Boston's slugging duo turns up dirty two rings later

by Sean Heffernan

The use of steroids taints everything baseball has achieved in recent history: The Sosa/McGwire home run race in 1998, Roger Clemens winning the CY Young in 2001, Barry Bonds hitting 73 the same year, Alex Rodriguez record breaking contract with the Yankees, and even the Boston Red Sox’s two World Series championships. When news broke that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were on the supposed list of MLB players who tested positive for banned substances in 2003 no one was surprised. ...Ramirez and Ortiz joined the handful of others who have been made public leaving the majority of the list still unknown. Baseball needs to face its sins and just release the rest of the list and deal with consequences. You would think the players who've been clean their entire career would unite in anger over steroids, but that just hasn't been the case. I guess no likes a snitch. Still I think it’s better to deal with everything out in the open than having a few names trickle out every year. Baseball needs to bottom out before it can begin to rebuild itself again.

I hate to say it, but Jose Canseco has been pretty dead on. When you have such a large number of baseball players using steroids you would have to think that the league was aware of it and just turned a blind eye making millions upon millions. The steroid induced Sosa/McGwire race galvanized baseball after the 1994 strike. It made people care about baseball beyond their local teams. And it was a complete farce. Baseball fans were had. Gone are the larger than life ghosts of baseball past that our parents and grandparents talk about. Who will we talk about when we’re old? For today’s baseball fan, it’s not worth investing emotion in a star player when it seems the majority of them took steroids at one time or another. "The Steroids Era" will probably go down as the darkest period in the history of the game. Like those greedy souls who slowly pushed America’s economy over the falls, Major League Baseball soiled our country’s national pastime for the love of money. We’ve learned this decade, be it in our bank accounts or our sports sections, that capitalism if left to its own devise we’ll begin to eat at itself like a snake devouring its own tail. All that is left for baseball-loving Americans to cling to is their hopeful prayers that their team finds a way into October. Lord knows what the baseball Gods are thinking above.

Will the Northside and the Southside come alive?

The All-Star Break. No, not that 4-day set depriving us of action on the diamond. No, that 4-day set allowing us to take inventory on whether or not it's time to start looking to football season.

After the All-Star Break and a weekend series' worth of baseball, let's have a look at how each division is shaping up and who the big players are in each division...

Fighting out of the Windy City...

It's a rare occasion when Chicago's two baseball fan-bases can get excited about what lies ahead in August & September.

Fighting out of the blue corner, the Cubs look like a new team coming out for the dog days of summer. Did Rammy's coming off the DL mean that much? When did this turn of events happen? The team went from Ryan Dempster's broken toe and a "Oh, no, not again," to a four game winning streak out of the break? Everything about the Cubs organization is straight from Bizarro World.

Think about it like this: the Cubs next series are against the mightily struggling Phillies, the Dusty Baker led Reds, the Astros, and the hot/cold Marlins while the Cards take to the road against the Astros, one game against the Nationals, and the cream of the 1st half's crop Dodgers.

2 weeks ago this team was utterly depressing and just about out of it as the Taste of Chicago was taking over Grant Park. Now? This is the National League's most exciting prospect. A lot could happen here.

So typical Chicago... Cardinals win the Division. Cubs miss the Wild Card, but barely.

On the South Side, things are looking up--Jose Contreras' loss of control Sunday aside.

Alexei Ramirez, Konerko, Dye, Thome, Podsednik, and AJ are firing on all cylinders. And how bout them young guns? Gordon Beckham shows he's an everday player while Josh Fields' potential withers away on the bench; and Chris Getz is letting his bat catch up to his always impressive defense. The Sox are set on offense. The front office won't work to acquire anybody either: Carlos Quentin is coming back and he's going to show he's not just a one season fluke.

On the mound, Buerhle has been spot on all season (minus the misstep in Minnesota going into the All-Star Break), John Danks and Gavin Floyd have returned to form from last season's breakouts after a rough first month and a half. Clayton Richard is a growing concern, though. He's looked terrible for two solid months. After a self-reassignment to Triple-A, Jose Contreras is back. When he's on point, he's untouchable.

The only glaring concern that I can see lies in the bullpen. There's not one arm I'm comfortable with on that back end. Bobby Jenks almost gave away 2 games in the last month. Saturday's game to Batlimore (a 4-1 lead became a 4-3 win) and another to Minnesota (the only game the Sox won in that series). Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel aren't scaring anybody either. Matt Thornton's solid against left-handed hitting, but he's very hittable from the right side of the plate.

All that considered, though, it doesn't matter whether it's the bullpen or the starting rotation because Kenny Williams is already working. Do not be surprised if the White Sox are one of the teams that are offering final bids to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay. Will Halladay end up a Good Guy? Probably not, but Kenny Williams is going to fight tooth and nail to be involved in that conversation.

The Sox are overtaking the Tigers before the month's over, winning the division, and headed to the playoffs. Mark it down.

The Powerhouse Division

The AL East.

