Yelling About Baseball

-NOTICE: This blog is dedicated to bitching and "yelling" "about" "Baseball" related things. That's what I do. Just one big baseball troll. Don't get too offended now!

[yellingaboutbaseball]

The Red Sox certainly would have signed him if he wasn't asking for an absurd contract.

You can't blame Ellsbury for wanting a payday for his service. If the Red Sox can shell out contracts to players like Carl Crawford, then they can easily do the same for Ellsbury, even if Crawford was eventually traded away.The point is that if the Red Sox wanted him enough, they would have pushed for him. He was one of the hottest commodities on the market, he helped lead the team to a World Series, was the MVP runner up in 2011, AND had a great season in 2013, yet the Red Sox clearly didn't think he was worth whatever contract he was asking for. There's no problem with that, all teams are allowed to have their own opinions on who is worth what.However. Put yourself in his situation. You're currently one of the most talked about and most wanted free agents in all of baseball. You're given offers left and right. Yet the Red Sox aren't even interested in trying to compete. They already have a back up plan they will use if you don't sign with them at a big discount. Clearly it doesn't sound like they want you that bad, they just want you to take a discount to continue playing with them, a team that won't budge for one of their best players. Yet these other teams will do anything to get you to play for them. Wouldn't that make you feel good? You're getting a bigger salary and playing for a team that honestly wants you there at whatever cost. Do you give in to your loyalty to your former team for a significant pay cut, or form a new loyalty to someone who will give you a pay raise because they want you there?The funny thing is no one would give a shit if he had signed with a different team. It's the Yankees that people are pissed off about, which makes them call him a "Traitor". But hey, not all people see the rivalry as potent as what most people think it should be.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

I laugh at Boston Red Sox fans. Bitching about Ellsbury being a "Traitor", yet the Red Sox wanted nothing to do with him. He didn't choose the Yankees over the Red Sox, because the Red Sox weren't going to give him a job. A player needs a team to play on, and if your previous team doesn't give two shits about you, then why should you be chastised for signing with the rival club, after they show genuine interest in you? Sox clearly wanted nothing to do with signing him to a long-time strong deal, yet many other teams wanted to. No brainer right there. You can be mad that Ellsbury is gone, but don't blame the player, blame your organization.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Pirates are in the postseason for the first time since 1992, city decides to start dressing up their newborns in pirates gear.

Huh. Okay.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

The fact that you just compared something to be ashamed of (having some of the worst attendance in baseball) to kids with exceptionalities is disgusting.

Apparently a parody/offensive baseball blog has boundaries when it comes to children with "exceptionalities" (sic). Who knew?

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Dear Cleveland Indians fans: Few things. First off, if you're going to want to make jabs at Tampa for having no fans, due to having a terrible attendance record... Tampa was last this year in attendance. Fair enough. But Cleveland had the third worst attendance this season. They've been in the bottom third (21st to 30th) for a decade. That's like a kid with down syndrome making fun of a kid with cerebral palsy. You really don't have that much room to talk. A fanbase with a shitty attendance record making fun of another team with a shitty attendance record is counter intuitive and doesn't make much sense. Second off: throwing a rookie pitcher, with only 52 innings of Major League experience under his belt, out there to pitch the biggest game of your season is not always the best idea. After Delmon Young crushed his fastball over the fence, he lost all of his composure and confidence; a rookie-esque thing to do. Understandably there wasn't much of an alternative (wait, Kluber, Kazmir, McAllister could have worked, right?), but I would have no doubt wanted a reliable veteran arm on the mound. Third: You can't score runs if you don't put some clutch into your swings, or make smart at-bats in crucial moments. No, Michael Bourn, striking out on 4 pitches, two of them outside, with men on the corners and no outs does not constitute as clutch. A run should have scored in that instance. Hell, grounding out into a double play would have been a better option almost. Plain and simple: Tampa Bay was the better team. They played the better game. They pitched better. They batted better. They fielded better. They managed better. It's okay to be disappointed... But don't say the game "was fixed" because your team blew ass in the most important game of the season. Case closed. Have fun watching the rest of the postseason.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Tampa whooping on Indians the one night Cleveland can actually have a sellout crowd. Classic.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Dear Texas Rangers

Don't be disappointed you lost yesterday. You seriously played like you wanted to lose.

