Time to Face Facts

If you’ve been a regular to this site, you already know how I feel about steroid users in baseball, in fact for all sports. Whether it’s a pill, an injection, a cream or liquid you’re cheating not just the game that you supposedly love, but yourself as well with many health risks.

Now with that said, I am not surprised nor do I care about Ryan Braun. The reaction to his suspension for the rest of the 2013 MLB season (which amounts to 65 games) has been rather disappointing.

You have the ‘it’s a great day for baseball’ reaction which makes absolutely no sense to me. How is it a great day to see a former MVP get busted a second time for PED use? He had his first suspension overturned on a technicality because his sample wasn’t mailed in a timely manner.

He never argued the results of the positive test were wrong to the arbitrator. He sure made it seem like he did in his press conference in February of 2012 at the Milwaukee Brewers spring training complex, assuring everyone that the ‘substance’ (testosterone) was not of his doing.

The ‘it’s a sad day for baseball’ reaction has some standing, but how many more sad days do you think are coming? This Biogenesis scandal in Miami, Florida has another big name in Alex Rodriguez, who allegedly was trying to buy evidence of his involvement when the story first broke.

What the reaction should be is one that both shames the player and puts a larger emphasis on younger generations that this is not the way to be successful in any sport.

Now when I say shame the player, I don’t mean call him every name in the book. Being told to apologize to the scores of people that he betrayed, demeaned or flat out lied to isn’t being shamed either. He should only have one thing on his mind with all of this and that’s the fact that there are kids that have died at a very young age that used PEDs.

Did we forget the testimony before Congress in 2005 of the parents who lost their children because of PED use? Their testimony was given just before the likes of Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa. Those parents testimonies are now forgotten and it’s sad. It’s sad that the number one reason why this should stop isn’t being talked about enough.

Frankly I am tired of the outrage that has come from some analysts and columnists who feel that they were lied to and now they’re sending their attack dogs after Braun. Is that going to solve anything? How about looking at the big picture and solving the problem at hand.

One good thing to come out of this is the complete 360 the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) has done on this matter. The union and the players themselves are starting to listen and understand the concerns of PED use in their sport. I just hope they are thinking of the kids that are emulating them on the field and not their checking account.

More suspensions are coming and the same arguments will be discussed over and over. The player gets punished for their actions, but do they really? Public shame is one thing, but privately they should know that there are parents that lost their children using PEDs. Is that the legacy they want to leave or would they rather strive to get that $100 million dollar contract by any means necessary? It’s time they face the facts.

2013 MLB All-Star Teams

The 84th showing of the mid-summer classic is making its first appearance to Queens, New York since 1964 at Shea Stadium. This time around Citi Field, not Shea Stadium is the home of the New York Mets and is far and above a better venue. The last time the All-Star game was in New York it was at the old Yankee Stadium in 2008. It was a 15 inning thriller that ended in walk-off fashion for the American League. New York is known for its theatrics and high drama. Nothing short of that is expected, but what will be is the amount of new, known and unexpected stars that will be on display for the 2013 All-Star game. Here are my all-stars keeping with the rules that every team be represented and a total of 34 players for each league.

AVG – Batting Average

ERA – Earned Run Average

HR – Home Runs

RBI – Runs Batted In

SV – Saves

BAA – Batting Average Against

WHIP – Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched

K – Strikeouts

Stats are accurate as of July 5th.

* – asterisk indicates starter

American League

Pitchers

Jim Johnson – Baltimore Orioles

29 SV, 4.02 ERA, 1.31 WHIP

Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees

29 SV, 1.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Joe Nathan – Texas Rangers

28 SV, 1.43 ERA, .156 BAA

Bartolo Colon – Oakland Athletics

11-3, 2.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP

Yu Darvish – Texas Rangers

8-3, 2.78 ERA, 151 K

Max Scherzer – Detroit Tigers*

13-0, 3.09 ERA, 139 K

Hisashi Iwakuma – Seattle Mariners

7-4, 2.60 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

Chris Sale – Chicago White Sox

5-7, 2.79 ERA, 114 K

Grant Balfour – Oakland Athletics

22 SV, 1.82 ERA, .198 BAA

Greg Holland – Kansas City Royals

19 SV, 1.97 ERA, .177 BAA

Bud Norris – Houston Astros

6-7, 3.22 ERA, 1.37 WHIP

Justin Masterson – Cleveland Indians

10-7, 3.78 ERA, 131 K

Felix Hernandez – Seattle Mariners

8-4, 2.69 ERA, 130 K

Notable Omissions: Chris Tillman – Orioles, Clay Buchholz – Red Sox (Injury), Jesse Crain – White Sox (Injury), Glen Perkins – Twins, Matt Moore – Rays, Casey Janssen – Blue Jays