Who's in: Boston (currently in first ahead of the Yankees by 1 game entering Monday), New York, and Tampa (4.5 games off the lead)

All signs point to Boston on this one. The starting pitching is endless. In fact, they have too much with Brad Penny dusting off his jersey once in a while. Big Papi's not back, but it's amazing what some eye drops can do for a portly Dominican. The rest of the lineup, excluding Varitek, is dirty. Theo Epstein seems to have an answer within the organization for everything. Julio Lugo, you suck? No, problem... enter Jed Lowrie and Nick Green.

The Yankees have too many questions in their bullpen and on the lower third of its lineup. Nick Swisher is hitting a miniscule .236, but, in fairness, does have an OBP around .370. Johnny Damon looks decrepit anytime he plays. A-Rod's gonna fade--again. And does anybody know how Mark Teixeira is going to hold up in August and September with the New York media begging him to throw somebody--ANYBODY--under the bus? I think he cracks. Tino Martinez he's not. (Sidebar: At Yankee Stadium on Sunday, I saw people wearing "Teixecutioner" t-shirts. Really? Too soon. I can't respect a play on a man's name to dub him a cold blooded killer when that man takes a bored billionaire's Twitter personally. Contribute in a win against Boston and post all the 75 character messages you like. Until then, you're just another Yankee free agent signing that hasn't contributed to one of those 26 championships. Live in the Now!)

So there's all that, and then there's the sidebar mentioned winless streak this season against Boston. If this keeps up, two or three most series against Boston and the Bronx Bombers quickly become Brown Bombers.

The Tampa Bay Rays are a different beast altogether. The team's youth has worked against it this year whereas last year it was its biggest asset. Not to worry though, the Rays will put it together and make it close in the weening weeks of September. And there's a team nobody's talking about in the running for the Roy Halladay Sweepstakes. Quick: name another team in the American League with more tradeable assets up and down the organization other than the Rays? You... in the back... Who just said the Royals. Leave the room and good day, sir. I Said Good Day, Sir!

Boston wins the division, Yanks miss the playoffs (GASP!), and so do the Rays.

The Sleeper Division

The AL West.

Mainly, it's The Sleeper Division because two-thirds of the country is sleeping by the time these games are played. But, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the AL West shifted the playoff balance and had 2 teams in the post-season this year.

Angels win the division, Rangers win the Wild Card.

Mark my words, Rangers in the playoffs. AND MORE JOSH HAMILTON STORIES! (Here's hoping for the Rays to really have a strong second half.)

Quadruple-A

The National League. Is there a less interesting half of a league in sports? Jeez this half of the big leagues is mediocre.

Wanna know what ends up happening here? Dodgers get to the World Series and lose 2 games in the process of the post-season. That's it.

Phillies win the NL East, but big deal. The Braves' biggest pitching weapon is "Small Game" Javy Lopez and the Mets have officially mailed it in. (Paging David Wright: You're still hitting above .325, your team is the most frustrating in baseball, and your new stadium has taken away 7 home runs according to the New York Post's approximations. Might be time to find a home that's not so... crackpot.)

Giants win the Wild Card, but that team is Divisional Round and done.

So hold off on all your NFL talk, Chicago. Neither Chi team will end up winning the World Series, or even a playoff series for that matter, but we've got plenty to watch from our summer boys come fall. Keep your Cubs and Sox hats firmly positioned on your heads and keep your Jay Cutler jerseys in the wrapping for a few weeks more.

The Headline

Roger Federer won his 15th major yesterday by defeating Andy Roddick in an amazing match. A 16-14 5th set won it for Federer and left Roddick with yet another gut check loss. ...

It really looked like Roddick was going to pull it out, too. The turning point, though, came in the 2nd set when Roddick had 3 unforced errors allowing Federer to win 16 straight points to clinch the 2nd set.

Roddick was good enough to win yesterday; in fact, Roddick should have won. But in the end it was Federer, much the same way the Yankees win so many playoff series, and his audience of Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg that were too much for Roddick to handle.

I'd love to see Andy Roddick bounce back in the US Open. It might just be enough to rouse the American fans' interest in tennis reminiscent of the Jim Courier, Andre Aggasi, Pete Sampras days.

Manny's Back!

Amazing what a 50 day absence will do to a man.

Can anybody else remember Manny Ramirez digging hard enough on a grounder to make it a close play at first let alone having reason to argue with the umpire?

Hopefully, this is a new leaf for Manny. The biggest story about Manny from last week stopped being how he's a major attraction in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and turned into "Why is Manny Getting a Free Pass from the Fans?"

Maybe because the press has been giving Manny a free pass since he was picked off of first base, while still in his pre-dreads Cleveland Indians days, by Javy Lopez in the 1995 World Series. For the last 15 years, it's all come down to "Manny Being Manny". The beat writers, the commentators, the ESPN achors all let it boil down to "Manny Being Manny."

So where does this leave everything as of the free pass on steroids? It leaves us here: Manny's an asshole. And we know it. A complete and total douchebag that can flat out rake. Also worth noting that his team proved it's the best team in baseball without Manny Ramirez. When a team's winning, there's really not a whole lot to complain about.

So Manny's a d-bag and the Dodgers are solid top to bottom. Agreed? Muy Bien.

