^
First, there was dopey doper Lance Armstrong vaulting past Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire into the No. 1 spot in the Lying Sleazeball Hall of Shame. Has any athlete ever cheated his way to more glory over a longer stretch than Lyin' Lance? As it turns out, his most noble act was helping Oprah get good ratings for his network. Given all that he overcame to be such a dominant sports figure, I never thought I'd utter this sentence: Lance Armstrong is a coward.
Then came Manti Te'o. I'm still not buying the Notre Dame linebacker's lack of complicity in the whole "my fake girlfriend is dead" scam. For those who feel sorry for him, he did lie to both his father and to reporters about supposed face-to-face meetings with his online love. Come on, Manti ... even Jan Brady fessed up about George Glass shortly after inventing him.
Finally, it was Bill Belichick getting completely outcoached by the Ravens' John Harbaugh, who seemed to know what the Patriots were going to do before Belichick's team did. It's now been nine long years since Belichick's last title. I guess it's tough to be a genius without illegally spying on one's opponents.
***
Roberta and I just got back from Hawaii, where we spent six nights relaxing on Kauai and then six nights on Maui having fun with Katie and Ben. Aside from seeing the kids and enjoying fantastic weather, the highlight had to be our 5 1/2-hour boat trip -- during which we snorkeled with huge sea turtles, oohed and aahed as two male humpback whales brawled for the affection of a female and watched four spinner dolphins frolicking in the surf.
We also ate lots of good food, enjoyed a cold beer or three, got pummeled by humongous waves, hiked into Waimea Canyon and also into a bamboo forest, caught up on our sleep and watched an NFL playoff game that started at 8 a.m. local time.
Everybody defines paradise differently, but it's pretty hard to spend time in Hawaii and not believe you've found it.
^
Showing posts with label Jose Canseco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jose Canseco. Show all posts
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Baseball's enduring steroid stain
^
Lots of people claim to be "old school," but they're not. I am.
Need proof? I get the newspaper every day. Need more proof? I read it, front to back. Need still more proof? I even read the agate pages in Sports!
For all you kids out there, the agate pages are those filled will bits of stats and facts and other minutiae and the print usually is really small. So small that us old-schoolers need good reading glasses.
Oh, and for all you kids out there, a newspaper is ... oh, forget it.
Anyway, something in the bottom right corner of the baseball agate page in today's Charlotte Observer caught my eye. It was a string of items in the This Date In Baseball feature that AP makes available daily. Here is the string:
1988 - Jose Canseco became the first major leaguer to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season.
2000 - Rafael Palmeiro became the 32nd player to hit 400 home runs.
2001 - Alex Rodriguez hit his 48th home run, breaking the major league record for shortstops.
2001 - Sammy Sosa became the first player to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season.
2006 - Barry Bonds hit his 734th career home run, an NL record.
Yep, in baseball's last quarter century, Sept. 23 was a big day for juicers.
Going forward, it's going to be interesting how the game deals with its history concerning this period.
It's difficult for the game to be proud of its heritage when so many of its major milestones were established by guys who got where they were by jabbing themselves in their keisters with syringes.
I mean, how many records and notable achievements involving home runs from 1985-2005 weren't influenced by steroids?
^
Lots of people claim to be "old school," but they're not. I am.
Need proof? I get the newspaper every day. Need more proof? I read it, front to back. Need still more proof? I even read the agate pages in Sports!
For all you kids out there, the agate pages are those filled will bits of stats and facts and other minutiae and the print usually is really small. So small that us old-schoolers need good reading glasses.
Oh, and for all you kids out there, a newspaper is ... oh, forget it.
Anyway, something in the bottom right corner of the baseball agate page in today's Charlotte Observer caught my eye. It was a string of items in the This Date In Baseball feature that AP makes available daily. Here is the string:
1988 - Jose Canseco became the first major leaguer to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season.
2000 - Rafael Palmeiro became the 32nd player to hit 400 home runs.
2001 - Alex Rodriguez hit his 48th home run, breaking the major league record for shortstops.
2001 - Sammy Sosa became the first player to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season.
2006 - Barry Bonds hit his 734th career home run, an NL record.
Yep, in baseball's last quarter century, Sept. 23 was a big day for juicers.
Going forward, it's going to be interesting how the game deals with its history concerning this period.
It's difficult for the game to be proud of its heritage when so many of its major milestones were established by guys who got where they were by jabbing themselves in their keisters with syringes.
I mean, how many records and notable achievements involving home runs from 1985-2005 weren't influenced by steroids?
^
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Make the most of it, Manny
^
The List
Top five things Manny Ramirez will do on his "vacation":
5. Grow his hair until he can use it as a jump rope.
4. Go shopping for the Original Whizzinator. Remember: Accept no substitutes!
3. Ask the Dodgers for a well-deserved raise.
2. Join his buddy, Jose Canseco, at the local community center's Fun With Syringes class.
1. Get checked out by his gynecologist to see if the hCG worked. Here's hoping it's a boy!
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