The Goose Lets Loose! Again

It's getting to the point where people talking about players not being in the Hall of Fame because of performance enhancing drugs is getting as annoying as speculating who did or didn't juice.

One guy who continues to repeat himself is Goose Gossage.

The 2008 inductee was, again, just as he was on the eve of the Class of 2013 Hall of Fame announcement, out there banging the drum Thursday.

"We’ve got a bunch of cheaters that are up for the Hall of Fame," Gossage told the crowd gathered for, of all places, the University of Calgary Dinos’ baseball and fastball fundraising dinner.  "I wish these guys who are lying would come clean. Roger Clemens was found innocent but so was O.J. and he killed two people. Stop lying and quit dragging baseball through the mud."

Really...O.J. Simpson?  Wow.

If Gossage really wants to make news, he should step forward and talk about some of his former teammates that have been outed as users (or possible users).  Because, while the closer's career didn't extend that far into the fabled "steroid era"...he did share a clubhouse with the likes of Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez. 

And my guess is that he might've seen or heard something at least once.

Pitcher's Dad Denies Son's Steroid Use

It seems like it's been, well, weeks since we've heard anything about steroids in baseball.

Now there's this.

According to the Miami New Times, records taken from an anti-aging clinic near the University of Miami reportedly link several big leaguers to performance enhancing drugs.  And the doctor at the forefront of all this...Anthony Bosch.

Yeah, the same cat who, in 2009, was connected to Manny Ramirez's suspension.

But, this time, Bosch's business extends well beyond the former slugger, it includes a number of players with ties to Miami.  Among them...Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and Nelson Cruz.

Rodriguez, Cabrera and Colon have been linked to PEDs in the past, but Gonzalez and Cruz?  Those are new names.

And to fuel the fire surrounding Gonzalez?  The Washington Nationals' pitcher's dad, Max, is also listed as a client.

Naturally, the elder Gonzalez says his son has nothing to do with Bosch.

"My son works very, very hard, and he's as clean as apple pie," the Max Gonzalez told the New Times. "I went to (Bosch) because I needed to lose weight. A friend recommended him, and he did great work for me. But that's it. He never met my son. Never. And if I knew he was doing these things with steroids, do you think I'd be dumb enough to go there?"

Major League Baseball has yet to mention any of the players listed in the report by name, but Tuesday morning they issued a statement saying the league’s department of investigations had already been looking into the connections in South Florida.

Sammy Sosa Takes the Interwebs by Storm

Sammy Sosa today is not the same guy he was a few years ago.

He's a sharp dresser, the head of a needle-free injection company and, remarkably, he has remembered the English language.

The former slugger took to the interwebs for ten minutes Wednesday afternoon to answer some questions from his fans.  And while he didn’t respond to any questions about steroids (he did comment on Lance Armstrong)…he does believe that both he and Mark McGwire belong in the Hall of Fame.

"I'm not going to come here and say anything that's going to jeopardize my future. But definitely, time will determine everything,” the 1998 National League MVP said. “I’m waiting for my time. I'm the type of person that I don't like the controversy. I'm going to wait here, but definitely time will determine everything.”

Of course.

Other topics Sosa touched upon…his legacy with the Chicago Cubs, his future as a coach and, of course, whether or not he’d be interested in running for president of the Dominican Republic.

"Listen, you never know. If that moment comes in, I will be ready,” Sosa said of his political future. “I don't say that it's going to happen tomorrow or the next day, but I'm going to continue to take care of my family and taking care of the rest of the people, I feel comfortable already and I feel like I'm a president doing that."

You can catch the entire chat below.  Enjoy.

Sammy Sosa is Fronting a Needleless Injection Company?

It's not news to anyone, but, last week, Sammy Sosa did not make it into the Hall of Fame.  And, for some reason, the 1998 National League MVP felt it his place to comment.

"Even if we weren’t inducted on our first time," Sosa said via a statement, "we are still winners and there is always a next time."

Now, unless Sosa has a mouse in his pocket...I'm not sure who the "we" is. 

Except, there's this.

The former big leaguer, who hit 609 home runs during his career, is the new face of Injex 21...a company that, well, here's what the Chicago Tribune says about Injex 21.

That company specializes in needleless drug injections, according to the news release and according to its website, injex.com the front of which welcomes visitors with the headline, "A future free from needles." The site then lists insulin as one example of a medicine that can be delivered with the Injex 21 system and shows pictures of people using its products.