Rasheed Wallace Agrees to Sign with the Celtics & Jason Kidd Promises to Sign with the Mavericks.

Perfect. And both teams are eligible for tax cuts because they support more Baby Boomers than social security.

Celtics are still the 3rd best team in the East and will be out of the playoffs in the first round.

Mavericks lost relevancy 2 years ago.

Now THAT'S how you run a franchise.

Let's Talk About Shock Value

Steve McNair's death is officially ruled a homicide.

Now THIS is shocking. A quiet, soft-spoken NFL quarterback never linked to anything even remotely foul took two the head and two more to the chest.

Over the last week and a half, people have been stating their states of shock over the death of Michael Jackson. MJ's death doesn't even compare to Steve McNair's death in terms of shock.

How could anything Michael Jackson did, including death, after 1994 serve as shocking? You could have told me anything about Michael Jackson--literally, anything--and I would not have been shocked. He was easily the craziest person not accused of being a serial killer of the 20th century.

Possible MJ Scenarios that Wouldn't have Shocked Me:

1.) Michael Jackson's joining the preisthood.
2.) Michael Jackson's attemtping to adopt a baby from Nigeria.
3.) Michael Jackson's joingin the priesthood and then adopting a baby fron Nigeria.

Throw in the fact that found next to Steve McNair was his mistress. Sure, it's assumed that professional athletes all have one or two extra women on the side, but to have both pro athlete and his mistress executed mafia style? Now THAT'S crazy.

And as of 11:07 AM today, Nobody's uttered a word about it.

Crazier than pretty much anything Michael Jackson ever did.

The Headline

And a most pretentious one at that... Manny Ramirez went 0-for-2 for the Albuquerque Isotopes in his first action since his suspension.

The bigger story here is the fact that Manny Ramirez's playing in Triple-A is such a big freaking story. ...

ESPN made sure we knew how each of Manny's 2 at-bats turned out (K, ground out to short). And John Kruk graciously expanded on why the guy's swing is out of sync. Clearly, knowing Manny hasn't played in a game since his May 7 suspension isn't enough.

It's a slow day in news when Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the country's newsline boom. It's not like Ozzie Smith, Don Mattingly, Daryl Strawberry, Mike Scioscia, Steve Sax, and Doc Gooden didn't all play for the Isotopes 15 years ago. What? That was an episode of The Simpsons? I don't believe you.

Does anybody else feel weirdly sympathetic to Manny Ramirez? In today's LA Times, T.J. Simers' article headline reads "Even He Can't Stay Mad at Manny."

Manny's a cocky, show-boating, selfish player, but, god dammit, I love watching him hit. **Sentiments not applicable to Yankees fans living outside of the Washington Heights neighborhood**

Can we think of any other athletes who fit the Manny Ramirez criterion of being a shitty-teammate-and-makes-no-qualms-about-it-but-people-like-him-anyways?

The NBA Draft Started Last Night and Nobody Told Me...

The Minnesota Timberwolves basically own the first round of tomorrow night's draft. The post-Kevin McHale Era begins with Minnesota's sending Randy Foye and Mike Miller (White Guy with a jumpshot!!) to Washington in exchange for the No. 5 pick in the draft, Darius Songalia, Etan Thomas, and Oleksiy Pecherov.

With this trade, the T-Wolves now own the Nos. 5, 6, 18, & 28 picks. I call bullshit. There's no way the T-Wolves need All Those 1st Round Busts when they have Darius Songalia.

And raise your hand if you know who Etan Thomas or Oleksiy Pecherov is? I'm pretty sure Oleksiy Pecherov is the chick from Dodgeball with the messed up teeth. ... No?

Has there been a draft with a less intriguing crop? After Blake Griffin, we're talking about Tyler Hansbrough, Louisville's & Pitt's front court, Steph Curry, Eric Maynor, and Brandon "Loopholes Live in Italy" Jennings.

Here's to Not watching Feburary 2010's Rookie-Sophomore Challenge.

Richard Jefferson Just Got Traded Again...

This time he's leaving Milwaukee and headed to San Antonio in exchange for 800 year old Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen, and Fabricio Oberto.

Milwaukee then went ahead and traded Oberto to Detroit for about 10,000 shares of GM... oh, and Amir Johnson. (who ARE these guys...)

In the Most Entertaining Baseball on TV for the Last Week...

Texas beat LSU 5-1 last night in Game 2 in the best of 3 College World Series.

Seriously, turn off whatever slumping MLB team you're watching and get some metal bat PING sound effects in your life.

In last night's Game 2, Texas owned LSU all night. Tyler Jungmann pitched 9 innings scattering 5 hits for 1 run, 9 strikeouts, and only 2 walks. And TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF from the previous night's relief appearance of 6 pitches, 6 balls, and a shower.

Watching the game, though, you just kept waiting for LSU to storm back. The Tigers have been an offensive powerhouse all series scoring 6+ runs 10 times throughout the CWS tournament.

Like I said, much more entertaining than whatever terribleness the Sox, Cubs, Yankees, or Mets put on last night.