Jeff Francoeur to Get Outfield Tryout

Francoeur awaiting spring audition

Jeff Francoeur still doesn't have his official invitation from the Braves for spring training. After John Schuerholz's recent comments, however, that's only a formality. "I guess what he said was my unofficial invite," the 20-year-old outfield prospect said Thursday after returning from a six-day family vacation in the Bahamas.

Just before he left, the 2002 first-round draft choice from Parkview High School read words from the Braves general manager that any minor leaguer craves. "Francoeur is real close to the major leagues," Schuerholz said. "We're going to give Jeff a chance to come to spring training and show us what he's got. He might excite a lot of people." "That was really nice to hear," said Francoeur, who has only played a few games above Class A. "All anybody can ask for is a chance to show what he can do. It looks like there might be an opportunity there and I'll do all I can to try to take advantage of it."

With spring training two months away, the Braves have holes in left and right field following the free agency departure of J.D. Drew, and the trades of Charles Thomas and Eli Marrero. At least one of the positions will be filled with the addition of a veteran through trade or free agency. The Braves, however, may turn to their farm system to fill the other. That's where Francoeur comes in. A five-tool player with unlimited potential, he was named the No. 3 prospect in the Arizona Fall League by Baseball America magazine. "I'll go to spring training with the idea of showing that I'm ready for the big leagues," said Francoeur, who will resume hitting in January and work out twice a week in Athens with the University of Georgia's baseball strength and conditioning coach. "To do anything else would be selling yourself short."

Francoeur and third baseman Andy Marte are the Braves' top hitting prospects. Marte, who had 23 homers in Class AA last season, has never played the outfield, but may get a look there in spring training. "We don't know if he can play it or not," Braves director of player personnel Dayton Moore said. "We'll work him out there in January and see how he looks."

The Braves' other young possibilities are Ryan Langerhans, who had a solid season in Class AAA, Billy McCarthy and Kelly Johnson. Dewayne Wise was claimed on waivers by Detroit and Adam Stern was taken by Boston in the Rule 5 draft. "It will be interesting to see what other moves the Braves make," Francoeur said. "They are real good about not letting anything leak out."

I hope he makes it. Given the budget limitations Schuerholz is operating under, it's critical that several young players up from the farm can make a contribution. That way, more of the budget can be allocated to re-signing proven stars and bringing in a key free agent or two. My strong preference would be to be able to spend the money on keeping guys like Javy Lopez and J.D. Drew rather than having to depend on having cheap free agents over-perform year after year.

Can John McCain Save Sports?

Can John McCain save sports? (ESPN)

No politician enjoys battling bad guys like John McCain, and these days, the senior senator from Arizona wants to save sports from its own worst elements. McCain, who was reelected to a fourth term in November, chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, which basically means he can stick his thumb into any activity in America where dollars change hands. He is a genuine sports nut who says the best perk he gets is the chance to buy tickets to otherwise sold-out boxing matches. And he is a maverick, by temperament if not party label, who enjoys attacking various corporate interests and standing up for underdogs. In short, McCain styles himself a cross between Jefferson Smith and Ted Williams. He has an ambitious sports agenda, and he's got the power and tenacity to push it. And with the sordid tale of BALCO and its founder, Victor Conte Jr., erupting across headlines on daily basis, McCain has something more, too: a scandal that's throwing light on the sports underworld, and that just might swing public opinion behind the efforts of McCain and his fellow reformers.

McCain is fighting on at least four fronts to clean up sports. Closest to his heart are his efforts to fight corruption and improve the plight of beaten-down fighters in boxing. For years, he tried an incremental approach: he was a key sponsor of a 1996 law requiring medical care for boxers and a 2000 law banning conflicts of interest among managers and promoters. But these efforts have been almost completely unenforced by state agencies, and now McCain is proposing a national commission to straighten out the sweet science. "I'll push for boxing reform until it passes," McCain told ESPN.com in an interview at his Phoenix office. "The thing that gets me so involved is the exploitation of the boxers who, with rare exception, come from the lowest rung on our economic ladder, are least educated and are left many times after some years in the sport mentally impaired and financially broke."

But it's BALCO, specifically what McCain calls baseball's "meaningless enforcement" of its rules about performance-enhancing drugs, where McCain has been making the biggest news recently. "I don't care about Mr. Bonds or Mr. Sheffield or anybody else," McCain barked to reporters after Conte went public with his story in ESPN the Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle reported grand jury testimony given by Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield. "What I care about are high school athletes who are tempted to use steroids because they think that's the only way they can make it in the major leagues."

***

All this crusading has made McCain a passel of enemies, and several of the men who would like to derail his plans have also gained power since the November elections. For example, Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat from the gambling state of Nevada, has become the Senate Minority Leader. Reid's opposition stalled boxing reform for a full year in the Senate, though he's now on board with McCain's bill. But Reid also has worked assiduously to keep gambling on college athletics alive.

Then there's Don King, who hustled all fall for George W. Bush's reelection campaign, even taping an anti-John Kerry ad, and who surely wants to use whatever newfound influence he has to sway the Bush administration against boxing reform. McCain laughs off King's alliance with the GOP and predicts that if his national-commission bill passes the House of Representatives, President Bush will sign it.

And Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican and Bud Selig ally, now chairs the House Judiciary Committee. Sensenbrenner came to Selig's aid during the commissioner's embarrassing testimony on contraction two years ago, and he's not likely to give a green light to any legislation that interferes with baseball's labor deal unless Selig approves it.

This is a classic political battle, with powerful interests backed by powerful congressional chairman and high-powered lobbyists. And, while none of this is really Congress' business, it's certainly good politics for McCain, who is clearly angling for the 2008 nomination.

via Outside the Beltway

Drew Signs with Dodgers

Drew nets second biggest deal behind Beltre

J.D. Drew is getting an early Christmas present. Agent Scott Boras has convinced another team to play Santa Claus for one of his clients. The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a $55 million, five-year deal with with Drew, who hit .305 with 31 homers and 93 RBIs for the Braves last season. The contract — the second biggest in total money for a free agent this offseason — won't be finalized until Drew passes a physical today in Los Angeles. Drew's contract almost matches the $64 million, five-year deal that third baseman Adrian Beltre — another Boras client — got to leave the Dodgers and sign with Seattle last week.

The Braves wanted to re-sign Drew, but Boras didn't even respond to the team's initial contract offer of what was believed to be about $25 million for three seasons. Because Drew wasn't offered arbitration, the Braves won't get compensatory draft picks from Los Angeles for losing the 29-year-old outfielder from Hahira, Ga.

Despite his breakout season, the Dodgers are taking a risk in giving Drew such a lucrative long-term deal. He had been beset by injuries until playing in a career-high 145 games last season with the Braves after being acquired in a trade with St. Louis.

It's a shame that the Braves couldn't afford to re-sign Drew, who apparently wanted to stay in Atlanta. But this level of salary is simply unjustified for a player who had only one breakout year in which he remained relatively healthy throughout.