A company biography on the Injex 21 site says Sosa was introduced to the firm in "mid 2012," and that the former Cubs icon saw it as a chance to "help millions of people. From people who are afraid of needles to those who have to subject themselves to daily self-injections and to medical workers who are at risk for puncture wounds."

Hold on.  What would Sosa know about daily self-injections? 

I mean, this is the same guy who, while battling Mark McGwire to best Roger Maris' single season home run record back in 1998 famously claimed his increased strength came from ingesting Flintstones vitamins, not from, oh, nevermind.

Seems like a logical choice.

Fergie Jenkins: "Rumors" of PED User in Hall Already

The Hall of Fame and the use of performance enhancing drugs ruled the day once the Class(less) of 2013 was announced on Wednesday.

As a surprise to few, no one was elected, but as a surprise to many...current Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins suggested that Cooperstown might already have a user in its midst.

"I've heard rumors about four years ago that someone who has been in the Hall of Fame now for a couple years was in that particular situation," the 1991 inductee said during an interview on MLB Network. "There haven’t been any names put to the rumors. I’m not going to be the one who spreads it around but it’s rumors that you hear."

Bob Costas asked Jenkins to clarify his statement.

"There have been some rumors," Jenkins said. “No names involved, just some rumors. He played in the ’80s and ’90s and now is in the Hall of Fame, but that’s just a rumor.”

So, who does that single out?  Your guess is as good as mine...but there aren't too many guys that fit the description.

Jenkins was also asked if he would attend the induction ceremony if someone who knowingly took PEDs was elected.

His answer...it was pretty much the same as it was when he and I spoke about it nearly four years ago.

“I’d have to think long and hard about it,” he said. “There have been a few players who have voiced their opinions, and it’s been publicized. I think they’d be embarrassed to show because they played the game honest and now they have someone in the game who possibly cheated.”

Larkin: Cheaters "Don't Belong" in Hall

Barry Larkin hasn't even been in the Hall of Fame a year...but already he's drawn his line in the sand regarding the biggest names on this year's ballot.

The 2012 inductee, who spent most of his career playing during the "steroid era" wants to keep baseball's most exclusive club clean. 

Meaning...no Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens or Sammy Sosa.

"I think if you cheated, no, you don’t deserve it because I know how difficult it was for me to get there and how difficult it was for me just to compete on an everyday basis," Larkin told reporters Thursday. "I think if you cheated, I think you made a decision and I don’t think you belong."

The longtime member of the Cincinnati Reds went on to compare those accused of using steroids to his former skipper Pete Rose.

"I look at what has happened with Pete Rose. Pete Rose is not a Hall of Fame player, banned from baseball. But if you go up to the Hall of Fame all of his records, his bats, everything in is represented in the Hall of Fame," Larkin said. "I see a very similar thing happening with guys that are associated with or been accused of using steroids. I think they will recognize their accomplishments but I don't think those players will be admitted to the Hall of Fame."

The 2013 Hall of Fame voting results will be announced Wednesday, January 9.

Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2013

Back in January, I was less than shocked that Barry Larkin made the leap from 62.1% to Hall of Famer, but as we all know...this weekend's induction is just the calm before the storm.

So far, the BBWAA has taken a pretty harsh stance against those that have used or been suspected of using steroids.  And with all due respect to Mark McGwire (who can't get more than 23.7% of the vote) and Rafael Palmeiro (12.6% this past voting cycle), this coming January is when we'll see where the line in the sand is drawn.

You see, in 2013, it is possible that three of the game's greats might be left out in that Cooperstown cold. But here’s the rub…as of now, none of them have been found guilty of using any banned substances.

Here are the players that will be appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2013.

NOPE (regardless of what they did “before they started using steroids”).

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa.

IN.

Craig Biggio.
To the casual fan…the words “Craig Biggio” are synonymous with “consistency”. And it’s true, the dude was…to the tune of 3060 hits, 668 doubles (good for fifth all-time) and a career .281 batting average. His seven All-Star appearances, five Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Gloves pale in comparison to one of his greatest/oddest achievements…the 285 times (two shy of the record) he was hit by a pitch.

