JimH5

Joe, they're all connected to the Biogenesis clinic. They were all given or sold substances that are on the list that MLB and the MLBPA has determined as banned. At least that's what is being reported to us. Everything is supposed to be confidential, so we're only getting bits of information--of suspect quality. When MLB announces the suspensions, we'll know more. Until then, we'll get teased along by TJ Quinn and the like.

Ugh. Just...ugh. I would either find new roommates or tell the one idiot that you don't care what he deems necessary or not. You can get a small air conditioner for $125-$400, plug it in, turn it on, close the door, and tell your sweaty roommate to eat it. No housing arrangement will last if someone in the house is miserable.

I did find the timing of the bereavement to be curious, but people die every day, and players have every right to be nearest their loved ones when that happens. And while I'd like to know about the details, this is one of many things that fall under the category of "None of My Business".

Doug Melvin is the General Manager. He put this group together. Some things are way beyond his control. I won't blame him for injuries. But I will blame him for going into a season with this pitching staff, this bench and this minor league system. I don't think it merits firing, but I wouldn't blame Attanasio if he wants to look at someone else to run the club.

Thank you, Nottso! 23 injured, though since so many of them were hurt just running scared, and because of human error, it really is a bit of a hollow victory. Still. . . "I felt anguish and helplessness for the people trapped there, not knowing how to get out," said Jesus Lecumberri, 20, a student with several years' experience running at Pamplona and other bull-running festivals. A little late for that, Jesus. The best way to get out of that circumstance is to join me on my couch next year and mock the dopes who put their thoraxes and rectums at risk. Lecumberri said he had charged in to the entrance alongside the first bull, but saw the pileup and quickly dived into a ground-level hatch built into the passage specifically to provide an escape route from situations like this. Really? They built escape tunnels to be used during this festival? This is like a video game. Javier Sesma, a health spokesman for Navarra province, said two of the 23 injured people were gored by bulls and that the others were hurt in the stampede. Sesma said one runner, a 19-year-old Spaniard from Vitoria city, was seriously injured when his thorax was crushed, causing him to stop breathing at the bull ring entrance. An Irish citizen also had problems breathing because of the weight of people on top of him. "His situation remains very grave, but he appears to be evolving favorably," Sesma said of the Spaniard. "We are hopeful. His life was at risk, but he is now more stable." Hopefully he'll evolve from a Neanderthal into a person who doesn't get off on being part of an event that celebrates the torture and stabbing of animals. The American gored Saturday is a 35-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio, who is being identified only by the initials I.L., hospital officials said. A 19-year-old Spaniard from the city of Azpeitia was gored in an armpit during the 928-yard (850-meter) dash through Pamplona's narrow streets, a statement said. The American was undergoing surgery Saturday afternoon after suffering a "rectal perforation," the Navarra government, which organizes the annual festivities, said in a statement. Rectal perforation! Awesome! That AP writer had to love getting that diagnosis into the story. And you really have to hand it to those bulls. Amid the chaotic rush through the streets, with all the screaming and running and people everywhere, as these animals are being driven to their death, they can still lock in on a target and hit their spot. Johnny Hellweg could learn a thing or two from these bulls. Still, that I.L. is going to have quite a story to tell for the next 50 years while he's out shopping for colostomy bags, and in the shower room of the health club. Tomorrow's the last day of the festival, and while the bulls have scored a few hits, they still trail pretty badly in this match. We'll see if they can end it on a high note. There's still a LOT of sweaty, unshaven runners to skewer.

Three gorings today at Pamplona! That's a good day. One is an American who lost his spleen (a fine effort), and two Spaniards, one of whom nearly lost his man parts and did lose his shorts (close to perfect, but not quite). The other guy seems to get it in the trapezius, which seems an unlikely place to take a horn. Another victim pictured in the story below is a woman, and if this is an equal opportunity message board, I guess I should celebrate her taking one in the keester. Kudos to the bull for treating her like one of the boys. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/american-gored-bull-pamplona-sixth-running-bulls-article-1.1397139

The Players Association signed off on the deal. If there is evidence that you purchased banned substances, or distributed banned substances, or were in possession of banned substances, that's in violation and you're subject to penalty.

