Mark McGwire on Steroids: "I did it"

Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.

McGwire says in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade and he apologizes for his actions.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," McGwire said. "I had good years when I didn't take any, and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry."

"After all this time, I want to come clean," he said. "I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."

"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again," McGwire said in his statement. "I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season."

"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said in the statement. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too."

Well, I'm sure the acts of steroid use comes as no surprise to any of you, but it sure is nice to hear the man finally come clean.

In another bit of "yeah, no kidding" news, another source is telling us, "Clay Aiken might be gay"....stay tuned.

Aroldis Chapman is a Cincinnati Red

Updating our earlier news, it is now appearing more likely that Aroldis Chapman will be a Cincinnati Red.

Besides our sources, the Reds themselves are announcing the news stating, "MLB.com has confirmed from a National League source that the team involved is the Reds."

We are also hearing this elsewhere, such as from Jeff Blair of Toronto's Globe and Mail, who also confirmed that Aroldis Chapman has agreed to a five-year, $30 million contract with the Reds.

He writes:
The Cuban left-hander drew bids this winter from baseball's biggest spenders and several surprise teams, but the Reds stepped forward and grabbed him with an overwhelming offer. Chapman's fastball has been clocked in the triple-digits but he has no major league experience and his first year in the show may be an adventure.

No word on whether the similarities in hats had anything to do with his decision.

Again, none of this is 100% confirmed, but it is the latest news.

We'll update when more news comes in.

Aroldis Chapman has Agreed to a $30MM Offer from NL Team

according to a tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

The question now is, "which team?"

Last we heard on Chapman, the main suitors were American League teams (the Angels and Blue Jays) and the largest offer he'd received was around $23MM, so this would qualify as a major surprise.

Passan reports:

Cuban left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman, whose defection sparked a bidding war among major league teams that coveted his 100-mph fastball, agreed Sunday morning to sign for $30 million with a National League team, according to a source close the negotiations.

The 22-year-old Chapman’s value has steadily climbed since a Dec. 15 workout in Houston in which he wasn’t throwing at full speed and still hit 97 mph. His potential as a front-of-the-line starter intrigued teams from coast to coast, as the Los Angeles Angels, Florida Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays were reportedly strong suitors.

The bidding increased from an initial $15.5 million offer from the Boston Red Sox in early December when Chapman to the highest reported proposal of $23 million from Toronto. In recent days, the unidentified National League team trumped them all with an offer still far short of the $50 million Chapman initially sought.

Few NL teams beyond the Marlins have been linked to Chapman. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals sent their general managers to the workout. The New York Mets are an intriguing possibility as well, fulfilling Chapman’s desire to play in a big city. The Cincinnati Reds were “going after him like crazy,” according to a source, but were skeptical about landing him.

The increased interest around baseball coincided with Chapman firing Edwin Mejia, a fledgling agent who helped him establish residency in Andorra after he defected from the Cuban national team over the summer. His new agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, are well-respected around baseball, and officials said they appreciated the transparency the Hendrickses applied to Chapman.

More to follow.

UPDATE: There is no definitive word, but it looks like the Reds are the team.

Putting What Sanchez Did in Perspective

I'm taking a quick break from baseball this weekend since we have the NFL playoffs and not much going on in Mets land.

From what I can tell, only 9 rookie QBs have started an NFL playoff game since 1970.

Some of them have gone on to have superb careers, even a HoF career, while others didn't fare well.

Now Sanchez is the great unknown--he was very up and down in 2009, but one thing is for certain....he had an amazing game yesterday and he has the pedigree to be a great one.

Every throw was on point, he moved in the pocket well, and he was in command all game.

They will probably lose next week, but if he can play the same type of game against the Colts (I'd rather see them play the Colts than SD), it will be a heck of a ball game.

Here are the rookie year playoff game stats for all rookie QBs that started at least one playoff game in their rookie year.

Happy Birthday Elvis, I Need a Cure for the Winter Blues

Holidays are over, the Giants are done, it's cold, basketball sucks, hockey is hockey, the NFL playoffs will be OK, but if the Cowboys or Eagles win the big one it will just worsen this creeping malaise, and worst of all, the Mets don't head to Florida for over a month.

Work is piling up, my iPod broke, and the blogs don't seem quite as funny this year--likely because the Mets had such a rough season in 2009.