Mike Piazza.
A number of years ago, rumors started swirling that the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year was a user of PEDs. Fortunately for the 12 time All-Star, the idiom “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” has (seemingly) not been fully investigated, but it's probably safe to say Piazza is going to suffer the same "but he might've done steroids" fate as Jeff Bagwell. As it is, the catcher finished his career with a bloated .308 career batting average, nine straight seasons with an average of .300 of higher, 427 home runs, including eight straight seasons with 30 or more and 1335 RBI. Not bad for a guy who was taken as a favor in the 62nd round of the draft.

OUT (in random order).

David Wells.
“Boomer” finished his career with a 239-157 record and 13 seasons with ten or more wins. Add to that his perfect game, two World Series rings and three All-Star appearances and you have a very, very good pitcher…but not a Hall of Famer.
Roberto Hernandez and Jose Mesa.
Easily confused as the same dude, Hernandez had 326 saves (12th all-time) and Mesa notched 321 (13th all-time). Hernandez is 12th all-time in games played with 1010, while Mesa is tied with Lee Smith with 1022…ninth all-time.

Mike Stanton.
After Jesse Orosco, Stanton is second on the all-time games pitched list with 1178.

Steve Finley, Shawn Green, Jeff Cirillo, Jose Valentin, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Conine, Royce Clayton, Bob Wickman, Ryan Klesko, Aaron Sele, Woody Williams, Rondell White, Mike Lieberthal, Tony Batista, Sandy Alomar Jr., Damian Miller and Todd Walker.

 ON THE BUBBLE.

Curt Schilling.
When he finally hung up his bloody sock and called it quits, plenty of people were already willing to hang up Schilling’s plaque and his recent business failure aside...they still are. Sure, his post-season performances are legendary, but his overall body of work was just very, very good. Sure, he won close to 60 percent of his decisions and won 216 games. Sure, he topped 3000 strikeouts with 3116, but did you know that he finished his career second all-time with a 4.38 strikeout to walk ratio? Yeah…me neither.

Kenny Lofton.
Ask anyone if Lofton is a Hall of Famer and they would say (without hesitation) “no”. And they’d probably be right. However, if you compare his stats to “could be HOFer” Tim Raines, they stack up. Raines has 2605 hits, carries a .294 career average and scored 1571 runs. Lofton finished his career with 2428 hits, a .299 average and 1528 runs. Throw in six straight All-Star appearances and four straight Gold Gloves and the case for Lofton looks halfway decent.

Julio Franco.
I always take a lot of flack for saying Franco is "on the bubble" but this is how I would vote...not the BBWAA and not the SABR community. I put him here for the simple reason that he was his generation’s Satchel Paige. If you believe what he told you…he played until he was 48. Some folks suggest that Franco was older. Dude holds the distinction of being the oldest player ever to hit a grand slam, pinch-hit home run, two home runs in one game and to steal two bases in a game. And goofy stuff like that means something to me.  Also, throughout his career, he has more than 4200 hits joining Ty Cobb and Pete Rose as the only three to surpass 4000. The breakdown: Major League Baseball-2586, Minor Leagues-618, Mexican League-316, Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball-286, Dominican Winter League-267 and South Korea's Korean Baseball Organization-156. Not too shabby!

Friday, we'll take a fresh look at the first time guys on the 2017 ballot. Until then...you can enjoy a week of re-hashes.

Roger Clemens...Not Guilty?

I've come to a point in my life where I'm avoiding all big news stories until the NMAtv folks put out their animation.

The recent Roger Clemens perjury trial is the latest.

But now, after watching the video, I wish I had paid more attention to the trial.  Who knew that (A) "The Rocket" looked so much like Joba Chamberlain and (B) those pesky asterisks followed him around wherever he went.

Dave Henderson Talks Steroids, Mark McGwire

Oh, steroids...it's funny how we still talk about you.

A couple of weeks ago, Jack Clark blasted Tony LaRussa, saying he was "responsible for a lot of the cheating that went on".  Meaning, in a nutshell, the former skipper knew about the rampant steroid use in his clubhouse.

Sour grapes from a former member of the St. Louis Cardinals who was, in his estimation, not allowed to hang out with the club when LaRussa was in charge?  Maybe.

But where there's smoke, there's, well...more validity.

Enter Dave Henderson who played for the LaRussa-led Oakland A's from 1988 to 1993.  The former outfielder recently told the San Jose Mercury News that he, too, knew of steroid use while with the A's.

