Why Peter Gammons is a Wanker
By John Amato Saturday May 09, 2009 6:15pm
(graphic via ESPN)
For all you baseball fans. You probably know that Manny Ramirez was suspended for fifty games because he got caught taking a "banned substance." Sports reporting is very similar to political reporting. They have their own Village, their own Beltway mentality and their own wankers. And people like Peter Gammons (who at times is a very good reporter and is beloved by his Village elders) fill the David Broder role for them quite well. The medication Manny is believed to have taken is called HCG:
One report on the wire suggests that Ramirez took a drug called HCG, used to stimulate female fertility as well as testosterone production in men, and to treat delayed puberty in boys.
As the NY Times writes:
H.C.G., which has been banned since 2008, is similar to the drug Clomid, which has a history of being used in conjunction with steroids. According to medical experts, doctors prescribe H.C.G. to men who are having fertility problems or who have low levels of testosterone, both of which can be side effects of steroid use.
Jose Canseco was busted for illegally bringing HCG into the country:
HCG most recently made news when former major leaguer and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco was caught attempting to smuggle it into the U.S. from Mexico.
The Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement stated that Canseco admitted to bringing it across the border because “he is currently on a hormone therapy plan because his testosterone levels are extremely low due to his past steroid use.” HCG and LH were added to the banned drug list by MLB a year ago. They have been banned for male athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 1987.
So while Manny says he needed it for medical reasons, there isn't much doubt why he needed it, is there?
Back to Gammons. He's a big-time ESPN hall of fame pundit and Boston apologist. This is what he had to say about Manny and the drug use from ESPN2 that I transcribed:
Gammons: He had a medical issue, went to a doctor in Miami, he got a prescription, the doctor told him it was perfectly alright, it would not violate drug policy, it turns out it does, and the drug did violate baseball's drug policy which is very strict and, ummm this is not, to my understanding it's not steroids, it's not a performance enhancing drug, but guys have been suspended before for drugs that were not on the list. I mean we had J.C. Romero got suspended for sixty days for something he bought at a normal store so, ummm, it's unfortunately doctor's and players don't always know what is banned and what isn't banned. I am told that he is absolutely devastated by it and I can tell you something else.
I, there was a rumor floating around about an hour and a half ago, I contacted one of the people in the Red Sox front office and he said he did not believe it for a second. So, it's not like there was a history there from a team that he doesn't have exactly good relations with. That team didn't believe for a second that he cheated.
Gammons sucks up the propaganda from the Red Sox organization like a man stranded in a desert without any water. Can you think of one reason why the Red Sox would deny that he was a juicer? Oh, wait, maybe it would tarnish their two World Series wins. You know, how that ended the curse of Babe Ruth. And the "medication" that Manny took was called HCG which steroid users use when they come off a steroid cycle to help them produce testosterone again.
Hey Peter. It wasn't a steroid, but it's for steroid users...What a wanker that Gammons is. Now back to politics.
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If I made $25 million a year, I'd be pretty haphazard about what I put in my body, too. Sure, Manny. You had no idea.
One of the SI writers (Joe Posnanski) had this to say: "Funny thing, I never suspected Manny Ramirez of taking PEDs, and the reason will sound wrong: He never seemed quite committed enough to take them.
If a doctor prescribed or suggested he take this for fertility, I am led to wonder if he was under any obligation to inform them.
However, I will concede that a heavy equipment operator cant be on Hydrocodone and not tell their superiors of the liability should they be rolling around in the road grater.
This however, if intended to help with a fertility issue, would not be the same thing. There is a certain privacy we are ensured regarding our medical data by HIPPA. I have to wonder if Baseball may be trespassing there and if any lawyers are chomping at the bit to take MLB to the cleaners.
I think it at least warrants digging a little deeper.
HIPA would protect you from your doctor disseminating private information. It's not an absolute protection, and that's what's in those nifty forms the doctor's office give you at every turn.
But what he shares with MLB as part of the terms of his contract is totally different. It's no different than any other workplace - your employer can make it a condition of employment that they be informed if you are taking medication that could affect your job performance.
MLB is not trespassing here - they've not asked for information from his doctor. He has failed a contractually required drug test. No lawsuit there.
HCG is also used for weight loss, something which interest Ramirez. There could be a breakdown in logic here:
Steroid users sometimes use HCG.
