Jan 12, 2008 10:49 am - Buzz: Clock is Ticking in Omar’s Fav

Jan 12, 2008 10:49 am - Buzz: Clock is Ticking in Omar’s Favor



http://www.metsblog.com/2008/01/12/buzz-clock-is-ticking-in-omars-favor/#comments
...posted by Matthew Cerrone...

Mets GM Omar Minaya returned to New York yesterday following his goodwill trip to Israel.

…back to work, O…we’re getting restless…

According to David Lennon in Newsday, “as long as the Yankees and Red Sox stay on the sideline,” regarding the Twins and Johan Santana, “the clock is working in Minaya’s favor.”

…from what i understand, minaya talked with a few reporters by phone last night, and said that minnesota’s decision comes down to whether they want a large collection of prospects compared to one or two major-league ready players…i assume the prospect-package refers to the Mets, while the major-league ready package refers to the Red Sox and Yankees…

Lennon writes that it appears Santana is ‘pressuring the Twins’ to move him before spring training,’ adding…

“The Mets intend to aggressively pursue a Santana trade in the coming weeks and believe they can get a deal done on their terms.”

…like i wrote the other day, as i understand it, santana wants to know who he will be pitching for before pitchers and catchers report, especially if he’ll be switching leagues like he prefers to do - which is why i believe there will be a conclusion to this story before February, i.e., two to three weeks…

However, according to the Associated Press, citing the player’s agent, Santana has never made an official request to be traded before pitchers and catchers are set to meet.

…by the way, speaking of Newsday, check out the URL from the story…they pack the term ‘Britney Spears’ in to it, since that lunatic is so heavily searched on Google…slick, gentlemen…sad, but slick…

For all the independent thinking professed around here the attitude sure is that of lemmings. Cerrone got grief because no one confirmed his comments and now Healey gets grief because he waited for his own confirmation before he climbed on board. As much as bucket heads like Heyman and Olney get knocked around here evidently they are still the standard bearers in peoples minds. Personally, I'm not gonna forget that Healey had the biggest scoop this site has ever seen and that Cerrone is trying to carve out the next one right no

Pass. That offer demolishes the offers from the Skanks and Sox.

They aren't budging, and neither should we.

This is the type of deal I heard the Mets had to do to get Johan Santana. Give up the farm. If we pass on this deal, Gomez and Martinez better become the real deal if not we're going to be hearing for years on the deal we should've made but didn't especially when we trade Fernando Martinez for Richie Sexson next year when his stock drops.


In recent years, I have been extremely vocal about the way the Mets are willing to go into seasons intentionally underpowered at the corners and in the rotation because they had great hopes that some in their farm system would blossom into low cost permanent solutions. And I believe that this is one of the two core flaws that have denied the Mets reliable, steady high end contender status. The other being their absolute refusal to have more than one long term high cost star on their payroll at the same time. That means that the only way they can get high level players is to get them in the last phase of their high ceiling acheivement curve, a risky proposition. 4 yrs for Pedro, 4 for Wags, 3 for Delgado, 2 for LoDuca. The Mets just demand the opportunity to shave a guy off in the very near future. That condemns them to the risky situation of taking stars on the back end of their star trajectory. And look at that. Pedro will not perform well for at least half his contract. Delgado fizzled in the second of his three years and LoDuca in his second year. And should anyone be surprised? Statistically speaking, it's probably more likely to play out as it did rather than not.

So back to the point of undue reliance on the hopes that unproven high ceiling rookies will prove themselves. Putting aside the notion that the risk attendant to an unproven farm hand is similar or higher to the risks of signing a star on the back end. People said well you may block the progress of a kid, because if you have two guys, the guy getting paid large will play.

But it would also give the kids more time to properly develop down on the farm instead of having to face pressures they aren't ready for at the MLB level. Guys like Pelfrey and Milledge may actually have been damaged by being rushed due to needs created because of the Wilpon save money any way you can strategy.

I have always said that the Mets should have filled their holes with the best players available and to spend what it took for the years the market demanded regardless of what they had on the farm (other than the rare situation where you NOW a guy is already just about soup). You can't ignore the high failure rate of kids. That's why Milledge's value actually declined. Because he was rushed into the show because the Mets refused to sign real deal corner outfielders and predictable injury arose, he was exposed too soon and trade counterparts could point to a less than impressive start rather than having the Mets being able to point to his high unproven ceiling.