Baseball Cure for Uncivil Politics

David Broder has an amusing column this morning ascribing the decline in civility in D.C. politics to the absence of a professional baseball team:

What has been missed by most of the historians and political scientists is the fact that political conditions in Washington began to decline in 1971, the year the baseball Senators decamped for Texas and became the Rangers.

Baseball was the tonic that soothed Washington's nerves. After a hard day in the Senate, members on opposite sides of the foreign aid bill debate could repair to Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, 22 blocks away, knock back a few beers and watch Frank Howard pound the stuffing out of the ball. By the same token, disgruntled bureaucrats, bloody from fighting to save their pet programs from the fiscal surgeons in the Bureau of the Budget, could sit in the stands and enjoy the sight of Camilo Pascual baffling the Yankees with his curveball. That tonic has been missing from Washington lo these many years, and look at the mess we are in. The city and its resident politicians now fixate on football's Redskins, who play only eight home games a year -- and in one of the ugliest stadiums ever constructed, with no certainty except that the traffic will be maddening on the way in and worse on the way out. And you wonder why the atmosphere is poisoned by anger and frustration.

***

Baseball is the sovereign remedy for what ails our government. It teaches respect for the rules -- especially since the Expos/Nationals are National Leaguers, playing a game uncontaminated by the abomination known as the designated-hitter rule. Furthermore, baseball is a slow game. A single contest lasts three hours, a season six months. It focuses your mind on long-term goals: the playoffs, the Series. It accustoms you to errors. It cushions the pain of losses. It provides heartwarming comebacks. It teaches patience. (Especially to those of us who have been Cubs fans.) All these lessons apply directly to politics.

Indeed.

via OTB

TCS: DC Stadium Fiasco

My latest Tech Central Station piece, "Applying Free Market Logic to an Unfree Market," tackles the D.C. stadium fiasco.

The upshot:

While libertarians rightly bemoan the notion of forcing taxpayers to subsidize wealthy team owners, they should understand that the market works both ways. If sports leagues have the leverage to demand public financing of stadia as a precondition for moving a franchise to a city, they would be foolish not to use it.

Luring a professional sports team is difficult and generally not economically smart. It is rather galling that the vast majority of a town's residents who will never attend a game are forced to pay for the privilege of added traffic congestion. Nonetheless, there are plenty of cities out there begging for a team. Public subsidies for arenas are the cost of playing.

Lots of linkage and analysis in the piece.

via OTB

Former Brave Mike Mordecai to Manage Marlins' NY-P Team

Mordecai to Manage Marlins' NY-P Team (AJC-AP)

Former major leaguer Mike Mordecai accepted an offer Monday to manage the Florida Marlins' New York-Penn League team in Jamestown, N.Y.

Mordecai, 37, spent parts of 11 seasons with Atlanta, Montreal and Florida, helping the Marlins win the 2003 World Series. He played in 172 games for the Marlins, batting .245 — mostly in pinch-hitting roles.

The Marlins opted not to offer Mordecai salary arbitration this offseason. He finishes his playing career with a .245 average, 24 home runs and 132 RBIs.

Congrats on the new career, Mike.

DeRosa Non-Tendered

No contract tendered to DeRosa by Braves

The knee injury that ended infielder Mark DeRosa's season might also have ended his career with the Braves. The team didn't tender contracts to DeRosa or corner infielder Mike Hessman on Monday, making them free agents. The Braves haven't ruled out re-signing DeRosa to a salary below what he could expect through arbitration.
He made $725,000 in 2004 and hit a career-low .239 with three home runs and 31 RBIs in 309 at-bats before tearing up his right knee attempting a defensive play Sept. 25. DeRosa had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage damage. He's ahead of schedule in recovery and fully expects to be ready for spring training, with Atlanta or another team.

The Braves said health wasn't a factor in the decision not to tender. Rather, they have payroll constraints and two young infielders, Nick Green and Wilson Betemit, who are out of options and can't be sent to the minors without exposure to waivers. Prospect Peter Orr also is ready to compete for a backup job after hitting .320 with 10 triples and 24 stolen bases at Class AAA Richmond.

"I'm excited for the possibility of going somewhere else and having a clean slate," DeRosa said. "But also disappointed that there's a chance I might not be back. It's the only organization I've ever known. The comfort zone, the friendships, the comfort level I feel in that clubhouse is probably something I won't have somewhere else. "But if I come back, it's going to be for the right reasons, not just because I'm comfortable here or I'm a likeable guy. It's going to be because I'm a good ballplayer."

Teams had to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players by Monday or they became free agents. The Braves tendered infielders Rafael Furcal and Marcus Giles and relievers Chris Reitsma, Kevin Gryboski and closer Dan Kolb.

DeRosa, 29, began last season as Atlanta's starting third baseman but struggled in April and May before Chipper Jones moved from left field to third base in June. DeRosa returned to the backup infield job he held in 2003 and parts of five other seasons with the Braves.

I always liked DeRo and thought he was going to be a solid starter when he first came up. He's never really materialized into more than a utility infielder, though. That's not enough to keep him around at a high salary on a perennial playoff team.

Ted Abernathy Dies at Age 71

Abernathy, former reliever, dies at age of 71

Associated Press
Published on: 12/17/04

GASTONIA, N.C. —Ted Abernathy, a major-league pitcher who played for seven teams in a 14-year career, has died. He was 71 and had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for the past eight years before his death Thursday.

Abernathy twice led the National League in saves, first in as a Chicago Cub in 1965, when he had a league-leading 31 saves and a 2.57 ERA. He had 28 saves and a 1.27 ERA two seasons later for the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched for the Braves in 1966, going 4-4 in 38 appearances. Abernathy appeared in 681 games and picked up 148 saves during a career that lasted from 1955-1972. His had a 63-69 record and a 3.46 ERA.

Abernathy grew up near Stanley and joined the majors after graduating from high school. Abernathy changed his pitching motion after a shoulder surgery that had left his career in doubt, switching from a three-quarter pitching motion into a side-armed delivery. "He would sling that ball practically underhanded up there, and it looked like the ball was coming right at you as a hitter," his son Todd Abernathy said. "He had the ability to make great hitters look bad."

Hudson grew up a Braves fan

Hudson grew up a Braves fan (AJC)

For Christmas last year, Kim Hudson gave her husband Tim a set of billiard balls bearing logos of the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves. "He's always been a Braves fan," she said of the pitcher from Phenix City, Ala. "And I didn't want to give him Yankees [balls] because I didn't want to look at them." The couple needn't get new balls for their pool table this Christmas. The American League's winningest pitcher over the past five seasons was traded Thursday from Oakland to the Braves, who have put together one of baseball's best rotations.

Hudson, 29, joins the team he adored as a skinny kid growing up along the Alabama-Georgia state line, before he became an All-American at Auburn. "I always wondered if I would ever have an opportunity to wear a Braves uniform," said Hudson, donning a Braves jersey and cap as he sat between manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz at Turner Field on Friday. "This is a dream come true for me and my family."

