The Mets Police

UPDATE:  Kay said A-Rod took batting practice in Tampa today.  I guess there was no way to do that in New York.

I find it really interesting that this may finally be the year that sports fans finally tell the pro leagues to go MOSFU (again that's Mets Police code for a big f.u.)    

Selig is worried about the recession.

The Yankees are taking out full page ads to get people to buy tickets.

Now Mushnick is warning that Jets fans are moving upstairs to avoid PSLs, which may force those who used to have tickets upstairs all the way out of the stadium.

I try to stay away from the truly negative, so if you want to read about A-Rod and hookers , go for it.

Rule of Mets blogging mean I have to be the 10,000th blog to link to Daniel Murphy will bat second and to weigh in about Maine:

Calm down about Maine.  It's the spring, just get your work in.  End of "Generic Maine had a bad start" article.



Bondy can'e figure out why NYers don't care about the WBC.  The answer Flip is that unless Wright and Jeter are wearing hats with NY on them we don't care.  I'm watching the Mets now and feel like there's a big hole at third.

Damn spring training game just played that awful Everybody Clap Your Hands clapclapclapclap crap.   The announcers clearly hate it.  I hate it.  You hate it.  Leave this one with the ruins of Shea and hire an organ player (which was one of my suggestions for New Traditions at C-Field. )

Santana looked good!



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Gary Carter, manager of the really cool Long Island Ducks , dodges the question of whether or not A-Rod should be in the Hall. If you haven't checked out a Ducks game you should. www.metspolice.com

NY Sports Examiner: A-Rod never leaves sportswriters hanging

A-Rod really never ceases to be entertaining.


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I was chatting in the hallway about A-Rod being picked up by his cousin.   A theory was floated:

A-Rod IS trying to be stupid.

As he made clear during his steroid defense, he was young and stupid.  And naive.  And stupid.

Now, in an effort to prove that he is stupid, he does stupid things like having his cousin pick him up.

It's brilliant!  Now when he says he was young and stupid, we will see that he's middle aged and stupid, so it makes sense.

Well played Alex, well played.

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You are A-Rod. It's the first game of the spring. You need a ride.

Who would be the worst person to have pick you up? Hitler? Jose
Canseco? 

Nope your cousin who injected you with steroids.

Really. That's who he chose.

I betcha Alex has enough money for a car service. Maybe even a limo.

Maybe Girardi would have hooked him up with a ride.

Is this man just self-destructive? Stupid? Clueless?

So much for putting this behind you.

One thing I've learned is that where there is smoke there is fire.

If you hear A-Rod was at the zoo with three unicorns and a zebra, there might not have been unicorns but it's likely A-Rod and some animals will be involved.  

Jose Canseco is looking for an apology from baseball about his steroid allegations a few years back.   That will happen after hell freezes over for the second time (after global warming melts the first freeze).   Not a chance.

However, he probably deserves to be less crapped upon that he has been.  There is not much honorable about Jose but he did correctly name a few names in his books including A-Rod.   Canseco's version doesn't include a mystery cousin and a trip to the DR, but he did name the name.

Maybe he got lucky.  Maybe baseball is so messed up I could pull five baseball cards out of a hat and be right about three players.   Maybe Jose does know what he's talking about after all?


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The Captain said those words I needed to hear today:

I've never taken performance-enhancing drugs, I've never taken steroids.

Awesome, that's what we need more players to say.

Jeter also said:

"One thing that's irritating and really upsetting is when people say everybody was doing it," Jeter said. "No, that's not true. Everybody wasn't doing it." 

Sorry Jeets, you'll have to blame half your teammates for that.  Don't look at me.

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Here's a free commercial for Outside Eyes, the crisis management team that Alex Rodriguez hired to help him with the latest news cycle.

The below is taken directly from their website.

You have one shot to answer the question "What do you do?" Does your answer leave a confident, memorable first impression? Outside Eyes prepares clients to say everything they need to say and nothing they do not. We make sure your "elevator speech" is concise, compelling, and effective.

We will train your messengers on tone, optics, presentation, persuasion, and crises communication.

• Develop compelling messages and use the most effective methods of delivery.
• Contrast your position with opposing ones, and respond forcefully and quickly to attacks and misrepresentations.
• Release information precisely when it will make the most news, and to the right members of the media.
• Research the opposition and anticipate the response.
• Monitor breaking news and manage news cycles in real time.

