Mike McCarthy is THE STIFF, Not Matt Flynn

As a New England Patriots fan, nothing was more enjoyable than watching the Green Bay Packers final drive of the game on Sunday fall flat on its face.

But unlike the rest of the sports world, I don't fault the Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn for the embarrassing last play of the game on a potential game winning drive.

Everyone seems to think that with 20 seconds left, Flynn should have been able to receive the play from McCarthy and then execute a game winning touchdown pass.

Well not me.

It was obvious the play took too long to come in and Flynn took too long directing traffic before snapping the ball.

But let's be serious. This is the NFL. Coaches are supposed to be prepared. That's right, I say McCarthy blew the game.

If that was Bellichick with the game on the line and a backup quarterback taking the snaps - do you honestly think he wouldn't have been prepared.

4 days earlier in practice he would have been practicing the 2 minute drill with very simple plays, and very simply named plays at that, ready to go.

If the tables were turned on that last play, Bellichick would have simply said something like "dog' or "rabbit" or whatever and everyone on the field, including the backup quarterback, would have known their assignment. Bellichick would have dumbed it down so there was no room for error.

But what does McCarthy do? He goes to his playbook and calls something that Matt Flynn probably had never executed, never mind practiced. You could see it on the field. No one knew the call and Flynn was pushing people left and right trying to just get A PLAY run.

I mean how do you just not have a go to play in that situation? With an unexperienced backup quarterback you just have to have a simple play ready. Who cares if you use it 6 times in the same game. It is your responsibility as a coach to manage the game for a guy with no experience.

So where was McCarthy's "dog" or "rabbit" play? What was he thinking? Was "X-45, Z, 2, Out" the play to call with the clock ticking, the crowd yelling and the game on the line?

Nope.

For your epic FAIL - Mike McCarthy, you are THE STIFF OF THE WEEK.

I've been waiting to write this one

Today's Stiff of the Week is well known to Boston Red Sox fans everywhere. He is caustic, boorish, pompous, arrogant, self-centered, self-righteous and above all, contemptuous. Let's have a hearty chorus of boos for Brian Cashman, Yankees GM, who just experienced one of the biggest OOPS moments ever. He let Cliff Lee slip through his hands and now that left-handed Boston lineup doesn't have to worry about 3 or 4 starts from Lee against them.

The truly pitiable part of all this is that Brian Cashman cannot understand why Cliff Lee signed with a bunch of bums such as the Phillies. How could he not yearn for pinstripes? Who wouldn't want to play with A-Fraud, besides most of baseball? Why wouldn't he want a 900 sq. ft apartment in Manhattan for only $35,000/month + utilities? Why wouldn't he want a state tax on his income of about $17.5 mil from the proposed contract? Why wouldn't he want to play in one of the most crowded and ugly parts of any city in the country?

Brian fails to see that Cliff cares about people, places AND last of all, things. He liked Philly. He liked the people there and they liked him. He had his own devoted fans. He doesn't need any more Joe six-packers or corporate honchos hanging all over him. He wants to win and with that rotation, he will win. Brian's team is older and slower and more tedious and plodding than ever. Did i mention slower? Pettitte's arm will soon fall off or collapse from age. CC is just one pizza away from a total explosion where he won't be able to pick up the rosin bag, Posada is Jason Varitek and the sox aren't planning to use him. AJ Burnett - oh, nevermind - I can't write about him - it's just too funny and pathetic. He is clearly the worst #3 starter in baseball and the Yankees only paid him $18mil per year for what seems to them now like forever.
Cashman could not produce a winner with a $235m payroll in 2010. Now what, Bri? Let's face it. you thought that the name " NY YANKEES" would be enough to have Cliff begging to come there. Guess what, Buddy? Wrong again !!!!

You offered him 7 years and $175m and he said "NO". What does that say about how his feelings for the Big Apple, Hank S. and all the other clowns there? It says - you're not as wonderful as you think. Come down off that high horse. You were lucky to get your other mercenaries in the past, although many of them are total busts as well ( see- AJ Burnett ).
I can't wait for 2011. Unless CC is in shape and pitching every other day, you've got a big problem, pal. I know, you have Phil Hughes and Joba the mutt. Good for you!!! Let's go with them, OK?

