Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1397 of 1503)

Owner Tom Hicks said Wednesday that while he doesn’t have any knowledge that former Texas Rangers outfielder Juan Gonzalez used steroids, he does have his suspicions.

“I have no knowledge that Juan used steroids. His number of injuries and early retirement just makes me suspicious,” Hicks wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Wednesday. “In any event, we paid him $24 million for very few games.”

“Juan Gonzalez for $24 million after he came off steroids, probably, we just gave that money away,” Hicks said in the interview, aired Sunday night on KTVT-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Hicks almost sounds upset “Juan Gone” wasn’t on steroids when the Rangers inked him to that big contract doesn’t he? Like damn it, we shelled out $24 mil for this guy and he wasn’t even on the juice? What the hell?

According to multiple national sources including MLB Rumors.com, the Chicago Cubs traded catcher Michael Barrett to the San Diego Padres for backup Rob Bowen, a young prospect in Kyler Burke and cash considerations.

This is just another example of how a team will get rid of a player – regardless of their situation on the field – if he’s a cancer in the clubhouse. The Cubs don’t really have any better options behind the plate than Barrett (even with his .256 BA), but were apt to deal him after he fought in the dugout with starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano during a June 1 game against Atlanta, and the way he reportedly pissed off other teammates as well.

As for the Padres, they’ll get a little more pop in Barrett, but average wise, he’s no better than Josh Bard. It’ll be interesting to see how San Diego rotates the two and whether or not Barrett can mesh with the Pads pitching staff. Although, if he can’t work with currently the best pitching staff in the majors, who can he work with?

General Manager Brian Sabean recently commented that the Giants might be sellers come the July 31 trade deadline, and the possibility of Barry Bonds being traded isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

That spurned San Francisco Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkins to at least toy with the notion Bonds would be traded and where he might go. Jenkins brought up the Indians, Tigers, A’s, Angels and Red Sox before squashing those teams for just one: the New York Yankees.

I doubt this would ever, ever, EVER happen because the Giants’ top brass (i.e. Peter Magowan and Larry Baer) are concentrating more on getting Bonds to pass Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record in a San Fran uniform than winning ball games. And if you question me on this, check out the Giants’ putrid lineup these days and then make note that they unexplainably have the 12th highest payroll in the league and next to nothing as far as young position players.

Regardless, could you imagine what the Yankee haters would do if Bonds does wind up in pinstripes? Nevertheless Yankee fans who hate Bonds? Lets hope for the sake of baseball and hell, the human race in general, this doesn’t happen.