Now it's HGH

It started this week with the announcement that Jason Grimsley was caught red-handed receiving a package containing HGH. What few if any have noted is that this is not Grimsley's first run in with, shall we say, questionable practices. Read this at CNN/SI.

According to various sources, the side effects to HGH include increased strength and muscular development, larger skull (hmm, now can we think of a ball player with a great big pumpkin head?).

Also widely reported is that there is no reliable test for HGH. The fact is that both the Athens and Turin Olympic Games had HGH testing. It is the MLB player's union that refused to allow any blood testing as part of the drug testing program. I'm glad that this sham (other's have used the more charitable word "loophole") has finally been exposed for what it is.

Now we just wait to hear who else is involved in this. Names currently floating include Sosa (no duh), Giambi (ditto), and some more troubling prospects (Pujols, Clemens).

Why steriods would help a baseball player

I hate the argument that steroids don't help you hit a baseball. Yes, it takes skill to hit the ball in the first place.

But, look, if anyone seriously believed they didn't help, (a) no one would use them, and, (b) they wouldn't be banned.

If you are stronger, you can swing a heavier bat faster. Bat speed is determined, in fact, by strength. Here is why.

The distance a ball travels when hit is determined by Force. Force is the combination of Mass (weight) of the bat and Acceleration (speed) of the bat. This is Newton's second law of motion.

Think of it this way, you may be able to swing a whiffle ball bat amazingly fast, but it doesn't have enough Mass to propel a baseball far if at all. Conversely, if you bat with a sledgehammer, but can barely get around on it, you won't have success either. Batting is about find the optimum combination of Speed and weight (Mass), to generate the most Force.

The strength of a drug-assisted player gives him (or her) an advantage in that they can use a heavier bat, or swing the same bat faster, generating more Force. Strength is the thing that limits you from swinging a sledgehammer as if it were a whiffle ball bat.

Say it ain't so...

Rafael Palmeiro was suspended yesterday for breaking the new steroid policy. It shocking, disappointing, and sickening, really. In his telephone press conference, Raffy denied knowingly having ever taken steroids. I'm not sure what knowingly means exactly. When pressed about what he did take, or how he took it, or what he tested positive for specifically, Palmeiro's agent wouldn't let him answer. Sadly, Raffy looks worse than Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield, some even say he looks worse than Pete Rose.

So, he is sitting out a ten day suspension. Here's my question: after ten days, the steriods are gone from his system? Most experts say probably not. Probably more like a few months. So, assuming that's true, that whatever he already took will be in his system for a few months, what's stopping him from hitting even more juice till the season's over?

The other thing about this is that this shines a light on what seems impossible really is impossible. Raffy Palmeiro, over a twenty-year career, playing in 2,800 games has never spent a single day on the disabled list. Not a single day! In almost every season since he's been a regular player (since 1988), he's played in 150+ games, and has never had to sit out an injury. And, now that he's 40 years old, he's still playing at that pace, without injury. That sure sounds impossible. Turns out, maybe it was.

So, the next thing that we need to start asking is what about other "phenoms" out there? How is it that Roger Clemens at age 41 has an ERA under two bucks? How is it that Jason Giambi, mired in a slump for a year and a half is all of a sudden the Yankees biggest threat (and he appears to be gaining weight again)?

This certainly taints Palmeiro in my mind. His accomplishments, they just don't mean as much considering he's cheated. Same way I felt after Sammy Sosa was caught with a corked bat. Frankly, everyone who has played since the 90's is tainted by this.

A lot of guys are at least suspicious by association.

Baseball Camp

My son attended baseball camp this week, hosted by the Orioles' double-A affiliate, the Bowie Baysox. The camp was really cool, it was run by players including Eric Dubose and Hayden Penn. The players were great with the kids, really enthusiastic. About 120 kids attended, so this wasn't an intensive skills-building clinic. But what could be cooler at age 11 than to hang out with minor league players, and play on their field?

Hey now, you're an all star

The 2005 All Star game featured 4 Orioles (Tejada, Roberts, Mora, and BJ Ryan). Miguel Tejada was voted the MVP.

Now the Orioles need to see if they can finish as strong as they started. Looks like Javy Lopez will continue to be disabled for a while longer. Starting to wonder if he requires more surgery. Surhoff is back in the lineup. Palmeiro has found his swing, on his way to 3,000 career hits (currently at 2,998). Sosa continues to be so-so. He's had a history of letting being on the DL and going into slumps (remember the corked bat incident a few years ago?).

Here's the pitch...

The Baltimore Orioles continue to fly under the radar of most pundits. The O's are in first place, and have shown no signs of slipping. Keep it up, boys.

In related news, on Wednesday, I met Oriole's manager Lee Mazzilli at the ESPNZone in Baltimore. He's a great guy and even autographed his rookie card--which I've had since he was a rookie with the Mets in 1977!