| Regular Standings | Expanded Standings | Wild-Card Standings | |||||||||||
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Cent | West | Streak | L10 |
| New York Yankees | 51 | 33 | .607 | -- | 28-18 | 23-15 | 13-12 | 12-11 | 13-5 | Won 1 | 8-2 |
| Boston Red Sox | 50 | 35 | .588 | 1.5 | 23-17 | 27-18 | 19-10 | 10-9 | 11-8 | Won 1 | 6-4 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 47 | 39 | .547 | 5.0 | 21-21 | 26-18 | 15-12 | 14-12 | 6-9 | Lost 2 | 5-5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 42 | 45 | .483 | 10.5 | 19-22 | 23-23 | 14-19 | 13-10 | 7-6 | Lost 1 | 4-6 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 36 | 47 | .434 | 14.5 | 22-22 | 14-25 | 10-18 | 11-9 | 8-9 | Lost 2 | 2-8 |
| Central | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Cent | West | Streak | L10 |
| Cleveland Indians | 45 | 39 | .536 | -- | 25-15 | 20-24 | 13-11 | 13-12 | 8-9 | Lost 1 | 5-5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 45 | 42 | .517 | 1.5 | 27-19 | 18-23 | 13-12 | 15-7 | 10-12 | Lost 2 | 4-6 |
| Chicago White Sox | 43 | 44 | .494 | 3.5 | 20-21 | 23-23 | 11-12 | 7-12 | 14-13 | Lost 1 | 6-4 |
| Minnesota Twins | 38 | 46 | .452 | 7.0 | 20-18 | 18-28 | 8-18 | 13-10 | 9-8 | Won 3 | 6-4 |
| Kansas City Royals | 35 | 51 | .407 | 11.0 | 23-24 | 12-27 | 6-7 | 10-17 | 14-14 | Won 1 | 4-6 |
| West | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Cent | West | Streak | L10 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 46 | 41 | .529 | -- | 22-21 | 24-20 | 9-13 | 15-12 | 9-11 | Won 4 | 8-2 |
| Texas Rangers | 46 | 41 | .529 | -- | 26-18 | 20-23 | 12-12 | 16-11 | 9-9 | Won 2 | 5-5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 43 | 43 | .500 | 2.5 | 23-22 | 20-21 | 11-8 | 12-17 | 11-9 | Won 3 | 5-5 |
| Oakland Athletics | 38 | 49 | .437 | 8.0 | 22-21 | 16-28 | 5-12 | 13-15 | 12-12 | Lost 2 | 4-6 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Cent | West | Streak | L10 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 55 | 32 | .632 | -- | 32-14 | 23-18 | 25-13 | 13-9 | 8-4 | Won 2 | 7-3 |
| Atlanta Braves | 51 | 36 | .586 | 4.0 | 26-18 | 25-18 | 16-14 | 15-7 | 10-10 | Won 2 | 8-2 |
| New York Mets | 44 | 42 | .512 | 10.5 | 19-22 | 25-20 | 15-15 | 10-10 | 10-8 | Won 3 | 7-3 |
| Washington Nationals | 44 | 43 | .506 | 11.0 | 26-15 | 18-28 | 13-19 | 13-9 | 10-8 | Won 2 | 5-5 |
| Florida Marlins | 38 | 48 | .442 | 16.5 | 17-28 | 21-20 | 11-19 | 9-10 | 10-9 | Lost 2 | 5-5 |
| Central | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Cent | West | Streak | L10 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 47 | 40 | .540 | -- | 23-18 | 24-22 | 9-9 | 18-13 | 12-11 | Won 2 | 6-4 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 45 | 41 | .523 | 1.5 | 21-20 | 24-21 | 10-14 | 18-10 | 9-10 | Won 3 | 6-4 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 45 | 42 | .517 | 2.0 | 29-13 | 16-29 | 13-11 | 17-16 | 9-6 | Lost 3 | 3-7 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 43 | 44 | .494 | 4.0 | 23-21 | 20-23 | 3-7 | 24-16 | 10-9 | Lost 2 | 4-6 |
| Chicago Cubs | 35 | 52 | .402 | 12.0 | 20-26 | 15-26 | 5-6 | 11-22 | 14-14 | Lost 2 | 4-6 |
| Houston Astros | 29 | 58 | .333 | 18.0 | 14-33 | 15-25 | 5-13 | 13-24 | 7-10 | Lost 5 | 1-9 |
| West | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Cent | West | Streak | L10 |