Catchers

Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins*

.314 AVG 8 HR 30 RBI

Salvador Perez – Kansas City Royals

.302 AVG 4 HR 36 RBI

Carlos Santana – Cleveland Indians

.270 AVG 10 HR 38 RBI

Notable Omissions: Matt Wieters – Orioles, J.P. Arencibia – Blue Jays

Infielders

1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion – Toronto Blue Jays

.266 AVG 23 HR 66 RBI

3B Evan Longoria – Tampa Bay Rays

.295 AVG 17 HR 49 RBI

3B Adrian Beltre – Texas Rangers

.307 AVG 17 HR 46 RBI

2B Dustin Pedroia – Boston Red Sox*

.323 AVG 5 HR 49 RBI

2B Jason Kipnis – Cleveland Indians

.300 AVG 13 HR 54 RBI

SS J.J. Hardy – Baltimore Orioles

.254 AVG 15 HR 46 RBI

3B Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers*

.361 AVG 26 HR 86 RBI

3B Manny Machado – Baltimore Orioles

.315 AVG 6 HR 42 RBI

SS Jhonny Peralta – Detroit Tigers*

.306 AVG 7 HR 40 RBI

2B Robinson Cano – New York Yankees

.293 AVG 20 HR 58 RBI

1B Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles*

.324 AVG 33 HR 85 RBI

1B/DH David Ortiz – Boston Red Sox*

.321 AVG 17 HR 61 RBI

3B Josh Donaldson – Oakland Athletics

.317 AVG 15 HR 57 RBI

Notable Omissions: 2B Omar Infante – Tigers, 1B Prince Fielder – Tigers, 1B/DH Billy Butler – Royals, 2B Howie Kendrick – Angels, 1B Mark Trumbo – Angels, 1B Justin Morneau – Twins, SS Jed Lowrie – Athletics, 3B Kyle Seager – Mariners, 1B Kendrys Morales – Mariners, 1B James Loney – Rays, 1B Adam Lind – Blue Jays

Outfielders

Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels*

.314 AVG 13 HR 55 RBI

Jacoby Ellsbury – Boston Red Sox

.302 AVG 2 HR 30 RBI

Adam Jones – Baltimore Orioles*

.290 AVG 15 HR 59 RBI

Nelson Cruz – Texas Rangers

.268 AVG 21 HR 65 RBI

Jose Bautista – Toronto Blue Jays*

.264 AVG 20 HR 52 RBI

Notable Omissions: Nick Markakis – Orioles, Daniel Nava – Red Sox, Torii Hunter – Tigers, Brett Gardner – Yankees, Ichiro Suzuki – Yankees

National League

Pitchers

Matt Harvey – New York Mets*

7-2, 2.27 ERA, 141 K

Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers

7-5, 1.93 ERA, 126 K

Cliff Lee – Philadelphia Phillies

10-2, 2.73 ERA, 119 K

Adam Wainwright – St. Louis Cardinals

11-5, 2.36 ERA, 117 K

Craig Kimbrel – Atlanta Braves

23 SV, 1.72 ERA, .198 BAA

Kevin Gregg – Chicago Cubs

14 SV, 1.59 ERA, .192 BAA

Aroldis Chapman – Cincinnati Reds

20 SV, 2.57 ERA, .177 BAA

Jose Fernandez – Miami Marlins

5-4, 2.72 ERA, 94 K

Jeff Locke – Pittsburgh Pirates

8-1, 2.12 ERA, .206 BAA

Jason Grilli – Pittsburgh Pirates

28 SV, 2.15 ERA, .187 BAA

Edward Mujica – St. Louis Cardinals

22 SV, 2.55 ERA, 0.79 WHIP

Stephen Strasburg – Washington Nationals

4-6, 2.24 ERA, 98 K

Jordan Zimmermann – Washington Nationals

12-3, 2.46 ERA, 0.94 WHIP

Notable Omissions: Rafael Soriano – Nationals, Sergio Romo – Giants, Madison Bumgarner – Giants, Mark Melancon – Pirates, Jonathan Papelbon – Phillies, Rex Brothers – Rockies, Mike Leake – Reds, Mat Latos – Reds, Jeff Samardzija – Cubs, Patrick Corbin – Diamondbacks