Losing the most important game of your season is one thing, if the other team just flat out beats you and played a better game, but rolling over and making mistakes to basically let the other team roll all over you? Pathetic. Hope you put your heart into it next season, even if you don't go anywhere.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

When do we get to see your rant about how shitty the Indians and their "success" is only due to sheer luck?

Let's not get too hasty. According to their Run-differential, they've only played 1 game over their expected W-L record. Their lineup has done pretty much what they should have done on paper, and their rotation has been relatively solid all season, with Masterson being, at one point, a consideration for the Cy Young (of course he would have never won, even if he didn't get hurt). The Dolan Brothers made some smart decisions in the offseason, and Tito has been an effective manager.Then again, they have been lucky with the fact that Texas completely died off in the second half, and are looking to not make the final Wild Card Spot. Texas should definitely have 90 wins, if not more, by now if they hadn't disappeared, making Cleveland have to fight Tampa for the last spot.Texas, Tampa, and Cleveland each have 5 games left, and Texas is only 1 game out of the second wild card spot from Cleveland, while Cleveland is only 1 game out of the top wild card spot from Tampa. Anything can happen in this last week, but if I had to choose, it will be Tampa and Cleveland going to the wild card, and Tampa winning the playoff game.As much as I'd love to rant about how their success is bullshit, I don't have much evidence to prove that. They have a pretty solid team, simple as that.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Look at it now, Yankees fans. Your dynasty is starting to fall. Let's recap your team for a little bit. Robinson Cano: May not be resigned in the offseason, effectively having the team lose it's most productive player. (Believe it or not, Derek Jeter is no longer that player) Derek Jeter: While a come back is possible, his age and injuries are going to catch up to him. And yes, his defense was atrocious before, and it'll only get worse. Mariano Rivera: Though the organization is begging him not to retire so they can at least try to stay relevant in 2014, he's more or less gone. Wave goodbye, folks. C.C Sabathia: Had the worst season of his career this year. There's plenty of reason to believe he can return to form, but having an ERA close to 5 is a little alarming. Especially with the dwindling defense on the Yankees team, he's more susceptible to be giving up hits that would have otherwise been caught or defended. Alex Rodriguez: Looking to be gone for the next season and a half, and quite possibly the rest of his God-forbidden, steroid laced career. He hasn't been that good anyways, but good luck finding a decent replacement that the Steins' are going to want to pony up for. Andy Petitte: Retiring. Again. Possibly for good but who knows? He hasn't even been that spectacular this season to begin with. Mark Teixeira: Down the entire season for a strained wrist tendon? Good lord, that's lousy. Of course, lamer injuries have happened, but not enough to limit a player to less than 10% of the season's games (15 of 162). He should be good to go by 2014, but how will be perform after battling an apparently bad injury to his wrist, which is imperative to the game of baseball? Vernon Wells: Someone tell me why the Yankees decided to take he and his contract on? A guy making over $20 million to bat .239 with average at best power and run production, who can't field well at all? So basically, the entire Yankees team is going to change even more and just cause more grief. If they don't make big offseason moves, a playoff chance in 2014 is going to be a dream out of reach, and fans better be prepared for that. Your "27 rings" aren't going to save you this time.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

"I'm sorry, I mistook you for Jesus!"