I need an action plan....

Buy a new iPod (tomorrow)
Listen to a lot of Elvis on the new iPod
Read funny blogs (Metstradamus is a chuckle fest, and the Kranepool Society is often hilarious)
Find pictures of hot girls in Mets gear



I feel better already.

I Love Delgado, But...

You're going to hear a lot from the blogs today about Delgado's HR and his lofty .364 BA and .417 OBP....those are terrific numbers for a player coming back.

But at least consider this: he hit his homerun off Todd Moser.

Yes, THAT Todd Moser (You're forgiven if you've never heard of him).

Todd Moser pitched in the Independent Leagues since 2005, the majority of his "professional" career.

The 33-year old Moser's complete stats can be found here.

Now in Moser's defense, he did lead the Chinese Professional Baseball League in saves in 2007 with 13.

And the best part, the scouting report:

"Despite his size, Moser is considered a finesse pitcher with the changeup being his most effective pitch. He also throws a two-seam fastball that sits in the upper 80s, a curve and slider."

So great for Delgado--I really want him back here, but let's at least temper our enthusiasm a bit when talking about the homerun.

Jubilant with Jason Bay

The Mets pulled off a great move in securing Jason Bay. Matt Holliday has marginally better numbers, but it's much closer than many are making it out to be, and you might just be surprised by the fielding stats.

Bay: 4yr/$66 Mill ($16.5 per) or 5yr/$80 Mill ($16 per)
- 31.3 years old

Holliday: 7yr/$120 Mill ($17.1 per) or 8yr/$137 Mill ($17.1 per)
- 30.0 years old

First the OPS+ over the last 5 seasons:

Bay: 150, 138, 94, 134, 134 (131 average)
Holliday: 114, 137, 151, 138, 139 (137 average)

RBIs over the last 5 seasons:

Bay: 101, 109, 84, 101, 119 (103 average)
Holliday: 87, 114, 137, 88, 109 (107 average)

There are a few other things--Bay has actually averaged 31 HRs to Holliday's 28 over that span, though to be fair, Holliday does edge him out in runs, BA, Slg, and doubles. Both players hit LH and RH pitching almost equally.

The bottom line is they are close...very close.

The fielding thing is being blown way out of proportion. The "Holliday is a good fielder" statements being told hither and yon are simply not supported by the numbers.

In 833 games as a LF, Holliday averages -2.5 rTot/Yr. Bay, the "bad fielder", averages -9.5.

The interesting thing about Bay is that his total is amplified by his 2008 numbers--the worst of his career--at -30.7. He turned it around in 2009 and came in at a solid 7.4 in 2009 while Holliday put up a 0.0.

Bay also had a career high with 15 OF assist in 2009 compared to 1 for Holliday.

Lastly, let's look at their RF/9 (putouts + assists divided by innings played). Bay comes in at 2.09, whereas Holliday is only at 1.91.

So while the jury still may be out on Bay's ability in LF, saying Holliday is a "good fielder" isn't supported by the math.

The Mets made a great move signing Jason Bay--he's a difference maker and a big bat smack dab in the middle of the lineup.

90 Days Until Opening Day

Last year's opening day was the fulfillment of a long winter of hope, and a spring training in which many believed the Mets would fight for a World series title.

I'm sure you remember the Sports Illustrated prediction.

Instead it turned into what many believe was one of the most frustrating seasons in team history.

2009 Opening Day lineup

J Reyes SS

D Murphy LF

D Wright 3B

C Delgado 1B

C Beltran CF

R Church RF

B Schneider C

L Castillo 2B

J Santana P

For 2010, 2/3rds of the outfield is new, with an enormous upgrade in LF, and a pretty good upgrade in right. Francoeur is likely to put up solid offensive numbers, good defense, and play nearly every day while bringing his energy and enthusiasm to the clubhouse.

There will be a new catcher, though it's yet to be determined which combination of players will fill that key role in 2010. I've stated here many times that Josh Thole is the guy, and we should accept some defensive growing pains for the productivity we desperately need at the bottom of the order. Thole is a "rally enabler".

The remaining questions revolve around Delgado and possibly Castillo, but there is certainly a good chance both players have their final Met year this season.

While many are clamoring for Daniel Murphy to continue in a starting role, I'd personally like to see him in the minors for a full season, though he'll likely fill a slot on the bench with a decent amount of games at 1B if Delgado is signed.

