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	<title>The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog &#187; Steroids</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.scoresreport.com/tag/steroids/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.scoresreport.com</link>
	<description>The National Sports Blog</description>
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		<title>The Rocket is looking through rose-colored glasses</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/05/21/the-rocket-looking-through-rose-colored-glasses/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/05/21/the-rocket-looking-through-rose-colored-glasses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 01:56:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Thomas Conroy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[External MLB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[External Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MLB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Icon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andy Pettitte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bart Giamatti]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brian McNamee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ESPN Radio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mitchell Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Performance-Enhancing Drugs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pete Rose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peter Ueberroth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roger Clemens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steroids]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=18778</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, Roger Clemens went on ESPN radio to defend himself against allegations written in a recently released book, American Icon. He once again denied that his former trainer Brian McNamee had injected him with any form of performance-enhancing drugs and his former teammate, Andy Pettitte, still “misremembered” their conversation on steroids.
And at the conclusion [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.daylife.com/photo/04pZ7BEa43aIA" target="_blank"><img class="photo_right" border="0" width="200" height="298" src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04pZ7BEa43aIA/610x.jpg" alt="" /></a>Last week, Roger Clemens went on ESPN radio to defend himself against allegations written in a recently released book, <em>American Icon</em>. He once again denied that his former trainer Brian McNamee had injected him with any form of performance-enhancing drugs and his former teammate, Andy Pettitte, still “misremembered” their conversation on steroids.</p>
<p>And at the conclusion of the interview, you could slowly see Clemens turning into Pete Rose. Both determined to bully the public into believing their innocence, with the hopes of clearing their name and reputation.</p>
<p>After being banished from baseball in the summer of 1989, Rose would go on various interview shows to vehemently deny the allegations brought against him. He would laugh at the suggestion that a meeting took place between outgoing baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, incoming commissioner Bart Giamatti, and himself to discuss his gambling habits. That was his story and he stuck to it until 2004, when Rose took the money and wrote a tell-all book about his baseball gambling exploits. He wanted to beat baseball executives on their playing field, but it wasn’t game to them.</p>
<p>Clemens hired a media marketing firm that assists high-profile clients through PR crises, and they suggested getting his side of the story out to the press. Bad move. He said that it would be suicidal for him to take steroids with his family history of heart trouble. Clemens said that heart disease took the life of his stepdad and older brother. Hey, wait a minute! How can you inherit a genetic trait from your stepfather?</p>
<p>Clemens brought attention to a book that otherwise wouldn’t have received any media attention. Unfortunately, he sees this as a competition and challenges anyone to prove him guilty of steroid usage. Last year, Clemens told major league baseball to effectively “kiss his ass” following the release of the Mitchell Report. McNamee offers syringes with his DNA as evidence of steroid usage, and Clemens in turn files a defamation of character lawsuit against him. His competitive personality will eventually do him in.</p>
<p>A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but just like Barry Bonds, the general public has convicted Clemens of using performance-enhancing drugs. And if he follows Rose’s script, the Rocket will eventually admit to his usage in a book deal a few years down the road. Assuming he needs the money, of course.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Top 10 active OPS (On base plus slugging percentage)</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/03/07/top-10-active-ops-on-base-plus-slugging-percentage/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/03/07/top-10-active-ops-on-base-plus-slugging-percentage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:40:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Farley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bullz-Eye Sports Channel]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[A-Rod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[active leaders in OPS]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Atlanta Braves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[best baseball hitters]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Chipper Jones]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Fantasy Baseball Preview 2009]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[on base plus slugging percentage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OPS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OPS leaders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[performance enhancers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis Cardinals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steroids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Big Hurt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Todd Helton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vladimir Guerrero]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=14767</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Those of you gearing up for your fantasy baseball drafts might pay attention to OPS a little more than most folks.  