So what's so bad if you sign a real OF or starter and a kid develops into something good after being brought around in a rational steady way. When was the last time you heard someone complain that they had too many good players? That's the kind of problem that I tell my clients who complain they have too much cash and too little good investment choices which is a good problem to have.

So you convert one or the other player asset into something you really need.

Which brings us full square. If we signed real pitchers in recent years, if we signed real corner OF'ers and catcher at the times their needs arose, we'd be more flexible when a deal like Sanatana rolls around.

So if they had acquired real players that were more than short term plugs at the time need arose, giving up a lot of farm kids wouldn't carry nearly the impact on the organization that it would today.

Once again, another avoidable risk brought on by myopic obsession with short term dollar thirst in the House of Wilpon.


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QUOTE(DaMook @ Jan 10 2008, 01:05 AM) *

Um why not? Sox and Yanks don't need Santana as much as the Mets do. They can add one more measly prospect.

If this is true and they don't get it done then I really have no faith in this organization.


Yankees don't need him as much? Are you kidding?

Hughes and Chamberlain sure as hell better be damn good pitchers then. Also Mussina and Pettite better stay healthy.

Only sure bet I see in their rotation is Wang.

Pedro
El Duque
Maine
Perez
Pelfrey

or

Wang
Mussina
Pettite
Hughes
Chamberlain

Our rotation looks a little better if you ask me.


Yankee overall are a much stronger team and can easily make it to the playoffs with their current team. The Mets on the other hand are a 85 win team in a division where the team that beat them last year has considerable improved.

And in my eyes, the Yankee rotation is better.


Clearly the Twins are playing the Mets, Red Sox and Yankees against each other. They're waiting for one of these teams to fold and offer the best package. I think this is why we keep hearing all these rumours, because the Twins are trying to create a bidding war to get the guy. Eventually, the Mets, Red Sox or Yankees are gonna make an offer the Twins can't refuse.

If adding F-Mart to the deal is the deal-breaker, we have to do it.


Here's a little excerpt from a Baseball Prospectus chat:
big baby (nj): The word on the grapevine for a while has been that that Mets have offered Guerra, Humber, Mulvey, and Gomez for Santana, and that the Twins are holding out for the Mets to add Fernando Martinez. What would you make of this 5 for 1 trade? Should the Mets jump on it? Begrudgingly accept it?

Joe Sheehan: You're trading for one year of a player and the rights to sign him to a market-value contract for six or more seasons. No, I would not make that trade.

At some point the price in talent is just too high. The foundation of a good team is a good farm. ALWAYS. We do this deal and we have no farm. Who plays OF in 2009? Who pitches when Pedro and Duque need time off? What happens if Santana, who is still just 1 pitcher, has a bad year or gets hurt? You can't put all your eggs into one basket, and contrary to what some people here say, we are not that desparate. There are still other pitchers out there on the trading block, including the now very avaliable Blanton and possibly Bedard. And, even if we just sign Kyle Lohse or Freddy Garcia, we probably make the playoffs too, without losing any talent in the process.

If There Was a Doubt.........

there sure as hell isnt now.......at least in my opinion.

im talking about that walking and talking scum bag of a "former"
pitcher by the name of roger clemens.

as most of you probably know and probably watched, clemens just had
his piece on 60 minutes aired. clemens was right about one thing,
ie., that most people probably had already made up their minds about
him. i certainly had, but rather than have had any doubts cast over
my pre-formed opinion, all the clemens interview did was reinforce my
beliefs.

he seemed nervous as hell during the interview and almost with the
skill of a politician or a baseball general manager, skirted answering
questions directly. his biggest defense other than the simple words
"it never happened" was to query why whoever might have supplied him
with steroids and/or hgh if he had taken them, hasnt come forward.

to me he slipped his neck right into the noose when he was asked why
mcnamee would tell the truth about andy pettite, yet lie about roger
clemens. clemens of course had no legitimate answer and could only
reply that petttite was a another case and that he had no knowledge of
what andy was doing(which i think is BS too).

i cant wait for the story to develop even further....clemens in my
mind deserves all the consequences that could possibly be due him for
his involvement and his lies about his involvement





I probably tend to agree with you.