"I think it was pretty obvious that when a guy gains 40 or 50 pounds of muscle, he is on steroids," the 1991 All-Star said.  "Throughout my career that guys started hitting the ball 20-30 feet farther. It wasn't fair but I couldn't do anything about it."

Henderson also went on to call out former teammates Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and anyone else who used steroids.

"I think it's pretty simple..none of them get in,'' Henderson said. "If you cheated, you are not a Hall of Famer."

Why anyone would randomly ask Dave Henderson about someone's Hall of Fame credentials is beyond me, but , I suppose, there are only so many times you can talk to dude about the 1986 playoffs, right?

Jose Canseco Apologizes for Juiced

Jose Canseco is like the mob.  Everytime I tell myself I'm done with him...he does something to pull me back in.

Wednesday night was no different.

In "Pulp Fiction" it was referred to as a "moment of clarity".  That said, I'm not sure what schizophrenics (or whatever Canseco is) call it.  But enough cliches...here's the bomb the former American League MVP dropped via Twitter.

I am truly sorry for hurting my teamates and friends when I wrote juiced.

Say...what?!?  Then there was this.

I have had nightmares since I wrote that book it still haunts me till today .it is my demon that never sleeps

Wow. 

Alright.  I'm not the world's biggest Canseco apologist, but his 2005 bestseller Juiced (or, if you prefer, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big) actually got the whole steroids ball rolling if you think about it.

Right out the gate, dude claimed that 85% of the league was on the juice.  Sure, there's no way to substantiate that...but, it wasn't like he was off target with some of his individual finger pointing.

Among the players Canseco outs...former teammate Mark McGwire.  And after not addressing the subject for years, the slugger finally admits to it in January 2010.  Also mentioned...Rafael Palmeiro.  This, of course, led to the infamous Grand Jury testimony and, subsequently, an August 2005 suspension.

Lastly, Roger Clemens was also tabbed as being a user of performance enhancing drugs.  And while the seven-time Cy Young award winner was very dismissive of Canseco's claims...his name popped up in the Mitchell Report 82 times.

Plenty of people are going to blast Canseco and his truths, but as Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers told me a while back "you don’t see too many people suing him."

I could go on and on, but I won't.  We all know what else came after Juiced...and I'm not just referring to Vindicated.

That said, can we believe that Jose Canseco has turned over a new leaf and is the hug monster he is portraying on Twitter...or are we just witnessing his third book being played out before our eyes?

Looking Ahead to the Class of 2013

I've made the joke for a while now that when the Class of 2013 gets enshrined, The Baseball Hall of Fame might just explode.

A year from now...we'll know for sure.

The BBWAA has taken a pretty harsh stance against those that have used or been suspected of using steroids.  And with all due respect to Mark McGwire (who can't seem to get more than 23.7% of the vote) and Rafael Palmeiro (12.6% this past voting cycle), 2013 is when we'll see where the line in the sand is drawn.

You see, in 2013, it is possible that three of the best players to ever suit up in the modern era and take the field might be left out in that Cooperstown cold. But here’s the rub…as of now, none of them have been found guilty of using any banned substances.

NOPE (regardless of what they did “before they started using steroids”).

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa.

IN.

Craig Biggio.
To the casual fan…the words “Craig Biggio” are synonymous with “consistency”. And it’s true, the dude was…to the tune of 3060 hits, 668 doubles (good for fifth all-time) and a career .281 batting average. His seven All-Star appearances, five Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Gloves pale in comparison to one of his greatest/oddest achievements…the 285 times (two shy of the record) he was hit by a pitch.

Mike Piazza.
A little while back, rumors started swirling that the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year was a user of PEDs. Fortunately for the 12 time All-Star, the idiom “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” has (seemingly) not been fully investigated. As it is, Piazza finished his career with a bloated .308 career batting average, nine straight seasons with an average of .300 of higher, 427 home runs, including eight straight seasons with 30 or more and 1335 RBI. Not bad for a guy who was taken as a favor in the 62nd round of the draft.

OUT (in random order).

David Wells.
“Boomer” finished his career with a 239-157 record and 13 seasons with ten or more wins. Add to that his perfect game, two World Series rings and three All-Star appearances and you have a very, very good pitcher…but not a Hall of Famer.