That is “on base plus slugging percentage,” measuring a player’s offensive worth more than almost any other statistic.  Here is a list of the Top 10 active OPS leaders, minus players like [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Those of you gearing up for your fantasy baseball drafts might pay attention to OPS a little more than most folks.  That is “on base plus slugging percentage,” measuring a player’s offensive worth more than almost any other statistic.  Here is a list of the Top 10 active OPS leaders, minus players like Barry Bonds who are technically still active but not on a major league roster at this time:</p>
<p><strong>1.  Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (1.0489)—</strong>Albert is a freak of nature, averaging 42 homers and 128 RBI with a .334 batting average in his first eight seasons in the big leagues.  Last year, he battled early elbow problems and wound up winning the NL MVP.  This guy is just money year in and year out, and he’s only 29.  </p>
<p><strong>2.  Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (1.0044)—</strong>That sound you just heard was a combination of two things—a collective sigh of relief in La La land and the thud of millions of dollars landing in Manny’s bank account after finally signing a deal with the Dodgers this week.  Like him or not, the Dodgers probably just bought a division title.</p>
<p><strong>3.  Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies (1.0020)—</strong>I’m not accusing anyone of anything but it’s intriguing to me that Helton hit 49 homers in 2001, the same year Barry Bonds hit 73.  And his numbers have been steadily declining ever since.  I’m just sayin’, it sort of reeks of Brady Anderson.</p>
<p><strong>4.  Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (.9740)—</strong>The Big Hurt has averaged 36 homers, 119 RBI and batted .301 over nineteen seasons.  Are you kidding me?  Dude is a lock for the Hall of Fame.  </p>
<p><strong>5.  Lance Berkman, Houston Astros (.9730)—</strong>Berkman hasn’t matched his highs of 45 home runs and 136 RBI in 2006, but he always strikes fear in opposing pitchers.  </p>
<p><strong>6.  Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (.9671)—</strong>It’s been a rough month for A-Rod, first with steroid allegations and now with a hip injury that will sideline him for several weeks.  But dude is still king of the regular season in the batter’s box.</p>
<p><strong>7.  Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (.9663)—</strong>For almost 20 years, Jim Thome has been one of the best left-handed power hitters in the game.  And his .279 career batting average isn’t exactly shabby either.  Not great, but not shabby.</p>
<p><strong>8.  Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels (.9634)—</strong>Check out these career averages—36 homers, 117 RBI and .323 batting average.  How has Vlad only won one MVP award?  Oh, I know—Montreal.  </p>
<p><strong>9.  Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves (.9554)—</strong>Chipper is about as steady as they come, and he seems to be getting better with age.  It’s too bad that hardly anyone goes to that ballpark in Atlanta.  </p>
<p><strong>10.  Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics (.9421)—</strong>Yeah, okay, we know Giambi used banned substances to aid his performance.  But dude is still a pretty good hitter even off the juice.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/OPS_active.shtml" target="_blank">Baseaball Reference</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Five MLB storylines to watch in 2009</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/03/01/five-mlb-storylines-to-watch-in-2009/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/03/01/five-mlb-storylines-to-watch-in-2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:46:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Farley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bullz-Eye Sports Channel]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[2009 regular season]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Burnett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AL East]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[CC Sabathia]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Roger Clemens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Francisco Giants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scott Boras]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Tampa Bay Rays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tim Lincecum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Baseball Classic]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=14327</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The A-Rod steroid mess is finally boiling over, the World Baseball Classic is fast-approaching and making GMs and managers nervous, and the 2009 regular season is a little over a month away.  It’s hard to believe we crowned the Phillies world champs a third of a year ago, but time does fly like Jose Reyes around the bases.  With that, let’s look at some interesting questions that beg to be answered in 2009:

<strong>1. Who will be the surprise team this year? </strong> Last year it was the Tampa Bay Rays, who not only won the ridiculously competitive AL East, but also beat the Red Sox in the ALCS to reach the World Series, which they eventually lost to the Phillies.  In 2007, the Colorado Rockies won 21 of 22 games after September 17, including sweeping the Cubs and D-Backs in the playoffs before losing to Boston in the Fall Classic.  In 2006 it was the Cardinals who squeaked into the postseason with an 83-78 record, ultimately winning it all.  Who is going to do it this season?  Or will it be a big-market, big-money World Series match up such as Yankees/Mets or Red Sox/Cubs?  It’s almost impossible to say I told you so at this point to this type of question, but here are the teams I’m telling you to keep an eye on: Indians, A’s, Giants, Marlins.  

