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.

Nats and Sox Announce New Racing Mascots

If you're a fan of racing mascots...you're going to want to pay attention.

Friday night, the Washington Nationals announced via Twitter that they have decided on which President to add to their lineup.
 

The physical should prove to be an interesting one given "The Big Chief" once tipped the scales at a very Sabathia-like 332 pounds.

And why William Howard Taft?

On Opening Day in 1910, he became the first U.S. President to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.  Legend also has it that te 27th President also “invented” the seventh-inning stretch, when he stood up to stretch at a game and the crowd around him did as well.

Okay, I honestly don't know why, but "Bill" will join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt when the season opens at Nationals Park.

Thursday, the Chicago White Sox made it official, announcing that they'll be wearing 1983 throwback uniforms durnig Sunday home games during the upcoming season.  More importantly, they'll also be honoring their popular "Winning Ugly" team with three glorious racing mascots.

Enter "Racing Pudge" (Carlton Fisk), "Racing Harold" (Baines) and "Racing Kitty" (Ron Kittle).  Now, I don't know about you, but watching those three guys and their bad knees running the bases was painful enough...I'm not so sure I want to see their mascot counterparts doing the same.

Nevermind...I totally do!

 

 

Gio Gonzalez Tweeted His Phone Number

Welp, Gio Gonzalez is about to get a lot more popular.  That is, of course, if this is really him.

Friday, the Washington Nationals pitcher pulled a "Canseco" with his close to 57,000 Twitter followers and tweeted his phone number.

Twice.

 

Be prepared for the inevitable "I was hacked" or the tweets to be removed from Gonzalez's timeline.

The Ladies Still Love Bryce Harper

So, the Washington Nationals are knotted up in their series against the St. Louis Cardinals and teen wunderkind Bryce Harper is batting a robust .100 (1-for-10, with six strikeouts) so far in his inaugural postseason.

But who cares about numbers, right? 

Regardless if he's batting his weight, your weight, a pre-teen girl's weight or staring down Hall of Fame reporters in the clubhouse, one thing is for certain...the ladies love them some Bryce.

And they took to Twitter to show it.

@KD_Swagg: Bryce Harper is seriously the guy of my dreams
　
@LivvMahonXO: Bryce Harper is hotter than mike trout #noquestion
　
@LoniiiS: Bryce Harper is some kinda sexy though #forreal
　
@natasha1hampton: Watching the Nationals game, I finally get to see my man! Bryce Harper you are sooo sexy, be mine
　　
@LaVivaaSarah: I love the Cardinals but Bryce Harper is so HOT!! #bewithme #baseballcrush
　
@abrookiee: I will defend Bryce Harper with everything I have.
　
@coraestern: well...dammit. it's okay, bryce harper, I'll comfort you ;)
　

And not to be outdone, wrestling legend The Iron Sheik got into the act.

Sure, the WWE Hall of Famer was commenting on the 19-year-old's eyeblack (the Alice Cooper wannabe ditched the warpaint mid-game) and not his sex appeal, but, c'mon...how many times do I get to embed a tweet from The Iron Sheik?

Famed Ballhawk Ejected for "Selling Baseballs"

Zack Hample is a good friend of The Hall, and to say that the guy has been ballhawking for a while (he snared his first souvenir in 1990) would be an understatement.

Matter of fact, dude is currently riding a 863-game streak where he has snagged at least one ball...388 consecutive with at least two.

But, last week, an seemingly overzealous Nationals Park stadium cop tried to single-handedly end Hample's ballhawkery.  You see, for just the fifth time in his career (career?), Hample was kicked out of a game.

As he says "way back in the day, the security goons of Shea Stadium kicked me out four times for catching too many baseballs and refusing to hand them over and for refusing to obey the special set of unfair rules that they invented just for me."

Hample has since taken to his blog and laid out his case...and it's a pretty good one (complete with some great pictures!).

Here's the condensed version of what happened that "The Baseball Collector" told Deadspin immediately following his ejection last week.

