1). Johan Santana has given up less than 2 earned runs in his last 12 starts. Okay, this is absurd. The best pitcher on the planet is just ridiculous. Granted he doesn’t throw complete games, but still imagine knowing that every five days, your team is only going to need 2 runs and a bullpen to win a game. Plus, with the 1-0 win over the Phils earlier this week, he now has six 1-0 wins in his career, which is pretty good, but nothing compared to…
2). Walter Johnson won THIRTY-FIVE 1-0 games in his career. THIRTY-FIVE!!! I think that the 1-0 game is the best game a pitcher can throw because he has to be on for every pitch. Though it was a much different era, it is hard to say that there has ever been a pitcher as dominant as the Big Train, regardless of era.
3). If you were to look at a list of the top ten home run hitters since 1980, you will see SEVEN of them lied and were directly linked to steroid usage. The top 10 home run hitters since 1980 are, as follows:
- Barry Bonds – About to go on trial for lying to a grand jury about his steroid usage
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Sammy Sosa – All of a sudden forgot how to speak English to avoid either admitting steroid usage or perjuring himself to Congress
- Mark McGwire – “Didn’t talk about his past” steroid usage.
- Rafael Palmeiro – Wagged his finger in denial and then got caught and suspended
- Alex Rodriguez – Lied to Katie Curic about his steroid usage, then his failed test came out
- Jim Thome
- Manny Ramirez – Claims to have a sexual disorder for which he was prescribed a female ovulary medication, also used to end a steroid cycle
- Frank Thomas
- Gary Sheffield – Claims to have never taken steroids, yet was named in the Mitchell Report
This is actually much more sad than it is ridiculous. What is does do, however, is really accentuate the great careers of [apparently] clean sluggers Griffey, Thome, and Thomas.
My comment is in reference to the third ridiculous stat, although that Santana stat is outrageous! I think this steroid nonsense is especially hard on fans my age who were born in the late 70’s or early 80’s. We were toddlers learning how to correctly hit the ball off the tee while these no-necks were shooting themselves up with ____________ substances. This fiasco affects the era of baseball that I was raised with, which further complicates how I respond to every little story that comes out about this. Although he’s a big-time Red Sox fan, Bill Simmons wrote a great Page 2 article that puts it (somewhat) into perspective: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090507&sportCat=mlb
I was just thinking last night that Santana is so good that, even though he pitches for a team I hate, I’m glad that I live in NYC and get to watch so many of his starts. Last night I was actually muting the game and doing other stuff when the Mets were batting, then watching when Santana was on the mound.
I don’t know if those stats can accentuate the careers of the other guys, because how can I assume they weren’t also doing it. Honestly, I don’t think Giffey or Thome did, but Frank Thomas? Who knows? He wasn’t exactly a model player in other aspects.
Also, one thing people say often in discussing the steroids is, “Well, we have no idea how much they were helped by the steroids. Maybe the steroids didn’t even help them”. Well, isn’t it a bit strange that 3 guys (Bonds, McGwire, Sosa) basically crushed Roger Maris’s home run record, and all 3 have been tied to steroids? Isn’t that proof enough that the steroids were helping A LOT?
It is the steroid era. You can’t do what Doogan or any other knucklehead would do. We can’t choose who we think didn’t do steroids. Griffey, Thome and Thomas are guilty. You are a idiot and a fanatic if you think any different.
Wikipedia
Was Jim Thome on steroids?
In: Chicago White Sox, Baseball Memorabilia, Baseball History [Edit categories]
[Improve]
yes. he played for the biggest roid team in history – the 1995 Cleveland Indians. Albert Belle and Carlos Baerga? Whatever happened to those guys? Couldn’t be the roids.