<strong>2. How will the choking of recent seasons affect the Mets, Cubs and Angels?</strong>  The Mets’ bullpen imploded two years in a row, and GM Omar Minaya went and picked up not one, but two lights-out closers in K-Rod and JJ Putz.  Still, the Mets are not going to have an easy go of things in the NL East, and their lineup and starting rotation are bordering on suspect.  The Cubs and Angels keep beating everyone up in the regular season only to flame out early in the playoffs.  Do these two teams lack what it takes to win, or has the luck and clutch hitting of other teams been their demise?  Honestly, you can’t keep talented teams like these three down for very long, and I expect all of them to be playing deep into October this time around.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The A-Rod steroid mess is finally boiling over, the World Baseball Classic is fast-approaching and making GMs and managers nervous, and the 2009 regular season is a little over a month away.  It’s hard to believe we crowned the Phillies world champs a third of a year ago, but time does fly like Jose Reyes around the bases.  With that, let’s look at some interesting questions that beg to be answered in 2009:</p>
<p><strong>1. Who will be the surprise team this year? </strong> Last year it was the Tampa Bay Rays, who not only won the ridiculously competitive AL East, but also beat the Red Sox in the ALCS to reach the World Series, which they eventually lost to the Phillies.  In 2007, the Colorado Rockies won 21 of 22 games after September 17, including sweeping the Cubs and D-Backs in the playoffs before losing to Boston in the Fall Classic.  In 2006 it was the Cardinals who squeaked into the postseason with an 83-78 record, ultimately winning it all.  Who is going to do it this season?  Or will it be a big-market, big-money World Series match up such as Yankees/Mets or Red Sox/Cubs?  It’s almost impossible to say I told you so at this point to this type of question, but here are the teams I’m telling you to keep an eye on: Indians, A’s, Giants, Marlins.  </p>
<p><strong>2. How will the choking of recent seasons affect the Mets, Cubs and Angels?</strong>  The Mets’ bullpen imploded two years in a row, and GM Omar Minaya went and picked up not one, but two lights-out closers in K-Rod and JJ Putz.  Still, the Mets are not going to have an easy go of things in the NL East, and their lineup and starting rotation are bordering on suspect.  The Cubs and Angels keep beating everyone up in the regular season only to flame out early in the playoffs.  Do these two teams lack what it takes to win, or has the luck and clutch hitting of other teams been their demise?  Honestly, you can’t keep talented teams like these three down for very long, and I expect all of them to be playing deep into October this time around.</p>
<p><strong>3. Is Manny Ramirez going to play in 2009?</strong>  Scott Boras keeps dangling his star client out there and keeps upping his asking price.  Does this guy not want his commission?  Yes, it’s downright irresponsible to try and rape MLB franchises in this economy, but Manny is the one guy in baseball who can shift the balance of power in a division with his insane offensive skills.  I think eventually the Dodgers are going to re-sign Manny, but at what price and for how long?  And before or after the season starts?</p>
<p><strong>4. Who is going to win the AL East?</strong>  You’ve got the mighty Yankees, who went out and bought another 10 or 15 wins by signing CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira.  You’ve got the Red Sox, who despite falling short last year against Tampa are still technically the team to beat in the division.  And you’ve got the upstart Rays, who no one thought could keep up their winning ways for seven months and did just that.  I just think the Sox are too talented and the Rays are going to drop to second or even third place in 2009, and I think the Yankees are going to make the playoffs but not win the division.  Money just can’t buy team chemistry, ever.  </p>
<p><strong>5. Will Tim Lincecum be as brilliant in 2009 as he was in 2008?</strong>  Or will his arm fall off?  This kid, and he’s a 25 year old who looks like he’s 17, has some of the nastiest stuff in the majors and ran away with the NL Cy Young Award last year by going 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 265 strikeouts in 227 innings.  You want perspective?  The Giants only won 72 games last year, so Lincecum had a quarter of their wins.  That’s just insane.  But history shows that guys like this can’t keep it up long-term unless they’re named Clemens or Smoltz.  I see another great season in 2009 but I’d temper expectations beyond that.  And the Giants may just sneak into the playoffs in a less-than-stellar NL West this year.  </p>
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		<item>
		<title>The media&#8217;s steroid double standard</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/02/23/the-medias-steroid-double-standard/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/02/23/the-medias-steroid-double-standard/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:22:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Thomas Conroy</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=13932</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-sparod0215,0,5873195.story" target="_blank"><img height="324" width="477"  src="http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2009-02/44935575.jpg" alt="" /></a>

The media circus arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and the star attraction under the big top was Alex Rodriguez elaborating about his steroid usage. The talking heads on the evil four-letter network, ESPN, inundated us with up-to-the-minute updates on what to expect from Rodriguez’s press conference and showed countless sound bites from his contemporaries in baseball expressing their disappointment with his actions; SportsCenter became A-RodCenter.

Then, after a 32-minute press conference, the commentators returned to voice their displeasure of A-Rod’s handling of the media’s questions. They screamed for more details on his merry trek through Latin America with his cousin Yuri in search of the banned substance “boli” (Primobolan). Their analysis of the latest chapter in baseball’s steroid scandal had feel of a good old-fashioned witchhunt.