Catchers

Yadier Molina – St. Louis Cardinals*

.346 AVG 6 HR 45 RBI

Buster Posey – San Francisco Giants

.310 AVG 12 HR 48 RBI

Wilin Rosario – Colorado Rockies

.273 AVG 13 HR 43 RBI

Notable Omissions: Jonathan Lucroy – Brewers, Russell Martin – Pirates

Infielders

3B David Wright – New York Mets*

.305 AVG 13 HR 43 RBI

2B Matt Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals

.320 AVG 8 HR 36 RBI

3B Pedro Alvarez – Pittsburgh Pirates

.243 AVG 21 HR 56 RBI

SS Jean Segura – Milwaukee Brewers*

.322 AVG 11 HR 33 RBI

1B Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds

.325 AVG 15 HR 40 RBI

2B Brandon Phillips – Cincinnati Reds*

.265 AVG 12 HR 63 RBI

SS Everth Cabrera – San Diego Padres

.300 AVG 4 HR 24 RBI

SS Ian Desmond – Washington Nationals

.281 AVG 15 HR 49 RBI

1B Allen Craig – St. Louis Cardinals

.325 AVG 10 HR 68 RBI

1B Freddie Freeman – Atlanta Braves

.309 AVG 9 HR 56 RBI

1B Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks*

.304 AVG 20 HR 71 RBI

Notable Omissions: 3B Ryan Zimmerman – Nationals, 2B Marco Scutaro – Giants, 1B Adrian Gonzalez – Dodgers, SS Troy Tulowitzki – Rockies (Injury)

Outfielders

Michael Cuddyer – Colorado Rockies*(as DH)

.342 AVG 15 HR 52 RBI

Carlos Gomez – Milwaukee Brewers

.319 AVG 13 HR 41 RBI

Carlos Beltran – St. Louis Cardinals*

.305 AVG 19 HR 50 RBI

Andrew McCutchen – Pittsburgh Pirates*

.298 AVG 9 HR 45 RBI

Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies*

.295 AVG 23 HR 62 RBI

Domonic Brown – Philadelphia Phillies

.279 AVG 22 HR 60 RBI

Yasiel Puig – Los Angeles Dodgers

.420 AVG 8 HR 19 RBI

Notable Omissions: Nate Schierholtz – Cubs, Jay Bruce – Reds, Ryan Braun – Brewers (Injury), Hunter Pence – Giants

MLB Recap – June

Best Hitter – 1B Chris Davis (.290 AVG 12 HR 30 RBI) Baltimore Orioles

Best Pitcher – Max Scherzer (5-0, 2.38 ERA) Detroit Tigers

Best Team – Pittsburgh Pirates 51-30 (28-13 home record)

Division Leaders

American League

Boston Red Sox 50-34

Best Player – 3B Jose Iglesias (.395 AVG 1 HR 6 RBI)

Detroit Tigers 43-37

Best Player – 3B Miguel Cabrera (.378 AVG 9 HR 21 RBI)

Texas Rangers 48-34

Best Player – OF Nelson Cruz (.290 AVG 7 HR 22 RBI)

National League

Atlanta Braves 48-34

Best Player – 1B Freddie Freeman (.291 AVG 4 HR 19 RBI)

Pittsburgh Pirates 51-30

Best Player – 3B Pedro Alvarez (.309 AVG 10 HR 24 RBI)

Arizona Diamondbacks 42-39

Best Player – 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.262 AVG 7 HR 26 RBI)

Wild Card Teams

American League

Oakland Athletics 48-35

Best Player – P Bartolo Colon (5-0, 1.75 ERA)

Baltimore Orioles 47-36

Best Player – 1B Chris Davis (.290 AVG 12 HR 30 RBI)

Cleveland Indians 44-38

Best Player – 2B Jason Kipnis (.419 AVG 4 HR 25 RBI)

Tampa Bay Rays 43-39

Best Player – 2B Ben Zobrist (.314 AVG 2 HR 10 RBI)

New York Yankees 42-39

Best Player – OF Brett Gardner (.330 AVG 2 HR 10 RBI)

Toronto Blue Jays 40-41

Best Player – 1B Adam Lind (.350 AVG 7 HR 22 RBI)

Kansas City Royals 38-41

Best Player – P Ervin Santana (2-0, 1.99 ERA)

Los Angeles Angels 39-43

Best Player – OF Mike Trout (.358 AVG 3 HR 15 RBI)

Minnesota Twins 36-42

Best Player – C Joe Mauer (.297 AVG 3 HR 8 RBI)

National League

St. Louis Cardinals 49-32

Best Player – 1B Allen Craig (.330 AVG 6 HR 26 RBI)

Cincinnati Reds 46-36

Best Player – OF Jay Bruce (.294 AVG 10 HR 21 RBI)