No its not. Its been said many times here and by others in the media. Sure. Baseball's in the business of scouting, developing and promoting star players, so that later, they can make up lies about those players and suspend them without real justification, because that's the best way to sell the game to fans.. Really?

Remember the objective of the entire episode is not to punish players as much as it is to erase the stain on Bud's tenure at the expense of reputations of several players most notably Ryan Braun who's guilt won't rest on whether or not he ever serves a suspension or whether or not he's dirty or not. Wow, that is some deep digging.

So the person from the clinic also has insider info on when the suspensions are going to be handed down? The person also has info on how the MLB is going after 100 game suspensions? The person also knows that Braun and other players are not speaking to MLB? Because it sure seems like ESPN is getting that info as well or I guess they could be making stuff up Fair point. The Biogenesis people wouldn't have access to that. People at MLB and the MLBPA would.

If I had to guess, I would say it's an ex-employee from the clinic. That person had the information about the names of the players who were customers. The company is shut down, so he/she is presumably out of work and in need of cash. Porter Fischer has reportedly been selling information to A-Rod's team and the MLB side. He could be selling info to ESPN. It could be Fischer, or a colleague. It could be Bosch. I think it's someone who is either getting paid by ESPN now, or who is positioning himself for a book deal down the road. I just don't see how MLB benefits by the public being teased along with rumors of suspensions, secretive information, etc. Don't they want the headlines to be about activity on the field? I don't think it's coming with the blessing of MLB or the Players Association. I think the leadership of both sides are legitimately trying to live up to their end of the agreement. This is all new stuff for the two sides. I don't think either wants to create a level of distrust with the other. Though it could be an underling in the MLB or MLBPA s offices.

How classy is it to reach a conclusion about something without any evidence? Nobody here knows who is leaking info to ESPN and others. So why are you ripping MLB?

Agreed. I was trying (awkwardly) to give an example to kalle8 on how a player might be in violation of the agreement without a positive test, and what might be considered evidence beyond the word of a questionable figure.

Others on this site have a better legal background than me--I have none. But I believe that the contract negotiated between MLB and the MLBPA (the union representing MLB players) recognizes evidence beyond the results of drug tests. I'm guessing that includes things like signed documents & shipping records. I can't imagine it would only be the testimony of shady characters. There has to be something verifiable. I would think if they had a personal check signed by a player, and shipping records from Fed Ex, indicating a package from Biogenesis to a player's house. . .that would be evidence that would be used against that player. Again, mine is a guess based on reading Tom Verducci, Buster Olney, Jon Heyman, Jeff Passan, etc.

You're position on Braun is well documented. But being objective about this, what would you gain by answering all thw questions being asked, especially when MLB is running a kangaroo court? And considering all the leaks that have come out, why would you further risk anything else being leaked and then used against you to further sully your public reputation? The benefits of doing so do not outweigh the risks. I don't know what was asked of him. None of us do. And we don't know if it's a kangaroo court or not. It's a diligent effort--or at least an effort to appear diligent--to chase drug use out of baseball. At least that's my opinion of it. An innocent player might be well advised to handle things exactly as Braun has handled them. I just know what I would do if I were innocent. I would make statements, answer questions, shout it from the highest mountain & be absolutely clear to everyone what I did and didn't do. Otherwise, you let people think you're being evasive and that you have information that you're keeping secret for self preservation. I don't know the source of the leaks. Again, none of us do. I just know that if MLB were handling things outside of what is outlined in the Basic Agreement, then the MLBPA would make a stink of it. Wouldn't they? Therefore, I don't think that MLB is the source of the information that keeps leaking out on the progress of these cases. Maybe it's a player, or an agent, or someone in the Players Association, or one of the witnesses. Of course it could also be someone from MLB--I don't know. I hate the be the bearer of bad news Jim, but in my line of work (criminal defense) often times their idea of "Cooperating" or "answering questions" means you admit what they allege. There is a very, very good chance that MLB came to Braun and said, "we have stuff against you, if you admit it we will suspend 50 games, if you deny 100" and in that instance Braun refused to confess to anything (because he is innocent) and MLB says he isnt Cooperating/answering questions. I see it quite a bit. Thanks for that, though I thought there was supposed to be a union lawyer present for all of these hearings. So I'm not sure if they would allow for that kind of "questioning". Though if it truly were presented to Braun in the way you described, it would make sense for him to be uncooperative. If my reputation and freedom were on the line because someone in law enforcement hated me and wanted nothing more than to put me behind bars while I was not guilty of a crime they wanted to charge me for I would answer zero questions unless charged. And any lawyer would advise me to do so. You are correct, and I am reminded that these cases are probably all going to arbitration, so while OTL drips out tiny droplets of information, nothing really matters until the arbiter rules on the evidence.

