According to the Mitchell Report, Miguel Tejada paid his teammate over $6,000 by checks several times for SOMEthing alleged to be growth hormone and testosterone type steroids. (Can you believe how many guys paid their drug dealers by CHECK? Can you spell S-T-O-O-P-I-D???!!! Or were both player and dealer so arrogant/ignorant that they had NOOOOOO idea that someday someone might could check (hahahaha) it out?
I foolishly assumed that Drayton had first ascertained that Tejada was not on the steroid list before agreeing to the trade, as he’s so obsessed with the Astros image and how they are cowboys on horses, doo-gooders on the field and in the community, sin-free paragons of virtue like Bagwell and Biggio. I mean, when he asks Tejada – what have YOU done to become a champion – he has to hear – I used illegal drugs, Mr. McLane, sir. I shot up and hit lots of homers and won an MVP!!! And a Home Run Derby where a 5′8″ little guy hit a dozen homers over the tracks like Albert Pujols!!! And I just might could have ruined the career of a teammate by giving him steroid contaminated “Vitamin B-12″ Mr. McLane Sir, I mean Unca Drayton.
And exactly how that is good for “the community” that McLane talks about being an example for, well, I’m not sure. I would guess that they made sure to do the trade the day before the report so that they could say – gee, we had NOOOOO idea. Instead, McLane says “I was certainly disappointed.” We certainly did not (have the faintest glimmer of an idea).” Oh puhLEEEEEEEEZE. The guy had been the subject of rumors for YEARS – they couldn’t wait one more day to make SURE he wasn’t named by one of the federal informants?
But, you know, seems to me that except for Barry Lamar Bonds, and now da Rogah, that absolutely nobody gives a darn. Nobody. STILL. So far, every guy who was CAUGHT (not just accused, mind you, CAUGHT) using steroids by a positive test had absolutely ZERO trouble finding employment. I don’t see crowds booing Ryan Franklin. I don’t see the Astros benching Tejada for the next year and saying – gee, sorry fans, we realize it’s a lot of money down the drain, but we don’t want a cheat on our team full of “good guys” who “help” the community (not that I have one piece of evidence that any Astro has ever done diddly squat for MY community, but I digress…)
It will be interesting to see if the Astros fans boo Tejada, or scream STEROIDSSSSSS when he takes the field or if they say – well, he might could be a cheating drug user, but he’s OUR cheating drug user. Or if he only gets booed if he doesn’t put up good numbers. But, it will probably be fine, just as Smith/Wade undoubtedly anticipated. You see, except for Palmeiro, the drug user’s own fans didn’t ever turn on them. Maybe it is US who are the REAL “Good Guys” and as usual, we have an owner taking advantage of our good nature.
Tags: Houston Astros, MLB
An interesting thought on steroids from one Dr. Fost:
http://blogs.chron.com/jeromesolomon/2007/12/are_steroids_really_bad_mario_1.html
I’m not saying it makes anything right or wrong, but it is probably something to be considered.
Valverde for Burke, Qualls and Gutierrez!
W T F !!!!!
I’m pissed about that trade. Three players for a guy who hasn’t even come close to proven that he can be a consistently good closer? He had two good years, and they didn’t come consecutively! How can a guy who’s so obsessed with middle relievers trade the ONLY good middle reliever we had left?
And I’m even more concerned about the depth on this team. Who did they think was going to play? We have no good pinch-hitting options, only Loretta and Blum backing up the infield, and our two backup outfielders have virtually no major league experience. This team is already in dire straits. We’d better not have an injury this year.
I say we flip him.