My reaction to the coverage: you are all hypocrites!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-sparod0215,0,5873195.story" target="_blank"><img height="324" width="477"  src="http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2009-02/44935575.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>The media circus arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and the star attraction under the big top was Alex Rodriguez elaborating about his steroid usage. The talking heads on the evil four-letter network, ESPN, inundated us with up-to-the-minute updates on what to expect from Rodriguez’s press conference and showed countless sound bites from his contemporaries in baseball expressing their disappointment with his actions; SportsCenter became A-RodCenter.</p>
<p>Then, after a 32-minute press conference, the commentators returned to voice their displeasure of A-Rod’s handling of the media’s questions. They screamed for more details on his merry trek through Latin America with his cousin Yuri in search of the banned substance “boli” (Primobolan). Their analysis of the latest chapter in baseball’s steroid scandal had feel of a good old-fashioned witchhunt.</p>
<p>My reaction to the coverage: you are all hypocrites!</p>
<p>It is generally accepted that there is a double standard in how the media covers baseball in comparison with other sports. Their intense scrutiny on baseball’s latest black eye will give everyone involved enough anguish and outrage to last a season. Yet a collective yawn will be drawn inside the press box when it is announced that a NFL player has tested positive for steroids. No, they would rather write or chat about the ramifications from San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary dropping his pants in front his team than investigate players using diuretics to mask their steroid usage in league-mandated drug tests.</p>
<p>If you want to talk about steroids in the NFL, let’s begin with the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers. They won four Super Bowl titles and have a high rate of former players dying at a young age. Mike Webster, Steve <del>Furness</del> Courson (admitted steroid abuser), Dwight White, et cetera, all have died way too early in life. Add that their team doctor was implicated in buying over $150,000 worth of HGH from a Florida pharmacy that was raided by federal authorities last year. Yet, the media applauded them for doing whatever it took to become the most prolific dynasty in pro football.</p>
<p>Nobody imagines that locker rooms are drug-free, but few would think that players on successful teams would risk their lives to reach their goal of being the best in their sport…but they do. Money, of course, trumps ideology and blinds people from making rational decisions while pursuing their goals. Cheaters shame the game, as they care more about lining their pockets and less about the integrity of the game they say they love.</p>
<p>The media cannot pick and choose which stories to spotlight in their crusade to eradicate performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. What A-Rod did was wrong and he will have to live with the damage that has been done to his name and image in the baseball. Journalists cannot full-court press their coverage on the latest greatest scandal in baseball while simply shrugging their shoulders to other known steroid abuse cases in other sports. It can’t just be business as usual in the NFL, where from Bill Belichick down to the lowly Detroit Lions, they would all cheat if it guaranteed them a victory on Sunday. I just wish that athletes would come clean about their use of performance-enhancing drugs and stop running from their past.</p>
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		<title>Top 10 active MLB games without a World Series appearance</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/02/21/top-10-active-mlb-games-without-a-world-series-appearance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/02/21/top-10-active-mlb-games-without-a-world-series-appearance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:53:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Farley</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=13945</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As we try to turn away from steroid implications and indictments and all of the black clouds surrounding Major League Baseball, we can’t forget that there are games to be played.  Yes, the 2009 season is almost upon us.  And with Ken Griffey Jr. signing with the Seattle Mariners this past week, where [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As we try to turn away from steroid implications and indictments and all of the black clouds surrounding Major League Baseball, we can’t forget that there are games to be played.  Yes, the 2009 season is almost upon us.  And with Ken Griffey Jr. signing with the Seattle Mariners this past week, where his great career began, it’s worth noting the Top 10 in active players who are not only ring-less, but have never appeared in a World Series game.  (Note that we only counted those who are still active or at least played through the 2008 season.)</p>
<p><strong>1.  Ken Griffey Jr. (2521 games, 20 seasons)—</strong>He’s played for some great Mariners teams, but his Reds’ clubs the last decade or so were mostly awful.  Junior had a shot with the White Sox last season after being traded, and didn’t make it.  Can he play long enough for Seattle to become competitive again?</p>
<p><strong>2.  Frank Thomas (2322, 19)—</strong>Really, the Big Hurt has never sniffed a World Series?  Well yeah, he was with the White Sox for 16 years and the team won it all in 2005, his last season with the team.  But that October, Thomas was injured and left off the postseason roster, and then signed with Oakland in 2006.</p>
<p><strong>3.  Alex Rodriguez (2042, 15)—</strong>Does anyone else think it’s not coincidental that A-Rod has never reached the Fall Classic?  Dude is a world-beater in the regular season but never seems to match or exceed his capability in the postseason.  </p>
<p><strong>4.  Carlos Delgado (2009, 16)—</strong>Delgado began his career in Toronto right after the Jays won two World Series titles, and while he’s been close with the Mets a few times, he’s still looking for that “brass” ring.</p>
<p><strong>5.  Ray Durham (1975, 14)—</strong>Ray Durham has been a steady player, but all those years with the Giants (after they were NL champs in 2002) didn’t help his chances to reach the big stage.  A late-season trade to Milwaukee in 2008 got him close, but the Brewers lost to Philly in the NLDS.</p>
<p><strong>6.  Jason Kendall (1833, 13)—</strong>Nine seasons in Pittsburgh says all that there needs to be said.</p>
<p><strong>7.  Bobby Abreu (1799, 13)—</strong>Abreu left Philly, and the Phillies won two division titles and a World Series.  He put up decent numbers with the Yanks, but being A-Rod’s teammate didn’t help matters any (see above).  </p>
<p><strong>8.  Mark Grudzielanek (1772, 14)—</strong>Grudzielanek began his career in Canadian baseball purgatory (Montreal) and has played the last three seasons in American baseball purgatory (Kansas City). </p>
<p><strong>9.  Vladimir Guerrero (1750, 13)—</strong>This dude has absolutely mashed his entire career, but playing eight years in Montreal ensured a late start in postseason experience.  He signed with the Angels two years after they won it all, and is on a very talented team that always seems to underachieve in the playoffs.  </p>
<p><strong>10.  Miguel Tejada (1713, 12)—</strong>Tejada won an MVP award in Oakland and has put up some monster numbers.  His link to steroid use, along with A-Rod’s, has not exactly put him in a good light, but it’s still a bit surprising that he’s never made it to the big dance.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_most_gamesnows.shtml" target="_blank">Baseball Reference</a></p>
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		<title>Congress to look into steroids in horse racing</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/20/congress-to-look-into-steroids-in-horse-racing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/20/congress-to-look-into-steroids-in-horse-racing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:55:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Stalter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[External Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steroids]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/20/congress-to-look-into-steroids-in-horse-racing/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gary West of the Star-Telegram writes that a congressional subcommittee has conducted an inquiry into “Breeding, Drugs and Breakdowns” in the sport of horse racing.