| San Francisco Giants | 48 | 39 | .552 | -- | 24-15 | 24-24 | 5-11 | 13-10 | 20-13 | Lost 3 | 5-5 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 47 | 40 | .540 | 1.0 | 23-19 | 24-21 | 11-8 | 14-10 | 12-14 | Won 2 | 4-6 |
| Colorado Rockies | 41 | 45 | .477 | 6.5 | 22-22 | 19-23 | 7-7 | 9-10 | 17-21 | Lost 3 | 3-7 |
| San Diego Padres | 40 | 47 | .460 | 8.0 | 19-27 | 21-20 | 8-12 | 13-15 | 13-11 | Won 2 | 7-3 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 37 | 50 | .425 | 11.0 | 19-26 | 18-24 | 8-10 | 11-16 | 12-15 | Lost 4 | 3-7 |
| x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ | |||||||||||
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
MLB Standings July 06, 2011
Red Sox trade OF Mike Cameron to Marlins
Red Sox trade OF Mike Cameron to Marlins
BOSTON (AP)—The Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Mike Cameron(notes) to theFlorida Marlins on Tuesday, less than a week after cutting the three-time Gold Glove winner.
The Red Sox sent the 38-year-old Cameron and cash to the Marlins for either a player to be named or cash.
Cameron hit just .149 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 33 games for Boston this season. The Red Sox designated him for assignment last Thursday.
Cameron is a career .249 hitter with 272 homers and 296 stolen bases, and a three-time Gold Glove winner in 16 major-league seasons. The Marlins’ Jack McKeon managed Cameron when both were with Cincinnati in 1999.
“Jack knows him well from his days in Cincinnati and loved him—a high-character guy and a great teammate,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said before their game in Miami against Philadelphia.“We’ve been poking around and wanted to add a veteran presence here to help with some of our younger guys.”
Cameron has about $3.5 million left on a two-year, $15.5 million contract he signed as a free agent before last season. He is a .249 career hitter with 272 home runs, 950 RBIs and 296 stolen bases.
The Marlins will be his eighth team. He’ll be activated Wednesday.
To make room on the roster for Cameron, the Marlins optioned right-handerJose Ceda(notes) to Triple-A New Orleans.
The Red Sox sent the 38-year-old Cameron and cash to the Marlins for either a player to be named or cash.
Cameron hit just .149 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 33 games for Boston this season. The Red Sox designated him for assignment last Thursday.
Cameron is a career .249 hitter with 272 homers and 296 stolen bases, and a three-time Gold Glove winner in 16 major-league seasons. The Marlins’ Jack McKeon managed Cameron when both were with Cincinnati in 1999.
“Jack knows him well from his days in Cincinnati and loved him—a high-character guy and a great teammate,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said before their game in Miami against Philadelphia.“We’ve been poking around and wanted to add a veteran presence here to help with some of our younger guys.”
Cameron has about $3.5 million left on a two-year, $15.5 million contract he signed as a free agent before last season. He is a .249 career hitter with 272 home runs, 950 RBIs and 296 stolen bases.
The Marlins will be his eighth team. He’ll be activated Wednesday.
To make room on the roster for Cameron, the Marlins optioned right-handerJose Ceda(notes) to Triple-A New Orleans.
McDonald’s throw secures Red Sox’ 3-2 win
McDonald’s throw secures Red Sox’ 3-2 win
BOSTON (AP)—Darnell McDonald(notes) hasn’t had much luck with his health or his hitting this season.