I didn't find the section of the website which reminds you to work in the words naive, young and stupid as often as possible.

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Does anyone doubt that A-Rod's press conference will be a disaster?   He brought in a heavy hitter PR firm, which means this will be the most rehearsed non-honest conference in history.

During the Gammons interview he spoke as if he was trying to remember what else he was supposed to get it - "oh and I was naive.  I was naive and stupid.  And did I work in the word culture?"

Pettitte did it right.  Everyone forgave him in about two seconds.  Giambi too.  

I'm still waiting for an "I never did steroids" from the Captain.

Meanwhile, the commissioner just doesn't get it.  We need to buy him a "The buck stops here!" sign for his desk.     Check out Newsday today:

"I don't want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn't care about it," Selig said. "That annoys the you-know-what out of me. You bet I'm sensitive to the criticism. The reason I'm so frustrated is, if you look at our whole body of work, I think we've come farther than anyone ever dreamed possible."

Please.  Y'all got rich on McGwire & Sosa.

The commish will be watching the press conference today:

"Let's just say I'm going to monitor that situation closely," he said. "I honestly don't know how anyone could have done more than we've already done."

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Oh A-Rod why won't you ever listen to me?  You should have reported to camp early.  You should have shown up Friday so the steroid stuff could have been at least halfway buried in the Saturday paper.

Nope, you are showing up tomorrow to address the media at 1:30.  

Great, that way you have a bored sports media with no NBA highlights to eat up time (All-Star break).   This way Sportscenter can be 22 minutes of A-Rod, some college hoops and three hockey games.

A-Rod, couldn't you have at least laid low over the weekend.  Did you need to be spotted with yet another girlfriend?

Joe Girardi sounds exhausted already, "I'm really looking forward to getting beyond Tuesday."

A-Rod tries to do the right thing but just doesn't know how (a point brought out really well in Joe Torre's The Yankee Years book.)   He called Selena Roberts to apologize.  That seems nice, but I hope he read her book that is coming out in April because he may choose to back off that apology.

You can just tell that the mainstream media can't wait to pile on.   You can tell from the pictures they use of him in articles.  They never make him look good, like this one in this Newsday article.

I'm sure Jeter will be thrilled with this conference.  It has been a week now, and I am still troubled by Jeter's quote:

"Why would I worry about me being on that list?"

I don't think Jeter was on steroids, but nowadays everyone is on the suspect list.  We didn't think Pettitte was either.  I compare Jeter's statement to Posada's:

"Let me make myself clear.  I will never be positive.  I don't take anything.  I've never tested positive in anything and I never will."

That's pretty clear, but then again so was Palmeiro.  Maybe I'm being unfair to The Captain and I'm asking him to defend the proverbial "When did you stop beating your wife?" question but I can't help but wonder, why didn't he just say "I've never done steroids."

The Bronx Zoo is back in full force.  It's pretty amazing Torre kept a lid on it for most of his tenure.







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People love pictures and this week we chronicled the last days of Shea Stadium with pictures on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (We will continue with more pictures on Monday and Tuesday - until Shea is no more).

Of course the big story continued to focus Alex Rodriguez and the revelation of his steroid use and the collateral damage that may come from it. Of particular concern was Derek Jeter's non-emphatic denial that he could be on the list of players who tested positive.

As far as A-Rod goes, we asked the hypothetical question if you would do steroids for $27 million a year? And we offered media tips to A-Rod on how to deal with the media in spring training

Meanwhile Bud Selig continues to show his hypocrisy by suggesting he would suspend A-Rod and reinstate pre-steroid records. But if he's going to do that, then he needs to go back over 100 years to the first steroid user in baseball.

And since baseball has become so hypocritical, we here at The Mets Police offered up nominations for our Hall of Infamy.

Lastly, but not forgotten, was the announcement this week that Brett Favre was retiring (again) and that he now joins others who retired in strange uniforms.


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Yes linking to the Times is lazy blogging but thought this was sharing in light of this weeks #1 sports topic.

SPORTS / OTHER SPORTS

Armstrong’s Testing Plan Ends Before it Begins 

By JULIET MACUR

Published: February 12, 2009

Don Catlin, the well-known anti-doping scientist who Lance Armstrong hired to create his strict and transparent anti-doping program, is parting ways with Armstrong.