You know what really pisses me off about baseball? The umpires. If I had to pick one thing I disliked about baseball, it would be the god damn umpires. It's not the asshole baseball players (See: Alex Rodriguez), it's not the lack of instant replay (which is supposedly being brought in next season), it's not the popularly proclaimed boredom (which I don't find). It is the mother fucking umpires. Understandably, they have their purpose. Totally understand it. They are important, and I'm sure everyone in the organization can agree with me on that. Definitely. But maybe, just maybe, they like to fucking abuse their powers? This has been a topic long coming, but with the instance that happened in the Chicago White Sox/Detroit Tigers game, I feel I should bring it up now. For those who didn't see it or hear of it, here's what happened. Miguel Cabrera (third baseman for the Detroit Tigers) was hit in the knee on a pitch after he made an outstretched check swing. Basically, he was mid swing, and tried to get out of the way of the pitch, at the same time. So imagine that, and we'll move on. He's hit on the knee, and the ump signals that he completed the swing, therefore the hit by pitch was overruled, he was given a strike, and the at-bat continued, after they both exchanged some words. The next pitch, Cabrera hit a foul ball, and as he was turning around to get ready for the next pitch, said a few other words to Brian Gorman, and Gorman tossed him. I would like to point out that Cabrera didn't really get angry, per se. At least, not until he was ejected. He was angry as FUCK after that. But before that, he looked a little bewildered by the call and seemed to have a small beef with him. No shouting, no anger, just words. And he was tossed? Maybe Cabrera said something really awful. Like he was going to fuck Gorman's wife after the game for that call. I don't know, I wasn't there to listen to what he said. After the game, Gorman said "he was tossed for arguing after he was told to stop". ...what? Did that really look like the type of arguing that would get you ejected? Hardly. Two instances, and it was more of a prolonged single argument, broken up by one pitch that had nothing to do with what he was arguing about. So let me get this straight. An umpire has the ability to tell you to "Shut up", and if you breach that order even once, he can toss you over the littlest words? I call bullshit. It seems to be happening more and more. Umpires think they're tough shit when behind the plate. Like people are there to see them call the game. And it's getting fucking old. We get that you are MLB's little lackeys to officiate the game, but you don't run the whole show, so quit acting like you do. A player wants to shout his head off and get in your face? Eject him. That's definitely an instance where ejecting a player seems a little more justified. Even throwing equipment down is more justified as an ejection. But calm words that don't coincide with your opinion? What is this "my way or the highway" bullshit? Can players not defend themselves in a decently mannered way? For those wondering, no one is really arguing whether or not the call Gorman made was right or wrong. It definitely looked like Cabrera completed his swing, regardless if he tried to or not, so the call Gorman made was more or less correct. People are arguing whether or not umpires should have the power to eject a player when ever they choose. Like Gorman said: "Cabrera was told to stop arguing and continued to argue and he was ejected for continuing the argument." When put into those words, you can understand it more. But when you watch what happened, it only further questions if umpires think they're fucking Jesus on the playing field. The problem is that all umpires handle situations differently, and can deem whether or not any situation is worthy of an ejection. And that's the problem. A different umpire could have definitely had a different outcome. Personally, there should be certain rules that all umpires have to follow in order to eject a player, and not be given the freedom to do whenever they feel it necessary. And one of those rules would be to warn the player/coach/manager that further actions would get them ejected. So instead of a player pleading his case and getting his ass canned out of nowhere, the umpire would have to say "If you keep arguing with me, I'm going to have you ejected." At the very least, give the person in question a chance to end it without penalty. But of course, a player should be able to at least plead his case without the umpire pulling that out as soon as the player says something. In the effort of arguing, the umpire would have to have a warning, before the warning. For instance: Player: That was a terrible call. Seriously? That was a mile outside. Umpire: Don't argue with me. Player: Look, that pitch was way outside too, even further out than the last pitch. Are you seeing this? Umpire: If you keep arguing with me, I'm going to have you ejected. So in this instance, the player has plead his case to the umpire. He at least was able to defend himself without getting thrown out, and the umpire used his powers to make sure it didn't happen again. Of course, umpires don't HAVE to issue the warning to the player unless he chooses to do so. This differentiates the umpires who see issues differently, yet still give them the power to manage the game as they see fit, while not on a whole different level. But that's just an example. It's not perfect, but if MLB worked on a set guideline for players being eligible to be ejected, it could work out in the long run. All in all, umpires need to stop acting like the top dog on the field and just do their job. Words are words, don't be pussies and eject the player because he doesn't like your call.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

I'm not a Giants fan, but even I said "Oh man" when Petit lost his perfect game. Great effort from Yusmeiro Petit, and can't be too mad with a one-hit shutout.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Dear Fans of a National League team

If your team is not named St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, or Los Angeles Dodgers, you better be praying for a playoff spot. As it stands, the closest Wild Card contenders for the Cardinals and Reds (who would be the two Wild Card teams if the season ended today), are the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Washington Nationals, who are 8.5 and 9 games back, respectively. Looks like the National League is just about locked up, barring a 2011 Red Sox-esque collapse. American League isn't looking much more interesting, but it's something to follow.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Have more faith in your team