I was approached by a police officer. He told me he'd gotten a call from someone who reported that I was selling baseballs. I was like, WTF, and told him very calmly that it simply wasn't true and that there must've been a mistake. Then more cops showed up. Then the head of stadium security showed up, along with his assistant and other stadium personnel. There were seven of them, and they insisted that I'd sold a baseball, which they told me is illegal to do on their private property.

I told them that I'd snagged more than 6,300 baseballs in my life and never sold one — that I was proud of never having sold one . . . that I once turned down a $10,000 offer for a Barry Bonds home run that I caught, that I'd turned down a $500 offer last year after catching the Mike Trout homer, that I give away baseballs to kids at just about every game I attend, that I've raised all that money for charity, and so on. I even offered to take a lie-detector test, but they didn't want to hear any of it. They simply insisted that I'd sold a baseball, and they ejected me from the stadium

.
Alright...all this aside (and more on this soon), Hample did get a pretty cool snapshot out of the whole ordeal.

Tommy John Talks Stephen Strasburg

Hey Washington Nationals fans, your team is in first place in the National League East with the best record in baseball...why the long faces?

Oh, that's right, manager Davey Johnson and team brass aren't budging and still plan to shut down your ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg once he hits 180 innings pitched.

Yeah.  That's a tough one.

For the uninformed, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said, before the season, that the 24-year-old phenom would be placed on an innings limit...playoffs or not.

Why?  Because dude is still rehabbing from his 2010 Tommy John surgery. 

And while there are plenty of skeptics out there, no one could be more puzzled that the 2012 Hall of Very Good inductee himself.

"They have a lot of money invested in him and are erring in the side of caution.  Is it right?  I personally don’t think so," Tommy John told The Hall of Very Good exclusively.  "After I had (Tommy John surgery), the only way we knew to get my arm stronger was to throw.  So I threw every day.  And the more I threw…the better my arm felt.  I never missed a start in the thirteen years after arm surgery because of my arm being sore or stiff because I threw off a mound to a catcher every single day."

The 23-year-old Strasburg is 12-5 with 160 strikeouts through 127 innings...but all that might be moot if he won't be available for the postseason.

"It’ll be hard to tell the other 24 guys on the ballclub, ‘you busted your ass and we’re not going to pitch our best pitcher the last month of the season’," John continued.  "If I was Strasburg, I’d be lobbying to pitch.  What you play for all season is to pitch in the postseason."

Bryce Harper Shows Off Team Pride

Is Bryce Harper becoming the kind of player who, regardless of what he says or does, people are going to make comments?

It sure looks that way and The Nats Blog is supporting my theory.

Driving down the streets of my hometown of Burke, Virginia this afternoon, a really nice car caught my eye. Nice cars aren't a rarity in the Virginia suburbs, but something about this one really got me interested. On this Mercedez-Benz AMG, the Benz logo had been replaced with a Washington Nationals Curly W. To the left of the logo read: BAM 34. The licence plates were from Nevada, and the brake pads had "34" painted on. This was no ordinary luxury vehicle. This was Bryce Harper's luxury vehicle.

So...is the whole thing just a touch douchey?  Probably.

But, is this kid full of team pride?  Absolutely.

And say what you want, it sure beats that monster truck dude was rolling in last summer.

Bryce Harper: "That's a clown question, bro"

Oh, Bryce Harper, you scamp you.

I've been critical of the Washington Nationals wunderkind so far, but, lately, he's kinda growing on me.  And if you're already tired of hearing (reading), "that's a clown question, bro"...you'll want to continue your Twitter silence for a little longer.

That said, courtesy of our friends at The Score...here's the quote in all its glory.  And proper context.

The Bryce Harper Fathead Has Arrived!

I'm pretty sure I had nothing to do with this, but, naturally...I'll gladly take credit.

Early Wednesday, after reading about some over zealous Washington Nationals fans spray painting their love for Bryce Harper on their apartment wall I wrote this:

But, before you put paint to wall, isn't there a better way to profess your love for the DC wunderkind?

The short answer. No. You can't.

I've got a feeling Fathead will remedy this soon.