The Red Sox left-fielder was feeling fine Tuesday night when he ended the game by throwing out Edwin Encarnacion(notes) at the plate on a disputed call as Boston held on for a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jason Varitek(notes) caught the ball then hurried off the field after umpire Brian Knight’s out call.
“The play was Jason blocking the plate there and getting the tag down,”McDonald said. “He did a great job.”
Toronto manager John Farrell didn’t think so.
“We should still be playing,” Farrell said after seeing the replay. “That play is right in front of Brian Knight. It was clear that Edwin did a good job sliding around the plant leg of Tek. His swipe tag missed him by no less than a foot.”
For McDonald, it was a rare highlight in a rough season.
He was on the disabled list from May 26 to June 14 with a strained left quadriceps and is just 8 for 64 in 35 games. He’s filled in recently in left field while Carl Crawford(notes) spends time on the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
“It’s been very tough,” McDonald said. “I want to do things to help the team. Obviously, I haven’t been effective at the plate. It’s a long season. …When you’re not hitting, defense has to be on point.”
Brett Cecil(notes) (1-4) went all the way for Toronto, giving up two runs in the second on an RBI double by Varitek and a run-scoring single by J.D. Drew(notes) and one in the third on Dustin Pedroia’s(notes) eighth homer of the year.
Toronto had just two hits through eight innings before Corey Patterson(notes) led off the ninth with a single off Jonathan Papelbon(notes) and Jose Bautista(notes) followed with his major league-leading 28th homer.
A single by Encarnacion and a walk to J.P. Arencibia(notes) put runners at first and second with two outs. John McDonald(notes) then looped a single that Darnell McDonald charged and, on the run, fired the ball on the fly to Varitek, who blocked the plate with his left leg. Knight looked closely, then raised his right hand for the out sign.
“Tek deserves a save,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He’s as good at that (as) anybody in the game. That’s a good baseball play. He stuck that stump in there and didn’t let him get to the plate. Mac made a great throw. It certainly wasn’t the way we drew it up, but it’s a heck of a way to end the game.”
Did John McDonald see the replay?
“Does it make a difference?” he said. “We’re sitting in here right now getting ready for Wednesday’s series finale.”
Papelbon got his 18th save in 19 chances while Matt Albers(notes) (3-3) picked up the win.
Boston starter Jon Lester(notes) allowed no hits in four innings before leaving with a strained muscle on the left side of his back. Francona said it had been bothering Lester the entire inning and further examination would be done on Wednesday.
Albers worked two scoreless innings and gave up Toronto’s first hit, a two-out single by Bautista in the sixth.
Franklin Morales(notes) and Daniel Bard(notes) each pitched a scoreless inning before Papelbon got into—and out of—a jam.
“To not give up today, get a few runs, get a few more guys on base against an excellent closer says a lot about our club,” John McDonald said.
The Red Sox ended a three-game home losing streak and won for the fifth time in its last six games overall.
They went up 2-0 in the second when David Ortiz(notes) led off with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on Varitek’s double. Drew then hit a hard shot into the hole between first and second that went off the foot of second basemanMike McCoy(notes) for a single.
Cecil set down the first two batters in the third. Then Pedroia, batting fourth while Kevin Youkilis(notes) sat out with a bruised back muscle, drove a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for his eighth homer.
The 5-foot-8 Pedroia hit fourth for only the second time this season and homered in each game. He first did it last Thursday when he went 1 for 5 in a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. In his six career games batting cleanup, he is 13 for 26 with four homers.
“I see the Red Sox have been signing a whole bunch of little guys because they think they might find another Pedroia,” Ortiz joked. “I doubt it. You don’t see that every day, man. He’s special.”
Lester started the game by striking out Rajai Davis(notes), then got Patterson on a groundout before striking out Bautista. He added two strikeouts in the second against Encarnacion and Travis Snider(notes).