What If the Mets Players Return to Form?

Looking at the Mets lineup, or the potential Mets lineup, there is definitely some reason for excitement.

For kicks, I looked looked back at the 2007 to 2009 seasons, and picked the best year for each player in our potential lineup.

In this analysis there are more than a few assumptions, so please don't take this for anything more than it is.

I think Carlos Delgado will be back, so I penciled him in at 1B.

I also think Josh Thole is going to win the primary catcher job and turn over partial duty to Santos or Blanco or whomever else looks the best in Spring Training. Now for Thole's stats I used a very scientific method...they are totally made up, and they are conservative.

So with that said, let's look at our lineup and the best season from these guys over the last three years:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Reyes	688	113	204	37	19	16	68	66	82	56	15	0.297	0.358	0.475	0.833
Castillo	486	77	147	12	3	1	40	69	58	20	6	0.302	0.387	0.346	0.733
Wright	604	113	196	42	1	30	107	94	115	34	5	0.325	0.416	0.546	0.962
Beltran	606	116	172	40	5	27	112	92	96	25	3	0.284	0.376	0.500	0.876
Bay	531	103	142	29	3	36	119	94	162	13	3	0.267	0.384	0.537	0.921
Delgado	598	96	162	32	1	38	115	72	124	1	1	0.271	0.353	0.518	0.871
Francoeur	642	84	188	40	0	19	105	42	129	5	2	0.293	0.338	0.444	0.782
Thole	400	50	115	25	2	3	45	40	50	4	3	0.288	0.352	0.383	0.735

Not too shabby! A nice mix of power, speed, average, OBP and an absolute ton of doubles.

Of course this is a dream world, but it also presents us with hope of what could be.

Adding Jason Bay was a terrific move. If the players in front of him all stay healthy and produce, the Mets will not have trouble scoring runs.

Sure, that is a lot of "ifs", but hey, it's January, 20 degrees outside, and the possibilities are endless.

Thole Time--It's a Young Man's Game

With all the hand-wringing going on over which putrid veteran catcher to sign, the Mets should go with Thole and Santos.

The more I think about Josh Thole, the more I like the idea of him as the primary starting catcher in 2010.

First off the guy can hit--just flat out rake--he sprays the ball to the gaps and is a great fit for Citi Field. He killed it in Venezuela after hitting .321 with the Mets as a September call-up.

The reason most fans don't want to see Thole as the starter in 2010 is his defense. But truth be told, his defense has improved, and one more year in the minors vice a year in the majors is of marginal difference.

Let's get his bat up here now.

Would Thole and a .370 OBP be preferable to Molina and a sub-.300 OBP? (he had a .285 OBP last year in 491 at-bats)

Could the Mets use more energy and enthusiasm?

Can't you just see Thole bonding with Beltran, Wright, Bay, Francoeur, and our young starters?

Look at Thole's last 7 games as a starting catcher with the Mets in 2009--the team went 6-1 with an ERA of 3.00.

Thole can be our Jason Kendall or Butch Wynegar--if we're lucky he can be our Ted Simmons.

All of these guys were catching and playing major roles for their clubs in their early 20s.

It's Thole time.

Day 1 of the Rest of Our Baseball Loving Lives

Happy New Year fellow Mets fans....it's time to forget about the past, and focus on the future.

I mean, who wants to hear about David Wright's alarming K rate and loss of power when we can talk about his return to form in 2010!

Who wants to worry about all of those injuries when we can focus on a healthy 2010!

Ollie Perez didn't struggle last year--because I forgot 2009 existed--Ollie Perez if going to give us 200+ innings of good baseball in 2010!

We got Jason Bay! We got Johan freakin Santana! We have an outfield that could hit 100 homeruns!

I am pumped, excited, charged up, stimulated, fevered, intoxicated, agog, and to be honest, a little gassy from the champagne, but anyway--I am feeling these Mets!

As the old saying goes, are you with me, or agin' me?

2010! The best year of our baseball loving lives!

A Decade Fades Away

And along with the decade, so does an industry-- an industry that thrived for ten years making ultra-funny glasses for attention-starved geeks everywhere that had two "O's" in the middle for your eyes.










As you can plainly see, 2010 simply does not work...we'll see you in 90 years my laugh-starved friends....