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Another round of steroids scandal imminent?

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/21622130/a-rod-nelson-cruz--gio-gonzalez-among-players-named-in-ped-report

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"I'm sorry, folks outside of SEC country, but a few facts are incontrovertible. They smoke better barbecue than you. Their women are prettier than your women. They play football better than your schools play football." - Andy Staples, SI

I'd love A-Rod's contract to get voided. He'd look great on a cheap one year deal for us.

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During a "Not For Women Only" panel discussion, former Cubs pitcher Mike Bielecki asked several players to invent a baseball catch phrase for Viagra. Theriot's ad campaign: "Viagra -- I always play hard."

He'd end up on the Dodgers if he's made a FA/traded

I think the A-Rod stuff is funny, but I find it hard to stomach the hypocricy of sports media at times. I can't believe there isn't more digging into the NFL, as far as this stuff goes.(if you're digging at all, might as well be fair) But since its on top and makes so much money, it's getting a pass basically. A few token mentions here and there, when in reality, it's probably got enough rampant use going on, it'd make Vince McMahon blush.

There's a chance A-Rod misses the whole season (ir not most of it) this year due to that hip injury

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"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game."
- Jacques Barzun

The NFL gets a pass because there isn't the same regard for the record books and "sanctity" of the game that MLB has. And because people love the violence, and the game is as violent as ever.

But it's obvious that the NFL is juiced. The one thing that always strikes me when watching old (not all that old, even 20 years ago) NFL highlights is how small the players were. Today's players are monsters in comparison. Bigger, faster, stronger. And not just a little, either.

And yes, the hypocrisy of the media when it comes to MLB and steroid use is ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the feigned ignorance regarding the steroid era, and how "shocked and betrayed" they felt about the "revelations" of PED use. Its disingenuous horse [expletive]. The rampant steroid use was at best ignored and at worst tacitly encouraged by the league, ownership and the media that ate all of it up. And for most of the steroid era, it wasn't even illegal within the sport.

Now if you use now, you're in a whole different category (at least in my book) than McGwire, Sosa, Clemens et al. Now a player really has to have an arrogant disregard to use what is explicitly banned.

While there is crossover, you also have to take into account that baseball media are not the same people as football media. Baseball people lived on the mythology of their heroes forever. It was always about the innocence of childhood and the past. Baseball media is sanctimonious by nature.

Also, guys weren't really smaller 20 years ago. Steroids were huge in the NFL in the 70's/80's/90's. They may be faster now, but they aren't all that much more huge. There are more guys today who can be described as ripped, but that's probably more to do with the refined training (and PED) use, rather than increased usage.

Ray Lewis is in the news today for roids ironically. He's on tape for asking for IGF-1. Which is banned in the NFL. But its not tested for. Seriously. Plus, they had no testibg on HGH until the latest CBA. And THAT is still being held up with disagreements over how its implemented. So, there's no testing yet and won't be next season either.

Given what Ray Lewis has, uh, "gotten away with" in the past, I'm guessing this one won't stain his reputation much. (nor will it stain that missing white suit, but I digress.)

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"To be the man, you gotta beat the man." - The Nature Boy

NFL management makes it more of a personal health issue than a cheating issue. Not that it really makes a difference, but the message they give is more a health thing, therefore the press does not get their pants in a bind about it.

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“There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that call upon us to respond to the needs of the poor. And yet, I find that when Christians talked about values in this last election that was not on the agenda, that was not a concern. ”-Tony Campolo

The Yankees are looking at ways to void Arod's contract, but they can't make any decisions until MLB's "official investigation" into the matter is done.

Players in all sports are bigger now than 20+ years ago. Maybe it's rounds, maybe it's the chicken. I don't know.

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Annoys me that they sign him to this ridiculous contract, watch him decline quite a bit and then might get to void the deal right when it was getting to be quite the burden for them.

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Erm... The Fridge wouldn't be worth a nickname if he showed up today.Yes, they're bigger than they were in the 70s and 80s.

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We are doomed.

People said that same thing about the fridge in the 90's, 20 years ago. Proper PED usage isn't making guys larger, it's making them stronger/quicker and allowing them to heal faster. Richard Dent and Reggie White were two of the premium pass rushing ends of the previous era, and they are the same size as many of today's guys. Dick Butkus was a 6'3" 250 pound LB, which isn't different from todays' players. There are a few big fat dudes clogging up the middle, but that style of play isn't as popular as the smaller faster players.

Yeah, because there's a lot more great big fat guys in the NFL. That's different.

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How much bigger are players now?
PFR, 2008.

Looks like its mostly on the line. Are those averages or medians, though? Doesn't seem to say.

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During a "Not For Women Only" panel discussion, former Cubs pitcher Mike Bielecki asked several players to invent a baseball catch phrase for Viagra. Theriot's ad campaign: "Viagra -- I always play hard."

How do you not put a single chart in an article like that?

Now the head of the Miami clinic is saying he injected A-Rod directly

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wonder if the Yankees would go so far as to pay him to say that in an attempt to void A-Rod's contract

Sure, if they wanted to have to give the Yankees franchise to A-Rod after the lawsuit.

Ryan Braun's name has been found in the clinic's records. He'll be added to the investigation with the other players.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ryan-braun ... 50670.html

Can I be Jack's complete lack of surprise and sense of apathy at the same time?