Lester then walked Arencibia to start the third but set down the next three batters. He pitched a perfect fourth, ending the inning—and his night—by throwing a called third strike by Adam Lind(notes).
NOTES: Bard has pitched 16 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings. … Bautista has reached base in 74 of his 79 games. … Boston sent OF Mike Cameron(notes) and cash to the Florida Marlins for a player to be named or cash. … Toronto’s season-high streak of homers reached 13 straight games. … Crawford could return before the All-Star break that begins Monday but probably wouldn’t play just Sunday, according Francona. … Boston RHP Clay Buchholz(notes) planned to fly Wednesday to North Carolina for a second opinion on a lower back strain that put him on the disabled list.
The Red Sox left-fielder was feeling fine Tuesday night when he ended the game by throwing out Edwin Encarnacion(notes) at the plate on a disputed call as Boston held on for a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
BOSTON, MA - JULY 05: Darnell …
Getty Images - Jul 5, 10:16 pm EDT
Getty Images - Jul 5, 10:16 pm EDT
“The play was Jason blocking the plate there and getting the tag down,”McDonald said. “He did a great job.”
Toronto manager John Farrell didn’t think so.
“We should still be playing,” Farrell said after seeing the replay. “That play is right in front of Brian Knight. It was clear that Edwin did a good job sliding around the plant leg of Tek. His swipe tag missed him by no less than a foot.”
For McDonald, it was a rare highlight in a rough season.
He was on the disabled list from May 26 to June 14 with a strained left quadriceps and is just 8 for 64 in 35 games. He’s filled in recently in left field while Carl Crawford(notes) spends time on the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
“It’s been very tough,” McDonald said. “I want to do things to help the team. Obviously, I haven’t been effective at the plate. It’s a long season. …When you’re not hitting, defense has to be on point.”
Brett Cecil(notes) (1-4) went all the way for Toronto, giving up two runs in the second on an RBI double by Varitek and a run-scoring single by J.D. Drew(notes) and one in the third on Dustin Pedroia’s(notes) eighth homer of the year.
Toronto had just two hits through eight innings before Corey Patterson(notes) led off the ninth with a single off Jonathan Papelbon(notes) and Jose Bautista(notes) followed with his major league-leading 28th homer.
A single by Encarnacion and a walk to J.P. Arencibia(notes) put runners at first and second with two outs. John McDonald(notes) then looped a single that Darnell McDonald charged and, on the run, fired the ball on the fly to Varitek, who blocked the plate with his left leg. Knight looked closely, then raised his right hand for the out sign.
“Tek deserves a save,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He’s as good at that (as) anybody in the game. That’s a good baseball play. He stuck that stump in there and didn’t let him get to the plate. Mac made a great throw. It certainly wasn’t the way we drew it up, but it’s a heck of a way to end the game.”
Did John McDonald see the replay?
“Does it make a difference?” he said. “We’re sitting in here right now getting ready for Wednesday’s series finale.”
Papelbon got his 18th save in 19 chances while Matt Albers(notes) (3-3) picked up the win.
Boston starter Jon Lester(notes) allowed no hits in four innings before leaving with a strained muscle on the left side of his back. Francona said it had been bothering Lester the entire inning and further examination would be done on Wednesday.
Albers worked two scoreless innings and gave up Toronto’s first hit, a two-out single by Bautista in the sixth.
Franklin Morales(notes) and Daniel Bard(notes) each pitched a scoreless inning before Papelbon got into—and out of—a jam.
“To not give up today, get a few runs, get a few more guys on base against an excellent closer says a lot about our club,” John McDonald said.
The Red Sox ended a three-game home losing streak and won for the fifth time in its last six games overall.
They went up 2-0 in the second when David Ortiz(notes) led off with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on Varitek’s double. Drew then hit a hard shot into the hole between first and second that went off the foot of second basemanMike McCoy(notes) for a single.