But, at the end of interview I asked: "Why is Roger Clemens so important to this public?" Even to baseball people? I mean seriously, he will be in front of congress later this week and for what? In the end, this will always be a he said she said crap with no tangible evidence. How do you prove what happened or didn't happen?

Also, the 60minute interview was absolutely useless. You are right Ohio. Clemens acted like a politician, mike wallace never asked the serious questions, no tangible evidence was provided. I mean get serious? That's what the national media does these days? There was absolutely no investigation by 60 minutes. It was QA session on George Mitchell's report. Disgusting.

Roger Clemens' is going to end up doing some serious harm if he really goes through with this.

He does realize that by trying to clear his name, he is challenging the integrity of a U.S. Senator. If these lawyers somehow cleanse his name, this could be potentially damaging on a much larger scheme.

Accept that you were caught Roger and let America focus on more important things.






All we can do is shake our heads and hope MLB cleans up its act. I doubt it can as the stakes and the financial means will always have them one step ahead of the doctors. Most upsetting in this situation is the facts coming out about knowledge of impending tests.

We have testimony from a Mets clubhouse attendant and a Yankees trainer. From all indications, the public believes that those two are the only guys dealing in illegal distribution of drugs.

On another note, can someone on this board tell me how often people are shot up with hGH to overcome an injury? As a competitive athlete for a number of years, I was never "legally" offered growth hormone by any doctor when recovering from a setback. I have an 80 year old mother with a severe back injury who the doctors won't give the stuff and Rick Ankiels dentist is prescribing it and we say "oh then it's ok"?????

Arod signs 10 year deal

Mets Fans reaction Arod resigning with the Yankees

http://amazinz.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21636

Yankees won't win a World Series for 10 years!!! laugh.

What is illegal about them? If they were I doubt they would make them so public.


Under MLB rules a team cannot sign a player to a contract including incentives for reaching milestones and/or breaking records.

A-rod's incentives are based off of "home run numbers" strategically based around his reaching of 600 HR, 660 HR (Willie Mays), 661 HR, 714 HR (Babe Ruth), 715 HR, 755 HR (Hank Aaron), 756 HR, and he has a specific clause about becoming the all time HR king...

Cubs never won a world series for hundred years. Trade for Johan, If you were Cubs.

No joke. I keep telling myself to skip the Sanata threads, but here I am at work, refreshing the page every thirty minutes of so to see if there is any updated news.

And the sad part is that I have been so Mets focused that I missed for an entire afternoon that Joe Gibbs retired (the Skins being my football team) and didn’t catch wind of it until I heard it on SportsTalk on the way home.

Didn’t hear about Gibbs, but I probably could have given you an update at any point that day about the Mets’ alleged status regarding Santana as well as their pursuit of an announcer for WFAN.

This site and its hot stove has serioulsy become like electronic crack. If I go more than thirty minutes, I start itching my neck.

And even though I know I should stop, I keep going back. Cerrone, you are a pimp and a dealer

"Lucifer" Lucchino Dances In New Century's Good Fortune

From the Courant -
http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/redsox/hc-redsox0112.artjan12,0,1901961.story

Larry Lucchino is all Boston nowadays, but he's still a Yale man. His alma mater was one of several stops Lucchino made Friday in Connecticut, his two Red Sox World Series trophies in tow.

In the 21st century, it is the Red Sox with more World Series titles than the Yankees, or any other team. The Red Sox won their second title in four years in October. That brought another World Series trophy tour to Connecticut, another chance to celebrate beating the Yankees in their own backyard.

"I've heard that historically there's been some division," Lucchino said after the trophies graced the offices of Gov. (and Yankees fan) M. Jodi Rell. "We're trying to eradicate that, too. We don't think we'll ever be the sole popular baseball team in Connecticut, but the last time we looked, as I said to the governor, Connecticut was a key part of New England and the Red Sox are New England's baseball team.

"We know Connecticut is an area of divided loyalties and we want to plant our flag more deeply here and propagate the faith."

"I thought it would be a little bit different," Lucchino said. "But the trophy itself brings out the same degree of reverence that the first one has. When you put the two together, it's quite a visual reminder of the new century."

Part of me wants to tell Lucchino where to stick his flag. But, the other part of me says "To the victor belong the spoils - not much the Yankees and their fans, can do about this now."

