Tipsheet favorite Pedro Martinez is willing to forgive steroid cheats Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, two of his favorite teammates from his Red Sox days.
“They’ve got my total support,” Martinez told MLB.com. “They weren’t the only ones. There were a lot of guys.”
True, but those two were mainstays of the 2004 team that rallied from the grave against the Yankees in the ALCS and swept the Cards in the World Series. The championship seems somewhat tainted these days.
Heck, even the team’s security team is under fire for steroid abuse.
“There’s no crying in baseball,” Martinez said. “We won in 2004. That’s it. Are you going to tell me that the other guys who used it on other teams are now whining? They used it, too.”
Well, yeah, there’s that. On another topic. Pedro wonders why players from his homeland are suddenly taking the steroid fall.
“One thing that’s really caught my attention is — why is it all Dominicans? What’s going on? Why is it all Dominicans that all of a sudden come out positive? The last one standing might be me.
“That’s a big question to ask. What’s going on here? Why is it I’m the only one who might be left standing? All of a sudden, they’re going to come up and say: ‘Pedro [did it], too.’
“That’s when I’m going to start stripping my clothes off and showing everybody I’ve never had acne on my back. If I did use it, it didn’t help me. They need to give my money back. It didn’t work.”
Whoa, Manny, let’s keep the clothes on.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while waiting for the Cardinals to solve the great Bud Norris:
- Is it just us, or does Albert Pujols need a couple days off to regroup?
- How do Cubs fans feel about having Jake Peavy move to town, but on the South Side?
- Are you aware of all the warning signs that you, too, could be a sports doofus?
- Is it any wonder that the Nationals are so terrible?
- Who could have possibly guessed that rooting your guts out is hard on the body? How many times can a broken sports fan’s heart mend?
- What will Terrell Owens do next to draw attention to himself? Hasn’t it been a few weeks since hemade headlines?
- And hasn’t Chad Ochocinco been eerily quiet the last few days? Isn’t he due to burst into flames or something?
THIS LOOKS LIKE FUN
Mattress dominoes!
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “The NFL conditionally reinstated Michael Vick, and most teams, including the Dolphins, were roughly as welcoming as PETA members would be regarding a guy wearing a fur coat and eating meat while participating in the Iditarod.”
Mark Kriegel, FoxSports.com: “When the season started, Kyle Busch was the next Dale Sr. Now he looks like the next Dale Jr.”
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “Never going to happen: That dramatic protest threatened by some Hall of Fame players who say they’ll walk off the stage if a steroid-linked player is inducted into the Hall. It’s all part of the baseball tradition of big talk and bluster, backed up by a backdown, like, ‘I was misquoted.’”
Mike Lupica, New York Daily News: “Alberto Contador sort of treated Lance Armstrong like some old guy with his blinker on, didn’t he?”
Jay Mariotti, FanHouse: “This had been a crap baseball season, soiled like never before by steroids and leaked names, relegated to second-page news behind the NBA offseason and Tom Watson and whether the Pope realizes that the only time swimming makes news is when a bong or bodysuit is involved. But all of that changed at the trade deadline, which was anything but cash-for-clunkers stuff and finally — FINALLY! — tilted our scandal-dulled heads back to the field. When the dizzy activity ended, the landscape was loaded with contenders and a promise that October not only might be watchable but memorable.”
Dan Daly, Washington Times: “Wouldn’t it be great if Congress included sports in its Cash for Clunkers program? The Tigers, I’ve gotta believe, would be happy to trade in Magglio Ordonez for $4,500.”
Patrick Hruby, ESPN.com, on David Beckham’s MSL travails: “Last weekend, Beckham confronted another jeering spectator in Kansas City, this time opting to shake the fan’s hand. Wrong move. Classy, for sure. Even sportsmanlike. But totally, thoroughly misguided. Beckham shouldn’t shrink from his burgeoning status as a footie villain. He should embrace it. Own it. Wear it like a favorite shirt. Pull a Hollywood Hogan, and become MLS Public Enemy No. 1. In short, it’s time for Becks to turn heel.”
MEGAPHONE
“The transition from one team to another never gets easy. I saw my brother here with his wife and kids and my parents made it down from Toronto. I’m a sap and get emotional and when I saw them it was exciting.”
Scott Rolen, after getting traded to the Reds.
when big mac was on andro you could buy it at walmart…..seriously, twin labs made andro fuel….some had yohimbe in it…..it was evil…..but its not exactly the horse muscle booster manny took now is it
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Who cares if they are using steroids. Athletes in all sports are using something to stay in the game and keep making money. No different than the actors/actresses who change their bodies to get big movie roles. No different than the singers who take drugs so that they can stay alert for a 50 city/50 day concert tour. No different than school districts who cheat to maintain high standardized test scores. Its part of our culture to cheat to get ahead and preserve our careers. We created this disaster during the home run chase of 1998. Chicks love the long ball, not the smallball.
