Spivey's physical appearance...

[sly fly]

Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing? Maybe I'm off, but Junior has shed quite a few pounds from last year. His muscular tone is nowhere near what it was previously. His uniform fits very loosely.

Nah, it couldn't be...

 

[AZZenny]

I'm not seeing that - he's still very well-muscled and ripped. I DO wonder about Miguel's jump in velocity and temper.

 

[green machine]

Originally posted by AZZenny
I'm not seeing that - he's still very well-muscled and ripped. I DO wonder about Miguel's jump in velocity and temper.

Is this implying maybe Miguel using steroids? I sure hope not. This guy always had jump on his fastball, it was just inaccurate and inconsistent. As far as the temper, he has a chip on his shoulder this year. He should be in the rotation, but he is not.

adam

 

[unc84steve]

I sense the under-current of steroids suspicions in the first post--it seems confirmed in the 3rd one.

On the ESPN-SportsNation poll steroid use as Baseball's biggest problem came in 4th:

46.9% Escalating Salaries
23.2% Bud Selig
13.5% Rising popularity of other sports
9.3% Steroids
6.7% Fan Behavior

I have no idea if this link will work
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index?POLL145=80000

People also think advertising doesn't affect them.

Anyway, I think steroids is clearly the cancer on baseball as gambling was a century ago. Once it gets in the locker-room, every player is under suspicion (I never saw Tino Martinez act that way, I wonder if he's desperate to hold onto his job).

 

[AZZenny]

While I'd prefer it be clean, I'm probably not as outraged by the use of enhancing substances in professional sports as many are - it's certainly nothing new. What I really don't like are the health risks and the role model impact on youngsters.

As to Miguel, he is pitching better than ever, and he has been more sullen than ever, and if it's all part of copping an attitude, too bad - wish he could pitch this well and still be the laid back sweet guy - but top pitchers do tend to have serious ego, and I'll take the wins.

 

[BC867]

Back to Junior Spivey. I appreciate his performance the first half of last season.

But I still believe that he needs to be sent down, to be re-trained and get his head on straight. (Brenly really screwed him up by moving him to third in the order last year.)

Especially after he couldn't get back to first base yesterday on a fly ball.

And his BA is down to Matt Wil.... er, down to .180.

And, when Cintron comes back up, he's got to be put into the starting lineup, and leave him there, to see what he's really capable of at the Major League level.

An infield of 1B-Overbay, 2B-Baerga, SS-Cintron, and 3B-Counsell . . . with Womack on the bench until he wakes up after the All Star break (as the past two years), and Williams pinch hitter vs. lefties, and Grace vs. righties, represents the best hitting infield we could field at this time.

And with Overbay and Counsell doing so well vs. lefties, and Baerga and Cintron both switch hitters, we don't need a platoon vs. lefty starters.

Will Brenly do it or continue to wallow in last place? We'll see!