Yankee fans are soooooo forgiving. some are already calling for your head. Nice place to work there, isn't it Brian? Good luck to you in 2011. I know a nice Subway franchise in queens that will hire you, as long as you don't let the sandwiches slip through your fingers as well.

Wah Wah Wah Anaheim Angels

Tom Hanks said it best when he said " There's no crying in baseball!" . The California Angels of Anaheim need to take a lesson from that. For the past 18 hours, they have been crying that the Boston Red Sox stole Carl Crawford away from them. I don't remember Carl saying that he wanted to go to Boston over Anaheim ( a no brainer, though ) or that he wanted to go anywhere. Carl was on the "open" market, up for the highest bidder. The Angels chose to give him a less lucrative offer and for fewer years, so he's now headed to Boston.

Torii Hunter even came out today and said that he wanted to play with Carl. Well, you should have ponied up some of your own cash there, Torii, and maybe he would have signed with your team. Of course, you could always ask to be traded to Boston and then you and Carl can be best buds on the Red Sox juggernaut for the next 6-7 years.

No one has the right to complain when they get outbid for the services of a player. The Red Sox are clearly going for it now this year and are not concerned about whether or not they make a profit for the 2011 season. Ego does that to people and it drives them to perhaps overpay for a player, so that they can keep interest high.

The Angels problem is the fan base. They show up for a game in the 3rd inning after having a few margaritas and a wheel of brie downtown, then they sit on their hands for most of the game, and leave after the 7th inning stretch, so that they can still make the buffet at Red Lobster.

Anaheim is not a baseball town. They don't deserve Carl Crawford or even Broderick Crawford ( remember him on highway Patrol? ). Joan Crawford lived nearby - so they should be happy with that.

The Angels had plenty of money to spend. After all, now they want Beltre and Soriano, neither of whom will come cheaply. But be careful, LA, you could easily lose them too if someone else throws in a few extra bats and gloves to the deal and you balk at making a move.

You are the stiff of the week - your ownership, your fan base and yes, even the city (ha-ha) of Anaheim. You have worries this year about Oakland and Seattle as well. Best of luck with that -see you on the way to the AL West basement.

Handy Randy ain't quite so dandy, Andy

So let's see, who is Randy moss "playing: for this week?

I believe that he was claimed off the scrap heap by Tennessee a few weeks ago and he actually made one catch in last week's game. That brings his season's total to somewhere south of 20 catches. Now he wants a long term mega-deal with some team. Randy must have flunked basic math class in school.

The equation is quite easy.

The more you produce, the more you earn. The less you produce, the less you earn. I think I have that correct.

Randy USED TO BE productive. Randy USED TO BE a deep threat. Randy USED to work on every down - well maybe not that one. After all, it's a long way to run down the field, come back and do it again a few times per game. Let's not be overcritical of the man now.

He will probably want to get paid now by CBS, Fox, etc. because he is now conducting his own press conferences. There's no need to send correspondents out there or news people to speak to him. He will ask the questions and answer them, without even doing voice changes. This must be worth something to the networks.

Randy also can make some money giving food tips to hotels and restaurants about what to serve, how to serve it and when to serve it. There's no need for any of those food service managers anymore. Just ask Randy.

He is certainly a jack of all trades- at least in his own mind. That's OK though, because that's where Randy Moss lives.

Randy, you are the stiff of the week.

As Randy would say... " I'm Out!"

Theo Theo Theo - what were you thinking????

Theo Epstein, boy genius, must have failed his college statistics classes. Stats don't lie buddy and you just cost the Red Sox 12.5 million dollars that you will never get production for. Here are the numbers you missed:

David Ortiz

2004-2006 240+ extra base hits
2008-2010 178 extra base hits

2004-2006 OPS around .400 each year
2008-2010 OPS around .325 each year

2004-2006 Consistent average at or above .300
2008-2010 Average plummets to BELOW .200 only comes back to .266

He is making more money than any full time DH on any roster for the 2011 season next year.

He hit .211 vs. left-handed pitchers this year with 2/3 of his strikeouts.

Moving the right field fence in 9 feet next year won't help him with his loss of bat speed through the hitting zone ( 15-17 mph slower than in his prime ), but it will help younger opposing lefties.... nice idea.

In April and May, he had the opportunity to drive in the tying or lead run after the 7th inning in 36 games. He did it exactly twice.