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Why is it all Dominicans that all of a sudden come out positive?……..Because all Dominicans are using, dummy. Steroids are legal in the Dominican and they have easy access to them. Question answered Pedro! Speaking of Dominicans, an upcoming steroid test for Pujols should explain his recent slump and lack of power……Duh!
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If the Red Sox were to officially lose the ‘04 title we can scratch the movie “Fever Pitch” from film history.
Are prepared for such sacrifice?
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Sounds good Tim, but Giamatti must’ve stated that before the 1990s. He died 9/1/89.
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Tim:
You better check your facts. This is the second time you have posted this, and a memo or statement issued is not the same as rule adopted and accepted by both the league, and the players union. PED’s were not banned until 2003. Personally, I think McGuire most likely took steroids or PED’s of some type, but the fact remains he never tested positive for any banned substance, nor has anybody ever offered the slightest proof that he did.
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DispatchObserver,
The blown call in the 85 world series was in the 9th…no 2 innings left. But, yes, in that same 9th, Porter had a passed ball, and Clark missed the pop foul. Any of those 3 things could have changed the outcome.
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It seems the Cardinals always find a fall guy when their heroes tank under pressure. Whined about the Royals and a blown call when they had at least two more innings to score in that game, and totally fell apart in game seven where Champions flourish. Now, since they folded to the juiced Red Sox in 2004, it was obviously the juice that beat the slumping, tired, mismanaged Cardinals. I live out state. I root for Royals and Cardinals… grew up listening to Carey, Buck, Shannon, et al, so maybe I am a little more objective. My sports enthusisism has waned in dedication because of all the lack of fundamentals and cheating. When I played we were closely refereed and umpired and coached with fundamentals. Now we know that all that was a waste of time because you can be one tooled and make millions by cheating even on that one tool… I.E. Ortiz as DH. Haven’t heard Thome or Edgar Martinez mentioned as cheaters yet, but there is a really big man there somewhere. Seems like Big Mac was a big dude also, but is villified for taking legal, over the counter stuff if you do not believe Jose Canseco. Dominicans seem to be the larger cheaters on age, ‘roids, or whatever. Who can blame them because that is the island way Man! The only standard moral is there is no limit to cheating others, or the government because the government control everything… a lot like what is trying to be instituted here. I wonder how many cheated on the vote to help with that; with immigrants illegally here and even the dead maybe voting? Pedro, too many of your countryman are cheaters over more that ‘roids to be so defensive about that… of course you have learned well in the U.S. to be the victim immediately regardless of the crime you committed, or rule you broke.
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Unfortunately, the cardinals would not have been able to beat the pirates with the way they folded in 2004.
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busted, in the 1990s Giamatti issued a statement saying that no MLB player should knowingly use any substance that is illegal to possess in America, and he specifically mentioned steroids. Steroids are illegal in the U.S unless under a doctor’s care, so they were indeed illegal.
Not only should we bring back the Black Sox, we might as well reinstate Pete Rose too…
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McGwire still hasn’t tested positive for steroids. Andro was NOT banned by the 1990 steroid act. It was finally banned in 2003, after Mark McGwire retired. Anyway the 2003 Steroid act was not retroactive. So everything McGwire did was legal and Andro was bought over the counter at the local GNC. Governor Schwarzenegger used steroids as a ticket to gain Mr Olympia titles, hollywood movies, and finally Governor. If nothing else, Arnold is a cheater too. Isn’t it funny, how politicians turn a blind to one of their own?
PED’s could be construed as vitamins too. Anyway, the Red Soxs are nothing more than cheaters. If you recognize the Red Soxs as the 2004 WS champions, then the commish should reinstate the Chicago Black Soxs today too. The Red Soxs stole a WS with drugs and the Black Soxs threw a WS title by gambling. You can’t allow one without the other. Re-instate Pete Rose while you are at it.
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Thanks Pedro. Thanks for having the guts to play the racism card on the steroids issue. Nothing deflects the light away from the true facts of a story like the subtle or not-so-subtle charge that racism is the culprit behind these relevations. Forget the fact that they DID take the damn steroids and juiced their way to a World Series in 2004. The responsibility of those actions is irrelevant because both those guys came from the same country….what a genius argument!
I guess Bonds, Canseco, McGwire, Franklin, Giambi, etc are all from the Dominican too, eh?
6-2 against the Dodgers and Astros? I’ll take that any day. Sit Albert tomorrow and give him an extra day.
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