And they did.  Later Wednesday afternoon...here's a comment I received.  From Fathead.

Man, you guys are good! Talk about perfect timing...Let's try Fathead search results for "Bryce Harper" one more time:  That's better! Now they can put a face to the name on their wall...

Yes!

Now, if anyone else is out there in the interwebs paying attention...I'm got some other requests.  Just drop me an email and let's talk!

Better Than a Bryce Harper Fathead? Probably

Sure, it's not exactly "Fernandomania", but the hype surrounding Washington Nationals rookie sensation Bryce Harper is still a huge deal.

How big?  Check out the email Sarah Kogod at The Washington Post received.

I live in an apartment building with two of my buddies. The one, like me, loves Harper. The other is an O's fan and cannot stand him. Well his birthday is coming up and we decided to give him a present. We aren't supposed to paint our walls living in an apartment but that's exactly what we decided to do. So Friday while he was at work we came up with the Harper mural attached in the email and painted it while he was at work. Let's just say he was pretty surprised when he came home. He didn't even get too upset because it was priceless.

And, naturally, here's the "mural".

But, before you put paint to wall, isn't there a better way to profess your love for the DC wunderkind?

The short answer.  No.  You can't.

Matter of fact, if you head over to Fathead.com, hammer out "Bryce Harper" you're going to get the same result you would if you walked into your nearest sporting goods store and asked for a lifesized visage of the 19-year-old superstar.

I've got a feeling Fathead will remedy this soon.  I mean, if you can get Cameron Maybin decor...something tells me Bryce Harper is in the queue.

Bryce Harper to Debut Saturday

According to everyone in the Twittersphere (and, yes, I pretty much mean everyone), mega-prospect Bryce Harper is set to make his debut Saturday when his Washington Nationals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The move comes after the club's placement of Ryan Zimmeran on the 15-day disabled list.

Question.  If we already had "Strasmas"...does this mean it's time for a "Harper New Year"?

The 2010 number one overall draft pick is hitting just .250 with one home run in 82 plate appearances for Triple-A Syracuse.

Jayson Werth Blasts Truck with Homer

So...didja hear the one about the mammoth blast Jayson Werth hit Sunday?

Well, as it turns out, the Washington Nationals outfielder hit his own truck with the first inning homer off New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvery.

"It just left a hole in the Earth where my truck used to be," Werth said of the estimated 492-foot moonshot that ricocheted off the front bumper of his pickup.

The home run was such a spectacle that Adam Kilgore from The Washington Post tweeted that it might be "the hardest-hit ball (Werth has) hit as a National."

That's high praise.
The pride of Chatham, Illinois is hitting .281 this pre-season and is looking to rebound from a dismal 2011 that saw him hit .232 with only 20 home runs.

Look Who Got Tattooed!

It looks like someone just found out he can get tattoos without a parent or guardian signature!

In what appears to be the first two of many ill-advised tattoos that he'll surely get...baseball wunderkind Bryce Harper has decided to name his hands.

This...courtesy of SB Nation:

On Wednesday, Dan Steinberg posted photos of Bryce Harper at the tattoo parlor. A tribute to his parents. No big deal. In fact, it's kind of nice.

PROBLEM: This is what Bryce will be staring at for the rest of his life.

If these were shoulder tattoos, it wouldn't matter much that they would appear upside-down from his perspective. But these are wrists. He's gonna look at them a lot. And while everyone else will see "Pops" and "Mom," he will forever see "wow" and "sdod."

I guess it could be worse...he could've gone "flight attendant" and gotten that Ultimate Warrior-style eyeblack tattooed on his face.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this won't be the dumbest thing the future Washington Nationals slugger will do with that gigantic signing bonus.

Here are some suggestions as to what dude can do:

• Move the Washington Nationals BACK to Montreal...it sure would make Jonah Keri happy.

• Pay for former Expos closer Ugueth Urbina's release from prison AND sentence him to do yardwork.

• Get tattoos removed.

Thoughts?

Stephen Strasburg Throws Off Mound...Can't Hold a Gun

Earlier this week, pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg tweeted some encouraging words to the Washington Nationals faithful.