In her opening comments, Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said, &#8220;It seems greed has trumped the health of horses, the safety of jockeys and the integrity of the sport.&#8221;
Some might point out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gary West of the <a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/gary_west/story/710489.html" target="_blank">Star-Telegram</a> writes that a congressional subcommittee has conducted an inquiry into “Breeding, Drugs and Breakdowns” in the sport of horse racing.</p>
<blockquote><p>In her opening comments, Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said, &#8220;It seems greed has trumped the health of horses, the safety of jockeys and the integrity of the sport.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/studio1-one/489339370/" target="_blank"><img style="float:right;margin:6px 0 5px 5px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/489339370_b02e174f6c.jpg?v=0" border="0" width="250" height="187.5" alt="" /></a>Some might point out that not every segment of the industry was represented. Nobody was there Thursday, for example, representing the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association or the Association of Racing Commissioners International. Most of all, nobody was there to represent the typical horseman who spends so much of his time and resources caring for his horses as though they’re part of his family.</p>
<p>And some might wonder why the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House of Representatives was spending its time on such things. But it would be a mistake not to answer the wake-up call.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want you to regulate yourself,&#8221; Rep. Stearns said, as if addressing everybody connected to the sport. And the implication was clear: If horse racing doesn’t address its problems, if it doesn’t regulate itself, then government will.</p></blockquote>
<p>My initial reaction to seeing this was doesn’t congress have better things to worry about? But these horses aren’t making a conscious decision to use steroids and other drugs – humans are making those decisions for them. So maybe it is worth it for congress to step in and take a look at what’s going on in the underworld of horse racing, especially if these animals’ health is in danger.</p>
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		<title>Interview with Chris Bell, Director of “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*”</title>
		<link>http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/12/interview-with-chris-bell-director-of-%e2%80%9cbigger-stronger-faster%e2%80%9d/</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/12/interview-with-chris-bell-director-of-%e2%80%9cbigger-stronger-faster%e2%80%9d/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:55:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Stalter</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/12/interview-with-chris-bell-director-of-%e2%80%9cbigger-stronger-faster%e2%80%9d/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The following is an interview I conducted with Chris Bell, director of the film, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*.” For the synopsis of the film, as well as a review and discussion, <a href="http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/12/dvd-review-disccusion-bigger-stronger-faster/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>

<p>Among other topics, I asked Bell what drove him to make the film, what he wanted viewers to take from it, and how his family (who are prominently shown throughout the film) reacted when they saw it on the big screen. For more information about “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*,” visit the film’s official website.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/12/interview-with-chris-bell-director-of-%e2%80%9cbigger-stronger-faster%e2%80%9d/" target="_blank">Click here to read the entire interview</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The following is an interview I conducted with Chris Bell, director of the film, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*.” For the synopsis of the film, as well as a review and discussion, <a href="http://www.scoresreport.com/2008/06/12/dvd-review-disccusion-bigger-stronger-faster/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
<p>Among other topics, I asked Bell what drove him to make the film, what he wanted viewers to take from it, and how his family (who are prominently shown throughout the film) reacted when they saw it on the big screen. For more information about “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*,” visit the film’s official website.</p>
<p><strong>Scores Report: Hey Chris, how are you?</strong></p>
<p>Chris Bell: Good, thank you.</p>
<p><strong>SR: Just wanted to start off by saying I really enjoyed Bigger, Stronger, Faster*. And I guess the biggest thing I wanted to know, Chris, is what you want viewers to take from your film?</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/images/blogs/tsr/reviews/2008/bigger_stronger_faster/9_t.jpg"><img style="float:right;margin:6px 0 5px 5px;" src="http://www.bullz-eye.com/images/blogs/tsr/reviews/2008/bigger_stronger_faster/9_t.jpg" border="0" width="270" height="203" alt="" /></a>CB: I think just a better understanding of steroids and a better understanding of athletes in general and what they go through. And you know, the kinds of pressures that are placed on younger people growing up who want to become professional athletes. When I was a kid growing up, I basically faced a lot of pressure to look good and to feel good about myself. I felt I had to have a good body. I just thought [steroids] were an interesting facet and I started looking at my own life and going, wow, I’ve really been obsessed with this for a long time and maybe I shouldn’t be. And also, to understand that maybe steroids aren’t the monster they’re made out to be and that there are definitely other sides to this issue.</p>