As it was for the Braves, who got a tough, talented pitcher whose .702 career winning percentage in six seasons is the third-best since 1900 by a pitcher with at least 100 or more decisions. "He's one of the best," Cox said of the 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander, who features a 93-mph sinker, devastating splitter and slider. "We're going to try to hang onto Tim as long as we can."

For the Hudsons, who have two infant daughters, coming to Atlanta softened the blow of being traded by the only organization he'd known. "It's the first time we've had to deal with [being traded]," said Hudson, traded because the A's didn't think they could afford to keep him when he's eligible for free agency next winter.

The couple was at lunch Thursday in Auburn, where they met in college and make their home. His cell phone rang. It was A's GM Billy Beane, who said it was the toughest such call he ever made. Hudson was the ace of the talented Oakland staff, a team leader admired by all. "There's a lot of sadness involved, but also a lot of excitement," Hudson said. "This [Atlanta] is definitely a place where we feel comfortable. Players don't like getting traded, especially from an organization you grew up in, and have so many friends. "But I said that if there's one team I could be traded to, to make this transition easier, it had to be Atlanta."

The Braves gave up outfielder Charles Thomas, right-hander Juan Cruz and top left-handed prospect Dan Meyer to get Hudson, who has a gaudy 92-39 record and 3.30 ERA in six seasons in the majors, including 20 wins in 2000 and a 2.70 ERA in 2003.

Hudson said he hopes he hasn't forgotten how to hit since his two years at Auburn, where in 1997 he batted .396 with 18 home runs and 95 RBIs, and went 15-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 165 strikeouts. He edged out Florida State's J.D. Drew and Rice's Lance Berkman for the Rotary Smith Award for national player of the year, as voted by sports information directors.

Good as his record in the majors has been -- he averaged more than 17 wins from 2000 to 2003 -- it could have been better, if not for bullpen meltdowns. Consider this stunner: Hudson had a 2.84 ERA in 30 no-decisions in the past three seasons. "I've seen him pitch a lot on television," Cox said, "and never seen him pitch poorly."

Hudson was 12-6 with a 3.53 ERA last season and spent time on the disabled list with a nagging strain in the left hip/side area, a problem that's cropped up for three years. He said he's added stretching and strengthening exercises to his regimen this winter specifically designed to alleviate the problem, and thinks it's doing the trick.

Hudson will make $6.75 million in 2005 and is expected to command a four-year offer worth at least $48 million as a free agent. He joins a rotation that includes John Smoltz, John Thomson and left-handers Horacio Ramirez and Mike Hampton.

The Braves say there were no assurances from Hudson about signing an extension with Atlanta, and he seemed a bit uncomfortable with that subject Friday. "When that time comes, we're going to definitely be happy to talk to them," he said. "Right now, I just ready to do whatever it takes to come to this organization and fit in, be one of the guys." Cox said, "If it's only one year, it's one year. But it'd be better to have him five years.

The team gave up a lot of young talent for a one year rental. I sure hope they work out a deal.

Chipper: Left field not for me

Chipper: Left field not for me (AJC)

Despite the Braves' vacancies in left and right field, Braves general manager John Schuerholz keeps saying third baseman Chipper Jones isn't going back to the outfield. But that hasn't been enough to stop many folks from predicting otherwise.

How about if Jones underscores it? Here's what Jones said two weeks ago, before the Braves traded left fielders Charles Thomas and Eli Marrero and declined arbitration for J.D. Drew, cutting him loose. "I think I proved to myself last year that I may have made a mistake volunteering to move [to left field]," said Jones, a former All-Star third baseman who switched positions so the Braves could sign free agent third baseman Vinny Castilla in 2002. "I can't say I regret it; Vinny came in and did a good job for us. [But] I'd be less inclined to move in the future. Third base is my home. "I think if I were approached about a move again . . . I would probably just say I'd rather not, because I feel like I'm a much better third baseman than I am a left fielder or than I would be at first base. I think I proved last year that I can still play at a high level at third base."

Schuerholz said the Braves could wait as late as spring training to fill their outfield. "We are going to have an outfield," Schuerholz deadpanned. "We intend to have an actual left fielder and right fielder play next to Andruw [Jones]. We just don't know who, yet. We've got plenty of time to fill those roster spots."

It seems more likely they will acquire at least one veteran outfielder in the next few weeks. Sunday is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players, or they become free agents. A few outfielders should become available. Among the rumored possibilities to be non-tendered is Minnesota outfielder Jacque Jones, who has been an outstanding defensive left fielder and good right fielder. He made $4.35 million in 2004 and hit a subpar .254 with 24 homers in 555 at-bats, after batting .294 with 57 homers and 203 RBIs over the prior three seasons.

Chipper was never a very good left fielder and, frankly, hurt his Hall of Fame chances considerably by making the move. He went from a perennial All-Star at 3rd to not even in consideration for an outfield slot.

One would think filling the corner outfield spots will not be difficult for Schuerholz. Between relatively inexpensive free agents, minor league prospects, and bench players at other positions, someone can be found. Heck, that's where they tend to stick guys with good bats and mediocre defensive skills, anyway.

Braves Big Offseason Winner

Braves, M's scoring big in offseason

Tony DeMarco, MSNBC

The winter meetings used to be the focal point of baseball’s offseason, the time when many teams made their most-important deals and signings. But these days, the meetings have become more of the midpoint of activity. With free agents dragging out the signing period, and teams paying more importance to the Dec. 20 contract tendering date, roster alterations now stretch into the new year. Still, it’s never too early to look at the winter’s winners and losers as the holidays near:

Atlanta Braves: Only general manager John Schuerholz could find a way to add Tim Hudson and John Smoltz to his rotation in the same offseason that he has to endure another payroll cut down to about $80 million.

The Braves did have to deal away four excellent young talents in pitchers Jose Capellan, Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer, plus outfielder Charles Thomas. But once again, they have put themselves in position to extend their record division-title streak.

Capellan went to Milwaukee for closer Danny Kolb, allowing Smoltz to get his wish and return to the rotation. Can he go back to a 200-inning workload after not pitching more than 80 in any of the last five seasons? If anybody can, it’s Smoltz.

The other three went to Oakland for Hudson, as the Braves capitalized on the A’s financial shortcomings to get an ace for a rotation that also figures to include John Thomson, Mike Hampton and Horacio Ramirez. And they didn’t have to give up All-Star-caliber second baseman Marcus Giles, as they need all the offense they can get in light of J.D. Drew’s departure.

There still are gaps to fill, namely the corner outfield spots. But getting an affordable Hudson (92-39 lifetime and just entering his prime) is the best deal of the winter.

Agreed. As I've noted before, corner outfielders are a dime a dozen.