Manny Ramirez uses HCG.
Ergo Ramirez is a steroid user.
It's entirely possible Ramirez used steroids but not a given.
Doesn't matter whether you're a banker, a CEO, a baseball player or a President (like W) - you do whatever you think will bring in the big bucks and whatever you can get away with....
JA,
He gets caught in spring, as a Dodger. Gets caught again in May, as a Dodger. Both times Joe Torre is controlling the team, as he was when Giambi, ARod, Pettite, Clemens were caught as NYY's.
So, explain me, how does this implicate Boston? This is Hannity-ish logic.
(I will come out of Sox apologist mode, but c'mon, I'm right on here.)
This isn't about Boston. The Yankees are by far worse then the Bush Admin. Boston isn't blameless, but not even in the same league with the Yankees. Stenbrenner is a HUGE Nixon fan, and if you've been to a Yankke game lately and say you need to pee during the 7th inning strech where they play GOD BLESS AMERICA you could get arested. seriously. they consider that anti american. and why I NOW hate the Yankees. That and the 5billion dollar ticket prices.
Gammons is just an old man who protects his buddies. Joe Torre is who you want to blame.
The Yankees beating the Sox in the ALCS with Jason Giambi's at bat the year before Giambi admitted to being juiced? No team in baseball is blameless but for this article to implicate Boston for Manny's actions is wankerish.
WHY he took it. It doesn't matter. He took a BANNED substance. Banned, as in "it is illegal under the rules to put this into your body."
Here in Phillieville, we are still smarting over the JC Romero thing but you know what? You put this crap into your body, you takes your chances.
There's some move afoot to try to get Manny into the All-Star Game even though he's suspended, and that's crap as well. Suspended means just that. You stay home and watch on TV like the rest of us.
MLB has the lamest drug policy ever and we have everyone from Barry Bonds to Mark McGuire with question marks after their records?
Yet you want to some how single out the Red Sox wins???
Seriously go f*&k yourself.
Talk about only hearing what you want to hear.
Like the Yankees aren't tarnished with Giambi's admission.
Everyone in baseball was using.
You can retract what you wrote or go f*&k yourself.
Either way the Red Sox are no more tarnished then any other team.
I don't curse in my posts.
My point was that Peter was protecting Boston from any hint that he was using while he was on their team. Every other ESPN baseball reporter didn't go where Gammons did.
I love baseball and I hate what they did. Giambi should have forfeited his salary and the Yanks should have been able to release him.
The Red Sox are a great team and I love Fenway.
The only game I went to was when I was in Boston and of all people Canseco was playing for Tampa Bay and he hit a HR over the Green Monster.
I wish they would get all the names out once and for all, but they had a deal of anonymity.
And they still don't test for the best types of steroids.
Please JA,
Seriously, you limpbag a lame apology.
If you question the validity of the 2004 & 2007 RS titles, let's question the 4 steroid aided 1996 to 2000 titles the Clemens, Brocius, Martinez (Tino), Posada, Pettitte, Knoblauch (maybe that's why he lost his ability to throw), Leyritz "finest team that money can buy" Yankee folks had after the Maguire/Sosa HR derby showed the world the power of 'roids. You really think THEY are not tainted in that context????
"They" say to keep your friends, you should never debate religion or political topics.
A political/religious blog (like yours), should NEVER debate sports topics (except as a tribute/compliment) if you want to keep your friends (readers).
You will only lose your friends. You have lost me and maybe others by debating a topic ONLY YOU think relevant to politics.
You've lost friends.......You've become a joke......Goodbye A$$hat...........
My guess would be Ramirez took hCG after a steroid cycle. However, let me say this:
As a pharmacist I can assure you it is not uncommon for males to be prescribed hCG. I work at a relatively small independent pharmacy and I'd say I have maybe 6 male patients that fill their Rx for hCG each month at my store. There are legitimate, useful, medical reasons for males to use hCG, none of which are related to anabolic steroids.
But, knowing baseball’s reputation....?
from people who will earn millions in sports, but would otherwise be luck to be employed? How far should we expect them to go to earn several lifetimes worth of income in a single year?
Really, C & L? Peter Gammons, the best baseball writer of our time, reports something which a source told him, and this makes him a wanker? Grow up.