Washington Nationals 41-40

Best Player – P Gio Gonzalez (2-0, 1.79 ERA)

Colorado Rockies 41-42

Best Player – OF Michael Cuddyer (.347 AVG 6 HR 16 RBI)

San Diego Padres 40-42

Best Player – OF Carlos Quentin (.366 AVG 4 HR 8 RBI)

San Francisco Giants 39-42

Best Player – C Buster Posey (.374 AVG 5 HR 17 RBI)

Philadelphia Phillies 39-44

Best Player – OF Domonic Brown (.278 AVG 6 HR 21 RBI)

Los Angeles Dodgers 38-43

Best Player – OF Yasiel Puig (.436 AVG 7 HR 16 RBI)

Outside Looking In

American League

Seattle Mariners 35-47

Best Player – OF Raul Ibanez (.262 AVG 10 HR 22 RBI)

Chicago White Sox 32-47

Best Player – 1B Adam Dunn (.274 AVG 9 HR 24 RBI)

Houston Astros 30-52

Best Player – P Bud Norris (1-3, 2.77 ERA)

National League

Chicago Cubs 35-45

Best Player – OF Nate Schierholtz (.291 AVG 5 HR 14 RBI)

New York Mets 33-45

Best Player – 3B David Wright (.343 AVG 5 HR 11 RBI)

Milwaukee Brewers 32-48

Best Player – C Jonathan Lucroy (.296 AVG 3 HR 18 RBI)

Miami Marlins 29-51

Best Player – P Jose Fernandez (2-1, 1.67 ERA)

MLB Recap – May

Best Hitter – 3B Miguel Cabrera (.379 AVG 12 HR 33 RBI) Detroit Tigers

Best Pitcher – Patrick Corbin (5-0, 1.53 ERA) Arizona Diamondbacks

Best Team – St. Louis Cardinals 35-18 (20-9 road record)

Division Leaders

American League

Boston Red Sox 33-23

Best Player – 2B Dustin Pedroia (.336 AVG 3 HR 18 RBI)

Detroit Tigers 29-24

Best Player – 3B Miguel Cabrera (.379 AVG 12 HR 33 RBI)

Texas Rangers 34-20

Best Player – 3B Adrian Beltre (.376 AVG 6 HR 23 RBI)

National League

Atlanta Braves 32-22

Best Player – P Mike Minor (4-0, 1.98 ERA)

St. Louis Cardinals 35-18

Best Player – C Yadier Molina (.394 AVG 1 HR 12 RBI)

Arizona Diamondbacks 30-24

Best Player – P Patrick Corbin (5-0, 1.53 ERA)

Wild Card Teams

American League

New York Yankees 31-23

Best Player – P Mariano Rivera (1.80 ERA, 9 SV)

Oakland Athletics 32-24

Best Player – 3B Josh Donaldson (.330 AVG 6 HR 13 RBI)

Baltimore Orioles 31-24

Best Player – 1B Chris Davis (.364 AVG 10 HR 22 RBI)

Cleveland Indians 29-25

Best Player – P Justin Masterson (4-1, 3.02 ERA)

Tampa Bay Rays 30-24

Best Player – 2B Kelly Johnson (.330 AVG 7 HR 26 RBI)

Chicago White Sox 24-28

Best Player – P Chris Sale (3-0, 0.87 ERA)

Los Angeles Angels 25-30

Best Player – OF Mike Trout (.327 AVG 8 HR 21 RBI)

National League

Cincinnati Reds 34-21

Best Player – 1B Joey Votto (.388 AVG 6 HR 16 RBI)

Pittsburgh Pirates 34-21

Best Player – P Francisco Liriano (3-1, 2.35 ERA)

San Francisco Giants 29-25

Best Player – 2B Marco Scutaro (.420 AVG 1 HR 9 RBI)

Colorado Rockies 28-27

Best Player – SS Troy Tulowitzki (.360 AVG 6 HR 21 RBI)

Washington Nationals 28-27

Best Player – P Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 1.95 ERA)

Philadelphia Phillies 26-29

Best Player – OF Domonic Brown (.303 AVG 12 HR 25 RBI)

San Diego Padres 25-29

Best Player – 2B Jedd Gyorko (.303 AVG 6 HR 12 RBI)

Outside Looking In

American League

Minnesota Twins 23-29

Best Player – C Joe Mauer (.371 AVG 3 HR 10 RBI)

Seattle Mariners 24-31

Best Player – 1B Kendrys Morales (.343 AVG 5 HR 23 RBI)

Toronto Blue Jays 23-32

Best Player – 1B Edwin Encarnacion (.292 AVG 6 HR 26 RBI)