Outfield Has Holes in Left, Right; Francoeur has Shot

Outfield has holes in left, right; Francoeur has shot

If the season were to open now, center fielder Andruw Jones would really have to earn his Gold Glove. The Braves don't have a left fielder or a right fielder.Already having to replace free agent J.D. Drew in right, the other corner spot also opened up when the Braves dealt both members of last season's productive platoon — Charles Thomas and Eli Marrero — in separate trades.

Although general manager John Schuerholz confirmed Thursday that the Braves had talked to the Chicago Cubs about Sammy Sosa, a deal appears highly unlikely. Schuerholz also said that the Braves aren't considering playing third baseman Chipper Jones or shortstop Rafael Furcal in the outfield. He did say, however, that top prospect Jeff Francoeur will get a look in spring training. Francouer is real close to the major leagues," Schuerholz said. "We're going to give Jeff a chance to come to spring training and show us what he's got. He might excite a lot of people." The 20-year-old Francoeur is still likely to need another season in the minors, though, and the Braves' new left and right fielders are more likely to come from either free agency or trades.

The deal of Marrero to Kansas City for minor league reliever Jorge Vasquez was made to create more payroll flexibility. Although Marrero hit .320 in his platoon role with the rookie Thomas, the Braves didn't consider him an every-day answer in left or right field and needed the $3 million he was owed next season to help address the outfield openings. Schuerholz emphasized that he has plenty of time to put together the final pieces of his roster makeover after already addressing his top priority — the pitching staff. "It might be a soon as next week, or it may be as late as spring training," Schuerholz said. "We're in no rush."

More free agents will become available early next week when players are not tendered contract offers or arbitration. One outfielder that the Braves have had trade interest in previously is Minnesota's 29-year-old Jacque Jones, who hit .264 with 24 homers and 80 RBIs last season. Present free agents that could be consider include Moises Alou, Magglio Ordonez and Jeromy Burnitz. All come with concerns, however.

* Alou hit .293 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs, but is 38 years old.

* Ordonez is coming off knee surgery and is represented by agent Scott Boras. Ordonez, 30, hit .292 with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 52 games with the Chicago White Sox.

* Burnitz, 35, hit .283 with 37 and 110 RBIs, but that came playing in Colorado and he struck out 124 times.

On Sosa, Schuerholz said, "We had some conversations with the Cubs, as I think every team in baseball will. We would have been asleep at the wheel if we didn't. They could be characterized as very preliminary, and that's all they were."To trade Sosa, the Cubs will have to pick up most of his $17 million contract for next year. Sosa, 36, slumped to .253 with 35 homers and 80 RBIs last season and clashed with manager Dusty Baker.

In addition to Francoeur, Schuerholz said that highly rated Andy Marte, considered the top third base prospect in the minors, will figure in the outfield mix by 2006.
"He's never played the outfield [before] in his life, but he can hit," Schuerholz said.

Corner outfielders are the easiest players in baseball to come by. Salary is the main issue.

Braves Trade for Hudson, Extend Smoltz

Braves trade for Tim Hudson (AJC)

The Braves got their man Thursday, finalizing a trade for Oakland Athletics ace Tim Hudson to give Atlanta what figures to be one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Atlanta gave up plenty, sending top left-handed prospect Dan Meyer, outfielder Charles Thomas and right-hander Juan Cruz to the Athletics in the deal. Moments after the trade was announced, the Braves unveiled another deal -- they sent outfielder Eli Marrero and cash to Kansas City for pitcher Jorge Vasquez. But they got a bona fide ace who's just entering his prime to pair with John Smoltz at the top of the rotation. Smoltz is moving back from the bullpen after three seasons as closer, and the Braves also have right-hander John Thomson and lefties Mike Hampton and Horacio Ramirez under contract.

It was Atlanta's second big trade in a week. Last Saturday, the Braves acquired All-Star closer Dan Kolb from Milwaukee. "One of our goals going into the offseason was to strengthen our pitching staff," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "We have certainly made a major improvement."

Hudson, 29, has a 92-39 record and 3.30 ERA in six major league seasons, a .702 winning percentage that ranks third all-time among pitchers with at least 100 decisions. The two-time All-Star is Oakland's career leader with a .702 winning percentage, and had four straight years with at least 15 wins and 200 innings before finishing 12-6 with a 3.53 ERA in 188 2/3 innings in 2004, when he was slowed by a sore hip.

The Columbus native and former Auburn standout is owed $6.75 million in 2005, after which he's eligible for free agency. The Braves entered negotiations hoping that Hudson, who's expressed a desire to pitch in Atlanta, would be signable to a long-term extension and not just a one-year rental, as right fielder J.D. Drew ended up being last season. Thomas made his major league debut last season and batted .288 with seven homers and 31 RBIs. Cruz was 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 50 relief outings. Meyer was 0-0 in two games with Braves after going 9-6 with a 2.49 ERA at Double-A Greenville and Triple-A Richmond.

Hudson is a great pickup. Whether it was worth the young arms they gave up depends on whether the team can sign him to a long term deal. Given their financial situation, that strikes me as unlikely. I agree with Mac Thomason that the Mererro deal is puzzling, though.

Read more »

Braves Talking to Cubs about Sosa, Farnsworth

Braves talking to Cubs about Sosa, Farnsworth (AJC)

The Braves continued waiting for a decision on a possible trade for Oakland Athletics ace Tim Hudson, who could cost the Braves at least two top prospects but would provide them a second elite starter to team with John Smoltz.

Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston and possibly Los Angeles are considered the leading candidates to land Hudson, a 29-year-old Georgia native who will become eligible for free agency after making $6.75 million in 2005. The A's may be waiting to see if the Red Sox raise their offer for the right-hander after watching how high the bidding for free agent Matt Clement is going.

The Braves also have had discussions with the Chicago Cubs regarding not only right fielder Sammy Sosa, but also hard-throwing reliever Kyle Farnsworth, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Sosa and Farnsworth had clashes with Cubs manager Dusty Baker late last season.

A deal for Sosa still seems unlikely, unless the Cubs are willing to pay almost all of the $17 million he's owed in 2005, or perhaps pay part of his salary and also take Mike Hampton's large contract. The Braves owe Hampton a total of $43 million during the 2006-08 seasons.

Sosa is past his prime. Getting him makes no sense.

Turner Field Renovation

Turner Field goes high-def in major renovation (AJC)

It's not just the Braves' roster that is being reworked this off-season. A giant crane arrived at Turner Field last week, a heavy-duty sign of $15 million in renovations at the ballpark. "When you come to a game next April," Braves president Terry McGuirk said, "it's going to feel like a new stadium." Turner Field's most dramatic -- and expensive -- addition will be $12 million worth of new video and information boards, including a supersized, high-definition video screen in centerfield.

At 80 feet by 72 feet, the screen "will be the largest and tallest video display in any stadium in the world," said Todd Stih, regional sales manager for Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, which will manufacture and install the screen. It will be the first "true high-definition" megascreen in a sports stadium, he said.