Manny was suspended before he was even contacted by MLB. Please never run another story about detainees being held without a trial since you are obviously ok with people not being allowed due process. Manny is innocent, Bud Selig is an alcoholic that is going to single handedly ruin baseball. His head never tripled in size like Bonds, his career wasn't over then suddenly resurrected like Clemens, he wsn't a good hitter turned great like Palmiero. Manny is Manny plain and simply the greatest hitter of our time, he never juiced and for you to say he did, well if you were anyone of any consequence, not just somebody that links to other stories and videos clips. If you were a JOURNALIST you would never make such ignorant accusations.
And anyone that thinks Gammons is "at times is a very good reporter" is a complete jack ass. Gammons is a hack Red Sox propagandist. He is the Red Sox Jeff Gannon. He is the reason ESPN stopped covering MLB and only covers the Yankees/Red Sox supposed historic rivalry. The Red sox and Yankees rivalry didn't even start until '04. Before that the Red Sox were just some team the Yankees beat. The Red Sox, save for their Blue Jaysesque 3 year run, are nothing more than the San Diego Padres, they make the playoffs a couple of times a decade and the World Series once a decade. Without Gammons and ESPN they are a mediocre franchise.
Anyways anyone with your moronic statements can be summed up in two words: GIANTS FAN.
Yo bin Laden... you gotta get out of Tora Bora more often and catch up with some Americana.
Yo Sean Hannity get listening to (ESPN) propganda and think for yourself. The Yankees and Red sox were rivals like the Kings thought they were the Lakers rival in the begining of this decade.
As if Jack Chesbro's wild pitch in the last game of the 1904, that cost the
YankeesHighlanders the pennant- and won it for theRed SoxAmericans- means nothing. As if the Yanks winning the pennant by winning the last two games of the '49 season against the Red Sox- whom the Yanks trailed by one game, previously- means nothing. As if the Bucky Dent homer in the single game playoff in '78 means nothing.And going by what seems to be your definition of rivalry, the Sox and their fans must be scoffing at claims of such rivalry on the grounds that they've won 2 championships compared to the Yanks 0 in that column over the last 5 years.
I'm a Tigers' fan who grew up in the '70's, and I've never had any love for either team, and I've always known that there was a special rivalry between the Yanks and Sox. If you don't think that the Yankees and their fans have more relished victories over the Sox than other teams since 2004, you are nuts.
"If you don't , you are nuts."
You agree with me then tell me I'm wrong, interesting. I said it started in '04, so yes I "think that the Yankees and their fans have more relished victories over the Sox than other teams since 2004."
...over the Sox- as opposed to other teams- since opening day of 1905. Maybe even as early as 1903, when the old Baltimore Orioles moved to Manhattan and became the Highlanders.
There's more to this than just baseball. NYC and Boston have had a rivalry that pre-dates professional sports. Boston was the more important city, economically, until the Erie Canal was built. Boston remained the arts center in the country for quite a long time, home to more art galleries and publishers until the Gilded Age. Boston is still considered the educational center of the country. Chicago and LA have tried to shoehorn themselves into some similar type of rivalry with NYC over the last century or so, to no avail. There's a deep-seated contempt between New Yorkers and Bostonians that just can't be topped.
But back to baseball: The Yanks would have had a greater rivalry with the NY Giants or the Brooklyn Dodgers had either of those teams been in the American League (as it was, the Giants and Dodgers had a strong rivalry, even if the Dodgers spent most of their history in the second division of the NL while the Giants were perennial contenders for the pennant through the 1930's). The Sox might have had a rivalry with the Boston Braves had they been in the same league.
And I'll admit that there were probably periods when the Yanks/Sox rivalry waned a bit. The Sox were pretty crappy from the time they sold Ruth to the Yanks until the late '30's, when Williams arrived in Boston. The Sox weren't good from the mid '50's until '67, by which time the Yanks kind of stunk. Then the Sox won the pennant in '75, followed by the ascendant Yanks again in '76 and '77, leading to the Dent homer in '78. It's been full-tilt and getting fuller and tiltier since.
(and of course you meant 2004, because the Highlanders/Yankees weren't beating up on the Americans/Red Sox before 1904- and Boston won 6 Pennants between 1903 and 1919 (when Ruth was sold to the Yanks), compiling a 191-167 record against NY)
You forgot to include a map of the U.S. in your post so that you could point out to me where Boston and New York are located. And who is this Ruth you speak of?