It's funny what a ring can do. Yes, 2004 was wonderful for Boston - and ditto on 2007. But, 2005 and 2006 were disasters for the Red Sox - and, because of the bookend rings, no one wants to remember the ugly inside of the cookie (meaning 2005 and 2006).

In 2005, the (first place) Red Sox lost 12 of 18 games from June 27th to July 18th and tanked their hold on first (allowing the Yankees to tie them in the end). And, in 2006, the Red Sox lost 21 games in August (and went 8-21 on the month). Those 21 losses tied the all-time record for losses in a month by a team that started the month in first place. (Boston held a one-game lead over New York at the end of July 2006.)

So, I guess, in the hand of "ring, choke, choke, ring" it's the two-of-a-kind rings that trump the two-of-a-kind chokes, when you lay your cards on the table. Or, at least that's how it works for Larry.

Ht : Steve from Waswatching.com

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Exclamation Thoridan's Shaiya Guide

::Thoridan's Shaiya Guide::

=Contents=
I. Guide Info
II. Races
III. Difficulty Modes
IV. Custom Resolution Settings
---------------


I. Guide Information:
This guide is composed of information (derived from various sources from across the public world-wide web) about the MMORPG Shaiya. It will be updated within the forums of ShaiyaHQ. Upon being updated, notice will be given of newly added sections. Order of sectioning is subject to change (at which point the table of contents will be adjusted to refelect said changes.) Any attempt to copy, manipulate, or add to this text is freely allowed and encouraged.

II. Races:
Human--
Humans include the classes of Fighter, Defender, and Priest. Newest to the lands of Tios are the Humans. Spiritual, strong, and swift, the Humans are adept at nearly every job that Tios has to offer. However, their power truly lies in their strength of body and spiritual nature. Born Fighters and Priests, the Humans are natural complement to the magical Elves. Brought to Tios by the Goddesses, the hope was that the Humans would help restore balance and unity. Unfortunately, the Humans got swept up into the chaos, and the Elves were the first to assist them.

Elf--
The elves race includes the classes of Archer, Ranger, and Mage. Methodical, deliberate, and smart are just some of the words used to describe the Elves. The Elves, like the Vail, are descendents from the Dumianas. The Laws of Nature are very important to the Elves, and their society relies on order and discipline. The Elves are in constant conflict in their attempts to keep the monsters of Tios outside of their borders. The magical Elves are the chosen of the Goddess of Light.

Nordein (Deatheaters)--
Deatheater race includes the classes warrior, guardian, and hunter. Towards the end of the great war, the Goddesses created the Nordein to help protect Tios. The Nordein, or “Deatheaters,” have every appearance of being brutish and unintelligent, violent and aggressive. But this race of Ancients is a book that should not be judged by its cover. In the wars that followed their appearance on Tios, the Nordien acquired a disdain for magic and choose not to use it often, if at all. This is likely one reason that they sided with the spiritual Vail, and not the magical Elves.

Vail --
Vail race includes the classes assassin, oracle, and pagan. Intelligent and swift, cunning and spiritual, the Vail are the chosen of the Goddess of Darkness. One of the two races that are descendents of the Dumianas, the Vail, while exotic and mysterious in appearance, are not the war-like people most expect them to be. Ferocious and treacherous only when necessary, the Vail seek to find a state of equilibrium in their surroundings. Not as strong as some of the other races, the Vail use stealth and the mystical arts when in battle.


III. Difficulty Modes
Q: What are the difficulty modes?
A: (Exact values are taken from Shaiya in other regions and are tentative)
1. Easy: You get 5 Stat Points, and 3 Skill Points for each level. Max lvl 30 without Special Skill. Level up speed: very fast
2. Normal : You get 5 Stat Points, and 3 Skill Points for each level. Max lvl 60 with Special Skill. Level up speed: normal
3. Hard: You get 7 Stat Points, and 4 Skill Points for each level. Max lvl 60 with Special and Hard Skill. Level up speed: slow (You must have a Normal character of lvl 50 to unlock Hard Mode)
4. Ultimate (same Hardcore in Diablo 2): You get 9 Stat Points, and 4 Skill Points for each level. Max lvl 60 with Special, Hard, Ultimate Skill. Level up speed: slow (same as Hard mode)(You must have Hard character lv 50 to unlock Ultimate Mode). When your character dies, it is lost forever.