The giant screen will replace two much smaller scoreboards that the Braves say had become worn out and obsolete.

Other high-visibility changes for next season, according to Mike Plant, the team's executive vice president of business operations, are:

D A 1,085-foot-long, 42-inch-high LED "ribbon"-- to feature animations, graphics, game information and advertising -- which will be installed on the fascia below the stadium's upper deck, extending from behind home plate toward both foul poles.

D A spin-off of the successful Chop House restaurant that will be built high above right field, connected to the eatery by an $85,000 staircase and named Top of the Chop by general manager John Schuerholz.

D A facelift for concession stands throughout the stadium and a complete renovation for the 755 Club.

D Electronic signs -- more than $500,000 worth -- that will direct fans to parkingand exit routes.

Nine years old next season, Turner Field remains an exceptional and well-maintained ballpark, Plant said. But it "needs a facelift, needs some new energy injected into it, needs to have a number of new things to offer," he said.

Enhancing 'experience'

The changes are needed because people come to Turner Field for the "experience" as well as for the baseball, the Braves executive said.

The team is trying to reverse seven consecutive seasons of declining attendance.

The total price of this winter's planned improvements, about $15 million, could grow, Plant said. The Braves and Turner Broadcasting are considering building a $3 million Cartoon Network-themed entertainment park adjacent to the entry plaza, he said. A decision has not been made on whether to proceed, and if so whether to do it this winter or next.

Plant said the Top of the Chop addition, the 755 Club renovation and concession stand upgrades will be funded jointly by the team and by Aramark, which holds the stadium's food and beverage contract.

The "ribbon" LED board will be a $2 million expenditure by the Braves, while the $10 million for- the centerfield megascreen, an upgraded screen at the entry-plaza and new video control room equipment will be provided in part by the team and partly through the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority.

Under the Turner Field operating agreement, the authority is responsible for capital repairs and replacements -- such as new video boards when needed -- while the Braves are required to contribute $1 million to $1.5 million a year to the authority's capital fund.

In this case, the Braves and the authority agreed the centerfield and entry-plaza screens needed to be replaced, partly because replacement parts no longer are available for the old boards. But the new boards are far grander and more expensive. So the Braves and the recreation authority agreed, with city and county approval, that the team will pay $10 million and deduct $5 million from its scheduled payments to the capital fund over the next five years.

Winter workout

Work on the renovations has already begun. The crane will be in operation through March, Plant said. The video control room has been gutted, and the old scoreboards are to be gone by Christmas. Mitsubishi has begun manufacturing the new centerfield screen in Japan and plans to have it installed a few weeks before Opening Day.

The screen will be the first of the next generation of Mitsubishi's Diamond Vision boards. It will integrate live video, replays, animation, game information and advertising onto a single screen, which can be devoted to one huge image or split among multiple elements.

Braves fans previously could watch two screens in centerfield: a 24-by-30 foot one for video and, below it, a monochrome screen for game information and animation.

"We'll be working hard until March," said Mark Foster, Mitsubishi's Pennsylvania-based general manager of Diamond Vision systems. "It's a large project, very involved."

Because the new board will have high-definition technology, "fans will notice not only the clarity but the depth of the picture," he said. "The Braves decided they wanted to step up the fan experience at Turner Field, and there's nothing like this in the major leagues."

"I think people will be blown away by the visual impact it will provide," Plant said.

The Braves executive said the improvements to the facilities will be matched by initiatives to improve customer service at the stadium. "The objective is to change the look and the feel -- change the way people get here, park here, experience the game here," Plant said. "And then we'll leave it to John [Schuerholz] and [manager] Bobby [Cox] to keep having good baseball teams."

Frankly, I'd prefer $15 million in player salary for Schuerholz to work with.

D.C. Baseball in Trouble

Council Approves Altered Stadium Deal (WaPo, A01)

The D.C. Council approved legislation late last night that dramatically restructures the city's deal with Major League Baseball by requiring that private financing cover half the cost of a new stadium. Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D) shocked her colleagues after 11 hours of debate on a stadium package by offering the private financing amendment about 10 p.m., saying she was disappointed by recent talks with Major League Baseball.

The bill, which was approved on a 7 to 6 vote, gives Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) until June to find the required private financing plan. If that plan is not certified by Natwar M. Gandhi, the city's chief financial officer, and approved by the council, the stadium bill would lapse. "My basic belief is that there are too many public dollars going into this," Cropp said. "This will make the mayor seek private dollars more than anything else. I don't know how Major League Baseball will react."

Williams and other baseball supporters believed Cropp was nearing a compromise with baseball officials that would keep in place the key terms of the mayor's pact to use public funding. Williams was furious after the amendment was approved and stormed out of the chambers as Cropp's council allies spoke in favor of her action.

Cropp said the council could reconsider the legislation next week if baseball officials show they are willing to seriously renegotiate some terms of the agreement. But the move opens another threat to the stadium: Three new council members, all of whom oppose using public funds for a stadium, take office next month.

Those on AM970, the DC sports radio station, believe Cropp, who wants to be mayor some day, is piqued that MLB hasn't shown her the proper level of respect. While some believe private funding is possible, many believe this is the end of baseball in D.C.

Famed sportswriter Thomas Boswell is one of them.

Late Tuesday night, in the 11th hour of a marathon D.C. Council meeting, chairman Linda W. Cropp blew to smithereens the deal that MLB thought it had in place with Washington to build a ballpark on the Anacostia waterfront. With that single blow, which leaves baseball no alternatives, the return of major league baseball to the nation's capital is now dead.

The bits of charred ash and shattered fragments that you see falling from the sky are the remnants of the destruction that Cropp wrought. With one amendment to a stadium-funding bill, she demolished the most basic pillar on which the District's agreement with baseball was built. By a 10-3 vote, the council demanded that at least half of the cost of any new stadium be built with private financing, which does not exist, rather than public funding, as stipulated in D.C.'s deal with baseball.

A stadium in search of hypothetical funding, funding that may never be found, is not a stadium at all. It is just a convenient political lie. The entire purpose of baseball's long search for a new home for the Expos was so the sport could sell the team. Who is going to buy a team to play in a stadium that isn't funded and may never be? Nobody. Nobody on earth. Now, thanks to Cropp, baseball's entire motive for moving the ex-Expos to Washington -- to sell the team -- has been erased. Any solid deal in any town is now better than what Washington is offering -- which is nothing.

We shall see. As I understood it, there were really no legitimate contenders for the team as the process drew to a close. Northern Virginia was deemed unsuitable for logistical reasons and adequate financing from the state legislature was not forthcoming. The same was true for Las Vegas, which has the added problem of being home to legal gambling.

Update (1203): MLB expected to reject ballpark financing plan (ESPN-AP)

"We will review the amendments and the legislation as passed and have a response tomorrow," said Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. One response came almost immediately: The team postponed a news conference scheduled for Wednesday to unveil its new uniforms. No explanation was given.