Cecil set down the first two batters in the third. Then Pedroia, batting fourth while Kevin Youkilis(notes) sat out with a bruised back muscle, drove a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for his eighth homer.
The 5-foot-8 Pedroia hit fourth for only the second time this season and homered in each game. He first did it last Thursday when he went 1 for 5 in a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. In his six career games batting cleanup, he is 13 for 26 with four homers.
“I see the Red Sox have been signing a whole bunch of little guys because they think they might find another Pedroia,” Ortiz joked. “I doubt it. You don’t see that every day, man. He’s special.”
Lester started the game by striking out Rajai Davis(notes), then got Patterson on a groundout before striking out Bautista. He added two strikeouts in the second against Encarnacion and Travis Snider(notes).
Lester then walked Arencibia to start the third but set down the next three batters. He pitched a perfect fourth, ending the inning—and his night—by throwing a called third strike by Adam Lind(notes).
NOTES: Bard has pitched 16 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings. … Bautista has reached base in 74 of his 79 games. … Boston sent OF Mike Cameron(notes) and cash to the Florida Marlins for a player to be named or cash. … Toronto’s season-high streak of homers reached 13 straight games. … Crawford could return before the All-Star break that begins Monday but probably wouldn’t play just Sunday, according Francona. … Boston RHP Clay Buchholz(notes) planned to fly Wednesday to North Carolina for a second opinion on a lower back strain that put him on the disabled list.
Updated 11 hours, 36 minutes ago
Judge raps Congress for keeping Clemens recording
Judge raps Congress for keeping Clemens recording
^
WASHINGTON (AP)—The perjury trial of pitching great Roger Clemens has begun.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton turned immediately Wednesday to selecting a jury from a pool of 125 Washington residents. The judge has said he hopes to find 12 jurors and four alternates by early next week for a trial that is expected to last into August.
Like other players who have been indicted in baseball’s steroids era, Clemens has not been charged with drug crimes, but is accused of lying about drug use. Clemens told a House committee under oath in 2008 that he never used performance-enhancing drugs during a standout career in which he won a record seven Cy Young Awards as his league’s top pitcher.
Clemens won 354 games during a career that spanned nearly a quarter-century.
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WASHINGTON (AP)—The perjury trial of pitching great Roger Clemens has begun.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton turned immediately Wednesday to selecting a jury from a pool of 125 Washington residents. The judge has said he hopes to find 12 jurors and four alternates by early next week for a trial that is expected to last into August.
Roger Clemens walks out of the U.S. District Court after his arraignment, on August 30, 2010 in Washington, DC.
(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
(Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Clemens won 354 games during a career that spanned nearly a quarter-century.
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Updated 23 minutes ago
Skeptics view Pujols’ return as unnatural
Skeptics view Pujols’ return as unnatural
By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports7 hours, 45 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS – The day after Albert Pujols(notes) broke a bone in his left wrist, he asked his hitting coach, Mark McGwire, to do something that seemed utterly wrong.
“Mark,” Pujols said, “check my hand.”
Pujols extended it. He wanted McGwire to shake it. McGwire obliged, and to his surprise, Pujols’ grip was firm and strong. McGwire had come to expect certain things from Pujols. Not this.
“He’s a remarkable person,” McGwire said. “That’s all I can say.”
McGwire leaned on the back of the batting cage Tuesday afternoon. The heat was choking Busch Stadium. McGwire paid it no mind. Five feet in front of him, through a web of netting, Pujols was taking live batting practice for the first time since suffering the injury that was supposed to keep him out at least four weeks, probably more. That was 17 days ago.
Pujols lined a home run over the center-field wall, and then another deep into the left-field bleachers, and another down the left-field line, and another to the opposite field. McGwire chewed his gum.