This is a horrible move since D.O. wanted long -term big contract, so besides being horrible, he will be disgruntled and the team does not have $12.5 mil to spend on " talent."

Revis the Stiff

Dear Mr. Darelle Revis,

You are a stiff.

Stop faking injuries when you get burned.

Sincerely,

S.O.T.W. Staff

Picture Link Source

Revis Island: Beware of Stiffs

WEEI reported the following earlier today:

"Revis, who played his first game back Monday night after missing all of training camp in a contract dispute, was limited on Thursday in practice by hamstring tightness and his availability for Sunday is unknown."

I am just going to say it now:

If Darrelle Revis does not play this Sunday, he is automatically the stiff of the YEAR.

As long as he is alive and his thigh bone isn't sticking through his skin, he better being playing.

It seems way too much like an excuse for when he gets burned by Randy Moss because he isn't in football condition or is hurt.

After all his trash talk, contract hold out and hype about "Revis Island" how lame is it to lean on the excuse of hamstring tightness.

Either sit out until you are ready to play at NFL speed, admit you are scared of Moss or don't hold out in the first place.

Revis should have been running parachute assisted wind sprints 24-7 or at least sit ups in his driveway (the T.O. workout) while waiting for his contract. What was he doing all day, eating Twinkies and playing Madden '11?

But in all fairness... injury, out of shape or whatever, as long as Moss burns him for at least a couple touchdowns and the Patriots beat the Jets, I will be very happy.

Ochocinco is a Liar.

Last week Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals said that if he scored a touchdown vs. the New England Patriots that he would grab a musket from one of the Minuteman Mascots.

Well Chad, you just scored a TD and immediately walked away to your sideline...

What a stiff!

As much as I love the Patriots, I was hoping you would score.... and then get gun punched by one of those revolutionary rebels.

Chad you talked the talk but didn't walk the walk - so you are the stiff of the week.

Oh, and ochenta y cinco is how you say 85 in spanish, not ocho cinco.

Boston Red Sox Fair Weather Fans

Front Running Red Sox "Fans," you are all the stiffs of the week.

Everywhere I go in Boston I hear the following, "The Red Sox suck this year."

Since when is Boston full of a bunch of front running, show up in the fourth inning, pink hat wearing fans?

Sometimes I think reversing the curse did more harm than good for the Fenway faithful.

Before 2004 and 2007 - Fenway Park was real. The fans were for the most part knowledgeable about baseball or their hometown team at the very least. People brought their kids because their kids wanted to go see their favorite players play.

Now when I head to Fenway it is a crap shoot.

Sure, in the bleachers and less expensive seating areas you have mostly true fans. They show up on time, drink way too much and talk baseball with the other drunkards around them.

However, the closer you get to the Loge seating (and don't even getting me started on the skyboxes) you still find die hard fans, but more commonly you find these fair weather folk that I speak of. Half of them are doing business on their cell phone while their kid is playing on his/her Game Boy. They are at Fenway to be seen; to be the envy of those fans in the obstructed grandstand seats.

They pay ridiculous prices for the tickets, and if the sox are playing a team like the Orioles, they don't bother going at all.

They don't remember what Fenway looked like before the Green Monster seats and they never saw the Marlborough man billboard above the center field bleachers.

They might remember Fisk, Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Nomar, Pedro, Manny and Papi...

But they sure as hell don't remember Jodi Reed, Tom Brunansky, Brian Daubach, Mike Greenwell, Troy O'Leary and Oil Can Boyd.

They never stayed up on a school night and watched the ball go through Buckner's legs.

They think Aaron Boone is some sort of famous hunter or Civil War general.

They became fans in 2004 and not until the Sox evened up the series. They only saw Dave Roberts steal 2nd base on replays and highlight reels.

The problem now is that even some of the true Fenway Faithful are being influenced by these fake fans and becoming front runners themselves.

HERE IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL.

The sox will not make the playoffs this year. Their pitching has been less than outstanding.

But...

(say it with me) THE RED SOX DO NOT SUCK THIS YEAR.

They are either 1st or 2nd in the American League in the following categories: runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, slugging and total bases. They are 4th in on-base percentage and 5th in hits.

And for such a "dismal" year of pitching, they are still 2nd in the AL in strikeouts.

AS OF TODAY, 9/6, THE RED SOX HAVE 76 WINS. THIS WOULD MAKE THEM...

