Posted by John Brattain on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Where to start?

While I have a few questions regarding Alex Rodriguez’s mea culpa I cannot help but be struck at the almost simultaneous event of Bud Selig doing the exact opposite–hey, not my fault the out of commission(er) is saying about all this; in fact ol’ Budley DooWrong stated: “Starting in 1995, I traied to institute a steroid policy. Needless to say, it was met with strong resistance. We were fought by the union every step of the way.”

Yet, this is the same guy that stated regarding ‘95: “If baseball has a problem, I must say candidly that we were not aware of it. It certainly hasn’t been talked about much.”

Despite not talking about it much they were trying to implement a steroid policy?

Ho’kay.

Rewind to aught-five and we get: “I never even heard about it. I ran a team, and nobody was closer to their players. And I never heard any comment from them. It wasn’t until 1998 or ‘99 that I heard the discussion … I don’t know if there were allegations in the early 90s. I never heard them.” Fast forward one year and ol’ Buddy testified under oath: “In 1994, before anybody was really talking about steroids in baseball, we proposed a program of testing for such substances to the MLBPA. As early as 1998, I began formulating a strategic plan to eliminate the use of performance enhancing substances from the game.”

Uh, yeah. Despite their being no allegations he was aware of in the early 1990’s and nobody discussing the subject they were going ahead on dealing with steroids in 1994 (didn’t he say 1995?) even though he had never heard about the drugs?

Clearly, Selig hasn’t heard about the internet–it’s a place where anyone can access what one has said in that past but I guess he isn’t aware of it and like A-Rod (ironically enough) says whatever he feels forwards his agenda at that point in time.

I find it striking that everyone is going along with the revisionist history of the so called “steroid era” that Selig is trying to implement–the players are apologizing and management is posturing as the unwitting victims of the players’ avarice and the media is doing their part (mostly because they wish folks would forget their sorry role in all this) to help it along.

Pathetic.

Anyway, for those lamenting the taint on A-Rod’s and Barry Bonds numbers I have one question: what does an untainted stat look like anyway? I mean, when is the mythical time and place when we can look at the numbers and state unequivocally that they’re completely honest?

For instance, we cannot accept the stats accumulated before 1947 since some of the best players weren’t allowed to play in the big leagues. The end of WWII brought amphetamines into the game plus for 1969 the mound was lowered and the strike zone shrunk which altered pitching and hitting totals and amphetamines and anabolic steroids have been in the game since the 1970’s. As we stated earlier, Tom House stated that 6-7 pitchers per staff (when pitching staff personnel were numbered in single digits) were monkeying around with forms of steroids and HGH when disco was king and check this out:

“drug use exists…in all sports and levels of competition…In some instances, the danger of improper drug use–primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids–can only be described as alarming”–The 1973 House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce

Again I ask–what years can we look at the numbers and claim unadulterated purity?

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but untainted baseball stats simply do not exist–all of them have to be put into the context of the times in which they were garnered. The next “pure” era of the sport will be the first. The thing is, nobody takes seriously the single season strikeout totals of Matt Kilroy (513), Toad Ramsey (499) and Hugh Daily (483) because the pitching distance was just 45′ and just for gits and shiggles, consider the following:

Kilroy set the record in his rookie season at age 20; he threw 583 innings, and had a 29-34, 3.37 ERA campaign–that ERA was about league average. Ramsey was a sophomore at 21 and tossed 588.2 IP and went 38-27, 3.43 ERA and Daily was positively ancient (36) but in only his third professional season. Despite a solid ERA (2.43; 124 ERA+) Daily was merely a .500 pitcher at 28-28 and logged a whisker over 500 innings.

Those numbers seem unreal today but then again Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds’ 70+ HR seasons would look pretty bizarre to our trio of moundsmen that toiled in leagues where eight and 13 four-baggers led the circuit. Then again, when Curtis Granderson legged out 23 triples in 2007–the last player to top that total was Kiki Cuyler who managed to bang out 26 three baggers in 1925. Sam Crawford topped 20 triples five times, Ty Cobb did it on four occasions–do you know who the last player was that had more than one season of 20 or more triples?

Stan Musial.

Have baseball players gotten slower? Have they gotten worse? Why the drastic decline in triples–has the level of play regressed or simply changed?

The answer is obvious.

What has to be borne in mind is that the record book is what it is–a log of what occurred and who accomplished what; no asterisks are needed. Barry Bonds hit 73 HR over the wall and 762 career, Hank Aaron hit 755 with a season high of 45 and smacked 44 ‘taters four times, Babe Ruth walloped 714 with a personal best of 60–these events happened.

What is important is the history–the history tells us the circumstances and environment those numbers were accumulated in; it informs us of the level of competition faced and what type of equipment was used etc. These things tell us what we need to know to establish legacies and legends. It’s why folks care about Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax and not Matt Kilroy or Toad Ramsey; it’s why Lefty O Doul and Riggs Stephenson aren’t in the Hall of Fame despite career batting averages of .349 and .336. It’s why Bobby Mathews’ 297 career wins and four seasons of 30 or more wins (with a career best 42) and two others at 29 victories plus a BB/9 of .97 and a 2.98 ERA in almost 5000 IP isn’t enshrined in Cooperstown.

It’s why Alex Rodriguez may eventually wear the home run crown.

More to come on this in the days ahead.

Ode to Bud…

In honour of Selig’s mindlessness in all this, I’ve reworked a “Wizard of Oz” classic song (guess which one?) to pay a fitting tribute–enjoy:

I could chase away steroids
Even test for hemmorhoids
And hide my urine stains
And my head I’d be scratchin’
’bout which teams need contractin’
If I only had a brain

I’d unravel any riddle
’bout Barry’s tainted piddle
Or A-Rod’s career stain

With the thoughts I’d be thinkin’
’bout why the nads are shrinkin’
If I only had a brain

Oh, I would tell you why
I’m such a fiscal whore
I could wring some bling from the Yanks’ rev’nue source
And get a raise, be paid still more

I would not be just a nuffin’
My shirt all full of stuffin’
My pockets of ill gotten gain
I would dance and be merry
Since I’m such a dingleberry
If I only had a brain

Best Regards

John