At least I backed it up with some facts.
And I thought about bringing up the Philadelphia Athletics, because of the geography and because they had as much success between the inception of the AL and 1919 (6 pennants and 3 WS wins) as the Sox, and the A's had their own run in the midst of the Huggins/Ruth/McCarthy run (A's pennants in '29. '30 and '31, WS wins in the '29 and '30). But there was never a lasting rivalry with the Yanks or Sox that came from those runs. I've read and read trying to find evidence of a lasting A's rivalry with any other team, and I can't find the evidence of one.
I agree with you on a lot of what you said in your first post in this thread about Gammons, Selig, Clemens and Bonds (who would have been an HoFer without the HRs that came from the steroids). I'm still happy that p.o.s. Palmeiro got popped (the guy greased on his stats- never mind that he was horrible hitting in clutch situations), but I've had suspicions about Ramirez since he became a full time player with the Tribe in '95. And even if he hasn't been juicing, I'd take Ichiro over Manny any day. But I'm still a fan of the inside, small ball game.
And I wrote it somewhere else in this thread, but Amato roots for the Dodgers. Not if they're playing the Yanks (I'm the same way with my #1 Tigs and #1A Cubs), but he cares a lot about the Dodgers. I've swapped a lot of e-mail with him over the last 4 years- trust me on this point. He's no Giants fan, unless you're talking about the team that plays in Jersey.
Due process is required for legal procedures. No one has a right to due process in regards to employment. Due process is whatever the employer decides it is.
And in this case, Manny signed a contract that agreed to the terms of employment, including MLB's right to suspend him. Get over it.
I undertsand that moron, but you either believe in it or you don't. Just because it isn't the law that Manny get due process from MLB doesn't mean he doesn't deserve due process.
i call myself a purist, am a 50 year-old lifetime fan, not crazy 'bout sport like when i was younger, but avid Red Sox Nation. I am more puzzled by the DH rule and Bud Selig's head so squarely UHA than i am about "Mannywood". Athletes do what they can to win, apparently at great cost, etc and he just fucked up. He'll get back on that horse and the sport is still legit, to most. It is ladder day ethics and questions of equity, fair play and social justice that are the real concern in our lives, methinks.
They're all juicing, and the sports media has known it for a long time. Like their mainstream, political counterparts, both the MSM and the sports media ignored reality, and assisted MLB/The White House in putting on a happy face for everyone to see.
during which I was given:
cocaine,
morphine,
oxocodone,
percocet,
two varieties of steroid,
how many of these would have me banned from baseball. all to get my sinuses clear.
the best part about back surgery is that morphine button. If only I had one of Manny's paychecks to fall back on.
You're comparing apples and oranges.
If you have a contract that says taking banned substances will cause the loss of your job, even temporarily, then you don't take those substances. If you're having planned surgery, you let your employer know beforehand. (Not to mention, every drug that you're given at that point is prescribed and documented, and is going to be short-term use, not on-going.) If you have emergency surgery, again, the drugs you're given are documented and short-term.
And if your doctor tells you that you need to take a particular medication on a long-term and ongoing basis, I'm thinking that if your multimillion dollar salary depends on it, you might think, "Hey, maybe I should ask my EMPLOYER if this is a banned substance, and see if it's OK."
as far as I know cocaine is one of those things that quite a lot of jobs will consider a 'banned' substance. I didn't know they were intending to add cocaine to the list of medications that they were giving me until just before they knocked me out. all I did was sign a waiver to allow them to do what they thought was best.
If my employer has that much to say about something that my doctor might prescribe in a situation like that. I think some talking to my employer is in order, not the other way around.
why the hell should my employer be able to dictate to my doctor? that's just stupid.
This is lame. Peter Gammons is a God in baseball circles. I love this site and I love baseball. Let this crap go. Why does the NFL get a free pass for this stuff? Nobody cares about this except for loud mouth reporters. Move on.
I couldn't believe that Shawn Merriman of SD was suspended four games for testing positive and still made the Pro Bowl...
Merriman's stats that year warranted his inclusion, and there was no rule against it. The following year they instituted the so called "Shawn Merriman rule", which prevents exactly that. Not that anyone gives a damn about the pro bowl anyway.