-1st in AL West (Texas = 75 wins)
-1st in NL West (Tied with San Deigo = 76 wins)
-3 games back in NL East & NL Central

They would be pretty much guaranteed AT LEAST the wild card in the National League.

The 4th place team in the AL East - The Toronto Blue Jays - even has 71 wins!!!

(say it with me again) THE RED SOX DO NOT SUCK THIS YEAR.

Did I forget to mention injuries? Ah, yes. I forgot to mention that such a productive offensive year has been done without the likes of (for short and long periods of time) Pedroia, Youk, VMart, Varitek, Lowrie, Lowell, Ellsbury, Cameron etc.

So lets see... thats an MVP, consistent .300+ hitter, 40+ stolen base guy & 2007 World Series MVP that the Sox had on the DL this year - not to mention two members of their starting rotation...

On the pitching side of things, Beckett and Dice-K haven't been 100% this year. That is obvious.

Things could have been so much worse.

Any true Red Sox fan will look back on this year and say, "Wow a lot of guys really stepped up and played well. I can't believe we came as close as we did to making the playoffs. Hopefully we get healthy next year. And at the very least we now have a ton of options and proven prospects to use in trades or fill gaps in the future."

WILL THE REAL RED SOX FANS PLEASE STAND UP?

MLB and MLBPA need to sit down NOW!!!!!!

Let me preface my remarks by stating unequivocably that I am now and always have been a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan. I have been through the decades of "bad" and the decade of "good" . We all want our team to win, but let's look at what is happening in Major League Baseball. As you know, there is no salary cap in this sport, so the teams that have the financial resources are going to be more successful overall. Occasionally, a team with a low payroll, has some young up-and-coming players, who perform above and beyond the norm and the team is competitive briefly. Later on, those players leave for " greener pastures" with the rich teams.

But let's look at the big picture. The "richest" teams are clearly the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and the "poorest" teams are the Royals, A's,Orioles, Astros and Pirates. Which ones do we always talk about as "winners" or "potential winners" and which ones never are in the discussion?

How would you like to be a fan of the KC Royals, knowing that the before the season started, you entire team's payroll is less than that of just Jeter and A-Rod. You have no chance, so unless you are just a fan of the game, you don't go to many or any games and attendance figures are horrible, meaning even less revenue.

During the season, teams such as the Yankees have the luxury of constant re-evaluation and additions to the roster and payroll. Their contract with the YES Network, their advertisers and huge fan base basically make it so that there is NO CEILING whatsoever to what they can spend. They are already this year at $230M, which is at least $75M more than the next team in line and more than 5 times as much as the majority of other major league teams. They have a struggling pitcher. That's OK; let's go buy another one or trade for another one. A player gets hurt; OK, let's go get a replacement player. When you look at the Yankees, you see A-Rod, Teixeira, Granderson, Sabathia, Petitte, Swisher, Burnett and realize that these guys all came to the Yankees as free agents and other teams could not afford to pay what the Yankees could. The Yankees were the highest bidder for each of them, by a mile. Paying a luxury ( overspending ) tax is of no issue to the Yankees. They could literally run their payroll to $400M and still be in the black, just with media deals. They have a city of 15M people and a new park with nice seats and expensive souvenirs and food. Tickets run up to $750 per game and they still nearly fill it. Some of the poor teams are offering 10 game blocks of tickets for $99, just to get people in the park.

Does anyone think that this disparity is going to get better? It's not. The Yankees have an all-star team. One of their worst regular players is Swisher, a virtual star on any other team. With no salary cap, their potential to win World Championships increases each year as more teams fall behind.

Worse than the thought of the Yankees winning the world Series multiple years or decades in a row, is the thought that bankruptcy looms in the future for many low budget teams. It's hard to atract fans when you always lose. The Pittsburgh Pirates, once a proud franchise, is drawing under 11,000 fans per game. They won't last very much longer that way. They are on their way to their 20th consecutive losing season. It's the same for KC, Oakland, Houston and a host of other clubs. We don't need to lose baseball in major cities now and head back to only having 8 teams.

The 19-39 year olds are not that interested in baseball now, because of its lack of constant action. This is a generation that needs a reason to come back. Losing won't help that happen in the cities they reside.