I don't understand this line of thinking. If you were forced to meet with people who knowingly paid for any info they could get their hands on to try and nail you and suspend you from your livelihood, would you be willing to cooperate with them, considering they aren't at all interested in your innocence; all they want you to do is admit your guilt? What could Braun possibly say to get them off of his back? If he maintains his innocence MLB will say "You're lying! We're suspending you 100 games!" If Braun implicates himself by admitting PED use, MLB will say "Thanks for being honest! We're suspending you 100 games!" Anyone who was expecting Braun to cooperate is naive because either way he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Silence, on the other hand, cannot be quoted. If my professional and personal reputation were on the line--and if I were at risk of losing millions of dollars in salary--and if I was not guilty of violating a PED charge, I would answer all questions. Though Braun may be getting advice from his lawyers, his union, his agent and/or his family to not answer questions. There's too much that we don't know about this case to comment, including your speculation on the motives and actions of the investigators.

I'm 51 and I do use my smartphone while I'm at the game. There is so much time wasted between pitches, in between innings, etc. If they quickened up the pace of play, I'd be on the edge of my seat. Instead, I'm just sitting there while a guy is leaning in for the sign, shaking the catcher off, etc. I'm alert when the pitch is thrown, but there's a lot of dead time when there's nothing going on.

I've got a 1996 you can have.

Except the bulls that fought in the ring that afternoon. Agreed. I'm waiting for the day when a bull comes into the ring with a guy gored on each horn, and then proceeds to stomp the life out of a matador. One can only dream. . .

Day One of Running with the Bulls in Pamplona and nobody was seriously hurt. That bugs me. But you never know. . .today is another day!

When Dave Kingman retired, he was in the Top 20, and he's never sniffed the HOF. Edgar Martinez has a 68.3 career WAR. .312/.418/.515 David Ortiz has a 41.9 career WAR. .286/.381/.550 Carlos Delgado has a 44.3 career WAR. .280/.383/.546 Dunn has a 16.5 career WAR. .238/.367/.498 Dunn's problem is that after 2014, he's a free agent, and I suspect he'll be on a series of 1-year contracts after that. He can't run, he can't field a position, he can't hit lefties. So I don't think he's going to be around into his late 30s.

This seems like a weak haul for a solid pitcher. Agreed. Ken Rosenthal was pretty dismissive when the news broke on the Fox Brewers broadcast tonight. That doesn't bode well for the Brewers if they're selling pitchers.

He has no chance. He's out of the Top 100 in current active WAR (BB-ref). He's never finished higher than 21st in MVP voting. He's only twice been in the top ten in OBP. He's only once finished as high as 5th in SLG. He has no speed and no/negative defense. He's never been in the postseason. Guys like that aren't Hall of Famers.

. . .A "tech-savvy friend of (Attanasio's) son" is building a database. . . That line toward the end of the article is so strange. The Brewers' advanced metrics are being driven by a guy who Danny met at summer camp? What is the database going to measure? How does that information get to Melvin and his group of traditional scouts, and what do they do with it? Is this just them dipping a toe into the water of advanced stats? Why wouldn't they turn to someone with a history of baseball analysis instead of just a friend of the kid? Is Attanasio planning to hand the reins to someone else?

I'm not in favor of offering arbitration to Hart, so I guess we're in agreement on that. I just don't see anybody in the organization as a better than replacement level option. As for our "plethora" of 1st base options, they have a list of guys with 1B next to their name, and someone on that list will be better than the others. That makes him the best of the lot, but it doesn't make him someone to get excited about. I think you're being very very optimistic about Morris and an .820-.830 OPS. That would put him in the top 10 in MLB right now. I don't see any way he's going to be better than 20th. But time may tell.