on a lot of points. If anyone was accused falsely, they need to take it to court. NO ONE HAS, ever. The article is very well written and makes a compelling argument. Definitely worth a read. I truly hope he never gets connected to HGH, even if with a prescription and an injury. Schilling, like Clemens, was famous for intensive off-season work-out programs that is often attributed to Clemens.

This whole steroid thing is ugly, but it’s something everyone has always known about. The Mitchell report didn’t tell us anything new, except Roger Clemens. The issue was staring us in the face, even Clemens. That one hurt, but it makes sense and it proves anyone could have done it, even once.

Our generations best hitter and pitcher got a little extra help.

I want to know, if an HGH prescription is legal, if used for medical healing purposes, then is HGH use before 2005 okay? It shouldn’t be promoted but its not illegal, like buying steroids off the black market or shady distributors like BALCO.

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Good read: Baseball Analyst’s Al Doyle points out why all but a handful of teams should avoid spending big money to make marginal improvement. I say save the money and invest it in the draft like Tampa has.

Andrew at True Blue LA explains why some teams can.

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I know this one has been linked a lot, but DRaysBay, a site I’ve begun to read and admire in the SB nation, has an interview with Robert “Voros” McCracken, formerly a big league consultant with the Boston Red Sox.

Better still is McCracken’s article on Defense Independent Pitching Statistics from Baseball Prospectus (circa 2001), which is a classic and a groundbreaking piece. If you haven’t read this one, or aren’t aware of these basic ideas, you’re in for an eye-opener.

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Let’s get some talent evaluation into the mix: John Sickels of Minor League Ball scouts Jacoby Ellsbury, Cameron Maybin and grades both Yankee Clemens-look-a-like Joba Chamberlain (not roids, just looks) and Clay Buchholz “A” prospects.

Who do you think is 1A?

A: I think Buchholz has proven himself for longer, but the ballpark will even out their numbers on the surface in 2008. Long term, it’s anyone’s guess.

Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettitte Get Named in the Mitchell Report

Thursday morning, Senator George Mitchell released his report on steroid and other performance-enhancing substances in in Major League Baseball. In the release press conference before the world, Mitchell stated, “For more than a decade there has been widespread anabolic steroid use,” adding, “commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and players shares, to some extent, the responsibility for the steroids era.” Mitchell states that “each of the thirty clubs” have had players who have used steroids. Mitchell asked those in Major League Baseball to look to move forward and avoid punishing those implicated for past use.

Be that as it may, there will definitely be a massive public backlash with the often blood-thirsty media driving public opinion. As of now, reporting is going on all over the sports and news world, but little commentary has surfaced because few have read the report.

Mostly, people are clamoring over the list of names, which include many future Hall of Famers and current All-Stars as well as the unimpressive and ignored list of scrubs. Among the names listed, there were those with past links to steroid use, including Barry Bonds, Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and the late Ken Caminiti as well as new names such as most notably Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne and Paul Lo Duca.

The list, even on the report, is far from comprehensive, so by no means do we have the full scope of the usage, but we are beginning to have an idea. Until we have the full grasp of the problem, the blame will just be passed from person to person, official to official.

The steroids era is largely believed to have begun in 1993, although use began as early as the late 1980’s with Jose Conseco and Mark McGwire, perhaps earlier. We will probably never know every name of every player who used steroids, but we have an idea of the effect it has had as countless offensive and pitching records have fallen.

Simply put, steroids and performance enhancers make you stronger, quicker, more alert and recover from work-outs and injury much faster. Players like Clemens and Bonds demonstrated what is capable when a great player gets on the juice, historically-superior performances become possible.

Will baseball take a hit from all of this? Maybe, but I think it would be a little naive of us to pretend like we didn’t know anything. There have been whispers and jokes as long as the bulging biceps and tape-measure homers were staring us in the face. I think we will talk about it, some will be wrongly and overly-harshly be judged and we will move on.

Will baseball recover? Yes, but it may take a little time and it may take a special performance, of an even greater historical sort, to lift us truly beyond this all.

Quick Hits

Only a few nights after I covered Kosuke Fukudome here at BA, he signs a 4-year $48 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. He will replace Jacque Jones in right field as well as providing a left-handed bat in a right hand heavy lineup. If the Cubs elect to keep Alfonso Soriano in the lead-off spot, Fukudome will probably bat second or maybe even third for the Cubs providing some on-base percentage at the top of the order. Here is a projected 2008 starting lineup for the Cubs:

Alfonso Soriano, RHB – LF

Kosuke Fukudome, LHB – RF

Derrek Lee, RHB – 1B

Aramis Lee, RHB – 3B

Mark Derosa, RHB – 2B

Geovany Soto, RHB – C

Felix Pie, LHB – CF

Ronny Cedeno, RHB – SS

I like this signing for the Cubs because they have a good power-hitting team all in all but lack on-base percentage to really hit with the big boys like the New York Mets, the Colorado Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies. And, again, adding that extra left-handed bat will leave them less exposed late in games. Fukudome will also help the teams outfield defense. Can I just add in, am I the only one who thinks Alfonso Soriano will be a good outfielder in his career?

The dollars aren’t out of line but four years, ages 31 through 35, could be some trouble later on in the contract. It’s all too early to guess until we see how Fukudome’s power and plate discipline translate here in the states.

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The Colorado Rockies gave Aaron Cook an extension worth $34.5 million to keep the righty pitching in altitude through 2011, with a mutual option for 2012.

Cook has found success pitching in Coors these past few years but personally, no matter what the groundball tendencies (2.5 GO/AO), I wouldn’t be in that much of a hurry to give a man with 3.3 K/9 that much money.

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Lastly, David Segui comes clean for taking steroids during his career, “I have nothing to hide. I have no problem talking about what I have done, but I never want any other players to think I was out there talking about their business.”

I like that Segui comes clean. With all the finger-pointing that will likely be happening in the coming weeks with the upcoming release of the Mitchell Report, it’s nice to see a player maintain his code of silence. I have my opinions on the steroid issue but honestly, if more players just came clean and admitted that they used steroids, fewer players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Raphael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi would have to take the brunt of the blame.

I think every fan has always known, all along, that at least 50% of the Major Leagues had, at one point, tried steroids to help their career. It has always been a suspicion and the players kept confirming its widespread use, although never addressing it. Everyone who is accused is just as likely guilty as not, but we keep getting lame excuse after another and move on until we get big names. If we go about it the way that we have, pointing fingers and punishing those who come clean, we will never know to what extent steroid use was going on. We will never have closure and everything that has happened over the past decade and a half will be mired in suspicion.

If Paul Byrd is on HGH, no one is safe.