Beat LA Part Two

Wednesday September 30, 2009

OUTSTANDING!

Can you think of anything better than watching the Padres keep the Dodgers from clinching the division for a night?

How about TWO nights in a row?

The Padres win tonight 5-0 and sweep the Dodgers in this short 2 game series.

I absolutely love it!

Clayton Richard threw 7 shutout innings giving up just 1 hit and 3 BB.

How did the Padres batters do?
Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a laser of a 3 run home run in the 3rd off Garland.
Nick Hundley went 3 for 4 to raise his average to .246 on the season.
Chase Headley went 2 for 4, drove in a run and scored a run.

And Loretta put a figure 4 leg lock on Everth Cabrera as he tried to get back to 3b in a 4th inning rundown and was called for obstruction. Cabrera scores!

The Padres have played very good baseball the 2nd half of this season and I am excited about their chances of contending in 2010.

Now lets see if the Rockies can go into Chavez Ravine, take 3 games from them in LA and complete the Dodgers humiliating end of the season.

Manny showing the effects of steroids

Wednesday September 30, 2009

Manny Ramirez cheated and took steroids prior to the 2009 season. His first month of the season was outstanding. He hit .348 with 6 home runs in 92 at bats. He had a .641 slugging percentage. He was Ruthian.

Since he has returned Ramirez has clearly demonstrated that steroids may have been a large part of his performance at the plate.

He has hit just .276 with 13 home runs in 250 at bats and has a .508 slugging. That is 40th in slugging in the league over that period and places him on par with Brad Hawpe or Torii Hunter in terms of his power numbers. His home run production dropped by nearly 30%.

Now he is certainly not a bad player, but without steroids Ramirez is no longer the elite hitter that he was in years past. In fact even rookie pitchers are now going after and striking out Manny, where in years past he would have been pitched around. Not anymore.

His batting results while playing on a very good Dodger team calls into question his previous results at the plate and may have completely ruined any shot he had at making the Hall of Fame.

If he had somehow returned and hit like he had in years past, Ramirez may have been able to say I did steroids once, they didn't help me, I paid my penalty, and I belong in the Hall of Fame.

Now we have ample evidence that they did improve his performance earlier in this season and probably in years past.

We can see that he is smaller physically and that his performance has suffered without the steroids.

We can say with some certainty that his past performance was enhanced by the use of illegal substances. (Yes, steroid use and possession is a felony and has been for decades.)

Manny being Manny has taken away his shot at immortality and instead has saddled him with infamy. His legacy will forever be as a cheater.

The only way Ramirez gets into the Hall of Fame now is the same way you and I would get in, buying a ticket.