If your team is only 4.5 games back from a playoff spot, and you're throwing in the towel, giving up on your team, you're a waste of skin to the sport. There is still a month left in the season, and your team is in a manageable spot to make the playoffs. Just because they're not 10 games in the lead doesn't mean they can't work their way up. Example A: Oakland A's last season. Down by 12 games, and STILL won their division. They went torrid, and the Rangers faltered. It can happen again. This just further proves that fans only care about their teams when they're winning, and don't give a shit when they aren't. That's not being a fan. That's being a bandwagon fan. It's alright to be upset and disappointed, but don't stop caring about them. Don't be a Yankees fan. Follow them to the end, or not at all. Jesus fucking christ, people.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

"Elite" pitchers that have been bad this season!

Don't you just love when pitchers that are usually considered the best in the game, and then turn around and have a shitty season? Who doesn't? Let's meet some of these guys! CC Sabathia: New York Yankees Stat line: 11-11, 4.81 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 152 K: Holy shit, fatty, what happened? Sabathia currently has the 7th highest ERA among all qualifying starters, and currently his WAR sits at flat 0. The last time his WAR was that bad? That would be never. If the season ended today, Sabathia would have a new career worst ERA, and have 1 point lower than his career high WHIP. He's on pace to have his lowest strikeout total since 2006, which was a shortened season for him. He's also on pace to have given up 34 home runs this season. His next highest total? 22, which was his total from last season. Yikes. Jeremy Hellickson: Tampa Bay Rays Stat line: 10-7, 5.01 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 115 K Would you believe this kid was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2011 after posting a 13-10 record with an ERA of 2.95? And then follow that up with a 10-11 season with a 3.10 ERA? Disregarding W-L records (which we all know is a rather bullshit stat), Hellickson was one of the most effective pitchers in the American League. So what the hell? His ERA over 2.00 more than his total in 2011, and is on pace to make career highs in home runs and hits given up. Ian Kennedy: San Diego Padres/Arizona Diamondbacks Stat line: 5-9, 4.88 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 132 K Kennedy had a 21 win season in 2011. Let that sink in. He was 4th in Cy Young voting, and was the NL Win champion that season. Wow. He regressed a bit last season but was still a decent pitcher. But seriously, look at the shit he's pulling now. On pace for career low in K's, career high in walks, tie career high in home runs allowed, career high in ERs, career low in IP, and career high in WHIP as a starter in four full seasons. No wonder the Diamondbacks dropped his ass to the lowly Padres. R.A Dickey: Toronto Blue Jays Stat line: 9-12, 4.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 137 K Okay, so maybe last season was a bit of a stretch. Dickey was a good pitcher for the Mets even before his incredible Cy Young 2012 campaign, but nowhere near what he did last season. Who called Dickey having a regressed season afterwards? I think everyone did. But this rough? In 6 less starts this season than all of last season, he's given up 17 more runs, 4 more home runs, 5 more walks, and nearly half the amount of strikeouts. Not to mention almost 200 points more in ERA, yet only 22 points more in WHIP. Justin Verlander: Detroit Tigers Stat line: 12-9, 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 166 K To be fair, Verlander's season isn't exactly "bad" by normal standards. But by his standards, and seemingly everyone's standards? He's been a piece of shit. He's on pace to have his highest ERA and WHIP since his dreadful 2008 season when he was 10-17 with an ERA near 5 (4.84) and 1.40 WHIP. Also on pace to have his lowest K total since 2008, highest BB since 2008, and may actually his first season as a starter in which he does not throw a complete game, having done so at least once in every season since 2006. Wow. Effectively this could be argued as his second worst season. Kind of crazy because it's not a bad season, but still nowhere near the expectations anyone set for him. Surely a regression was not out of the question, and almost certainly expected after his monster 2011 and 2012 seasons, but not of this magnitude. Honorable mentions: Dan Haren, Ryan Dempster, Yovani Gallardo, Jim Johnson, Everyone in the Giants rotation not named Madison Bumgarner What do you think? Anyone I miss?