Q: Will there be items you can buy from the mall or aquire to save you in case you die in ultimate mode? How do you get those items/skills?
A: Yes. There are resurrection stones that you can carry when in Ultimate Mode to save your skin. (These will be available in the Item Mall) Priests and Oracles can also resurrect fallen comrades.

Q: My connection is very good but if someone hits a pole in my neighborhood, and it goes out, causing my character to die, do I still have to start over?
A: You have 3 minutes in game to get resurrected if you die. After that, your character is gone. We are trying to implement a process that will allow a 2-hour window after Ultimate Character death to bring them back... but it hasn't been implemented yet.

Q: Is there a different server for each mode or is everybody grouped together?
A: All lumped together. You have to unlock each mode as you go, so segregation is improbable... besides, it's no fun that way.

Q: Why play ultimate mode and risk dying when you can just play hard mode with no risk?
A: Ultimate mode are the best characters in the game... and they have the highest risk. This is where players can truly say they are the best....

Q: If I die to another player in the PvP arena or from world PvP, do I still lose my character permanently in ultimate mode?
A: No, you only suffer permadeath from PvE combat deaths.

Q: If another player attacks me while I am fighting a mob, but does not kill me, so the mob kills me, do I still suffer from permadeath while playing ultimate mode?
A: It's not possible for another player to attack you in the game world, unless you agree to a duel, or are in the PvP arena.



IV. Custom Resolution Setting:

How to Set Custom Resolution
1-Find your Shaiya folder.

2-In that folder you need to open the file named CONFIG.INI with a word processor like notepad or wordpad. Make a backup copy before editing in case you mess something up, if so, just delete the messed up file and replace with your backup.

3-You then look at the top and you'll easilly see the resolution configuration(SIZE_X=.... and SIZE_Y=.... where x is width and y is height).

4-Change the numbers to your needs.

5-Save your changes and close the file.

6-Start the game, voilà!

(on older computers this could drop the framerate and maybe make it unplayable if the max resolution for your monitor is too high for your videocard)

IMPORTANT: Do not go over your monitors max resolution, and do not input settings you do not know about, the game already gives some good resolution choices if you're not familiar with editing anything.

Virginia Tech takes on the New York Yankees in March
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=7613947&nav=menu368_2





When the New York Yankees presented a $1 million check to Virginia Tech at Yankees Stadium, many would say that was plenty. But the club wanted to do more.

The Yankees agreed to play a game against the Hokies this spring. That day will be Tuesday, March 18 at Tech's baseball stadium. The game will start at three o'clock.

We're told the Yankees plan to spend most of the day on campus.

For the Tech players, it will be a day full of excitement and butterflies.

"Of course I'm very nervous. I'm going to play against one of the best players ever, A-Rod. It's going to be exciting," says Rhett Ballard, Virginia Tech baseball player.

It's unclear who from the Yankees will actually make the trip to Blacksburg, but you can bet it will be logistical nightmare.

If you've ever been to English Field, you know it's not very big. In fact, they can only sit about 1,400 fans. Virginia Tech is hoping for a crowd of about 5,000 for the Tech vs. Yankee game. So they'll have to bring in plenty of portable bleachers to seat all the fans.

It doesn't look like many from the general public will get to see the game. Preference will first be given to students and the victim's families.

After all, the purpose of the game is to remember what happened on April 16.

We're told the Yankees plan to make the trip rain or snow, it doesn't matter.

WHY IT IS NOW THE BOSTON ROID SOX

Crawford says it was 'everywhere' AND "WE WERE LAUGHING ABOUT IT IN 2001"
By Chris Snow and Gordon Edes, Globe Staff | June 22, 2006

Paxton Crawford, reached by phone last night, offered no more than a minute to explain himself, despite the fact that in the ESPN The Magazine issue that hit newsstands yesterday he detailed his steroid use beginning in 1999 in minor league camp with the Red Sox and continuing in the majors with the team in 2000 and 2001.
``I thought it was a one-time story deal, bro," said Crawford, who at 28 is out of baseball and working on his family's farm in Arkansas. ``If any other reporter called, I was not interested."
The reporter mentioned that he'd covered the Sox for about a decade, including Crawford's time with the club, and didn't know for sure who'd used steroids.
``You didn't know?" Crawford asked, surprise in his voice.
No, the reporter said. How widespread was it? Were there a lot of players?