His poker face belied his wonderment. What Pujols was doing – it was remarkable. Even if his history of returning from injuries far before the prescribed recovery time made this a little less shocking, this wasn’t a strained muscle like his previous two DL stints. Even if the St. Louis Cardinals did oversell the severity of Pujols’ injury, he still broke a bone in his wrist, the most important body part for a hitter’s swing.
Outside of St. Louis, where they’ll huzzah his expected return to the No. 3 hole and first base at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday against Cincinnati, suspicion and scorn replaced awe and incredulity. For every story link on Twitter that touted Pujols’ impending return, someone tweeted back about Pujols needing human growth hormone to make it. It wasn’t just one or two people, either.
Performance-enhancing drugs’ lasting legacy in baseball comes in these moments, when they’re used as the automated response for anything that defies explanation. They chase Jose Bautista(notes). They taunt Albert Pujols. It’s all speculation, all unfounded, but that doesn’t matter. However much baseball tries to rid itself of that image, it can’t, not yet. It’s that way because of Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro and, yes, even Pujols’ hitting coach, Mark McGwire.
“That’s unfortunate people would say that about him,” McGwire said. “It’s just …”
McGwire stopped for a moment. He took steroids and broke records and captivated the nation. He went into exile and returned after nearly a decade away from the game. He admitted his steroid use and moved on. Or tried to. But his actions leech onto him and crawl onto others, bystanders who baseball can only hope are innocent.
“I’m sorry that’s the case,” McGwire said. “Unfortunately it is. The testing they do now is remarkable. Major League Baseball has done what it’s needed to do. With all the social media today, people have an opinion on everything. People are going to say things. They don’t know Albert. They don’t know Bautista personally. They don’t know the desire to be the best in the game.”
McGwire once shared that desire, and it’s part of why it’s impossible for some to trust the sport and its stars. Pujols is a broad-chested, thick-armed bastion of hitting. Bautista went from oblivion to 54 home runs last year and leads baseball again this year with 28. They don’t just have the desire to be the best. They are.
And whether it’s physique or accomplishment or background – some of the sentiment surely has to do with Pujols and Bautista hailing from the Dominican Republic, a nation with lax steroid laws – there is always going to be an excuse, something with which the cynic can indict and persecute. McGwire understands he and others opened that Pandora’s box. How he wishes they could close it.
He wants to invite doubters into the bowels of the stadium, where Pujols nine days ago started his workouts: first with 30 swings, then 45 the next day, followed by 60 and capped with 80. He wants them to see the dumbbells Pujols curled two days after the injury. He wants them to believe.
“Pure greatness happens when a man like him doesn’t let up, doesn’t take anything for granted and takes everything very, very seriously,” McGwire said. “There’s a reason that people are so great at what they do. I was lucky enough to see Tiger [Woods] work out back in the day, about five years ago. I remember going home and telling my wife, ‘This is unbelievable. This guy has work ethic, determination.’ It’s why he’s so great, why Kobe Bryant’s so great. You just go down the line. To get back to Albert, it’s truly amazing to see how he eats, sleeps, drinks baseball. He’ll probably be doing it until the day he dies.”
Pujols met with doctors Tuesday to ensure he wasn’t rushing back. It’s unclear the treatment they used and whether it helped the injury heal more quickly. New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes(notes) once underwent platelet-rich-plasma therapy, in which doctors take a patient’s blood, spin it in a centrifuge to enrich its growth-hormone content and inject it back into an injured area to promote healing. New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon(notes) received injections of his own stem cells into his arm, rebuilding it and his career. Both procedures are legal. Baseball has yet to render a moral judgment on either.
There is so much to lose for Pujols by doing anything out of the ordinary, of course, that it actually places him at a disadvantage. Because he is a superstar, he understands everything he does gets dissected. Were he to engage in any sort of controversial remedy, the backlash would overwhelm him. Colon, meanwhile, skated free after one news cycle.
“The trainers did a pretty good job,” Pujols said. “And the doctor. And myself. The best doctor is God.”