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Max Scherzer is actually good, ladies and gentleman!

Read the title: Scherzer is actually a good pitcher! Don't believe me? Read on, ya bunch of idiots! So if you follow baseball, the name Max Scherzer is something you can't avoid. He's got an absolutely astonishing record of 18-1. Whoa. But realistically, a win-loss record of a pitcher means absolute shit, so all you mother fuckers talking about him being so good solely because of his record can choke on a dick, because you don't know what you're talking about. It has also become somewhat common knowledge that Scherzer has the highest run support in the league. Meaning, his team scores more runs while he's the active pitcher than any other pitcher in the game. So clearly that's why he's getting his wins, right? WRONG, SHIT DICK. Here's a look of Scherzer's ranks among other American League pitchers this season. Innings Pitched: 172.1 (4th) Earned Runs: 54 (10th) Strikeouts: 185 (2nd) Wins Above Replacement: 5.4 (3rd) WHIP*: 0.90 (1st. The ONLY pitcher in the American League with a WHIP underneath 1.00) ERA: 2.82 (6th) Quality Starts: 20 (Tied for 1st with Kansas City's James Shields) K/BB**: 4.87 (2nd) K/9***: 9.66 (3rd) Home Runs Allowed: 14 (Tied for 13th out of 45 qualifying pitchers, averaging less than 1 home run per start) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- * WHIP stands for Walks + Hits Per Inning Pitched ** K/BB stands for Strikeouts per Base on Balls (walks). He strikes out nearly 5 batters for every walk he issues. *** K/9 stands for Strikeouts per 9 innings. How many strikeouts he would throw on average if he were to pitch a 9 inning standard game, which is close to 10. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welp, it looks pretty obvious that Scherzer is actually a pretty damn good pitcher! Not the best by any means, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's in the Top 5 best for the American League, and Top 10 for the MLB as a whole, would it? Of course not, use your damn brains. So it's established that Scherzer is, in fact, a great pitcher this season. But what about his run support? Surely he's winning most of his games from the run support instead of his strong stats in almost all categories, right? Let me bring in a pretty good example of why that notion is bullshit. Take a look at Ryan Dempster. His stats this season, for the Boston Red Sox (arguably the team with the best offense, right up there with Detroit and St. Louis) are absolutely atrocious in almost all categories. But would you believe that he has the second highest run support in the American League, only having .3 runs less than Scherzer? So what's his record? A whopping 6-9. Tell me again why run support is the leading cause for Scherzer's nearly perfect record? ------------------------------------------- All stats introduced so far have been facts. This next section is based on personal opinion. -------------------------------------------- I'll level with you. I went through Scherzer's game log, and have determined how many games he should/could/would have lost, based on his performance in the game, and not from his offense or bad bullpen. Generally a game in which you give up 5 runs, or just overall had a bad start, I count you as, more or less, worthy of taking the loss, and this is ALL strictly based on opinion, so don't quote me on this. April 24th: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Game ending score: 7-5, Scherzer took the win. May 15th: 7 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Score: 7-5, No Decision ...Hm. Believe it or not, Scherzer has only given up 5 runs twice this season, and 4 runs in only 3 starts. In other words, in 20 starts, he's given up 3 runs or less, which, as it turns out, are all quality starts. Not only has he been effective, but he's also been efficient, never having to be pulled early due to an inflated pitch count from giving up hits, walks, but not always allowing runs to score. You'd better bet that Jim Leyland, a stickler for pitch counts, would pull Scherzer if he were struggling, despite all of the runs his team has scored for him. Now, what about the games he received no-decisions for? He's received 6 no-decisions this season, with 4 of them when he gave up 2 runs or less. Kinda sucks for him, doesn't it? Those 4 were quality starts as well, as we've already discussed above. Surely he should have gotten the wins with those, right? Well in two of those games, the Tigers ended up losing, meaning the bullpen blew it for him. Oops! The other two no-decisions he had, which were the 5 ER game mentioned above and an 8 inning effort in which he gave up 3 ER were also blown by the bullpen. So let's recap. Not only has Scherzer won one or two games that he otherwise would have had a better chance of losing if he were on a weaker hitting team, but he's also had 4 games in which he left the game in line with the win, and then the bullpen blew it. So if we made his no decisions into wins and losses, we would add 5 wins, and 1 loss to his record, bringing it to 23-2. Now take the other game he should have lost, and we have a record of 22-3. Still impressive, right? Of course, any pitcher can look impressive if you take all of their no-decisions and determine whether or not he pitched well enough to warrant a win or a loss. But Scherzer has mainly received fair decisions this year, despite his inflated run support. Hopefully this will shed some light on your thoughts of Mr. Scherzer.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Biogenesis frenzy!