***

If the law stands, baseball's likely response would be to have the team play the 2005 season at Washington's RFK Stadium, where it would be known as the Nationals, while baseball's search committee resumes negotiations with cities that desire the team. One option could be Las Vegas, which was among the cities competing for the Expos and is still lobbying for a team. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman campaigned at last week's winter meetings, arriving accompanied by showgirls wearing feathered headdresses.

Interesting.

via OTB

Crossposted to SportsBlog, Nats, and DCB.

Braves Favored to Land Tim Hudson

Braves reportedly favored to land Hudson (AJC)

The Winter Meetings may have spawned a monster of a starting rotation for the Braves, who were still working late Monday on a possible trade for Oakland Athletics ace Tim Hudson. Braves general manager John Schuerholz and A's GM Billy Beane had a private conversation outside the Anaheim Marriott Monday afternoon, shortly before Schuerholz caught a flight back to Atlanta. Officials with two other teams involved in trade talks for Hudson said the Braves had moved ahead as favorites to land Hudson, whose .702 winning percentage (92-39) is the third-highest in history for a pitcher with at least 100 decisions. If the Braves pull off a deal for the right-hander, he would join John Smoltz to give the Braves potentially their most potent starting duo since Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux combined for 40 wins in 2000.

The Braves were said to be out of the Hudson sweepstakes after refusing to include second baseman Marcus Giles in a trade. But a source close to negotiations said Beane informed the Braves that a deal was possible without Giles, and the two clubs intensified their talks Sunday and Monday. The A's were asking for a package of at least three prospects or young players, including left-hander Dan Meyer, who went 9-3 with a 2.49 ERA in 26 games (24 starts) while splitting last season between Class AA Greenville and Class AAA Richmond.

Smoltz, a former Cy Young Award starter who saved 144 games in the past three seasons, is moving back to the rotation after the Braves traded for Milwaukee Brewers All-Star closer Dan Kolb on Saturday. "We head home with a good deal under our belts," Schuerholz said, "and some other possibilities that might be concluded before I land [in Atlanta around midnight].... A lot of wheels are in motion on one [particular] deal."

The Braves gave up top pitching prospect Jose Capellan in the Kolb trade, leaving Meyer and right-hander Kyle Davies as their top arms in the minor leagues. It's doubtful the Braves would part with both, at least not unless they were certain they could sign Hudson, a Columbus native who pitched at Auburn, to a contract extension. Hudson will make $6.75 million next season before he becomes eligible for free agency.

Atlanta had two starters with 18 or more wins apiece in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002, but their only starter with more than 16 wins in the past two seasons was Russ Ortiz (21) in 2003. Last year's team leaders were 15-game winners Ortiz and Jaret Wright, who both left as free agents. The Braves were determined to go into next season with the kind of dominant No. 1 starter they've lacked for two seasons. They might just end up with two.

With Hudson and Smoltz, the Braves could field one of the NL's top starting rotations, including John Thomson and lefties Mike Hampton and Horacio Ramirez. "A lot does go on here [at the Winter Meetings]," Beane said. "It's just that it might not be evident for another week or couple of weeks."

Officials with other teams involved in Hudson discussions — the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles — left Anaheim believing a deal would be finalized for the two-time All-Star this week. Hudson, 29, has a 3.30 career ERA, and produced four consecutive seasons with at least 15 wins, 200 innings and 152 strikeouts before going 12-6 with a 3.53 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 188-2/3 innings in 2004, when he missed some starts with a balky hip.

Very interesting. This isn't exactly Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz-Avery but it would be a good rotation, assuming Smoltz' arm holds up. I hate to see the Braves continue to trade away all their young pitching prospects but they do seem to have the touch for drafting guys that other teams are willing to trade for.

Hudson, Millwood--and Sosa--still on Braves' radar

Hudson, Millwood still on Braves' radar

The Braves were part of the rumor mill Sunday at the baseball winter meetings. They were mentioned in talks that ranged from the sensational (Sammy Sosa) to the more practical (Kevin Millwood).

One day after trading for closer Dan Kolb from Milwaukee, the Braves also were said to be back in the trade sweepstakes for Oakland ace Tim Hudson, according to officials with other involved teams.

A Braves official was heard discussing the possibility of a take-it-or-leave-it offer for the former Brave Millwood, possibly a one-year deal for no more than $5 million. Millwood has struggled for most of the past two seasons with Philadelphia. He made $11 million in 2004 and went 9-6 with a 4.85 ERA, but the Braves would like to have him back if he'd take a big pay cut.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz never addresses rumors, and he wasn't about to start Sunday. He met with teams late into the night as the Braves continued to pursue a bat and more pitching.

"We still have the offensive piece to try to strengthen, and we'd like maybe to try to strengthen pitching, too," he said. "We're looking generally at two more circumstances to deal with. Whether we can do both or either [at these meetings] remains to be seen."

How did the Braves, with so little room in their projected $82 million payroll, get thrown into the Sosa circus? Because the Chicago Cubs reportedly would so like to rid themselves of their slugging (but shrinking) right-field distraction, they may be willing to eat a big part of the $17 million he's owed next season.

Still, for the Braves to make Sosa fit into their payroll, the Cubs would have to be willing to pay at least three-fourths of his salary in 2005, and perhaps the $4.5 million buyout of his $18 million option for 2006. Due to the salary considerations, Sosa to Atlanta seems unlikely.

But as two officials with other teams said, they wouldn't put anything past Schuerholz, who received a lifetime achievement award from Baseball America on Saturday.

And why would the Braves get back in the hunt for Hudson, who will make just $6.75 million in 2005 but could command a four-year deal worth at least $50 million next winter?

The Braves could now field a rotation of Smoltz, John Thomson, Mike Hampton, Horacio Ramirez and Juan Cruz or one of the prospects, left-hander Dan Meyer and Kyle Davies.

Schuerholz said in general terms, "If the starting pitching is stronger and better than what we have, then we make ourselves better. . . . We feel we have a solid starting rotation in place. If one of our two young guys or Juan Cruz can step up and fill the fifth spot, we can have a really solid rotation. But if you can improve the pitching staff one way or the other, you try to do it."

There was no word on whether the Braves got a decision from Paul Byrd since making their free-agent pitcher an offer last week. He's known to have interest from San Diego.

It was an otherwise slow day at the meetings, with no major trades or signings, just rumors of pitcher Matt Clement closing in on a deal with Anaheim or Los Angeles, and St. Louis and Boston competing for shortstop Edgar Renteria. Carlos Beltran, the biggest name on the free-agent market, continued discussions with the New York Yankees, according to his agent.

Sosa makes no sense. He's a declining player who is a liability in the field. Getting Milwood back at a relatively low price would be sweet, however.

Win-win situation for Kolb, Smoltz

Win-win situation for Kolb, Smoltz

When Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin called closer Dan Kolb and said he'd been traded to Atlanta, Kolb hardly believed what he was hearing.

