Big Reed

to answer Golpher. Pettitte. he first came out publically and said he never did steriods or HGH. Never. he was almost like Palmero. then the Mitchell report came out. then he was asked to testify before congress. At first he said he onlt took peds twice, and felt very bad about doing so. That was his second lie on the subject. then he came forward again and said he took them again, and that his father provided them to him. he said his father used them for his injury/illness. Then his father comes forward and says he got the peds from pettitte's best friend for pettite, not himself. Then pettite threw Clemens under the bus saying he took steriods. Was he telling the truth or lieing? Pettite sounds like a real honest guy, but his truth just doesn't match the facts. Josh hamilton. While he was being suspended in the minors, neither he nor the rays said anything as to the reasons why. it was several years after the fact when he decided to tell his "feel good" story about how he has left his past behind him and he's now on the straight and narrow. And we all believed Jon Daly when he said his drinking problems were behind him. and we all felt sorry for jon Daly when he had the shakes while trying to golf. So now we feel sorry for josh hamilton and we root for him. he's conquered his vices. or at least that's the image he portrays and wants us to believe. and what happens to that great story when he has a relapse and tests positive once more? Cameron's post concussion syndrome. I've been in two auto accidents and experienced a mild concussion. I find it very hard to believe Cameron wants to take medication this far removed from his colision, when he was not taking any medication for it previously. That sounds very suspect. gagne. i used him as an example to back up my point. I could have used Giambi. neither one admitted to using any peds. they just apoligized for bringing bad publicity to their name and their team.. Athletes very seldom reveal anything publically about their injuries. that information is usually released by GM's like Melvin. felix pie didn't go on WGN and say to the world my balls are twisted but they're straight now. Hank Aaron didn't come forward with all the hate he was going through. In general, athletes and GMs are very careful not to reveal very much information about their injuries or personal problems. You don't hear Artest talking about his problems with his girlfriend. You hear about it from SPY and GOSSIP news reports. Bud Selig has not been very forthcoming as a commish either. The facts/data about all the players who have filed for exemptions because of ADD and other illnesses was never made public by Bud or MLB. It was made public by several doctors under oath to congress. My guess is Bud didn't want the public to know. he knew we'd be in an uproar if we found out the facts. I highly doubt all the players who say they have ADD actually have it. I knew two children who had ADD. they didn't take their medication on the weekends when they played baseball and other sports. mitchell report. the information included came from one dealer in new York and financial records from a place in Forida. Common sense says that there are dealers in Texas and the West Coast and Chicago. Common sense says that the names included probably represented about 20% of the actual users. Has any baseball player not named in the mitchell report come forward and admitted he used peds in the past 5 years? I didn't think so. I'd be more impressed with the athlete who came forward and said that he actually used peds, but was never caught than the athlete who comes forward and says the Mitchell report was true. as for me being in the minority on this issue, it doesn't bother me. I've been in the minority most of my life. I like barry Manilo music. Why am I so skepitcal about all things in life? I guess it comes from being in military intelligence for a good portion of my life. I was trained to look for the things the general public ignores and takes for granted. My dad worked for the IRS. To me, Cameron applying for an exemption for an injury that took place last year is sending up a big red flag. it's my nature to look at and examine all the possibilities. maybe it's nothing. or maybe he's trying to be as truthful as Marion Jones. people used to believe her. how many times did she lie? I have a hard time believing any athlete when in the past it was not in their nature to discuss their personal injuries and medications. Is this the age when athletes start revealing all their personal issues? I think not. if Cameron is being honest now about wanting an exemption to treat his post concussion syndrome, then he was not being honest to the brewers when they signed him. With their experience with koskie, I have to believe if Cameron had suggested he was still having post concussion symptoms, they would never have signed him. So I ask, what's the real reason Cameron wants a drug exemption?

I recall when the white Sox tried to play Minnie Minosa when he was 50-60 , so that he could play in 5 different decades, the commishioner said NO! it was not in the best interest of baseball! I'm not sure if that was Bud or his predecessor that made that edict! But since this is the Yankees, and bud wants to get people's attention averted away from the steriod use, he says, why not? what would have happened if billy had actually got on base? Would he have barreled into the second baseman trying to break up a double play? Would they have pinch run for him? so since Billy Crystal and Bob Costas are such big baseball fans, I would ask who will make the hall of fame first? Bob and Billy or Buck O'Neal?