Discuss

``Yup," he said.
Five, 10, 20, 50, how many?
``It was just everywhere," he said.
Did this begin in minor league camp, in big league camp?
``So, anyway," Crawford said, ``it's kind of a sore subject, bro. That's it."
And he hung up.
You may remember a 22-year-old version of Paxton Crawford, who in July 2000 with Triple A Pawtucket tossed a seven-inning no-hitter. The next night he fell out of bed in a hotel room in Ottawa and landed on a water glass (that's what he claimed, at least). The rumors that made the rounds suggest a different cause of the gash that cost him 2 pints of blood and a chance to be recalled by the Sox later that month. In 2002, at Pawtucket, he was reprimanded by the team for an incident that took place in the stadium parking lot while the game was in progress.
Crawford, who made 15 big league appearances, all with the Sox in 2000 and 2001, had his share of missteps as a pro baseball player. In ESPN The Magazine he documents yet another: steroid use. Until this, no big league player who has been suspended for steroids or who willfully acknowledged using steroids was a member of the Sox organization at the time he used.

Crawford, in a first-person story, told ESPN The Magazine's Amy Nelson, ``I always envied the guys with rubber arms. I was the type who was always in pain. During minor league spring training with the Red Sox in 1999,

some of the other guys saw I

was hurting. They told me that

if I took this stuff, it would

make the pain go away and cut

my recovery time in half.

Shoot, why not? I'm just a

country boy. I didn't even think

twice.
``It seemed like everybody else was doing it, so it wasn't a big deal, right?"Continued...


Crawford, who stood 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighed about 205 pounds, said he began by injecting himself with 1 cc of Deca Durabolin each week, ``a lot less than some guys were taking." He also began taking Winstrol .

``That was the big thing with pitchers -- a combo of Winny and Deca," he told ESPN The Magazine. ``Winny would improve your fast-twitch muscles and help you gain velocity. Deca, which is oil-based, would keep your tendons and joints lubed up and make you feel better the next morning.

``When I started using, I noticed my fastball jumped from 92-93 to 95-96 m.p.h. But the biggest change for me was consistency. My breaking pitches had more velocity and sharper break. I was probably using the most back in 2001, when I made the Red Sox' rotation out of spring training. About that time I was getting pretty big, and another player introduced me to human growth hormone (HGH), which had started to make the rounds in the majors."


Crawford, however, said he didn't like HGH and stopped using it ``because it cut me up. It's a fat burner, and it made my muscles really lean and tight."
One of Crawford's surprises amid steroid use: instead of experiencing ``roid rage," he felt the opposite.
``I was so sure the Deca would feed my aggression that I actually let up; I was going to the mound less pissed off than before," he told ESPN The Magazine. ``That's when some of my teammates introduced me to greenies [amphetamines]. The whole thing is a cycle. That's why I think steroids are a gateway drug. One time I took this pill called speckled trout. It was pink with red flecks in it, and it made my heart almost jump out of my chest.
``Back in 2001, I thought I was the man. I

had no shame, and I thought nobody

could touch me. One time, I walked right

into the Red Sox clubhouse with a

bunch of needles wrapped in a towel

and left them on my chair. A few minutes

later, one of my teammates came

running over, saying, `Paxton, someone

knocked your chair over and your

freaking needles are all over the floor!'

Man, we just died about that. He said it

was the funniest thing he'd ever seen,

told me I was nuts. But that's the way it

was back then."


Only three members of the current Sox were teammates with Crawford in Boston in 2001: captain Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, and

Trot Nixon (Doug Mirabelli was dealt to the Sox in June 2001 but wasn't

teammates with Crawford).


