Should Guillen Be Suspended?
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by Niteowl049
The player's union is filing a grievance that states that Jose Guillen should not have been suspended for violating drug policy of major league baseball. Guillen has not tested positive for steroids but he has reportedly bought $20,000 worth of steroids. Arbitrator Shyam Das will decide whether Guillen can be suspended when the government has not charged him with a crime and has not tested positive for steroids.
However, Guillen did buy the drugs after the major league baseball steroids ban had gone into effect so the possession of the drugs alone could be why he was suspended. With the pending release of the Mitchell Report later this month this ruling could be even more significant as there may be several more players in the same situation as Guillen.
If there are a hundred players on the list of steroids users then what does Selig do in regard to suspending them if he deems their use grounds for suspension? Does he make all hundred players miss the first fifteen days of the 2008 season or will he stagger the suspensions so as not to disrupt the start of the season in a major way?
If Barry "Balco" Bonds doesn't find his name on the Mitchell Report list does that mean this report has no credibility? I think it removes any credibility the report may have if his name is not included. It would be very interesting to know exactly what kind of evidence the Mitchell Report has on Bonds.
The name that should be included in the report that almost surely won't be included is that of baseball commissioner Allan Huber "Bud" Selig. The only place his name will be mentioned will be on the cover page of the report as the commissioner who requested the report. Selig was in the forefront of the steroids problem. Nobody can tell me he knew nothing about the use of steroids in baseball. If he had acted sooner we wouldn't have seen the spectacle of Barry Bonds passing Hank Aaron. He may not have prevented Mark " I Don't Want to Talk About the Past" McGwire from breaking the single season home run record of Roger Maris but he still could have had an asterisk placed next to the record or thrown out the record altogether.
Lo Duca Is Upgrade for Nationals
Paul Lo Duca may not have that great a season last year but should be an upgrade over Brian Schneider. His signing makes the Washington Nationals catching a little bit stronger for 2008. Lo Duca does have a .288 lifetime batting average but he has little power with only 80 home runs in ten major league seasons. He had a career season in 2001 with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he hit 25 home runs and drove in 90 runs. In his other nine seasons he is averaging about 6 home runs a season.
His average last season fell 46 points from the 2006 season and he only played in 119 games last season. Lo Duca is a contact hitter since he struck out only 33 times and walked 24 times. His on base percentage was only .311 which was the lowest of his career in a season which he batted at least 300 times. His slugging percentage last season was .378 and was down 50 points from 2006. Even with his numbers going down I think he will be an upgrade over Schneider and could help some of the young Nationals starters become better pitchers.
Milton Bradley Agrees With Rangers On $5 Million Contract for 2008
The Texas Rangers have agreed with Milton Bradley on a $5 million contract but it remains to be seen if Bradley will play in enough games to make it worth the money for the Rangers. In eight major league seasons Bradley has played in over 100 games only twice. In 2001 he played in 101 games for the Indians and in 2002 he played in 141 games for the Dodgers. He finished the 2007 season with the Padres for whom he hit .313 and had an on base percentage of .414 and a .590 slugging percentage.
The Rangers really needed an outfielder of the caliber of Bradley since they may have one of the worst outfields in baseball when it comes to run production. The question is can Bradley play enough games to make a difference in where the Rangers finish in the standings? Bradley hit 11 home runs in 144 at bats for the San Diego Padres in 2007 so he does have some power which the Rangers badly need.
Eric Gagne Surfaces in Milwaukee After Signing $10 Million Contract
Eric Gagne has signed a one year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for $10 million. The Brewers are hoping they are getting the Gagne who had an earned run average of 2.16 for the Rangers not the Gagne who had a 6.75 ERA to finish the season with the Boston Red Sox. With the Rangers he allowed 8 earned runs in 33 innings while with the Red Sox he gave up 14 runs in 18 2/3 innings.
So only time will tell which Gagne shows up in Milwaukee next season. One positive for Gagne is that his health issues seem to be a thing of the past since his 54 games in 2007 was the most for him since 2004 when he pitched in 70 games. In 2005 and 2006 he pitched in only 16 games total so Gagne may be ready to help the Brewers who hope he may either be a setup man or compete with Salomon Torres for the closer spot.