Oh boy oh boy, suspensions everywhere! And you mother fucking morons still don't understand. People are FREAKING THE FUCK OUT about this. Saying bullshit like "it's a damn witch hunt", "Why did A-rod/Braun get suspended for much longer" "what will this do to better the game", etc etc. Well, I'm here to give you shit-chucking apes some clarity. First off, why A-Rod's suspension is so much longer. Short answer: Read ESPN and any other sports website in the world. Long answer: Because A-Rod interfered, lied, and tried to cover up his tracks to his connections. He tampered with evidence and lied straight to MLB's face about it. So let me give you a hypothetical. You (A-Rod) stole a cookie from the cookie jar (took PEDs). Your parents (MLB) saw you do it (has hard evidence proving you did it). Regardless, you (A-Rod) swear up and down you didn't steal it (claims he didn't use PEDs). Now that you've followed both stories, I have a question for you. Which action gets you in more trouble? Admitting you ate the cookie and apologizing, or trying to lie about it and try to make yourself look innocent? The answer is painfully clear. A-Rod has done everything in his power to disrupt MLB from finding out the truth, and he's getting penalized for it. He thinks that MLB works for him, and not the other way around. And MLB will do whatever they can to get that point across. Seriously, what better way than to basically tell other players "If you get caught, either take the generous suspension we offer you, or face our wrath." It's absolutely genius. And people are pissed off because MLB is finally putting it's foot down? Let's face it: it's all about the money now. Players don't give a shit. They want money, and nothing more. What better way to make money than to play better? Thus, they use PEDs, steroids, and other substances to make them better. Simple formula. But they don't remember that they are performing, playing, and LIVING for MLB. Therefore, they live by THEIR rules. So when players decide they are above the rules, MLB needs to find a way to keep them in line. And Bud Selig did it right by demonstrating his power by canning a fucking waste of skin like A-Rod for the rest of this season and next season. In addition, if any of the players who got suspended are caught AGAIN, it's a 100 game suspension, giving them still less incentive to try and beat the system again. Note that I'm not saying I'm for the suspensions, or against them. I'm simply explaining what Selig is doing, and why he's doing it right. If he's going to attempt to rid the baseball in a never ending fight against PEDs, at least anti up with your powers as a commissioner and show your players what you're not afraid to do: ruin a good portion of their career for breaking the rules. And that's the thing people seem to forget. THESE PLAYERS BROKE THE RULES. I don't care if you think they're wrong. As I've said, THESE PLAYERS WORK FOR THE MLB, AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. If they are going to be making $25 million a year and won't even fucking follow the rules, why should we feel bad when they ruin it for themselves? They all know clearly what they should and shouldn't do, yet still decide they are above the rules of the organization that gave them EVERYTHING. Think about it you fucking twats. Players are always going to juice. But really, what should we cheer? The spirit of attempting to keep a clean game, or encouraging young aspiring athletes that the only way to be a good player is to inject shit into your body? There's two sides to the coin. People argue that "there will always be users, so why even try". That's a pussy way of saying "players should be able to juice". But people also argue that "all kinds of PEDs should be banned" which they are certain types of medication and what not that is considered a PED, but not in the sense that everyone thinks of (cough STEROIDS cough). This is why certain things are banned, and others aren't. The ones that are banned give players an unfair advantage. The ones that aren't have other purposes and uses that are deemed fair. You know how players juicing is ruining the game? How about whenever a player has a breakout season, EVERYONE claims he's on steroids. Are you fucking kidding me? Are we that dense that when a player is having a great season that overshadows any other season they've had thus far, they just have to be 100% juicing, instead of just believing that they are THAT good naturally? Makes a whole lot of sense if you ignore the whole logic thing.