<p><strong>SR: That was one thing I found to be pretty unique about the film. You did a nice job of showing both sides of the coin. What did you learn from those who support steroids and those who are against them? In other words, what was the biggest takeaway from each side and what did they teach you?</strong></p>
<p>CB: I would say the biggest takeaway from the pro-steroids side was that all the guys that were steroid users were basically saying, “show me the bodies – show me the evidence that steroids actually kill people.” And the fact of the matter is, there isn’t a whole lot of research to prove that. So, [steroid users] are saying, you want me to stop taking this – show me that somebody has died from it. And you really can’t because there’s no real information, or not enough good information, on these drugs. So as part of this film, I wanted it to be a call for more research so we can learn more about these drugs. The other thing that was really interesting was the fact of why steroids became illegal. We always think drugs become illegal because they’re dangerous and with steroids that’s completely not the case. I think that’s an important reason why people need to see the film. They became illegal because people cheated in sports. That was the main reason and there’s no proof otherwise. We did three years of research for this film and that was probably one of the most interesting things that came to light for me.</p>
<p><strong>SR: Right.</strong> </p>
<p>CB: And on the anti-steroids front – the people that are against steroids – I was finding that they were against steroids more for moral reasons than medical reasons, but that they would use medical reasons to make their moral argument. And that was a really interesting conflict, because we can’t base things off antidotal evidence or emotion – we need to base them on facts. So, there were people like Donald Houghton, whose son committed suicide, which I feel terrible for and I wanted to approach that in a delicate manor, but I felt that in order to get to the bottom of either side of the coin, you had to really ask the right questions. </p>
<p><strong>SR: That was a really powerful scene, by the way. To be standing in Donald Houghton’s son’s room and having to ask difficult questions about the fact that the young man wasn’t only on steroids, but also anti-depressants, too, yet his father choose to ignore or look past that fact must have been extremely hard.</strong></p>
<p>CB: That’s what I meant when I say [non-steroid users were] basing [their opinions] on emotion. I basically met [Donald Houghton] and went inside the house and talked to him for a while. Then the next thing you know, I’m in the kid’s room and once you get in that room, everything changes. My own personal opinion of what happened actually started to shift because I was like, I’m going to test this guy and ask him all the right questions. I’m a good film maker, I’m going to go do this. And I went and did it, but once you get in that room and see all the kid’s baseball gear is still there. His cleats are still there with mud on them. And you’re like, oh shit, this is emotionally harder to ask the right questions. But I still knew that I had to do it if I wanted to explore the issue. </p>
<p><strong>SR: Absolutely. Why do this film? What was your main drive?</strong></p>
<p>CB: The main drive was in the beginning. Both of my brothers were doing steroids and we started talking about the issue and basically how people lie about it. And I was saying to my younger brother, Smelly, “what do you think about Mark McGwire and his use of andro?” And my brother laughed and said, “Andro? He’s on the juice – come on.” I was like, “really?” and he said, “well come on, you don’t start hitting home runs and get that big.” So I was like, oh my God, maybe there’s something more to this. So the genesis really was that my brothers were using steroids, I started talking to them and learning more about steroids, then realized there was definitely a film in there.</p>
<p><strong>SR: There was an underlying inner battle for you, I thought, throughout the whole film, and that was whether or not you should take steroids. Did you come to a conclusion about whether or not to take steroids or was that not the main focus of the film and really, it was just a small storyline?</strong></p>
<p>CB: No, that was definitely part of it. I asked people several times, do you think I should [take steroids]? And you know, some people said yes – some people said no. Louie Simmons said, “Your morals are your morals, mine are mine. Who are you to judge me and who am I to judge you?” I thought that was really interesting. It definitely is a personal decision for people to make. I didn’t necessarily come to any conclusion (as far as whether or not to take steroids). I thought my conclusion was learning more about myself, and the fact that I learned that my goal wasn’t to be a bodybuilder or to be a power lifter. You know it’s kind of funny, I went into the film trying to figure out if I should do steroids and if they were a good thing or a bad thing, and I came out of it, like, I don’t even know if I want to be a meat head anymore – I just want to be a filmmaker. (Laughs)</p>
<p>CB: It was an awaking for me, because I feel like I wasted a lot of my life slaving away in the gym and I think a lot of us worry too much about what we look like and not having enough fun in life.</p>
