Place Your Bets Now
by Texy
2007 December 12 at 10:59 am
The Mitchell Report is coming!
The Mitchell Report is coming!
We need our own modern day Paul Revere- except it’s more like: one if fewer than twenty names, two if more than twenty names.
The New York Times is reporting that the Report will name FIFTY active and former baseball players, which is quite a bit more than previously expected. That also sounds like there won’t just be free agents on the list, so anyone is fair game. The waiting is over at 2 p.m. Eastern tomorrow- when Mitchell will hold his press conference to release the results.
So, place your bets now… who do you think will be on the list?
No one gets points for saying Barry Bonds!
trot nixon, bret boone
trot nixon, j.d. drew, nomar
Trot Nixon is a pretty safe bet.
I’ll add: Eric Gagne, Sammy Sosa and David Dellucci.
Josh Beckett
*ducks*
(just kidding)
No one is safe! Except Josh Beckett, who is beyond reproach (cough, cough).
You know- that brings up an excellent question that Piney was also talking about: who would you be most upset to see on the list? Other than Sox players, I’d have to say: Craig Biggio, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Kevin Millar and Todd Helton.
I’m guessing Giambi is too easy too.
I’m agreeing with Ally–Nixon and Boone are on my list.
God help those free agents.
For a commentary I really liked about the whole thing (and read all the way through before you agree or disagree, it goes in a few directions):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-finkelman/baseball-steroids-bonds_b_76276.html
Man, Todd Helton, that would be upsetting. But mainly it’s pretty obvious which Red Sox I do not want to know that information about (cough, Papi, Captain Varitek, cough). (Curiously, if Manny’s on the list, I do not even care, except that I’ll have to hear about it all the fucking time until I die).
There’s no way Mitchell is stupid enough to sell out some of these people…the players that are the so called “hope” of baseball blah blah blah. Plus I doubt you’ll see many Red Sox on the list for “obvious” reasons. I think the more interesting question is who do we see more of: pitchers or hitters?
I think the biggest offenders of this steroid thing are gonna be relief pitchers. They do it up so they can get an extra MPH or so on their fastball. So I expect a bunch of relievers to be on that list and borderline major leaguers who did it up so they could get themselves a spot on the MLB roster. I think there’ll also be some superstars as well.
My guesses: Embree, Gagne, Scott Linebrink, Trotter(as much as it hurts to say), Brendan Donnelly(he suddenly came onto teh scene in 2002 and had an exceptional 2003…I love the pottymouthed fellow but I think he’s one. Clemens I think used it but only in like the mid-90’s and I know that you love teh Clemens but ehhh I dunno I wouldn’t be surprised.
Roger Clemens for sure.
I’m gonna be a broken record and mostly repeat guys already mentioned… Trot (sob, sigh), Gagne, Clemens, Giambi. A-Rod, hopefully, though probably not. I might even suggest Posada, too–he’s 36, and had that big injury in ‘05 only to come back to his two best offensive seasons.
I just realized I’d be really upset if I found out Gagne was using ‘roids. Not because he’s my favorite or anything, but because it’d mean that he was using illegal performance-enhancing drugs and STILL screwed up every time he walked onto the mound.
I will not be surprised at all if Clemens is on there. I will be pissed, but not surprised.
And Liza- the report is likely not going to cover this season- I think it’s mostly going back over years past. So we’ll still get to blame Gagne’s sucking on him, well, sucking.
I’m afraid that The Captain might be on the list – I mean, that body…
But I’ll be so disillusioned. I really want to go on believing that he walks on water.
I’m placing a bet on Clemens myself. And I agree about Posada.
I don’t know about Big Papi. I actually buy his story about not knowing what was in the supplements from the DR. If he kept on taking them… then I’ll be upset. And if The Captain is on there, I’ll be monumentally so.
My dad is convinced that Varitek used to be on steroids, so I’ve been defending him for years. If his name shows up, I think I might sit and cry for a week.
As far as Sox-realated people go…Trotter, Nomar (if so that SI cover is going to be sooooo laughable), Damon (he’s certainly dumb enough), Bellhorn, Gange pre-Sox (who probably didn’t realize it’s not worth having stronger muscles if your arm is about to fall off), Clemens post-Sox. Some people on SoSH think Lowell might be on there for testosterone that he took as part of his cancer treatment, prior to the ban. I really hope this is not the case, cause guys like Ankiel and Byrd make the whole “a doctor perscribed it” thing a joke, even though Lowell’s would be a legitamate excuse.
I agree with Piney about a lot of relievers. And I think there may be some suprise “younger” (25-30ish) guys, whose performance in MLB may not reflect a significant increase in numbers or have had drastic change in physique, because they started using in the minors or college, and avoided scrutiny because it wasn’t noticable, since numbers don’t always translate from different leagues and some people do grow into their early 20’s.