JA
Who the F**K cares about Shawn "F**ing" Merriman.
You just opened Pandora's Box, scumbag.
People who agree with you from a Religious/Political viewpoint are BOUND to NOT agree with you on sports teams. Are you trying to lose readers??
You succeeded!!!
I am NOT defending Manny or any steroid geek. I think they should all be banned, as do you. BUT......... You are no different than the Repukelicans that insinuate guilt with allegations. You entered a NO-WIN arguement. You should have stayed OUT!!!!!!!
I am very disgusted and disappointed with you.
Been reading your "BLOG" for 3+ years and NOW you show your true colours. NO MORE. You are no different than the right wingnuts we all despise.
Judging by the comments of other readers, your hypocrisy has cost you credibility, if not readers, at the very least.
Bye Bye, dirtbag.
And then again, like 24 minutes before this post?
I'm sorry, but John's right: Gammons is acting like a PR flak for the Sox on this. And the fucked up thing is that the Sox should have just shut the hell up about it, they should have issued a "No comment".
And Gammons comes across as an apologist when he said:
Did Gammons call the doctor and ask if he kept in his office a list of substances banned by baseball? Did he ask Ramirez if he brought a list of those banned substances along to make sure the doctor was certain Ramirez could take this without repercussions? Because it doesn't read like Gammons did any journalism on this. It looks like he's reporting rumors.
BTW, I'm not buying that you've been reading this blog for 3+ years. If you did, you wouldn't keep calling it a "political/religious" blog. It's as if you never saw one of John's many sports posts before. It's as if you never realized the "Liars" in the title refers to the media that acts as mouthpieces for the "Crooks", and that kind of amazes me, seeing how many posts a week there are about reporting.
Cannot agree enough!
I have been waiting for a REPORTER to report on Manny's drug test results. Gammons comes close. If Manny was using he would have tested positive in the past he never did. This blogger is big on related facts but not specific facts about Manny. Who cares what some other guy did. The story claims to be about Manny. Where are his positive tests for testosterone. How long did he used the female hormone? How often did he get tested and what were the results? These question require an interest in facts and data. This blog is jumping on the popular bus so it does not have to do reporting.
The quality of this HIGHLY qualified blogger is demonstrated in his factual approach to the story. His statement about the use of HCG is right out of Fox News' play book. He leads the reader to think Manny used HGC because Manny was recovering from steroid used. But does not have the balls to say it. Not one reporter , article or "news" person has claimed Manny used performance enhancing drugs that would require him to use HGC. Why not? Could it be he did not?
The following statements demonstrates the desire to be factual. "According to medical experts, doctors prescribe H.C.G. to men who are having fertility problems or who have low levels of testosterone", that is a medical fact. Is this why Manny used the stuff? But being a QUALITY BLOGGER he adds to the statement his leading statement "both of which can be side effects of steroid use". I bet it can also be used by women. Maybe Manny is a lady. Did the blogger ask the doctor if the use was for fertility reasons, men Manny's age need a jump start, or if the doctor found affects of testosterone use. Of course not facts F*** up his popular theme. This blog has standards that would make Fox proud.
... why ya gotta hate on Boston? So your Yankees have like 137 World Series titles. Can't ya let us Boston fans have our 2?
Before you know it, New York will be hogging up all the World Series titles again, and this brief flash by Boston will be nothing but a distant memory. Dang, even I know that, and I'm a Red Sox fan. You know, the Red Sox could lose every single game they play for the rest of my life and I'd die happy ... because I lived to see them as World Champs. (Woulda seen it much earlier in '86 if it hadn't been for that darned Bill Buckner - ugh! Painful memories.)
the game was already tied when Buckner's boo-boo ended it... blame Schiraldi, for G*d's sakes
Jim Bowie's Letter & Bill Buckner's Legs if you think Bill Buckner lost the series for Boston.
...Is why I like soccer.
Peters Gammons thinks he knows all about soccer too.
Hard to be a yankee fan these days, isn't it?
Mr. Amato,
You are forgetting the timing of the piece of video you chose. That was the preliminary report released(attempting to give Manny at least a chance to tell his side) before we really knew anything in detail. To be honest, Gammons has been reporting baseball for so long I would be surprised if he couldn't speed dial ANY MLB front office, not just the Red Sox.