Kansas City Royals 22-30

Best Player – OF Alex Gordon (.339 AVG 3 HR 14 RBI)

Houston Astros 18-37

Best Player – C Jason Castro (.292 AVG 6 HR 13 RBI)

National League

Chicago Cubs 23-30

Best Player – P Scott Feldman (4-1, 2.25 ERA)

Los Angeles Dodgers 23-30

Best Player – 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.314 AVG 5 HR 22 RBI)

New York Mets 22-30

Best Player – P Matt Harvey (1-0, 2.15 ERA)

Milwaukee Brewers 20-33

Best Player – SS Jean Segura (.345 AVG 5 HR 13 RBI)

Miami Marlins 14-41

Best Player – OF Marcell Ozuna (.330 AVG 1 HR 11 RBI)

MLB Recap – April

Best Hitter – 1B Chris Davis (.352 AVG 9 HR 28 RBI) Baltimore Orioles

Best Pitcher – Matt Moore (5-0, 1.13 ERA) Tampa Bay Rays

Best Team – Boston Red Sox 18-8 (7-3 road record)

Division Leaders

American League

Boston Red Sox 18-8

Best Player – P Clay Buchholz (5-0, 1.19 ERA)

Detroit Tigers 15-10

Best Player – 3B Miguel Cabrera (.363 AVG 4 HR 28 RBI)

Texas Rangers 17-9

Best Player – P Yu Darvish (5-1 2.33 ERA)

National League

Atlanta Braves 17-9

Best Player – OF Justin Upton (.298 AVG 12 HR 19 RBI)

St. Louis Cardinals 15-11

Best Player – P Adam Wainwright (4-2, 2.03 ERA)

Colorado Rockies 16-11

Best Player – C Wilin Rosario (.350 AVG 7 HR 19 RBI)

Wild Card Teams

American League

New York Yankees 16-10

Best Player – 2B Robinson Cano (.327 AVG 7 HR 17 RBI)

Baltimore Orioles 16-11

Best Player – 1B Chris Davis (.352 AVG 9 HR 28 RBI)

Kansas City Royals 14-10

Best Player – P Ervin Santana (3-1, 2.00 ERA)

Oakland Athletics 16-12

Best Player – SS Jed Lowrie (.333 AVG 3 HR 15 RBI)

Minnesota Twins 11-12

Best Player – C Joe Mauer (.287 AVG 2 HR 8 RBI)

Tampa Bay Rays 12-14

Best Player – P Matt Moore (5-0, 1.13 ERA)

Cleveland Indians 11-13

Best Player – C Carlos Santana (.389 AVG 5 HR 13 RBI)

National League

Milwaukee Brewers 14-11

Best Player – SS Jean Segura (.367 AVG 3 HR 9 RBI)

Arizona Diamondbacks 15-12

Best Player – P Patrick Corbin (3-0, 1.91 ERA)

Pittsburgh Pirates 15-12

Best Player – OF Starling Marte (.327 AVG 2 HR 11 RBI)

San Francisco Giants 15-12

Best Player – P Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.55 ERA)

Cincinnati Reds 15-13

Best Player – OF Shin-Soo Choo (.337 AVG 4 HR 11 RBI)

Los Angeles Dodgers 13-13

Best Player – 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.333 AVG 2 HR 18 RBI)

Washington Nationals 13-14

Best Player – OF Bryce Harper (.344 AVG 9 HR 18 RBI)

Philadelphia Phillies 12-15

Best Player – 3B Michael Young (.341 AVG 1 HR 6 RBI)

Outside Looking In

American League

Seattle Mariners 12-17

Best Player – P Hisashi Iwakuma (2-1, 1.67 ERA)

Chicago White Sox 10-15

Best Player – P Addison Reed (8 SV, 1.64 ERA)

Toronto Blue Jays 10-17

Best Player – SS Jose Reyes (.395 AVG 1 HR 5 RBI) they really miss him

Los Angeles Angels 9-17

Best Player – 1B/DH Mark Trumbo (.300 AVG 5 HR 16 RBI)

Houston Astros 8-19

Best Player – 2B Jose Altuve (.324 AVG 1 HR 13 RBI)

National League

New York Mets 10-15

Best Player – P Matt Harvey (4-0, 1.56 ERA)

Chicago Cubs 10-16

Best Player – P Travis Wood (2-1, 2.25 ERA)

San Diego Padres 10-16

Best Player – C Nick Hundley (.329 AVG 3 HR 11 RBI)

Miami Marlins 8-19

Best Player – P Kevin Slowey (0-2, 2.15 ERA)