<p><strong>SR: That’s a great point. I thought one of the more positive scenes was one with you and your mom when you were sitting at the kitchen table and you had to break the news to her that one of her brothers, your uncle, gave your older brother steroids. Did you show your parents the film and if so, what was their reaction?</strong></p>
<p>CB: Yeah, my parents have actually been to almost every screening so far. They really love the film and their opinion was hey look, if you guys did something wrong or illegal and now you’re turning it into education for people – where people can learn from what you guys have done – then more power to you and God bless you for doing it. They think it’s a good thing. Obviously they were concerned a lot about my younger brother doing steroids, especially because he has a kid. They were also really concerned with my older brother because he has a lot of other problems that steroids only contribute to. We don’t know what steroids do for people that are bi-polar for example, and that’s what he was diagnosed with a couple of years ago. And so, what do steroids do when someone is bi-polar? We don’t know, so of course they’re concerned. But they also feel that the film showed the family in an intelligent light.</p>
<p><strong>SR: And what did your brothers think of the film?</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/images/blogs/tsr/reviews/2008/bigger_stronger_faster/2_t.jpg"><img style="float:right;margin:6px 0 5px 5px;" src="http://www.bullz-eye.com/images/blogs/tsr/reviews/2008/bigger_stronger_faster/2_t.jpg" border="0" width="270" height="203" alt="" /></a>CB: Both of my brothers love it because they really wanted to tell their story. They really wanted people to know how they felt about this situation. And basically, I took a lot of what my brothers said out of the film – a lot of their real, personal opinions about steroids – because I didn’t want people to be skewed and think my two brothers were telling me what to think. And so I left that up to the experts and I just kind of got more of the opinions from my brothers on how steroids are affecting their lives. </p>
<p><strong>SR: What was the hardest part about doing this film?</strong></p>
<p>CB: The hardest part, overall, was patience. I’m probably the most impatient person in the world and it took three years to make this movie. That was probably the hardest thing, just trying to get it right over and over and over again. And editing for months upon months upon months was just really difficult. But I’d have to say if there was one individual scene that was difficult, it was probably that one with my mom because my mom came to me and said, “I need to talk to you because I feel like a failure as a mother – I feel like I failed you guys. And I want to know what’s wrong.” And I was like, oh man, I don’t know if I can talk about this.</p>
<p><strong>SR: Right.</strong></p>
<p>CB: The whole film I was the one asking questions to people and my mom’s like, “all right Chris, I’m going to sit you down and ask you some questions.” And that was kind of scary, you know? At first she didn’t want me to film it. She said, “No, I don’t want to do this on camera, I want to just talk to you about it.” And I said, look, I think what you’re going to tell me right now is going to be really powerful and I think we need to shoot it. I said, you know what, I’ll only have one other person in the room – it’ll just be the camera operator, you, and me and that’s it. And you know, that’s kind of the way we did it.</p>
<p><strong>SR: And it turned out to be a great scene.</strong> </p>
<p>CB: Yeah it’s really emotional. And also, you know, I call the film the “side effects of being American.” And what I mean by that is that we have this idea that we have to be the best and we have to be great – if we can’t be great and if we’re not a great athlete or have the best psyche or whatever, we’re nothing. I don’t necessarily agree with that. I think that my mom’s brother John was swallowed up by the same exact problem my brother Mad Dog had. What a lot of people don’t know is that my mom’s brother John died of a drug overdose. I think he was 34 years old, so he was the same age as I was when I was making the film. He died of a drug overdose because he was a great football player and he broke his back. And after he broke his back he couldn’t play football anymore so then he basically felt like a failure. He felt there was nothing more for him to do in life. So he got into drugs and all sorts of other things. </p>
<p><strong>SR: It kind of seems that your older brother followed that same mindset. You know, he even said it in the film that he didn’t just want to be average he wanted to be great.</strong> </p>
<p>CB: Yeah, you know what’s really interesting on both sides of coin, my brother said, “I’d rather be dead than average.” My younger brother, you know, has his own gym and his philosophy since seeing the film is that he wants T-shirts made to say that – “I’d rather be dead than average.” And I’m like – I didn’t mean that as a good thing. (Laughs)</p>
<p><strong>SR: (Laughs)</strong></p>
<p>CB: So my younger brother you know, this win at all cost power lifter, looks at that saying as a really positive thing, you know? I’d rather be dead than average – he’s like, “that’s amazing.”</p>
<p><strong>SR: It’s amazing how one person can view one thing and take a positive from it, while someone completely different can view the same thing and take it in a whole different direction.</strong> </p>
<p>CB: Right. </p>