Full disclosure...Peter is from New England and IS a Sox fan, but how is he a wanker for reporting what manny said happened, when he is asked what manny said happened. I really think you are angry at the wrong guy.
As to the Sox clubhouse not believing the story, if you were to look at the current roster the only remaining players from the 2004 WS team are Tim Wakefield, Jason Veritek, and Big Papi. Oh and Kevin Youkilis, but he didn't start that year. Is it really so impossible to think that friends and coworkers are sad, shocked, and somewhat disbelieving at first over a betrayal?
When your hear a rumor your best friend cheated with your wife, you at least confront him to get his side before judgement. Most of the current Red Sox learned from and looked up to Manny, is it really so surprising their first reaction was disbelief?
I think Manny is probably not just guilty, but knowingly guilty. If so, he has dishonored himself, and all the players on all the teams he has played with. Lets not slander the Sal Fasanos of the world because a bunch of guys decided to cheat. In short: The real enemy is not the Red Sox or the Yankees or Peter Gammons, its the douchebags that tarnish the game I love by taking these drugs in the first place.
Lets all take a breath...
PS - If you wanna go region bashing, technically Manny is from New York.
why is amato trying to compare gammons to Broder? What a truly bizarre comparison to make. By that logic, I guess Manny equals Bush?? Huh?? I think this is an example of one of those posts that you wish you had never posted--go ahead and write it all down if you want, but don't then make the mistake of actually posting it to your blog. to quote amato, "now back to politics".
Wow...what a bogus reading of the story by C & L. Is John a Yankee fan? The drug is banned because it can mask steroid use. That's all. It's no smoking gun.
C & L is one of my favorites and the first page I hit everyday, but if I keep reading crap like this I can go elsewhere.
Looks like John is a contributing blogger for Yankee Nation..seems like a disclaimer was in order, letting folks know that Amato is biased towards the Yanks. Makes me wonder about the rest of the reporting on this site now.
http://www.pinstripealley.com/
Nor do I think it's not much of a secret that John, since he's lived in L.A. for a while now, has adopted the Dodgers as his fall-back team.
And whether HCG is a steroid or not isn't the issue. It IS a banned substance.
"And whether HCG is a steroid or not isn't the issue. It IS a banned substance."
Show me where I ever said it was. As a matter of fact, I said it was.
[emphasis added]
It IS a smoking gun. The substance he took is banned, whether its a steroid, human growth hormone, a masking agent or a fucking placebo.
C & L is one of my favorites and the first page I hit everyday, but if I keep reading crap like this I can go elsewhere.
I'm with you, Boo! This post is out of bounds and reads like an MLB.com blog. This has NO business on a political blog... AT ALL!!
I WILL go elsewhere. There's too many other high quality blogs that talk only politics and not post this sort of amateur drivel.
I've deleted the link for C & L from "my favorites".
Sad.....
Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was interviewed at length and said right at the start of spring training every year, they're read the riot act about every single thing they can and cannot do, and there should have been no mystery in Manny's mind about whether taking this was cool or not.
Gammons really is an apologist for the Red Sox, and in this case I don't know why, because most Red Sox fans are now happier than ever to be rid of that moron Manny. I guess Gammons just sees it as Manny being Manny, but pretty much everyone I know is happy he's being Manny on some other team's dime.
At first I would get angry over manny's foibles on the field. But after awhile I accepted him for the whole package. I prefer a more hustle style of player, but I I wasn't "happy" to see him go. I know plenty of Sox fans that don't wish him any ill will. Because of his on the field issues he is generally never someone's favorite...
Now is the first time I have a real reason to dislike the guy, if this is all true of course...
Who is Manny Rameriz?
To the Manny apologists: it doesn't matter why he took it. The drug is banned, and it's Manny's responsibility to know what he's taking. That's the MLB policy--there is no trial, and there is no excuse for ignorance. Had the players been proactive on performance enhancing drugs rather than pretending there wasn't a problem, maybe they would have had a better policy in place.
I'm neutral in all of this--I hate both New York and Boston.
Ah, the bile being spewed by the Boston fans in this post is just awesome. Hows it feel when the shoes on the other foot boys and girls?