First bullpen in the books. Felt great! Hopefully time will speed up now!

Of course, that was far better news than what Kevin Kaduk from Yahoo! Sports posted…that the big righty had been taken into custody by red ninjas.

Allow me to explain.

Wednesday…a fella by the name of “Vega” put up a gem of a post over at the Washington Nationals Fan Forum.

It started innocently enough:

I picked up a Mcfarlane Playmakers Stephen Strasburg action figure two weeks ago. I figured that you guys might want to see it, so here's my review.

Then the hilarity ensued...and it included a number of your favorite G.I. Joe figures, a chainsaw, Wolverine and, of course, those red ninjas.

Now, if the exploits if action figure Strasburg is a precursor of what might be on the horizons for a healthy Stras…oh my.

If he can't return from Tommy John surgery…I’m pretty sure homeboy has a second career as an American Hero already lined up!

Bryce Harper is Growing a Mustache!

Fear not, friends...there is nothing misleading about the title of this post.

That's right, for all the things the Washington Nationals top draft pick from a year ago is doing right (a .376 batting average, 1.155 OPS, 7 home runs and 24 RBI in his first year of professional baseball)...you can safely add "grow a mustache" to the list.

"The Mustached American community is pleased that Mr. Harper would rather look like a robust mammal with a thick upper mouth mane as opposed to his current look channeling a young Opie Cunningham," said Dr. Aaron Perlut, chairman of the American Mustache Institute

Now...if only the Dread Pirate Roberts lookalike can ditch the Ultimate Warrior-style eyeblack.

Collin Balester Channels Rod Beck

Earlier this week, Lou Olsen from the site Reviewing the Brew unleashed the fourth installment of his popular John Axford Mustache Facts.

Perhaps inspired by the majesty of Axford's lip sweater, Washington Nationals reliever Collin Balester has decided to carve his goatee into one of the fiercest things to take the bump since Rod Beck weakened knees.

"Bally" is already the head of the American Mustache Institute's West Coast Bureau, but by the looks of it...he might be auditioning for a role on "Sons of Anarchy" next.

Naturally, he unveiled his new look via Facebook and Twitter.  Suffice it to say...you should be following him.

More Mustache Talk with Collin Balester

In February, Dr. Aaron Perlut of The American Mustache Institute caught up with Washington Nationals pitcher Collin Balester and dropped what could end up being the best web series of this upcoming baseball season.

And yes...I'm talking about "MLB 'Stache Talk".

Well...here we are a month later.  Spring Training is coming to a close and Perlut again caught up with the AMI's Major League Baseball correspondent.

The two talked about Balester's chances of heading north with the team (he was optioned to Class AAA Syracuse shortly after the interview was conducted), discussed what the daily routine is while in Spring Training and even managed to plug a couple of products.

Enjoy the video. And if you're so inclined (and, frankly, you should be)...you can follow The American Mustache Institute on Twitter at @MustacheTalk and Collin Balester at @BallyStar40.

Bryce Harper Sprains His Ankle

Alright...I'll ask it.

Are the Washington Nationals cursed?  I mean, first all-world hurler Stephen Strasburg goes down with an arm injury and now..."mega-prospect" Bryce Harper, last year's number one overall pick, has sprained his ankle.

This from the Washington Post:

Outfield mega-prospect Bryce Harper had to be removed on a cart from a minor league intrasquad game in Viera, Fla. after spraining his left ankle, according to a statement released by a team spokesman. After an immediate examination by the Nationals’ training staff, the team considers him “day-to-day.”

Sure, a sprained ankle isn't that big of a deal, but if you listen close enough...you can hear the panic coming from the Nats fans.

And yeah, there are a couple out there.  I had to check with Google...but they exist.

The 18-year-old Harper started the spring in the Nationals' Major League camp because he was on the team's 40-man roster...but was optioned to the Minors a little over a week ago.  He batted .389 (7-for-18) with three doubles and five RBIs in 13 games.

He's expected to start the season at Single-A Hagerstown of the South Atlantic League.