Some teams should be getting better, because when the rich teams play a luxury tax, the money goes to the poorer teams, supposedly to go out and buy free agents. The last few years has shown that this isn't happening. The money is being used to pay regular bills that otherwise unpaid, would push the teams toward bankruptcy. The system is broken and it needs to be fixed.

Remember, I am a Sox fan, and I know that a salary cap would bring all the teams to the approximate same level. That's OK with me, because I like real competition.

Some people beleive that it has nothing to do with the teams, but rather it's the hiring of good managers. This is total nonsense. Look at the successful managers recently.

Terry Francona was a horrible manager in Philadelphia, when they wouldn't spend any money. He comes to Boston and wins 2 titles. Did he suddenly get smart? No, he sudden;y had money behind him to get players ( Ramirez, Ortiz,Beckett, etc ).

Is Joe Girardi some kind of brain child? Anyone could coach that team in NY right now. Just fill out the card and send them out there. Everyone thought Joe Torre was a briliant manager. That's not true. How was he before the Yankees and now with the LA Dodgers? Did he suddenly get stupid or did the money pit run dry?

Is Lou Piniella a bad manager or does he just have a bad team? Why can't anyone win in Baltimore? The answer is clear. They don't spend money for players. You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shE#$^%@.

Every fall, fans of the NFL in nearly every city really beleive that their team can make it to the Super Bowl, because there is a cap on spending. In these games, talent wins out, the talent you already have, not the talent that you can spend freely to get later on.

I am naming MLB and the MLBPA my stiffs of the week, for failing to see what is happening to baseball and what will ultimately result in its demise. No player needs to make $20M+ a year to hit a ball. The integrity of this game is in serious jeopardy and something needs to be done now.

Anahein Angels Panic in AL West Race

I am very surprised to see such a laid back organization push the panic button in July and make a trade that makes no sense, short term or long term. They are getting Dan Haren, whose past is much better than his present, a guy who has been oft-injured and a guy who is coming back to the AL from the much less talented National League. He is 7-8 this year with a 4.60 earned rin average and hitters are batting .285 vs. him. Remember, every ninth hitter is the pitcher's spot in the NL and there's always a guy in the lineup whose job is to bunt or hit little punch-and-judy dribblers. The AL is a bunch of bangers up and down the lineup for the majority of teams.

In return, the Angels give up Joe Saunders, who is 6-10 this year with an ERA of 4.62 and hitters batting .290 vs. him. This is against AL teams, so the numbers for Haren and Saunders are a wash. They are virtually the same guy.

But that's not the end of the trade. The Angels gave up 25 year old pitcher Rafael Rodriguez, who is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.04 in AAA this year. He has 2-1 strikeouts to walks ratio and has a lot of upside.

They also gave up Patrick Corbin, 21 year old pitcher who in A ball has been 17-5 over the past 2 years. He has 152 strikeouts and 39 walks during that time.

The Angels will also give up a player to be named later.

This is a terrible trade for the Angels. They are banking on a guy whose best days are behind him, who has been out of the AL for years and they gave away an innings-eater in Saunders and 2 really good prospects.

This was a panic move for sure. There is no rhyme or reason to this. This team is just not good enough to stay with the Rangers this year and this trade won't close the gap unless the Rangers stop playing well and that'as not likely.

From Hero to Zero. Jason Bay w/ the Paper Mets.

It breaks my baseball heart to post this.

I was singing this stiff's praises just last year, but that was before he left the greatest city in the world to join the New York "paper" Mets.

In case you've never heard it before - they are the "paper" Mets because on paper they are MVPs, All Stars & Cy Young winners but on the field a bunch of underperforming stiffs.

Jason Bay was a hero in Boston. In 2008 he came to Boston from the lowly Pirates and in '08 & '09 had 30+ home runs & 100+ RBIs in each year.

He had no problem playing & PERFORMING in the pressure cooker that is Fenway Park, in front of the most passionate fans in the world.

He was the man. He had everyone saying, "Manny, who?"

But then it seems JBay got cocky and sold his soul on EBay. Someone should have told him that left field in New York is a lot further than in Boston - Green Monster or not.

Now JBay is hitting .257 with just 6 home runs and only 44 RBIs. Worse, he is batting .169 in July. Even worse, he went 0 for 6 last night (July 22nd) with 4 strike outs. And to top it all off - he has now been benched.

JBay, you couldn't have made it any easier for me. The stats really don't lie...