I could have named a lot more baseball players who have lied and/or tried to deceive the public. This site would have crashed. Is Pettitt an honest person? the public used to think so. Baseball players called him one of the most honest in the game. A truly outstanding family man and very religous. He lied to the public at least three times in the past 6 months. if he is the most honest and best guy in baseball, what does that say about the rest of the players? I noticed nobody came to Bud's defense; and posters actually want Melvin to lie. Ok, I was wrong about the collision. it was the worst ever. But when a player who has basically never come forward before all of a sudden announces publically that he is looking into seeking an exemption, it makes you wonder why and what is the real reason he's seeking an exemption. There are a lot of players who have exemptions in baseball. before last week, how many of them went public and announced they are getting an exemption? 1? 2 ? 5? 0? I am very leary when a society of players who in the past have never revealed anything about their personal lives and personal injuries and illnesses are now all of a sudden announcing publically they are looking into getting exemptions. Did Josh Hamilton ever come forward and publically admit what his problems were? or did he just say they are behind him now? What was the point of his public announcement? other than to draw attention to himself and raise speculation? You didn't hear Pie publically broadcasting his latst injury/surgery. Other sources revealed it. When you have a player who speaks openly who has never done so in the past, it leads people like me to speculate. Did Gagne do steriods or HGH? You didn't hear him admitting to doing anything. So why is Cameron being so honest, candid and public? it seems very out of character.

too bad Liverachi is no longer around. he would look great in a sequined brewers uniform. I could just see him arguing with the umpire over a called strike. i would have mentioned Bobby Vinton, but Liverachi is much cuter. So how much longer do we have to wait until teams start signing up some real baseball stars like halle Berry? I heard madonna and rosi Odonnel and Gina or was it Glenna Davis once played baseball. Could we be seeing Oprah playing for the Cubs in the near future against Hilliary and the Mets? or perhaps Bogut and Redd? How did that other former basketball player do? I heard he gave up baseball to star in the movie Space Jam. Bill Murray is always available. I'm sad to say mr belvidere is no longer with us. Tim Allen would be great playing for Detroit. I heard he has all the tools - a 5 tool outfielder.

it should be noted the Sherriff's last name was Whipple. i wonder if he brought any Charmin with him. it doesn't say if the toilet had been cleaned in the last two years. My guess is no. perhaps she was working on a 5 star sudoku and wasn't going to leave until she finished it. or perhaps she was constipated. on a more positive side, it said the guy was her boyfriend and not her husband. perhaps now, he can walk away from a bad situation.

I recall testimony about the attention deficit syndrome disorders among baseball players. not only was it significantly higher among baseball players than the general population, but among baseball players it rose exponentially in the past 5 years. That's a big red flag as t o baseball players being dishones t about their true health. I have to believe all baseball players are as honest as McGuire, Palmerio, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, gagne and Pettitt. Why should I expect Cameran, who's already been caught twice to be honest about wanting an exemption for drug use?

what happens when he gets tired of being a vegitarian? once people become vegetarians, do they ever switch back? do vegetarians eat fish? do they eat chips and drink beer? do vegetarians ever "cheat" on their proclaimed diet? I know people who's religion requires them to fast on Sundays. however, if they are vacationing, the rules don't apply. I have to believe once prince signs that $12 million a year contract, his dieting habits might change.

but he could claim he's experiencing these post concussion syndrome so he could legally use steriods. right? or at least if was taking medication such as insulin or another drug, it could act as a masking agent for the other stimulants he's taking. I'm sorry I'm so skeptical of pro athletes. but this sounds almost like D Young. Cameran could be lieing through his teeth about experiencing post concussion syndrome. and by lieing he could legally be taking the masking drug to hide the other drugs he's taking. When ball players come forward and say they need drugs, or they need to qualify for an exemption to take drugs, it just leaves me with the perception that he is trying to get our attention on one thing and feel sorry for him, while he is actually doing something else. I' m sorry. perhaps if athletes, GMs and owners were all a little more honest, I would believe them more. But the facts are, they are not. Eveerybody knows melvin lies through his teeth about trades. Selig was not a very truthful owner. And we've seen on capital hill hearing how truthful baseball players are. So when a guy complains of post concussion syndrome from a collision that was not very hard to begin with, it makes me very skeptical especially when he uses it to get a drug exemption. When the Governor of New York lies, who can you trust? a baseball player? when it comes to honesty, I'm not sure which one is lower, a baseball player or a used car salesman.