[yellingaboutbaseball]

Coaches are shitty? Davis on steroids? OH BOY.

You heard me. It's fucking stupid, and you look like a moron. I don't think I understand why this happens. When a team's offense is just not doing well, people lampoon the hitting coach like he's the worst thing that happened ever. Same thing with the pitching coach. When a pitching staff starts to decline, the first people blame is the pitching coach. How more retarded can you get? Let me make a point real quick. Generally, a player who is on a "slump" is just not getting hits. The average drops. So let's put it this way. A player could have 200 at-bats over 40-50 games. He could hit, say, .300 in that span, or 60 base hits. What if the majority of them were just barely base hits? No one bats an eye. It's a base hit, he's doing great. Now, in the next 200 at-bats, let's say he basically hits the exact same things, but he's barely out in those at-bats? In other words, instead of barely getting a base hit, he barely gets out? He bats .150 in those 200 at bats, and everyone fucking wrecks the hitting coach for being a piece of shit. Now how does THAT make sense? This is all situational and hypothetical, and I'm well aware. But it's the same principle. Why is it never the player's fault, or the defense he's facing? Why is that when a player is doing well, it's because the player is just that good? Why is that when they're doing bad, it's not because that player is in a slump or is doing bad overall, it's the hitting coach? People, if you're going to use the hitting/pitching coach as an excuse for a player or team playing crudely, then I would say that you should give them praise for when they start doing well again, instead of going "see I told that guy was a good player! He's worked his own way back!", especially if you're going to say "wow that guy is sucking, get that hitting coach of the team he's ruining the offense". Do you understand where I'm coming from? It's one of the most idiotic things people can say. Now, of course there are exceptions. When a team's offense has been terrible for a very long time, and the hitting coach has never had a track record of helping players, you can understand why someone would want to replace them with someone who could help. Not that the hitting coach is BAD, per se, they just want someone better. And you will always take the better choice, won't you? It's common sense. Another thing I don't understand too much. Chris Davis being on steroids. The guy hits a lot of home runs. So clearly he's juicing right? Let me bring up another hypothetical. A batter hits 100 line drives. 30 of them are just barely home runs. "HE'S ON ROIDS". A different batter hits 100 line drives. 30 of them are just inches away from being a home run, yet has nothing to show for it. Literally inches away from all of the home runs the other batter hit. "FUCK THAT GUY IS WEAK LOOK HE HAS NO HOME RUNS" Do we understand that one as well? You could get every single ball just four inches above the yellow line and be on steroids, and you could get every single ball four inches below the yellow line, and you could be a weak piece of shit. Sounds crazy? Then why do people fucking say shit like that? Anyways, onto Davis. The Home Run Tracker on ESPN states that his farthest home run this season went a total of 439 feet. His furthest. How many home runs beat that? A total of 115 home runs. Would you believe me if I told you that Starling Marte, a man not known for power, has hit further home runs than Davis? How about Ryan Doumit? No? Okay then. Davis also has 9 home runs this season that were considered "just enough". Home runs that just barely made it over the fence. Only 3 players in the majors have more, with a few tying him at 9. He has also hit 8 "No Doubters", or home runs that were just absolutely crushed. Still, 4 players in the major leagues have more. Now, the big stat. Out of all of the players in the game this season that have at least 11 home runs, who has the highest average distance on their home runs? You know, the guys who consistently smack balls a long ways? Would you believe me if I told you Davis wasn't in the top 5? How about Top 10? Top 20? Even Top 30? Believe it or not, Chris Davis is 39th on the list. Out of 95 players who have at least 11 home runs, he barely makes the top half. Ahem. A player that has a lot of home runs does not necessarily mean they are juicing, and a further look into Davis' stats proves that what he's doing is nothing phenomenal. He's just getting really good hits with really good swings. You don't need to be roiding it up to hit home runs, you just have to have good contact, a feat that he HAS had for his career. COULD he be roiding? Absolutely. Any given player on any given day could be. But to say that his power surge is the result of PED's or steroids is an incredibly ignorant thing to say. So let's stop it, shall we?