"There had been rumors I might be traded, but it was the Cubs I kept hearing," he said. "Atlanta was a pleasant surprise. It was a little shocking when he said Atlanta."

Twenty-four hours later, the shock had worn off, replaced by excitement.

"Now, I'm ready to go," Kolb said Sunday from his home in Wisconsin. "There's still two months [until spring training], but I'm ready to get going."

Kolb, 29, who recorded a franchise-record 39 saves for a team that won only 67 games, will be asked to fill John Smoltz's considerable shoes, taking over closer duties for a team that's won 13 consecutive division titles.

"The pitching staffs they've had over the last 13 years, it's hard not to sit back and admire them," said Kolb, who toiled parts of four unimpressive seasons with the Texas Rangers before his career took off with Milwaukee in 2003.

Smoltz, who had a National League-record 55 saves in 2002 and 144 in the past three seasons, is returning to the starting role he desired. He goes back to the top of the rotation after not being a full-time starter since 1999, two elbow surgeries ago.

It would be an understatement to say the 37-year-old stalwart is excited.

"I was fine either way," said Smoltz, who told the Braves he'd play whichever role they thought best for the team, but hadn't been shy about divulging his preference.

"It's nice to know I can concentrate on [getting ready to be a starter]," Smoltz said. "I was training for it already. I'm excited. It's an incredible challenge.

"I always believe in challenges and overcoming obstacles. I don't have any doubts about my elbow."

He's had four elbow surgeries -- two "Tommy John" ligament transfers, one arthroscopy and an October 2003 procedure to remove scar tissue from nerves.

After the 2003 operation, Smoltz said he'd retire rather than undergo a fifth surgery.

The second ligament transfer surgery caused him to miss the 2000 season and led to his move to closer.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz has said doctors advised the team that Smoltz's elbow would be more susceptible to further injury with him starting.

But Schuerholz said the doctors now believe the routine of starting will be easier on the elbow at this stage of Smoltz's career. He said the change came from Smoltz getting past the healing and strengthening stages following the last major surgery.

The former 24-game and Cy Young Award winner is back in the rotation, and the Braves also are working on a two-year extension that could carry him through 2007 while reducing the Braves' commitment to him next season, which is currently $12 million plus $100,000 per start.

Kolb goes about the closer job a bit differently than Smoltz. In 101 appearances over two seasons, Kolb converted 60 of 67 saves and posted a 2.55 ERA and .228 opponents' average, using a 92-mph sinker and splitter to induce tons of ground balls.

He struck out only 60 in 98 2/3 innings, and only 21 last season when he became the first to record 30 saves with fewer than 30 strikeouts. This from a pitcher who used to throw high-90s heat and still can if need be.

"Doesn't matter to me how I get the job done, as long as I get it done," said Kolb, who has been healthy for two seasons since learning from Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux how to rely on location.

The Braves can control Kolb for two seasons before free agency. He's eligible for arbitration and likely will command about $3 million in 2005.

John Smoltz Back in Starting Rotation

Braves give up starting prospect for proven reliever (AJC)

The Braves are moving closer John Smoltz back to the starting rotation, and making a considerable sacrifice by trading their top pitching prospect to make it work. Atlanta traded flamethrowing Jose Capellan to Milwaukee on Saturday for All-Star closer Dan Kolb, a sinker-baller who recorded a franchise-record 39 saves last season. "We felt this was the strongest way to rebuild our pitching staff and strengthen our team," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said, "even at the loss of one of the top young power arms in the game."

Smoltz has had four elbow surgeries — two since he was last a rotation regular in 1999. But Schuerholz said the Braves now agree with Smoltz, 37, who's said many times that starting would put less stress on his elbow than relieving and that he wanted to start again. "I have spoke to John and he was delighted," said Schuerholz, who called Smoltz to notify him of his role change before the trade was announced. "You could hear the smile on the other end of the phone."

The Braves and Smoltz are also working on a two-year contract extension that would carry him through the 2007 season, presumably with lesser salaries in the final two years in order to offset the $100,000 per start he'll make next season on top of his $12 million salary. That per-start clause was included in the contract he signed four years ago, and Smoltz hoped that it wouldn't be a deterrent to the Braves moving him back to the rotation. It wasn't, after they decided it still made more sense to move Smoltz to the rotation and get an affordable closer than to pay the soaring rates for the current crop of free-agent pitchers.

While continuing to trade away their top pitching prospect every year makes little sense to me, I've given up trying to second guess John Schuerholz. His moves--especially those involving pitchers--almost always work out. There's a reason the Braves have won 14 straight division titles under his watch.

cross-post from OTB

McCain Threatens Baseball Over Drugs

McCain Threatens Baseball Over Drugs (WaPo A01)

As Major League Baseball's steroid scandal widened to include the sport's most prolific active home run hitter, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said yesterday that he will introduce legislation imposing drug testing standards on professional athletes if baseball players and owners do not adopt a stringent crackdown on steroids by January.

In the wake of the disclosure that San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds used substances provided him by a trainer who has been indicted in a steroid distribution ring, McCain, in an interview, gave baseball until next month to adopt the more stringent drug testing requirements of minor league baseball or face federal action." Major league baseball players and owners should meet immediately to enact the standards that apply to the minor leagues, and if they don't, I will have to introduce legislation that says professional sports will have minimum standards for testing," McCain said after returning from a European trip late yesterday. "I'll give them until January, and then I'll introduce legislation."

Under the threat of federal intervention, Major League Baseball officials promised rapid action to impose stringent drug testing. Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig brought up the steroid issue on a conference call with representatives of the 30 major league franchises yesterday, a call originally scheduled to approve the relocation of the Montreal franchise to Washington. According to two sources familiar with the phone discussion, Selig reiterated what he had said on Thursday in Washington -- that baseball needs a tougher steroid policy, and that he intends to have something new in place by January, when team owners convene for meetings.

Selig told the representatives during yesterday's phone call that the league and the players' union had been making progress on a new, tougher drug policy when the latest drug scandal erupted. Selig said if the sport did not have a new policy in time for spring training it may take more aggressive public action, although he was not specific. Selig urged the players' union yesterday to advance a policy aimed at abolishing the use of illegal drugs in baseball. "I am aware the Major League Baseball Players Association is having its annual meeting with its executive board of player representatives next week," Selig said in a statement issued yesterday. "I urge the players and their association to emerge from this meeting ready to join me in adopting a new, stronger drug testing policy modeled after our minor league program that will once and for all rid the game of the scourge of illegal drugs."

In grand jury testimony that was leaked this week, New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi admitted to three years of steroid use, and Bonds admitted using similar substances, although he said he did not think they were steroids.

It is unlikely that drug testing would have prevented the most recent scandal. Bonds and Giambi used substances that were not detectable by standard Olympic drug tests, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report on their federal grand jury testimony.