Roberto Hernandez and Jose Mesa.
Easily confused as the same dude, Hernandez had 326 saves (12th all-time) and Mesa notched 321 (13th all-time). Hernandez is 12th all-time in games played with 1010, while Mesa is tied with Lee Smith with 1022…ninth all-time.

Mike Stanton.
After Jesse Orosco, Stanton is second on the all-time games pitched list with 1178.  Gotta mean something to someone though, right?  Maybe?!?

Steve Finley, Shawn Green, Jeff Cirillo, Jose Valentin, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Conine, Royce Clayton, Bob Wickman, Ryan Klesko, Aaron Sele, Woody Williams, Rondell White, Mike Lieberthal, Tony Batista, Sandy Alomar Jr., Damian Miller and Todd Walker.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Curt Schilling.
When he finally hung up his bloody sock and called it quits, plenty of people were already willing to hang up Schilling’s plaque. Sure, his post-season performances are legendary, but his overall body of work was just very, very good. Sure, he won close to 60 percent of his decisions and won 216 games. Sure, he topped 3000 strikeouts with 3116, but did you know that he finished his career second all-time with a 4.38 strikeout to walk ratio? Yeah…me neither.

Kenny Lofton.
Ask anyone if Lofton is a Hall of Famer and they would say (without hesitation) “no”. And they’d probably be right. However, if you compare his stats to “could be HOFer” Tim Raines, they stack up. Raines has 2605 hits, carries a .294 career average and scored 1571 runs. Lofton finished his career with 2428 hits, a .299 average and 1528 runs. Throw in six straight All-Star appearances and four straight Gold Gloves and the case for Lofton looks halfway decent.

Julio Franco.
I've taken a lot of flack for saying Franco is "on the bubble" but this is how I would vote...not the BBWAA and not the SABR community. I put him here for the simple reason that he was his generation’s Satchel Paige. If you believe what he told you…he played until he was 48. Some folks suggest that Franco was older. Dude holds the distinction of being the oldest player ever to hit a grand slam, pinch-hit home run, two home runs in one game and to steal two bases in a game. And goofy stuff like that means something to me.  Also, throughout his career, he has more than 4200 hits joining Ty Cobb and Pete Rose as the only three to surpass 4000. The breakdown: Major League Baseball-2586, Minor Leagues-618, Mexican League-316, Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball-286, Dominican Winter League-267 and South Korea's Korean Baseball Organization-156. Not too shabby!

It's going to be a fun 12 months, gang!

Ryan Braun "Juiced"? Here's an Idea

With this weekend's revelation that Ryan Braun was found guilty (not guilty?) of using performance-enhancing drugs, the interwebs were abuzz as to whether or not to strip the 2011 National League MVP of his award.

While that would probably make the Matt Kemp fans out there happy, it's probably not likely to happen.

Less likely to happen...the suggestion by Arizona Senator John McCain via Twitter.

Ryan Braun juiced - can we do the playoffs over again?

The one-time anti-steroids crusader might be on to something, though.

I mean, if it wasn't for Braun batting .500 (9-for-18) in the Milwaukee Brewers' best-of-five series against the Arizona Diamondbacks...there's no telling how the rest of the season would have played out.  Heck, if they could have gone on to beat the eventual World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, it could have meant another trophy for the snakes.

You remember the last time McCain's beloved Diamondbacks hoisted the trophy, right?  It was 2001 and on that team...current coach Matt Williams and team favorite Luis Gonzalez who were both suspected of, wait, nevermind.

Ugh.  Steroids.  Next topic please.

Breaking Down the 2012 Hall of Fame Ballot

On Wednesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the upcoming 2012 Hall of Fame ballot.  Included are 27 candidates (down from last year's 33)...13 newcomers and, like last year, 14 holdovers.

Unlike last year, when Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven got the obvious call, there are no shoe-ins whatsoever.

Leading the pack of returners is 1995 National League MVP, Barry Larkin...who is on his third ballot.  A year ago, the longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop finished third overall with 62.1% of the vote.

Other holdovers include Jack Morris (53.5%), Lee Smith (45.3%), Jeff Bagwell (41.7%), Tim  Raines (37.5%), Edgar Martinez (32.9%), Alan Trammell (24.3%), Larry Walker (20.3%), Fred McGriff (17.9%), Don Mattingly (13.6%) and Dale Murphy (12.6%).

