THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

He might get a commercial during the next offseason too

For once, I’d like a player to say this after he’s caught using or confesses to using “PED’s”:

I used “PED’s”.  I did it because, well, everyone else in the sport was doing it.  It’s what we do, we use “PED’s”.  We do this because we want to help our team win.

It’s none of the public’s business what I put in my body.  I am an adult and I don’t owe anyone an apology for putting my body at risk for the sake of my team.  In fact, I’m not sorry at all, and if I could do it again, I’d do it exactly the same.

Peter (#2):
I sure hope no player on my team ever says, “if I could do it again, I’d do it exactly the same,” in regards to taking drugs that are banned by the league.  That would be colossally stupid, and would be cost the team games.

Tango:
I don’t get the tone against fans of the NFL.  Not everyone forgets about PED use there.  One of the biggest off-field stories of the past few years has been the Starcaps case, and you really can’t hear extended discussion of Shawne Merriman without his steroid suspension being brought up.

I’d like to take this in a slightly different direction…

Does it make sense to allow a PEDs suspension to run concurrent with a 60 day DL stint? That seems asinine to me. Volquez is getting ‘fined’ about $140,000 basically (and 50 days on the service clock). For the same offense, Manny was ‘fined’ several million dollars and his TEAM lost 50 days of his service.

I think that’s a critical aspect of a PED suspension, the TEAM loses something (albeit they don’t have to pay for what they lost). Individuals are strongly incentivized to used PEDs, it’s up to the league and to a greater extent, each team, to create a culture of non-use.

Full disclosure, I’m one of those guys who couldn’t care less if players used PEDs. To me the issue is preventing children from using them. But if you’re going to create a punishment regime, it should be consistent in how it doles out punishment. Volquez is getting a slap on the wrist compared to other PED users simply by virtue of being hurt.

And if I’m a young stud pitcher rehabbing from TJ and I see this, the disincentive to use roids in my recovery just went out the window.

"I don’t get the tone against fans of the NFL.  “

Against?  I’m in favor of them.  They are not the ones who hold up the NFL as some pure virgin territory to protect.  They realize that not everything is kosher in the NFL. 

MLB fans get so distraught with numbers, like 61 and 73, that they get into a depression thinking about it. 

***

Volquez is getting the same punishment as everyone else.  His team is not getting the same punishment.

Tango (#5):
Sorry for mis-reading your tone.  I agree with you that NFL fans are less hung up on arbitrary records and history, which allows the league to be much more progressive with rule and strategy changes.

MLB fans seem to have a more vested interest than those exact same fans do when they follow other sports.  They literally think of it differently.

For example, say you take 100 MLB-first fans, who also follow the NFL.  And say you take 100 NFL-first fans who also follow MLB.

Albert Pujols and Peyton Manning test positive for PED.  What’s the fall out from the fans?  Well, the MLB-first fans will think the world is coming to an end with regards to MLB, while the NFL-first fans might follow the Pujols story for a while, and then forget about it.

As for Manning, the NFL-first fans will follow it for several months, and eventually forget about it, while the MLB-first fans might follow it just as long.

It’s the crazy culture that baseball fandom gives you.  If you follow MLB PED stories with great interest and serious intent, you may as well watch The View.  It’s the same mindset.

If you care about the children, watch the rock stars they follow.  Those guys have far more influence than ballplayers.

i dont even know what edison volquez did but i know once i find out i will be shocked and appalled!

and i dont know about baseball players not having a strong effect on kids.  look at all the kids in middle and school and high school that are ardent baseball fans.  they are mostly bulked up roided out meat heads.  all because of barry bonds and roger clemens.  thats how most kids get started on steroids, clearly.  its simply outrageous.

The big story to me was something you touched on in the comments, Tango.  You can serve your PED suspension time while on the DL?!  Doesn’t make sense to me at all.  Heck, Volquez might have even chosen to take the “suspension” because he felt the PED’s might help him recover and that’s worth the “fine”, which is all this punishment is.

And yeah, I’ve never understood why football is treated so differently, either.  Half the Panthers Super Bowl team was on PED’s AND got caught (exaggeration)....you’d think someone might care that they were winning with an unfair advantage....?  Apparently not.  Apparently it’s only unfair if you break a baseball record.

B (#9):
I’ve written this before, but I’ve always attributed the difference in views quite a bit to the view of what separates the great players in each sport from the “just” very good ones.

In baseball, Albert Pujols is the best because he’s just physically better than other hitters.  In football, Peyton Manning is the best because he’s mentally better than other QBs.

In football, very few players physically look like regular people.  That’s not the case in baseball.  Therefore, when someone takes a substance to enhance them physically in baseball, we say, “Hey, that’s unfair, you’re using something unnatural to become physically stronger!” However, in football, we tend to look at it as, “Eh, another drop in the bucket, he was already bigger and stronger than 99.9% of the population.”

(Note: I don’t necessarily share these views, but I’ve experienced that this is how most people feel.)

Basically, what separates the greatest baseball players is pure physical ability, but what separates the greatest football players is “will to win” and intelligence.  Therefore, PEDs are seen as “more immoral” in baseball.

@#10

I see it the exact opposite way Eddo. In baseball having a superior physique will not guarantee you success even at a low level.

However, being taller and faster than everyone in your high school will make you an exponentially better football player.

I think hand-eye coordination and reaction times are more important in baseball than traditionally accepted “athletic” qualities like speed and size.

One more thing. The reason you don’t have bodybuilder-like physiques in baseball is because your better off practicing hitting for 3 hours and then lifting weights for 1 than the other way around.

Is there some distinction between on-field and off-field conduct in connection with suspensions I’m missing?  When Cliff Lee was suspended for spring training conduct, the suspension had to be served in the regular season, but it was the assumption among Mariner fandom that (a) the suspension had to be served after he came off the DL; and (b) he could not be replaced on either the 25-man or 40-man rosters during the suspension. 

Volquez, on the other hand, being on the 60-day DL, not only doesn’t cost a spot on either roster, but doesn’t get paid for 50 days of his stint.  A pretty nice net benefit for the Reds, other than losing his services. 

And yet steroids aren’t like hitting your spouse or taking cocaine during the offseason; they are on-field conduct in every sense but the one the baseball powers use.  In other words, the way this policy works is another instance of the rank hypocrisy of baseball.  Use steroids and don’t get caught:  get a raise.  Get caught, and the team only loses your services, but can get a financial benefit and a roster benefit.  Heads the team wins, tails the player loses.  And the Bud Seligs of the world get to make additional sanctimonious speeches.  In other words, the fans lose all around.

Suspending the player and making the team pay him, or at least pay into a fund used to finance the testing program makes more sense.  Team and player must suffer together, then team might do more to discourage use.

My main problem with PED’s is without testing players are forced to use something that is harmful to their body in order to be competitive.
I forget who it was in the late 90’s who made this same point (he was a player but ignored).  Not everyone who used wanted to, but they risked being out of a job if they did not.

pft: If players cared enough, they would police themselves.  MLBPA could have instituted drug testing AMONG THEMSELVES, without MLB being involved.

Rick Helling: Listen you f-cker.  No way am I putting up with Chuck Blockhead juicing, or McGwire juicing or anyone.  I say we drug test tomorrow.  Anyone caught juicing gets his drug results revealed, and has to go through the walk of shame.

Everyone else: we don’t care enough to do anything.