And for what it’s worth, SoSH is saying Mike froim Mike and Mad Dog spoke with someone who had seen the report, and he said the New York teams weren’t going to fare well…
It wouldn’t surprise me to see a lot of Mets on there, since one of the big sources for the report is a former Mets bat boy.
And as for the Yankees, they’ve ended up with Giambi, Damon & Clemens – as well as Posada. That’s four biggies right there.
I’ve seen some speculation about Pettite for the Yanks too…I don’t know if that would have been a reason for him considering retirement, but I’m not sure he would have been re-signed either, so I don’t really know…
Some of Tek’s numbers are a bit odd (’03 SLG in particular) but after seeing the pics here with him and his brothers, who have almost the EXACT same build as him, I don’t think the fact that he looks more likely to be in the NFL, than in MLB, would be indicative of using in his case.
Tek’s been about the same size since he was in college, noto that means much when you think about Paul Byrd.
I’ve always thought Tek has too much integrity to get involved with something like this. I’d be devastated if I was wrong.
I’d hate to see Millar and Nick Markakis on the list, but I’d just laugh if Gagne turns up.
Meg, good point about the Tek brothers.
Caroline, good to hear FWIW.
Katherine, I feel the same way about him – from our mouths to God’s ear, as they say. Don’t know why I’m so nervous – maybe it’s that great big pedestal I put him on.
Haha, TG, I read your comment about other players and I was like, ‘why is Millar on the non-Sox list?’ Er.
Trot Nixon? Have I been living in a bubble of innocence?
Yeah, I am nervous about this. And I know there will probably be a lot more we’ll never know, but still. I was actually thinking earlier about who, if they were on it, would absolutely destroy my soul, pretty much. I really really hope they’re not on there.
The brothers Tek are near identical in size, weight and build. But like Caroline said… it’s not like Paul Byrd was all roided out. Not every juicer is going to be all Brady Anderson-like.
Speaking of which- Brady Anderson has got to be on the list.
ALSO: I’ll put up an open thread tomorrow for the live press conference, if everyone wants to stop by and freak out/rejoice/cringe in fear/whatever.
“Trot Nixon? Have I been living in a bubble of innocence?”
Jess, you’re not alone.
This speculation thread makes me wanna cry.
rick ankiel…i love ricky. his reason is more legit than byrd’s. he actually did tear up his arm…it’s one thing to speed up your recovery with HGH and another to take it for an advantage.
other names: carl everett, paxton crawford (we all knew that anyways), ryan klesko, maybe jim edmonds, hideki matsui
Word is now 60-80 players are named! http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-mitchellreport&prov=ap&type=lgns
Brady Anderson makes me SO MAD. The O’s were sort of my home team when I was a kid (I’m from DC), and while I always rooted for the Red Sox, I did think he was pretty awesome that season that he hit 50 home runs. Little did I know. Why, why is he on the Hall of Fame ballot this year?!
My friend found an old t-shirt of him a few years ago and gave it to me. I am planning on burning it or something.
Oh and does anyone else remember his (really random) guest appearance on Sabrina the Teenage Witch? He, er, came out of her closet, I believe.
Um, anyway. If any Sox players from my childhood are on the list, I will actually die. I mean, I’ll be really sad if it’s one of my favorites now, or from 2004, but like.. please do not ruin my childhood. :/
BTW, Jolie, thatdirtywater is one of my favorite places on LJ :) You’re doing us all a public service.
The two I most clearly remember from my childhood will probably be on there…Clemens and Vaughn. And I remembered Canseco, because I saw him hit a 3-run homer at Kansas City on July 4th in ‘95, cause I lived in KC then, so I thought he was cool for a little while. The whole Yankees-thing with Clemens makes that easier to accept, and Vaughn has supposedly admitted that he used HGH so that won’t be a huge suprise either.
NESN recently posted stuff from the celebration in ‘95 when they clinched the division, and those three were all prominently in it (with Clemens making Vaughn get on a police horse and walk around on it, haha)…makes me kind of sad how stuff may turn out, but oh well.
john valentin?? tim naehring?
I’m guessing McGuire, Palmerio,Sosa, Giambi, Clemens, Garciaparra to name a few.
Honestly, for some reason I don’t really care who’s on it, maybe I should, but I don’t.
However, I would be rocked to the core if Tek was on it.
Extra Bases is saying that Clemens is on the list…
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2007/12/report_clemens_1.html
It’s not just Extra Innings, either.
I posted a new open thread for today – including a “list” that’s surfaced early. Head over here to discuss:
OPEN THREAD