Both Varitek and Wakefield, when informed of Crawford's account, said the scene with needles on the clubhouse carpet sounds difficult to believe. Wakefield called ``ridiculous" the suggestion that a member of the Sox one of those years introduced him to steroids.
But, Wakefield added, ``I didn't see him in spring training that much. I really don't know him. He was up here, what, two months?"
Indeed, Crawford's major league career was a brief one. He debuted July 1, 2000, pitching 5 1/3 innings at Chicago and allowing two earned runs in a 7-2 loss. He made 15 total appearances over that season and the next, 11 of them starts, going 5-1 with a 4.15 ERA. Varitek remembers that debut.
``I caught him," Varitek said. ``That one sticks out. It was a pretty phenomenal start. He had a pretty explosive fastball. We were looking to utilize him."
His major league career, though, lasted less than a full calendar year. He was in the rotation to begin 2001 but made just seven starts. He suffered a stress fracture in his lower back in June 2001 and had shoulder surgery in February 2002. He never got out of Pawtucket in 2002, going 2-3 with a 5.55 ERA in just nine games. In October 2002, the Sox released him.
``That was quite something," Mike Port, who released Crawford, said yesterday, after reading the ESPN account. ``I remember he wasn't throwing the ball well. But I never had any reason to suspect anything. Nor do I expect any of us did. He was a big strong fellow to begin with.
``Unfortunately, I would say it's a story I hope -- not at Paxton's expense -- but a story I hope a lot of people should read now. And be advised, knowing the things we know now.
``As I knew him, his personality, I never had a problem. He was cooperative enough. I think he was just trying to make his own way. I'm sorry to read about it, but if any good can come out of it hopefully others will read it this week."
Port was interim GM for just one season, 2002, and was an assistant GM the years Crawford acknowledged using steroids (1999-2001). But Port said there were no indications Crawford was using steroids. The same notion was voiced by Varitek and Wakefield.
``There's so much we don't know about what other guys are doing," Varitek said. ``We know on the field, where we all compete. Granted, this team over the years has gotten to where guys hang out more, go to dinner, and I still don't think you're necessarily going to know, no matter what it is."
Crawford's career just recently came to an end, though not without another forgettable incident.
In August 2004 with Chattanooga, the Double A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, he was suspended 15 days for violating the league's alcohol and drug abuse policy. His last destination, last summer, was with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, home of those with nowhere left to turn. His teammates included John Rocker, Pete Rose Jr., and former Cardinals prospect Donovan Osborne. He was off to an 8-2 start with a 1.92 ERA but went into a tailspin and called it a career in August.
Now, he's home in Arkansas, helping his parents, Carl and Marilyn, on the family farm.
``Sometimes I feel like it's my fault, like I brought this on baseball," Crawford told ESPN The Magazine. ``I'll never name names, but I know it wasn't just me. Steroids had a hold on the game. Guys were walking around like zombies. Baseball is mostly mental, and all these things you're putting into your body are going to affect how you think.
``In 2001, that started happening to me. I was taking way too much stuff, and I'd get rattled. You can't get rattled in the big leagues. And then I messed up my back. I think the steroids had something to do with that, too.
``It's like playing with fire."
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company


swiftyread Post #2: 12:01 pm Quote | Report Violation Total Posts: 292


Marlins abuse rampant between 1998-2001
Posted on Fri, Dec. 14, 2007
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BY MIKE PHILLIPS
mphillips@MiamiHerald.com

The Mitchell Report revealed steroid and other drug use on the Marlins from 1998 to 2001, when bullpen catcher Luis Perez was providing them.

Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada might have been the biggest names released Thursday when the Mitchell Report -- a 20-month investigation into big-league baseball's steroid era -- finally was made public.

But the Marlins had their own chapter in the report, which revealed that bullpen catcher Luis Perez, who was with the Marlins from 1998 through 2001, supplied steroids and other drugs to just about every member of the Marlins.

However, the report did not name any Marlins connected with Perez from that period of time.

In an interview with Kevin Hallinan, the commissioner's senior vice president for security, and his deputy, Martin Maguire, Perez admitted he was the main source for not only steroids but other illegal drugs to just about every Marlins player.

The report states that Perez said ``two players asked if he could obtain steroids for them. After he was successful in doing so, word spread and he became a source of players to acquire steroids and other drugs.

``Perez alleged that he had witnessed widespread use of steroids and other drugs. According to Hallinan's memo, Perez told baseball officials ``that virtually every player on the Marlins was doing something from steroids to greenies to marijuana etc.''

The report also states that after Perez became the bullpen catcher in Montreal in 2002 that he ``also claimed that every pitcher in Montreal's bullpen was on some form of steroids.''

UGLY DETAILS

The report said Perez told Hallinan that when ``teams were in San Diego, players often crossed the border into Mexico to obtain illegal substances. He said he knew of other clubhouse employees with other teams who were similarly called upon to obtain drugs for players -- Perez also claimed he was paid as much as $500 by certain players to carry their bags to and from Canada.''