Three others, Mark McGwire (19.8%), Rafael Palmeiro (11.0%) and Juan Gonzalez (5.2%) are obviously adorned with the steroid scarlett letter and have about as much of a shot of making it in as you or me.

There are no notable newcomers on the ballot, which makes this a boring, boring ballot.

Leading the pack, however is possibly the most accomplished of the first ballot guys...New York Yankees fan favorite Bernie Williams.

Good friend of The Hall "Bald Vinny" might have Williams on his Yankees Mt. Rushmore, but it isn't likely that the Hall of Fame will welcome him. Sure, his .297 career batting average (including eight straight seasons of .300 or more), 2336 hits and 22 post season home runs are things of recent Yankee lore…but they are nothing but a blip on the radar of what gets mentioned alongside the names of those in Cooperstown

Other notable first ballot guys...Javy Lopez, Ruben Sierra and Vinny Castilla.

It's been a long time, but back in the day, I think we all might have been tempted to make the argument that Lopez was on his way to something. Then, well, the train left the tracks and I'm not really sure what happened to the guy. He ended his career with a respectable .287 batting average and 260 home runs.

20 years ago, Sierra was, along with Hall of Very Good frenemy Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Pete Incaviglia, THE future of baseball and you would have been hard pressed to find anyone to agree with you. Now, after 306 home runs and 1322 RBI…he’s an interesting footnote to an era that has long since passed.

Was Castilla a very good hitting third baseman or another one of those who was helped by the much ballyhooed Coors Effect? Both?!? Any way you slice it, his 320 home runs and near perfect hair doesn’t get him through the doors of Cooperstown without paying first.

Rounding out the ballot...Jeromy Burnitz, former two-sport star Brian Jordan, Bill Mueller, Terry Mulholland, Phil Nevin, Brad Radke, 1993 American League Rookie of the Year Tim Salmon, Tony Womack and Eric Young.

Voting results will be announced Monday, January 9.

Manny Ramirez Plans on Coming Back

I used to be a huge Manny Ramirez fan.  No, really...I was.

But now, I'm getting a little tired of the guy.

After years of "Manny Being Manny", he got popped for violating the league's anti-drug policy.  Less, than two years later, he got caught again...and up and quit.

And then, earlier this month, he was arrested following an "altercation" with his wife.

Now this...from ESPN.

Manny Ramirez upon learning he will not be able to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic because he's on MLB's inactive list, told ESPNdeportes.com Thursday that he will formally request reinstatement.

Ramirez said that upon reentry, he would serve his 100-game suspension for a second violation of MLB's drug policy.

"I would comply with my pending sanction and I would be available for any major league team," Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com's Enrique Rojas via telephone from Miami. "I already informed (agent) Scott Boras of my decision to return and begin the process.

"If any team wants to sign me, I would play. If no one does, I would look to play in Japan or any other place. I was not prepared for retirement."

Ramirez cannot serve his suspension until he signs with a major league club.

Ugh.

While I'd love to see Ramirez just walk away...I do think this thing has a chance to become a beautiful disaster for all of us to watch.

Three potential postives.

• Ramirez returns and allows the boys over at URtheFan.com to create some awesome new t-shirts.
• Ramirez doesn't make it back to the Majors and ends up playing independent ball with Jose Canseco and his merry band of misfits.
• Ramirez throws an orange back in the ole blender and gets popped again for juicing.

Let's say Ramirez DOES come back...what are your hopes for the former World Series MVP?

Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2013

I've made the joke for a while now that when the Class of 2013 gets enshrined, The Baseball Hall of Fame might just explode.

Soon we'll know for sure.

The BBWAA has taken a pretty harsh stance against those that have used or been suspected of using steroids.  And with all due respect to Mark McGwire (who can't get more than 23.7% of the vote) and Rafael Palmeiro (11% this past voting cycle), 2013 is when we'll see where the line in the sand is drawn.

You see, in 2013, it is possible that three of the best players to ever suit up and take the field might be left out in that Cooperstown cold. But here’s the rub…as of now, none of them have been found guilty of using any banned substances.

NOPE (regardless of what they did “before they started using steroids”).

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa.

IN.

Craig Biggio.
To the casual fan…the words “Craig Biggio” are synonymous with “consistency”. And it’s true, the dude was…to the tune of 3060 hits, 668 doubles (good for fifth all-time) and a career .281 batting average. His seven All-Star appearances, five Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Gloves pale in comparison to one of his greatest/oddest achievements…the 285 times (two shy of the record) he was hit by a pitch.