I' m not thrilled with either gwynn or gross. but they are what we have. if these guys are that bad, we should have gone after lofton or PODZ more agressively. or we could still sign Piazza and put kendall in Cf. or can't we follow a larussa strategy and put one of the middle relievers in the outfield? i heard brian roberts and Coco crisp are available. Both can play CF.

I' m not going to call prince fat. I didn't think his dad was very fat either. but he was big and not very tall. and over the years, the pure weight of his body took its toll on his legs and knees. I think it's safe to project that prince will gain another 20 pounds in the next 5 years. I' m not going to say 20 pounds of fat, but rather just 20 pounds of natural growth. At 290-300 and 5'10, it's going to be very hard for him to carry that much weight on his small frame and remain healthy without having leg problems. to add longevity to his career, he is going to become a dh sooner than many would expect or hope. But as many have already pointed out, that won't be our problem . that will be some other team's problem. I don't really buy into this stuff about he's motivated to be better than his dad, and that's going to motivate him to eat less and exercise more and be all that he can be. I guess we should just enjoy it while we can.

add 10 pounds a year and you have a player who's career is cut short. In 5 years, prince is going to want to be a dh. prince was basically a dh when the Brewers drafted him. So do the brewers keep him for another 4 years? or do they trade him before he grows more? I've heard all the prince backers all say how great a diet and exercise regimen he went through after high school to keep in shape. prince is no longer a guy straight out of high schoo. i doubt his motivation to stay in shape is as great as it once was. But players tend to become less motivated to stay in shape as they receive that first $10 million contract. How many pounds did Cabrera lose over the Winter? 5? 10? once the pounds are on, it's harder to lose them. I'm not saying prince is fat. I'm saying he will be in 6-8 years - just like his dad. and his great career will be cut short- just like his dad.

That sure was a tough and probably painful injury. it's also one that you probably wouldn't want to discuss at lunch at the Olive Garden. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Cubs-will-be-without-Pie-for-3-5-days;_ylt=AiAcPSS2xLcfGUE.NGRJJEfPCsQF?urn=mlb,71070 The article says this is a common injury. Does anybody recall it happening to anybody else? it kind of reminded me of the guy in Major League.

in the coco crisp thread it was pointed out the Cubs offered the Sox marquis for Crisp and the Sox turned them down. this obviously points out that the red Sox are looking for another starting pitcher. I doubt the brewers would want coco Crisp. I would think that Capuano would be more appealing than marquis. With Capuano available, that could be the reason the red Sox turned down the Cubs offer. Would the brewers trade Cappy for another veteran player making the same amount of money such as Crede? Would they trade him for a veteran making more money that would be an upgrade at a Position such as a Rolen or Roberts or Crawford? or would they want medium level prospects? Looking at the brewers' current payroll, I can't see them wanting to take on additional payroll. I doubt they want to stay at the current level. that would suggest to me that melvin is looking for a deal to trade Capuano or bush or vargus for a prospect such as catchers teagarden or Montura (SP) dbacks..

you know, if you were to buy a new dell computer system over $1200, they will throw in a very nice printer for free. If your computer is over 6 months old, it's probably time to upgrade and buy a new one. Another idea is to start using public transportation or a bicycle rather than driving your car all over the place. You'd be amazed at your weekly savings and then you could afford to buy a real nice printer. as for the type of printers, I'd recommend HP. I had an HP 11 laser printer that lasted over 12 years. I have an HP photosmart 7960 ink jet printer now which is great for photos, theater programs, regular documents and Christmas cards. I've had it for about 3-4 years. if you only want to spend under $200 for a printer, you will be looking to spend another $200 on a different printer in 6-8 months. Think of a printer as an extension of your computer. if you spent good money into your computer, you should spend the same type of money and buy a decent printer. You should also remember it costs more money to fix computer equipment than it does to upgrade and replace it. if you go to the store with your MC in your pocket, you can walk away with a nice printer and only have 4 nice monthly payments of $100. Cancel your pay per view subscription and you're half way there. Toss in your cell phone usage, and viola - paid in full. and you still have money left for beer.