You are my stiff of the MONTH!

Tim Wakefield Needs to Go NOW!!!!!

The knuckleball isn't knuckling; the fastball can't reach 75mph; the changeup barely makes it to the plate. Everyone has figured him out. If the pitch starts at the waist, take it because it will be low. If it starts at shoulder level, it will come down right across the plate, so be ready.

He has back problems, especially the last 3 years. Strikeouts are down, hits are up; ERA is approaching 6.00 and he is 3-8 and should be 3-13. The time has come for this Red Sox legend to step away from the game with some dignity. He no longer eats innings for the team. He can't get out of the 3rd inning anymore. His role according to Francona was always that he was an " innings eater ".

Putting him in the bullpen is not an answer. He is taking up a roster spot no matter where he is. He has been a real soldier for this team, but the time comes for everyone to leave the game and his time is now.

He has been a Red Sox pitcher for 16 years and he is 20 games over .500 for them in that time. That means each year he has one more win than loss on average. This is when he was good. Now he is terrible. Terry Francona needs to take a good hard look at the aging veterans on this team and start making some tough decisions.

The team is 8 games out now in the loss column and can't beat Oakland. This road trp could be the last straw. He does not need to pitch again. Put him on the 60-day disabled list and let that be the end of him. That's pretty much what they've done to Lowell. What's the difference?

Stats don't lie!!!!! Wakefield's stats are bad, getting worse every time he pitches and loyal Red Sox people want to dwell on the past. Thanks for the memories Tim.....it's time to go away. Tim, you are a stiff, officially.

Alex Rodriguez closing in on 600 Home Runs

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last week or you don't care about sports at all, you should be aware that Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees third baseman, is closing in on 600 home runs for his career. There are only 6 players with that many home runs in a career, so you would think this is a big deal...not so fast my friend.

A-Rod, ( or A-Roid ), as some of us affectionately refer to him, has been linked in the past to steroid use and his "somewhat" admission of using illegal substances early in his career seems to have all of a sudden earned him a free pass.

Well, just how many home runs did he hit while on the juice? Was it 100?, 200? or a lot more? Most pro athletes when they admit to wrongdoing, tend to undertsate the true scope of their transgressions. For example, Andy Pettitte claimed that he only used the juice one time when he was getting over an injury. One time Andy, really? Just one time? Just one little shot in the buttocks on one occasion? Does anyone really beleive that?

Just as Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and all the rest of the cheaters won't be looking at Hall of Fame status anytime soon, we can all bet that A-Rod will join that list for a good long time when he finally hangs the syringe up next to his glove.

Barry Bonds was villified for streroid use and he never failed a test for steroids. Why is A-Rod so special that he would think that we all should forgive him and act as though it never happened?

Besides his steroid use, A-Rod is a disaster waiting to happen, whether it's his flavor-of-the-month girlfriends, his GQ photo shoot, his loose tongue or his inability to stay under the radar.

Derek Jeter has dated at least a half dozen of the hottest women in the world according to Maxim's Top 100 list, yet we don't hear about it. He knows how to stay classy and keep private things just that, private. He does not have that " look at me" attitude all the time.

We all think that A-Rod has had it tough. That is so wrong. He did not grow up poor in a bad neighborhood. He did not have drug sales on the streets where he lived. He went to a preppy high school and hung out with preppy people. He always thought that he was above the rest and the arrogance continues today.

At games, Derek Jeter is always amenable to having photos taken with fans and signing balls, programs and hats. A-Rod just ignores whomever calls his name, forgetting that these are the people who pay his salary.

He was a loser in Seattle, a loser in Texas and a loser in New York until the Steinbrenner family went out and spent $230 million dollars to help surround him with enough talent to win.

I don't think for one second that he and some of these other maximum production guys are not still on some juice, whether it be HGH or something else that can't be tested for.

We'll never know what his stats would have looked like had he not been on the steroids. We do know that Bonds was a great player well before the steroid scandal hit. A-Rod would never make the Hall of Fame if I had a vote, right along with the other aforementioned cheaters. Hank Aaron will always be the home run champion in my mind, along with Ruth, Mays and Griffey.

A-Rod is the stiff of the week this week, but he's a stiff every week. No one is THAT important. This is a game, a game enjoyed by millions of hard-working people who come to admire excellence, not decadence and cheating.