Mike Piazza.
A little while back, rumors started swirling that the 1993 National League Rookie of the Year was a user of PEDs. Fortunately for the 12 time All-Star, the idiom “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” has (seemingly) not been fully investigated. As it is, Piazza finished his career with a bloated .308 career batting average, nine straight seasons with an average of .300 of higher, 427 home runs, including eight straight seasons with 30 or more and 1335 RBI. Not bad for a guy who was taken as a favor in the 62nd round of the draft.

OUT (in random order).

David Wells.
“Boomer” finished his career with a 239-157 record and 13 seasons with ten or more wins. Add to that his perfect game, two World Series rings and three All-Star appearances and you have a very, very good pitcher…but not a Hall of Famer.


Roberto Hernandez and Jose Mesa.
Easily confused as the same dude, Hernandez had 326 saves (12th all-time) and Mesa notched 321 (13th all-time). Hernandez is 12th all-time in games played with 1010, while Mesa is tied with Lee Smith with 1022…ninth all-time.

Mike Stanton.
After Jesse Orosco, Stanton is second on the all-time games pitched list with 1178.

Steve Finley, Shawn Green, Jeff Cirillo, Jose Valentin, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Conine, Royce Clayton, Bob Wickman, Ryan Klesko, Aaron Sele, Woody Williams, Rondell White, Mike Lieberthal, Tony Batista, Sandy Alomar Jr., Damian Miller and Todd Walker.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Curt Schilling.
When he finally hung up his bloody sock and called it quits, plenty of people were already willing to hang up Schilling’s plaque. Sure, his post-season performances are legendary, but his overall body of work was just very, very good. Sure, he won close to 60 percent of his decisions and won 216 games. Sure, he topped 3000 strikeouts with 3116, but did you know that he finished his career second all-time with a 4.38 strikeout to walk ratio? Yeah…me neither.

Kenny Lofton.
Ask anyone if Lofton is a Hall of Famer and they would say (without hesitation) “no”. And they’d probably be right. However, if you compare his stats to “could be HOFer” Tim Raines, they stack up. Raines has 2605 hits, carries a .294 career average and scored 1571 runs. Lofton finished his career with 2428 hits, a .299 average and 1528 runs. Throw in six straight All-Star appearances and four straight Gold Gloves and the case for Lofton looks halfway decent.

Julio Franco.
I've taken a lot of flack for saying Franco is "on the bubble" but this is how I would vote...not the BBWAA and not the SABR community. I put him here for the simple reason that he was his generation’s Satchel Paige. If you believe what he told you…he played until he was 48. Some folks suggest that Franco was older. Dude holds the distinction of being the oldest player ever to hit a grand slam, pinch-hit home run, two home runs in one game and to steal two bases in a game. And goofy stuff like that means something to me.  Also, throughout his career, he has more than 4200 hits joining Ty Cobb and Pete Rose as the only three to surpass 4000. The breakdown: Major League Baseball-2586, Minor Leagues-618, Mexican League-316, Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball-286, Dominican Winter League-267 and South Korea's Korean Baseball Organization-156. Not too shabby!

Friday, we'll take a fresh look at the first time guys on the 2016 ballot. Until then...you can check out the re-hash of the 2012 first ballot nominees HERE.

Ricky Vaughn Did Steroids? Whaaaa...?!?

You figured it was just a matter of time before this story broke.

And, thankfully, the Thirty Mile Zone was all over it. Because, honestly, what else do they have going on?  I mean, both Charlie Sheen and steroids are still hella relevant, right?

Right?!?

If it seemed like Charlie Sheen had a little extra juice on his fastball during "Major League", it's because the actor pumped himself full of steroids to prepare for the role...so says the Warlock.

Sheen, who famously played fireballer Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, revealed his secret to Sports Illustrated, saying he went on the special sauce for "six to eight weeks" in the hopes of "enhancing [his] performance a little bit."

Sheen added, "You can print this, I don't give a f--k. My fastball went from 79 [mph] to like 85."

I guess I'm not shocked.

Shocked would be that Corbin Bernsen trained for his role by training with Tom Emanski.  Seriously...I've seen some of the Emanski videos and that "ole bullshit" that Roger Dorn pulls at third isn't up to par.