While there may be perfectly legitimate reasons Pujols returned so quickly – the break wasn’t bad to begin with, or he heals faster than most, or his pain tolerance far exceeds that of normal humans – he wants us to believe this is about a higher power. Nothing illegal. Nothing undetectable. Nothing nefarious. Good genes, hard work and faith.
Faith is a tough sell in a sport where plenty of fans have lost it.
Am I naïve? Am I stupid?
I ask myself these questions. I wish I knew the answers.
I didn’t start covering baseball until 2004. I missed the bulk of the steroid era. Remnants exist. Muscle-bound physiques still saturate the game and make me wonder. Every so often a rumor crops up about a guy using. I don’t ignore them. I don’t accuse, either, because such an action demands evidence. Or should.
But it doesn’t, and it’s not just fans. Nearly every team tunes into MLB Network before a game, and the peanut galleries sitting on clubhouse couches deal in snark. I don’t know where it was or who it was, but I guarantee that when the news about Pujols’ return flashed across the screen, another player did one of those fake coughs to muffle the letters “HGH.” He is part of the problem.
Other writers used to call the game’s obsession over steroids a witch hunt. They were wrong. Those witches existed. At some point, and perhaps it’s now, they’ll cease to, and baseball then can rescue the non-believers in clubhouses and on Twitter and all around.
Do I have faith?
Maybe. Maybe too much. Maybe not enough. I don’t know.
I do have a better question.
Should I?
“Mark,” Pujols said, “check my hand.”
Pujols extended it. He wanted McGwire to shake it. McGwire obliged, and to his surprise, Pujols’ grip was firm and strong. McGwire had come to expect certain things from Pujols. Not this.
“He’s a remarkable person,” McGwire said. “That’s all I can say.”
Albert Pujols (left) and teammate Yadier Molina watch the action Tuesday as the Cardinals beat the Reds 8-1.
(US Presswire)
(US Presswire)
McGwire leaned on the back of the batting cage Tuesday afternoon. The heat was choking Busch Stadium. McGwire paid it no mind. Five feet in front of him, through a web of netting, Pujols was taking live batting practice for the first time since suffering the injury that was supposed to keep him out at least four weeks, probably more. That was 17 days ago.
Pujols lined a home run over the center-field wall, and then another deep into the left-field bleachers, and another down the left-field line, and another to the opposite field. McGwire chewed his gum.
His poker face belied his wonderment. What Pujols was doing – it was remarkable. Even if his history of returning from injuries far before the prescribed recovery time made this a little less shocking, this wasn’t a strained muscle like his previous two DL stints. Even if the St. Louis Cardinals did oversell the severity of Pujols’ injury, he still broke a bone in his wrist, the most important body part for a hitter’s swing.
Outside of St. Louis, where they’ll huzzah his expected return to the No. 3 hole and first base at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday against Cincinnati, suspicion and scorn replaced awe and incredulity. For every story link on Twitter that touted Pujols’ impending return, someone tweeted back about Pujols needing human growth hormone to make it. It wasn’t just one or two people, either.
Performance-enhancing drugs’ lasting legacy in baseball comes in these moments, when they’re used as the automated response for anything that defies explanation. They chase Jose Bautista(notes). They taunt Albert Pujols. It’s all speculation, all unfounded, but that doesn’t matter. However much baseball tries to rid itself of that image, it can’t, not yet. It’s that way because of Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro and, yes, even Pujols’ hitting coach, Mark McGwire.
“That’s unfortunate people would say that about him,” McGwire said. “It’s just …”
McGwire stopped for a moment. He took steroids and broke records and captivated the nation. He went into exile and returned after nearly a decade away from the game. He admitted his steroid use and moved on. Or tried to. But his actions leech onto him and crawl onto others, bystanders who baseball can only hope are innocent.
“I’m sorry that’s the case,” McGwire said. “Unfortunately it is. The testing they do now is remarkable. Major League Baseball has done what it’s needed to do. With all the social media today, people have an opinion on everything. People are going to say things. They don’t know Albert. They don’t know Bautista personally. They don’t know the desire to be the best in the game.”
