Saturday, November 30, 2013

MLB And MLBPA Release 2013 Report On PED Testing


Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association released their report on Performance Enhancing Drug testing from the 2012-2013 seasons today and the results look encouraging. This report was done by independent Dr. Jeffrey M. Anderson and went from the offseason of the 2012 season through the 2013 postseason.

A total of 5,391 drugs tests were conducted including 4,022 urine samples for PED's and stimulants and the remainind 1,369 were blood tests testing for Human Growth Hormone, or HGH. Of all the samples only eight tests were failed tests for stimulants, all Adderall or Morthylhexaneamine, and thirteen "non-analytic positives" were also reported. All told 122 therapeutic use exemptions were handed out, mainly for those players with Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. Zero positive PED tests were identified which is down seven from the 2012 season but we still saw thirteen suspensions in the Biogenesis scandal and fallout which tells you that something is not right here with this testing.

Just as a reminder all players are subject to a urine test before attending Spring Training and one random test at some point during the season before the offseason begins. Every player must also provide a blood sample for HGH at a random point in Spring Training. This is on top of all the other random testing that the Joint Drug Association does including extra testing for those with reasonable cause and formerly disciplined players under the JDA. Doing the math and considering that most of the testing is done in Spring Training the projected number of players actually being tested in all levels of MLB is a bit less than 1%.

It's not a perfect system, and I cannot say with full confidence with the Biogenesis thing that the system is actually working, but it is what it is. Well it is what it is until after the 2016 season when the new system and the new Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.


2013 New York Yankees Highlights

Enjoy!

List Of Potential Replacements For Mike Harkey


Mike Harkey got a pitching coach job with the Arizona Diamondbacks leaving a hole in the Yankees bullpen coach seat and George A King released a list of possible replacements. The list includes internal options like Cal Eldred as well as outside of the organization replacements.

Cal Aldred is currently the Scranton Wilkes Barre pitching coach and is seemingly the early favorite to replace Harkey as the bullpen coach as he was interviewed by the Diamondback as well. The Yankees have a couple of other internal options including Greg Pavlick, Gil Patterson, Tom Nieto, and Julio Mosquera. Pavlich is a senior pitching instructor with the team and spent time as a bullpen coach in the 80's and 90's with the New York Mets. Patterson is a minor league pitching instructor in the organization with experience as a former Blue Jays pitching coach. Nieto was a big league catcher for seven seasons and was the Yankees catching instructor in the 2000 and 2001 season and was also the Mets first base coach in 2008. Mosquera has been the Yankees catching coordinator for the past eight seasons and is very involved during the Yankees Spring Training work outs.

Former Manager of the Year Dave Miley, formerly of the Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders and a quick term as a manager in the Dominican Winter League, is also available. Miley was a minor league catcher for seven seasons in the Red system and managed the Reds from 2003 to the mid way point of the 2005 season.

There are also a few options outside of the organization including Gary Tuck who was the Yankees bullpen coach way back in 1990 and recently was the Yankees catching instructor in the 1998 and 1999 seasons tutoring now manager Joe Girardi. Tuck was also the Marlins bench coach under Joe Girardi in 2006. From 2007 - 2012 Tuck was the Boston Red Sox's bullpen coach.

If I had to rank the candidates I would have to think that Aldred is the early favorite followed by Tuck and then a cluster of everyone else.

Robinson Cano Denies Asking For $300 Million


Robinson Cano is a free agent for the first time in his career and has started it off by asking for a 10 year deal worth $300 million, or did he? Cano denies asking for the Yankees for $300 million during the mid-season meetings that he and the Yankees had. The numbers may not have come out of Cano's mouth but that does not mean it did not come out of his representatives name, whether directly or indirectly. I think this is nothing more than damage control for Cano as the number of suitors he was expecting has dwindled or been nonexistent to this point. At this point whatever gets a reasonable deal for both sides done I will take at this point.

Buster Olney Suggest Yankees Should Cut A Rod


It is not well thought out articles like this that are used just to garner attention and views that ultimately got me into the blogging and, I use the word lightly here, media field. Olney of ESPN reported that the Yankees should and will outright cut and release Alex Rodriguez, the only thing is when they will do it, and my question is why?

The Yankees owe Alex Rodriguez $86 million over the next four seasons, a financial commitment that may be lightened if an arbitrator rules against him and sustains some sort of suspension, and if that ruling stands up to any inevitable legal challenge that Rodriguez may mount.

I don’t think it matters. I’m guessing — and that’s all it is, a guess — that Rodriguez has played his last game for the Yankees.If Rodriguez is ordered to serve the full 211 games in his suspension, I think they’ll cut him upon completion of his sentence. If his suspension is reduced, I think they’ll cut him. If he wins his case outright, I think they’ll cut him.

If Alex is suspended for 211 games, or hell at this point even if it is reduced to 162 games, there is a good possibility that Alex will retire after the suspension is over. If Alex does not retire then we have to pay him, and probably pay him to play for another team, so why cut him? Seems like a waste of time and a severe waste of money, something the coupon clipping brothers do not seem keen on doing.

Who is better, available, and on the market right now for the Yankees at third base better then Alex Rodriguez? Don't say Chase Headley because I said "for the Yankees" and we already went down that road and failed much like we did with David Freese. Who? Nobody, that is why you don't cut him. Well that and the $86 million.

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/30


On this day in 1952 Jackie Robinson went on a  New York television show accusing the Yankees of being racist for not having a black player on their team. The Yankees would not sign a black baseball player until three years later when they signed Elston Howard, nine years after Jackie broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.


On this day in 2000 the New York Yankees signed Mike Mussina to a six year deal worth $88.5 million stealing him from the rival Baltimore Orioles. Mussina would stay with the Yankees through the 2008 season and finally get his 20 win season in pinstripes before riding off into the sunset.


On this day in 2009 the Yankees short stop Derek Jeter was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. The Yankees captain would be the first Yankee to ever be named the winner of the award since SI started giving out the award in 1954.