<p><strong>SR: I thought it was kind of cool when the movie first started and you started talking about your heroes being Hulk Hogan, Arnold (Schwarzenegger) and Rocky, and then slowly coming to the realization that these aren’t heroes at all. I had the same crushing reality when all the steroid-talk first started in baseball. Do you think kids can look up to sports heroes anymore?</strong></p>
<p>CB: Well, there’s no one to really look up to that’s totally clean anymore, let’s put it that way. But I don’t know if somebody is not a hero because they use steroids. Arnold Schwarzenegger was a hero of mine. I don’t necessarily agree with him and his take on steroids, but I definitely look up to him and admire what he’s done. And I’ve come to the realization by doing this movie that steroids don’t create great athletes, they make great athletes excellent, I guess. </p>
<p><strong>SR: Sure.</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/images/blogs/tsr/reviews/2008/bigger_stronger_faster/5_t.jpg"><img style="float:right;margin:6px 0 5px 5px;" src="http://www.bullz-eye.com/images/blogs/tsr/reviews/2008/bigger_stronger_faster/5_t.jpg" border="0" width="270" height="152" alt="" /></a>CB: I think for kids it’s different though. When you’re talking about an adult…when you’re talking about me…my perception of Hulk Hogan, if he did steroids, I’m like, who cares? He’s an adult and he can do what he wants. But when you’re a kid it really crushes you. It’s really devastating. I think the conflict of my little brother is one of the most amazing strengths of the film because he’s a football coach and he loves working with kids and he loves being a positive influence in these kids’ lives. And there have been kids that have told me the only reason I come to school is to train with Coach Bell. And then I say (to my brother), did you tell the kids you’re taking steroids? And he’s like, “What good would that do? It would only make it worse and it wouldn’t do them any good to know what I do because I’m an adult. And this is something that’s not for kids.” So I thought that was a really interesting conflict because is it sometimes better to not know what people did to get to where they are?</p>
<p><strong>SR: That’s true. And I think it’s interesting when you bring alcohol and cigarettes into the mix, because those are two things that should be, in theory, choices you make when you’re an adult.</strong></p>
<p>CB: Yeah, and you know what’s really interesting is that we did a screening last night and for the first time I realized something. Somebody asked me, “You guys were brought up in a really moral family, so why did you choose to make an immoral decision to use steroids?” And I said, wow, that’s a really strong statement. You know, first of all, my youngest brother is probably the most moral person I ever met in my life. He doesn’t drink – he never drank alcohol really. He doesn’t smoke. He has two kids. He teaches high school kids. He’s a personal trainer and he goes out of his way to help people all the time. He’s a great husband, a great father who plays with his kids all day when he’s not at the gym training people. And, I’m like, so he made one decision (to take steroids) and now all of a sudden, you know, he’s the bad guy. And he said that in the movie – “Why am I the bad guy?” And I say, “Because you’re on steroids and steroids have been demonized so much.” I’m not condoning what he does, but there’s a lot more people doing a lot more immoral things out there, so I’m thinking, wow, with all the problems we have in this country, it’s amazing how steroids have become one of the main issues. </p>
<p><strong>SR: Absolutely, it’s amazing what people will overlook when the topic of steroids comes up.</strong> </p>
<p>CB: Definitely.</p>
<p><strong>SR: So what’s next for you as a filmmaker?</strong> </p>
<p>CB: Well, I signed with Endeavor, which is a great agency, and they’re working on finding a couple scripts. I think everything I want to do will be something with a social impact or some kind of social relevance to it. So I’m looking at a script right now that deals with kind of the same problems my brother Mad Dog was dealing with, but in the world of ultimate fighting. It’s based on a documentary called “The Smashing Machine,” so we were looking into doing something with that as a narrative film. And I also wrote a script called “Bell’s Gym,” which basically focuses on the wacky world of Gold’s Gym, Venice (CA) and that’s more of a comedy that shows you all of the things that occur in the gym that I couldn’t show you in the movie because we didn’t have enough time. Part of the genesis in this movie is that, oh my God, there are some many crazy people in Gold’s Gym – we just have to film these people. I’m sure that any people that work out in any gym has the guy that pulls his shorts up under his nipples.</p>
<p><strong>SR: (Laughs)</strong></p>
<p>CB: In our gym we have “Grannie Guns.” It’s this woman who has size triple-F breasts and she’s about 65-years old and she’s always flaunting them with these really tight outfits.</p>
<p><strong>SR: (Laughs)</strong></p>
<p>CB: And so, it’s just this really interesting world that needs to be it’s own TV shows. It’s not really a reality show – its kind of “The Office” meets Gold’s Gym.</p>
<p><strong>SR: Oh you guys have to include the guy that was living out of his van [in “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”].</strong></p>
<p>CB: (Laughs) He’s just a great character in general. You should have heard some of the other stuff he said, it was crazy.  </p>
<p><strong>SR: I could only imagine! Well I appreciate you sitting down with us Chris and I loved the film. I wish you the best of luck.</strong></p>
<p>CB: Great, thank you very much! </p>
<p><strong>SR: Take care.</strong></p>
<p>CB: Talk to you soon.</p>
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