1st off Pete G. ain't a wanker, he's a homer; much worse if you're a "reporter" where one would hope journalistic integrity would make you at least try to appear neutral. Pete obviously doesn't feel that way, the man practically wears his road grays on Baseball tonight.
2nd, to all you Yankee haters out there, this is the price you gotta pay when you're on top. If you go to NoMass.org you get to see the 2004 Boston WS pick pile with a great big asterisk over it. Pretty funny if you ask me.
A little too much protesting going on? Maybe.
Lastly, It does my heart good to see the overeaction by all these Boston "fans" to a positive ped test by a Dodger, a Dodger, that red Sox nation unanimously concluded they and the team would be better off without last year. Gee, if Manny's on another team now why are you guy's getting so defensive, I don't understand, especially since 3/4's of New England could'nt get rid of him fast enough in '08. Maybe a little afraid the drop-off in production of Varitek and Ortiz isn't solely attributable to age, and maybe more guys were juicing than Bonds and Giambi. But say it ain't so Papi.
Hey I heard it somewhere, and maybe you red sox nation residents can verify it. Does the B on the cap really stand for BANDWAGON?
Honestly, some of you people who shoot off your mouths in support of Ramirez apparently aren't all that bright and/or are not concerned with hitting teh Google to do any research. According to Jayson Stark at ESPN.com:
Basically, the list of substances that can get you flagged fall into three categories:
1. Stuff you'd use to cheat.
2. Stuff you'd use to push the envelope as far as possible in the hope of legally enhancing performance.
3. Stuff you'd use to treat a condition that falls under baseball's limited list of "Therapeutic Medical Exemptions," such as ADD.
But there are no indications that either Manny or his doctors ever contacted the union or MLB seeking any type of Therapeutic Medical Exemption. So there goes that potential for an innocent mistake. And if that's out, what does that leave?
So Ramirez took the drug while not seeking any exemption from the league, which he could have done, if he'd really had a "personal medical condition."
Buh-bye Manny!
In defense of Peter Gammon's, yes.
So C & L is taking a page from the GOP's play book and:
1) Creating wedge issues
2) Claiming that the opposition stands for something it does not.
IE: "Honestly, some of you people who shoot off your mouths in support of Ramirez apparently aren't all that bright."
That's not what we stand for and you are not paying attention or are deliberately trying to mislead.
What really pisses me off is that Pete Rose is banned from baseball forever because he was caught betting on ball game and at the same time these guys who use steroids get caught and what happens to them? They get suspended for a number of games! Why aren't these cheats thrown out of MLB forever? When I was a kid, we would not tolerate any other kid trying to cheat whenever we would be playing baseball, football, or hockey! These creeps are CHEATERS and they should be dealt with as such! Fire their asses and don't let them back in the game,EVER!
Yeah I agree ... Pete should be ceremoniously returned to baseball in a reconciliatory manner ... Like a long silence between a father and son there should be a forgiveness and a healing. Enough with the punishment already. Pete has paid his dues for his mistakes. Although I don't agree with your harsh words saying these guys are all creeps ... You're judging them as if the game of baseball is still the innocent game of yesteryear when it had integrity. That was blown apart long ago by mega corporate media and profit. The game itself has totally changed and I find it hypocritical for the guys behind the desks to act like it's one thing and then wheel and deal for higher and higher stakes ... all the while expecting perfect angeles to play the game.
I suspect Gammons also works for the drug company.
This is because BB is an asshole and AR is an asshole and everybody knows it.
MR, on the other hand, is a nice guy. And he wasn't taking HGH, so he gets the benefit of the doubt. When you go around treating people like crap like BB and AR, people look to jump on you the minute they can.
On the other hand, if you treat people with respect like MR did, people tend to believe you when you plead ignorance. Personally, I'm sure that he takes more than twenty supplements a day, and adding one more without checking with MLB first doesn't make him a cheater, it makes him stupid. There's a difference.
It may make him stupid, but it doesn't give him a free pass.
I'm thinking if I had a multimillion dollar salary at stake, I could find time to check with my boss to see if it was OK to add that pill to my regimen.
I don't recall seeing a word from Amato regarding Small-balls Giambi, Rocket-in-my-Pocket Clemens or that Lip-Glossed Wonder, A-roid. Gee, I wonder why?