2 gigabytes of ram should be a minimum. The reasoning is that you probably want windows vista or something else in the near future. and you'll want MS office. if you play any games, or do anything with pictures, you'll want that 2 gig ram. a lot of the new software programs such as omnipage pro ( a scanning program) demand a lot of RAM or it will crash. All of the EA games want lots of RAM - such as Madden 08. Don't buy an E machine. You no longer have to go to dell.com to buy a dell. Dell products are now being sold at both Wal mart and Best buy. I don't recomend buying a Del l at Wal mart. the models the y have are the low end del l models. bes t bu y has about 7 Dell models to choose from. there should be one there you like.

I'm thinking braun probably still qualifies as a third baseman for this year. Here are all the negatives i can think of. i wouldn't expect too much from tavaras this year. he seemed to lose favor with the rockies during the play-offs and the rockies have several other outfielders who could platoon with him. So hopefully he's not your starter. gregg turned in a nice year las t year, but he was their 4th choice as a closer. they may go back to plan A for this year and gregg goes back to being a nice set-up man. isringhausen isn't going to get many saves this year as the Cardinals will not be a very good team. Roberts is still rumored to be heading to the Cubs. As a cub, he may not steal as many bases. on a positive side, Look at what Fielder did his second year. braun will not duplicate what he did last year, but he's hitting in the #3 slot which will mean hitting over .300, with 35+ homers, 100 runs, 100 BI and a nice slugging average. he may continue to steal bases as well. braun is a guy who is going in the first round of every draft. if you are not sure you want braun, I can guarantee you will receive 25+ offers for him. braun is a must have! I would do this trade. But I would trade gregg off for another closer before the season starts. perhaps for gagne or one of the Corderos or Arizona's lyons. m y expectations for gregg this year are low. I expect tankersley to be given another shot at closing.

Bucky, perhaps, you don't need to read funny stuff. perhaps what you need is to read sad stuff to realize how great you really have it. I rolled my car over last week in a snow /ice storm. I lost total control of the car . Rather than trying to regain control, I decided to go with the slide right into an irrigation ditch. not just any ditch, but an irrigation ditch. My car was swerving left on the icy road. there was a car and a semi coming in my direction. rather than trying to brake, or correct my direction of traffic, I allowed my car to go for the ditch and avoid the oncoming traffic. I avoided the traffic and went spiraling into the ditch. Rolling a car is kind of like flying and doing a turn in an F16. if you're calm, you survive. if you panic, you're dead. When the car came to a stop, i turned the motor off, and unsnapped my seatbelt. I then pryed open the door of my car which was now on it's side, and i climbed out the top like an astronaut that had just landed his lunor module in an oceon.. The oncoming semi and car that i avoided both stopped, called for emergency assistance and stayed with me until the ambulence and sheriff arrived on the scene. other than having a heart rate over 160, I was OK. My car was totaled, but I was ok. I had three box cutters in my car that night. two of them found their way to the front of my car. two box cutter blades broke loose from their container and also found their way to the front of my car. my 12 year old son stayed home that night, because he thought my speech for scouting was going to be boring. I never did give that speech. My Toyota Sienna gave it's life to save mine. There's a toyota hubcap in an irigation ditch off the side of a road today in Illinois to mark the spot. There should have been two roadside crosses with fake flowers. Somebody was looking out for me. I was given a second chance. Yes I do believe in Angels. they're in the outfield and also looking out for me. I realize this isn't very funny. But sometimes it's the heartwarming stuff that makes you feel better. people do care for others.