The report states that Perez's attorney gave Hallinan and Maguire a ``typed list of players and their drugs of choice. The list identified eight players [Astros, Marlins and Expos] who had acquired anabolic steroids and 12 others who had obtained other drugs.''

The report said 'Hallinan told us [Mitchell] the Perez incident could have been the most important in the `steroids investigation.' But to his disappointment, he was not given permission to interview the major-league players on the list.''

Major League Baseball never would have interviewed Perez about steroid use, but in 2002 while working with the Expos, Perez asked a Marlins clubhouse attendant to take a bag back to Florida for him.

The bag was padlocked, which caused Marlins equipment manager John Silverman to be suspicious. Silverman opened the bag to find one pound of marijuana. Montreal police were called in and Hallinan interviewed Perez, who later was fined $5,000 for the incident. It was in a later interview that Perez opened up to Hallinan and Maguire.

The report also goes into detail about another steroid incident in the Marlins' clubhouse involving former Marlins pitcher Ricky Bones.

THE BONES SITUATION

In late June 2000, six syringes and six vials containing two types of anabolic steroids were found in Bones' locker in the team's clubhouse. Bones claimed he had the medication from his physician in Puerto Rico to self-administer for pain because of his degenerative hip. After Bones left baseball, he had hip-replacement surgery. Then-Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski informed the commissioner's office and was told they would ``take it from there.''

Several former Marlins are mentioned in the report. Outfielder Gary Sheffield and catcher Benito Santiago both were linked with the BALCO investigations that came well after Perez left the Marlins; pitcher Kevin Brown and catcher Paul Lo Duca were with the Dodgers at the time they were linked, according to the report and catcher Greg Zaun was linked when he was a member of the Royals. Veteran pitchers Ron Villone and Matt Herges also were named in the report, which mentions no current Marlins.

THAT IMPLICATES THE WHOLE BOSTON RED SOX TEAM

-LOWELL AND BACKETT WERE MARLINS IN 2001

-WHERE ARE THE MITCHELL INVESTIGATORS ON THIS ONE...THESE ARE IN THE MITCHELL REPORT BUT NOT INVESTIGATED??????



SHOCKER



WILL ESPN'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE RED SOX NATION STILL CONTINUE???

Maybe because, um, I don't know, there is absolutely ZERO individual evidence that either Lowell or "Backett" (or Beckett to the intelligent members of this forum) used PEDs?

Maybe because in 2001, Lowell had his 2nd lowest power output of his career? Or because Beckett was not a full time member of the Marlins until 2002, pitching in just 4 games as a call up rookie in 2001?

Number of current Boston Red Sox that played with Paxton Crawford on the 2001 Red Sox team?

3.

Paxton Crawford also barely had a cup of coffee with the Red Sox, pitching a total of 15 games in 2 years. Curious he was so in tune with what "everyone" was doing in the Red Sox clubhouse, huh?

Your idiocy knows no bounds.
gbwalsh6297 Post #8: 12:31 pm Quote | Report Violation
Total Posts: 2848
Curious still. You do everything in your power to dismiss the accusers of Roger Clemens and take his word for it.

Yet you ignore respected Professionals like Tim Wakefield who is on record as having said that Crawford's claims are "ridiculous" especially that it was members of the big league club that introduced him to steroids, and that his "needles story" is "very difficult to believe", or that Wakefield "barely even saw Crawford".

Isn't it MUCH more plausible that the steroid use that Crawford talks about was much more rampant and prevelant in the minors with guys looking for that extra edge to make the jump to the Majors? Yet Crawford wasn't introduced to steroids until he became a cup-of-coffee rookie with the Red Sox?

Yeah right. I have no doubt that steroid use was fairly wide spread with EVERY team back in those days. But no more or less the Red Sox than ANY team.

Roger is a True Redsox. He came up from Redsox Farm system. Don''t be ignorant and deny that He's isn't part of Redsox Family.

Don't tell me Wakefield is now Redsox. Wakefield did pitch as Pittsburgh Pirates Uniform with his teammates Barry Bonds.

Beckett - He's Marlin not Redsox

Lowell - came up from Yankees Farm system not a Redsox.