I like the blog but John's such a typical, loudmouth, yankmee douche bag, driving the wanker bus. If Steinbrenner said there were WMD & Saddam was flying one of the planes, Amato just might have ended up ranting in support over at LGF...
Right on, bro. Amato is a hypocrite and know-it-all. You see, he KNOWS the Red Sox spout "propaganda" regarding what they knew about Manny. BS. The Sox would have leaked to the media by now any info about steroid use by Manny if there was any, given his disgraceful exit from the Sox last summer. The Sox and us fans didn't have any reason to believe Manny was a cheater until now, so I believe them (Sox execs) when they say Manny gave no indication or evidence he was on the juice during his nearly 8 years in Boston. If Amato were a Bostonian and Sox fans, he'd give the Sox front office the benefit of doubt too.
As a die-hard Sox fan, this hurts. There was never any significant jump in numbers or change in body weight/appearance in Manny that I saw that would indicate PED use. So this comes as a shock to me. That said, John Amato is wrong in saying the Red Sox 2 World Championships are tainted. This doesn't affect Curt Schilling's heroic performances and Pedro's brilliant pitching in 2004 or Mike Lowell's clutch-hitting in the 2007 Word Series.
We don't know how long Manny used PEDs/steroids but even if he did it during 2004 and 2007, that would taint the Sox championships no more than (and even LESS than) all those current and ex-Yankee steroid/PED users (A-Rod, Giambi, Sheffield, Clemens, Kevin Brown, Andy Pettitte using HGH, etc) tainted the Yankees many playoff runs and championships in the late 1990s and early-and-mid-2000s. And Amato knows it!
HCG is human growth hormone ... it's not testosterone or a steroid. It is used sometimes with steroids because it increases fat burning and recovery from workouts. The body produces this naturally but as a person gets older the body produces less. HCG has nothing to do with steroids what so ever. It is also widely used in HIV patients to increase their appetite and keep them from wasting.
HCG is also used an as anti-aging supplement. It does not so much increase strength or performance as much as it helps in recovery from workouts and injury. So I don't get why it is banned as a performance enhancement drug. As men age their testosterone and HCG levels naturally decline. If a doctor prescribes a regime of these drugs to bring those levels up to normal levels it should not be illegal. It just allows men to play the game comparatively longer.
The propaganda around these therapy's are at hysterical levels. It's not as if we are engaged in human animal hybrids yet. Both testosterone and HCG occur in the body naturally ... why not ban coffee and Ben-Gay while we are at it. Maybe all the players should be required to eat exactly the same food and get exactly the same amount of sleep.
All steroids do is push more glycogen into the muscles ... this fills them up and make tighter allowing for more strength and recovery. It doesn't make people better ball players. I've taken them and I still can't hit worth a damn. You have to have real talent to begin with. All this hysteria and hype is over the top. I'm not saying steroids are a good thing. They can have life altering side effects that can ultimately hurt a persons long term health.
It's like no matter what you do you have to pay the piper ... you may stay young and virile longer but on the other side the decline is faster.
Peter Gammons is a good reporter, but he also made a Faustian Bargain like Bob Woodward for trading objectivity for access. Gammons is pretty close to Theo Epstein, probably as close as Dan Shaugnessy is far away. Much of Gammons report seemed to be a first hand account from Scott Boras..
If this is going to tarnish the Sox, it is going to be a trail to David Ortiz. Who was 2004 ALCS MVP. If it is just an isolated case, of Manny being Manny juiced, then the Sox may be get some serious fallout, but it sort of looks bad on Manny, the Dodgers and Scott Boras.
The ESPN reporters that have a better story was the team of Mark Fainaru-Wada and TJ Quinn, which basically showed the Boras's cover story was just a sham. Manny had synthetic testosterone in his body, which points to steroid use.
I undertsand that moron, but you either believe in it or you don't. Just because it isn't the law that Manny get due process from MLB doesn't mean he doesn't deserve due process.
you Yankee fans are neurotic! " apologist for Boston"!!!??? Boston doesn't NEED an apologist! WTF did Boston ever do???!!! Manny doesn't play for Boston anymore, and when he did, he didn't take drugs! He always passed all of his drug tests till he got to LA. The whole GD Yankees 2000 team was on performance enhancing drugs!! ALL OF THEM!! For Christ's sake! Boston's better than you, accept it and get over it. Freakin' loser!
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