I can see where the Cubs would offer Marquis. Both marquis and Dempster are fighting for the 5th starter spot. The y both looked good in their last Spring start. the Cubs GM was on the Rome show today. it would appear that Dempster is a very popular clubhouse guy and prankster. So it would be my guess that Dempster would not be traded. But if marquis is given the 5th starter spot, and Dempster goes back to closing, i could see howry being somebody the Cubs might offer up. let's face it, the cubs have to offer somebody to get Coco. maybe Derosa! I could easily see the Cubs acquiring Roberts and then trading Derosa for Crisp..

then again, what are your expectations of Rickie? When we drafted him, I compared him to Roberto Alomar. But by his second and third year in the majors, Alomar was a bonified all star offensively and defensively. Rickie has not come close in either aspect of his game and has shown no evidence of ever doing so. I have lowered my expectations of rickie to be a .250 hitter with 20 homers and 15 steals. So his Spring numbers are not that far off from my expectations of him. This is rickie's make or break year. Prince is already complaining about certain brewers making more money than him and not producing. I have to believe he was refering to rickie's contract. talking about second basemen who are hot, you should be talking about the stats of Marcus Giles. he is having a great Spring and you can't use Coors field as a factor. The Brewers could have signed Giles. I think I was the only person interested in him. Will Giles continue his torrid pace? it's doubtful. But it looks like he's made the team and sent super prospect Stewart back to the minors.

there are some more rumors on the baseball rumor mills involving crede today. Basically, the White Sox are saying they might not trade Crede and he may be on their opening day roster. Obviously, they were replying to the question of when is Crede going to be traded. They didn't mention any names or pending deals, but it seems as if it's inevitable Crede will be traded before opening day. I have to believe whoever acquires him will get a bargain. With Hall moving back to third, I doubt Crede will be traded to the Brewers. It could have happened earlier in the year, but not now. the brewers made their choice, and that choice was Cameran and Hall.

I had read today the Cubs are looking for a right handed bat to platoon with Pie. this was from KFFL. Coco Crisp would fill that description. I also read today that Dempster and Marquis are battling it out for the 5th starter spot. if marquis wins, Dempster goes back to being the closer making a Cubs reliever like Howry or Marmol available to trade. if Dempster wins, then Marquis becomes available. I doubt the Cubs view marquis in a long reliever role. With Schilling down for the count, and buckholze and beckett with nagging injuries, it would appear that the red Sox may be looking for insurance and a 5th starter. I don't believe brewers fans want to know how great bartolo colon is doing. he is doing so well that he may even start the season as boston's third or 4th starter. I still can't believe the brewers didn't take a chance in him. Wakefield is also doing well. I could see Crisp for marquis or marmol or howry. Throw in Murtin who becomes boston's 4th outfielder.

Just from a stats perspective, I look at three guys - D Young, Carlos Pena , and Jermaine Dye. All three came out of nowhere to have solid powerful (homers) seasons. Dye has already been caught buying peds. looking at their stats, one is led to believe the other two were also probably using something last year. the Mitchell report only uncovered the players who were dealing with the guy out of New York and a couple of places in Florida. One has to speculate that the main streams of drugs come through Miami, the west coast and the Caribean. One has to speculate the mitchell report probably named 20% of the actual peds users. I'm sorry, but I can't believe what baseball players say anymore. I also can't believe what Bud Selig says anymore. the recent Bonds transcripts point to the fact that Bonds actually did test positive and more than once. yet Bud Selig never said publically bonds ever tested positive and bud took no action after the second positive test. Selig is lyeing just as much as bonds in his efforts to deceive the public and paint a rosier picture. I'd like to believe Young. but baseball players, are becoming too much like politicians. I saw brett favre's retirement speech. There were many things he didn't say that he probably could have. Favre didn't point out how much money the packers have saved in the past 3 years because TT refused to go after top line free agents. favre probably asked Tt if he was going to go after any quality free agents this year, and when Tt said no, favre knew TT wasn't interested in making a championship run, so he quit. Moss wanted a guarantee that favre would be around for 2 more years. Most people expected favre to be around for at least one. But Tt knew favre was not going to be around for 2. That was probably news to favre. favre said all the right things at his retirement press conference. but there were probably many other things he knew about and decided not to say. Hank Aaron went through hell his last two years as a brave. but he never revealed to the public all the death threats he received until long after he retired. For the good of the game, he kept quiet and held it all inside. That's why it's become very hard for me to believe any pro athlete or owner or ESPN. they say only what they believe you want to hear. they seldom reveal the entire story or the real truth. baseball may have saved D Young's life. But I have to believe he was taking something else besides his insulin shots and wheaties last year. baseball has stolen my trust.