McGwire once shared that desire, and it’s part of why it’s impossible for some to trust the sport and its stars. Pujols is a broad-chested, thick-armed bastion of hitting. Bautista went from oblivion to 54 home runs last year and leads baseball again this year with 28. They don’t just have the desire to be the best. They are.
And whether it’s physique or accomplishment or background – some of the sentiment surely has to do with Pujols and Bautista hailing from the Dominican Republic, a nation with lax steroid laws – there is always going to be an excuse, something with which the cynic can indict and persecute. McGwire understands he and others opened that Pandora’s box. How he wishes they could close it.
He wants to invite doubters into the bowels of the stadium, where Pujols nine days ago started his workouts: first with 30 swings, then 45 the next day, followed by 60 and capped with 80. He wants them to see the dumbbells Pujols curled two days after the injury. He wants them to believe.
Mark McGwire (left) and Albert Pujols talk in the dugout during a June 10 game in Milwaukee.
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
“Pure greatness happens when a man like him doesn’t let up, doesn’t take anything for granted and takes everything very, very seriously,” McGwire said. “There’s a reason that people are so great at what they do. I was lucky enough to see Tiger [Woods] work out back in the day, about five years ago. I remember going home and telling my wife, ‘This is unbelievable. This guy has work ethic, determination.’ It’s why he’s so great, why Kobe Bryant’s so great. You just go down the line. To get back to Albert, it’s truly amazing to see how he eats, sleeps, drinks baseball. He’ll probably be doing it until the day he dies.”
Pujols met with doctors Tuesday to ensure he wasn’t rushing back. It’s unclear the treatment they used and whether it helped the injury heal more quickly. New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes(notes) once underwent platelet-rich-plasma therapy, in which doctors take a patient’s blood, spin it in a centrifuge to enrich its growth-hormone content and inject it back into an injured area to promote healing. New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon(notes) received injections of his own stem cells into his arm, rebuilding it and his career. Both procedures are legal. Baseball has yet to render a moral judgment on either.
There is so much to lose for Pujols by doing anything out of the ordinary, of course, that it actually places him at a disadvantage. Because he is a superstar, he understands everything he does gets dissected. Were he to engage in any sort of controversial remedy, the backlash would overwhelm him. Colon, meanwhile, skated free after one news cycle.
“The trainers did a pretty good job,” Pujols said. “And the doctor. And myself. The best doctor is God.”
While there may be perfectly legitimate reasons Pujols returned so quickly – the break wasn’t bad to begin with, or he heals faster than most, or his pain tolerance far exceeds that of normal humans – he wants us to believe this is about a higher power. Nothing illegal. Nothing undetectable. Nothing nefarious. Good genes, hard work and faith.
Faith is a tough sell in a sport where plenty of fans have lost it.
Am I naïve? Am I stupid?
I ask myself these questions. I wish I knew the answers.
I didn’t start covering baseball until 2004. I missed the bulk of the steroid era. Remnants exist. Muscle-bound physiques still saturate the game and make me wonder. Every so often a rumor crops up about a guy using. I don’t ignore them. I don’t accuse, either, because such an action demands evidence. Or should.
But it doesn’t, and it’s not just fans. Nearly every team tunes into MLB Network before a game, and the peanut galleries sitting on clubhouse couches deal in snark. I don’t know where it was or who it was, but I guarantee that when the news about Pujols’ return flashed across the screen, another player did one of those fake coughs to muffle the letters “HGH.” He is part of the problem.
Other writers used to call the game’s obsession over steroids a witch hunt. They were wrong. Those witches existed. At some point, and perhaps it’s now, they’ll cease to, and baseball then can rescue the non-believers in clubhouses and on Twitter and all around.
Do I have faith?
Maybe. Maybe too much. Maybe not enough. I don’t know.
I do have a better question.
Should I?
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