McCain's threat to impose drug testing standards on professional athletes -- Congress has the authority under the U.S. Constitution's interstate commerce clause -- significantly escalates a long-simmering battle between the federal government and the national pastime over drug use. President Bush, in January's State of the Union address, called on owners, unions and players "to get tough and to get rid of steroids now." But White House efforts to organize a conference on the matter between players and owners fell apart after the baseball's players' union objected.

As regular readers would expect, I'm skeptical of Congress' role in regulating the internal affairs of a private business. Furthermore, it's entirely unclear to me how the government could impose mandatory drug testing on baseball players without violating the 4th Amendment. (Although, granted, the traditional sanction is just exclusion of the tainted evidence from court, which wouldn't apply here.)

Giblets sarcastically notes "the vital role steroid abuse plays in the drug war and the escalating crime rates that accompany it. The other day Giblets saw Barry Bonds knock over a seven-eleven to pay for human growth hormones." Jeralyn Merritt thinks a more productive use of the Senate's time would be investigating "who leaked Bonds's grand jury testimony?"

I agree with McCain and the president that steroids in professional sports is an important issue, if nothing else because of the trickle down effect on the rest of society. Because athletes are worshipped as heroes, not to mention paid princely sums, a sizable portion of our young people aspire to follow in their footsteps. Surveys have consistently showed that young athletes would be willing to sacrifice a few years off the back end of their lives if they could win an Olympic gold medal, a Super Bowl ring, or other such honors. Further, if even a small percentage of professional athletes are advancing their careers through use of such drugs, it increases the pressure on others to do the same to merely stay even.

While I agree with Jeralyn that Congress--or someone--should investigate the increasing tendency of grand jury proceedings (not to mention classified national security information) to get leaked into the press, the two tracks aren't mutually exclusive. The proper path, however, is Bush's rather than McCain's. Government leaders should call attention to the issue to increase pressure on Major League Baseball to clean up its own mess; it shouldn't legislate mandatory drug testing.

(via OTB)

Barry Bonds Used Steroids

The big shoe is apparently dropping in the Major League Baseball steroids scandal:

Report: Bonds unknowingly used steroids (ESPN)

Barry Bonds testified to a grand jury that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a steroid-distribution ring, but said he didn't know they were steroids, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday. Bonds told a U.S. grand jury that he used undetectable steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear," which he received from personal trainer Greg Anderson during the 2003 season. According to Bonds, the trainer told him the substances were the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and a pain-relieving balm for the player's arthritis.

According to government attorneys, BALCO founder Victor Conte has identified the designer steroid THG as "the clear." A testosterone-based ointment was identified as "the cream." Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery testified that Conte used flaxseed oil containers to send "the clear" to athletes. According to a transcript of Bonds' Dec. 4, 2003, testimony reviewed by the Chronicle, prosecutors confronted the slugger with documents allegedly detailing the steroids he used -- "the cream," "the clear," human growth hormone, Depo-Testosterone, insulin and a drug for female infertility that can be used to mask steroid use.

***

Bonds said that, to his knowledge, Anderson had only given him legal drugs to treat his arthritis and fatigue, which were especially bad when the Giants would play a day game after a night game. He said the trainer brought the substances to the Giants' clubhouse, where Bonds would use them. "It was in the ballpark ... in front of everybody," Bonds testified. "I mean, all the reporters, my teammates. I mean, they all saw it. I didn't hide it." However, Bonds testified that the products didn't help ease his suffering, and eventually he stopped using them. "And I was like, to me, it didn't even work," he said. "You know me, I'm 39 years old. I'm dealing with pain. All I want is pain relief, you know? And you know, to recover, you know, night games to day games. That's it. And I didn't think the stuff worked. I was like, 'Dude, whatever,' but he was my friend. "... If it's a steroid, it's not working," he told the grand jury.

Bonds is a bright guy who works incredibly hard to maintain his physical conditioning and almost surely monitors everything he puts into his body. It's hard to believe that he was taking steroids and didn't know it. I have no doubt that he's in incredible pain; 162 games a year for that many years puts a toll on a man. But Anderson is a shady character. Caveat emptor and all that.

Regardless, Bondss been one of the best players in the game every year since he was winning Most Valuable Player awards as a Pittsburgh Pirate fifteen years ago:


Sports Illustrated


(And, even as an Atlanta Braves fan, it was rather clear that Bonds should have won the MVP in 1991 rather than Terry Pendleton, even with the remarkable "worst to first" performance of the Braves that year.) If the Chronicle story of the leaked grand jury testimony is correct, Bonds didn't start taking these enhancement products until the late 1990s. It's not the "juice" that's hitting those balls into McCovey Cove. Bonds is a freak of nature and arguably the best player in the game's history. It's a shame that this issue will always cloud his legacy.

Others blogging:

• David Pinto (of course)


• Chris Lawrence


• Steven Taylor


• PunditGuy

from OTB

Anna Benson Photos

FHM has photos of the lovely Anna Benson, wife of Mets pitcher Chris Benson. See OTB for some selected photos.

She made quite a stir in the interview, threatening (promising?) to have sex with the entire New York Mets organization if her husband cheated on her. See Braves Journal and AdultFYI for more.

The News Vault: In the December issue of FHM, Anna Benson, a former stripper, is featured as 'Baseball's Hottest Wife'. She is wife of New York Mets pitcher Kris Benson. We've included some snippets from the interview.

"I heard the players were excited about the trade because they wanted to see if they could catch Kris and me having sex in the stadium," says Anna Benson, wife of New York Mets pitcher Kris Benson, referring to her infamous 2000 romp in the Three Rivers Stadium parking lot while her husband was with the Pittsburgh Pirates. "We have three kids and we'd had no breaks from them all day. Nobody was there when we arrived, so we climbed into the back seat of our Chevy Tahoe... Fans were lined up waiting for Kris to get out". As to Kris' Mets teammates catching the Bensons at the home field, she says, "We haven't had sex in Shea yet. We've done Three Rivers, PNC Park and the Pirates' spring-training camp".

"...for Christmas, I gave him (husband Kris) pictures of me naked in his jersey. He was thrilled. Any guy who gets naked pictures of his girl will lose it. Baseball has the hottest uniforms. I love their tight pants".

"Three and a half hours a day, for 162 days, of baseball is a lot of boredom. There's nothing to do, so I come up with fantasies. Owning a team would be fun. I'd have rules about cheating on your wife because that's out of control....And I'd always be in the locker room. If I'm paying them millions to play for me, I should be able to watch them walk around naked".

On the topic of athletes cheating on their wives, Benson said "I told him, cheat on me all you want. If you get caught, I'm going to screw everybody on your entire team. Coaches, trainers, players. I would do everybody on his whole team. Everybody would get a turn. If my husband cheated on me and embarrassed me like that, I will embarrass him more than he could ever imagine".

GorillaMask has several more photos.

Anna Benson has her own site at annabenson.net, where one can buy the 2005 Anna Benson Calendar.

OTB and CNG and ABB