ok, maybe he's clean. but many are not. and many have been lieing through their teeth for over 15 years. How many more times is Andy Pettite going to admit he took peds on just one occasion? for the most part, major league baseball players never admit to anything. When a guy like D Young comes out and publicaly admits he has diabetes, you have to wonder what made him do so? Who forced him to do so? Ron Santo had diabetes for a long time before he publically admitted it. baseball players usually never come forward with their peersonal flaws unless somebody is about to expose them. When a player publically admits to something, I become suspicious. As for having diabetes, there are two kinds. The first is the childhood type that stays with you forever. The second is the type that old and fat people get. Part of the treatment for the second type is dieting and exercise. Which type does D Young have? I would speculate the second type. I don't know for sure. D young earlier said he was going to work out during the off season and possibly play in the outfield. Looking at him now, that seems like a total lie. Without people like me. other people would still believe that McGuire, Sosa and Bonds hit all of their home runs without the assistance of any peds. Many people still believe that to be true. my thought process is if something looks amiss or unfounded, there is usually a different reason involved. Columbus speculated the world was round. Bill Gates speculated people would choose windows over apples. Little boys speculate the moon is made of cheese, and that's where cheesemen come from. You can't always be right.

I placed it on the rumors and transactions forum. I thought you were supposed to post rumors there. And my post was a rumor. I didn't say he was faking having diabetes. I said I'm speculating he's lieing about having diabetes and taking the insulin or other diabetic drug to hide his peds use. there is a very big difference We have as much proof that D Young has diabetes as we have proof that he's been taking peds. Trainers never lie, do they? Players certainly never lie. What is factual is the testimony of several doctors at the latest congressional hearing that many athletes are indeed faking having diabetes and taking the insulin as a masking agent. their testimony was that if you test athletes for insulin, you will more than likely also find some other supplements being used by that athlete. their testimony was that insulin is a great masking agent. those same two doctors also testified that there has been an astronomical increase in the amount of athletes in the past 5 years that have claimed to have diabetes and were receiving prescribed medication for it. Their claims are that athletes are lieing about having diabetes in order to mask their other drug intakes. What I'm saying is it's very hard for me to believe any athlete is telling the truth anymore. Would anybody here be shocked if D Young tested positive for peds in the last 3 years? Who is to say that D Young is telling the truth about his diabetes? D Young? I'm saying it sounds a bit too convient for an athlete to openly declare to the world he has diabetes. To me it's as if D young is saying in advance, if you find any traces of peds, it must be from medication I' m taking for my diabetes. To me, D young is a little too honest and forthcoming - a very uncommon trait among baseball players. that's what makes me think he's hiding something. if D Young came forward and said he had cancer, would everybody just believe him without speculating he might be lieing about it? That's why I started this thread in the rumors forum. My post is not based on fact, but purely on speculation. You don't have to inform me about diabetes. My doctor has already done so. I'm over 50. My mom had diabetes. my brother has diabetes.

There was a short article about D Young on ESPN today. It said he now weighed 297+ pounds and had diabetes. I feel for the guy. but I can't figure out how a pro athlete can allow himself to get so out of shape. At some point in time, doesn't a pro athlete tell himself I have to start dieting and exercising or I'll lose my job? I am not an athlete and I can never see myself weighing that much. Did all that muscle just turn into flab? His coaches were very upset with his lack of conditioning when he came to camp. Does he believe he'll be able to work himself back into shape in Spring training? He is a heart attack waiting to happen. Do baseball players do nothing but eat in the off season? something else that came to light in all of these steriods hearings was the testimony of a couple of doctors that said the drugs used to treat diabetes are also masking agents for HGH and steriods usage. They pointed out that testing programs should also test for insulin, because somebody who takes insulin is probably using it to mask the other drugs he is also taking. After hearing the doctors talk about steriods and HGH , and then hearing that D Young is now proclaiming to have diabetes, I am led to speculate, that he really doesn't have diabetes, but is just saying he does so he can use the diabetes medication to mask the other medications/supplements he really is taking. And if he is randomly tested, he can say he's taking medication for his diabetes. The doctors pointed out what seemed to be an epidemic of baseball players claiming to have diabetes in the past 5 years. On one hand I feel sorry for the guy, but on the other hand, I ask myself how dumb can he be to let his body grow so big and out of shape? just some food for thought.