Don Catlin, the prominent antidoping scientist who was supposed to run Armstrong’s program, said Wednesday that they had decided earlier in the day to part ways, without Catlin’s obtaining a full blood and urine sample from Armstrong. The program was too complex and too costly, Catlin said, and the decision to terminate it was mutual.

I'm no scientist but it's complex and costly to pee in a cup and take some blood?

"You're coordinating collectors ... doing all these things. It became a nightmare of logistic issues and also, when you're drawing blood, an athlete can rightfully complain if you take too much."

What don't I understand?  Hit comments...



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Cooperstown has become a joke.

It may not be the baseball Hall of Fame's fault, but nonetheless it's a joke.

You can't have a Hall of Fame without the all-time leaders in all the offensive categories.

I'm sorry that some of these men were mean to sports writers, or took anabolic steroids, or bet on games, their numbers are what they are.

Maybe "Infamy" is unfair to some of the people I will list on the first ever ballot.  Let's call them the "Hall of Men With Great Stats" or the Hall of Famous or something.

This hall only worries about stats baby.  It doesn't matter if you spit on the ball or corked your bat or bribed the ump or took steroids.  Stats get you in, and that's it.  Unlike other halls you only need to sit out one full season to be enshrined

It's time to take the Hall back from the sportswriters and back into the hands of fans.  I invite you to vote, or even nominate, and we'll publish the results in a month or so.  This is your chance to stick up for Gil Hodges, Steve Garvey, Don Mattingly or anyone else you'd like to see enshrined.  Some day I'm sure Alex Rodriguez will wind up in our building.   Before we get to those folks, there's some others to nominate:

Ladies and gentlemen, the nominees for the 2009 Hall of Famous Baseball Players.

Joe Jackson.   You may know him as "shoeless."   He even has his own virtual Hall.  Jackson has the third highest batting average of all-time, with 1700 hits in ten full seasons (Ichiro type numbers!)   His .408 in 1911 was the highest of the century and hasn't even been approached here in Century 21.   You've surely heard of him, hence his nomination for the Hall of Famous.

Pete Rose.  Pete is baseball's hit king with 4256.  Six World Series and a main part of the history of not just the Reds, but also the Phillies.  Hard to ignore Charlie Hustle's credentials on the field.

Barry Bonds.  The Home Run King.   Two numbers that stand without explanation:  73 and the most famous number of them all 762.   How could you even consider a hall without the King?

Roger Maris.   As hard as it is for anyone under thirty to believe, 60 home runs was once very uncommon in baseball.   Roger was the only one to do it between Ruth and McGwire.  A two time MVP who played in seven World Series and was a leader with the Yankees and Cardinals.

Mark McGwire.  The man who saved baseball.  The man who returned the power game to a game that had become boring with 10 run games a rarity. A 12 time all-star who played in three consecutive World Series and has 583 home runs.  Hard credentials for someone to ignore.

Sammy Sosa.  The other smiling face of the legendary summer of 1998.  A man so beloved by all that even New York City threw a tickertape parade for a Chicago Cub.  A 7 time All-Star, an MVP and of course609 home runs including three seasons over 60.

Jack Morris.  What, you thought I was only going to list bad guys?  254 wins and the best pitcher of his decade.  He deserves a look.

Bert Blyleven.  287 wins, 3701 strikeouts.  Nobody will win 287 games again.

Tommy John.   288 wins.  You can't win 288 if you don't win 287, and nobody will.

Roger Clemens.   When he was playing he was considered one of the great pitchers of all time.  354 wins and 4672 strike outs.  Let me know who is pitching today that will even hit half those numbers.

Rafael Palmeiro.  Before the writers found righteousness there were two numbers that got you into any Hall:  3,000 and 500.   Raffy has them both.

Did I miss someone?   Hit comments and add your nominations or votes!



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To:  Alex Rodriguez
Fr:  The Mets Police
Re:  What to do now

Dear Alex,

I've pulled together some suggestions for you as the Yankees head to spring training.

1.  Make sure you're not on steroids.  I know that seems obvious, but heaven forbid you get caught again.

2.  Show up for camp early.   Get on a plane now and show up.   I see Jeter & Posada are already hanging around.   Be seen running laps and taking grounders.  Don't be seen with Madonna or strippers.

3.  Have a press conference and answer every question you can, short of implicating others.  Nobody likes a snitch.   Stand there for 17 hours if that's what it takes.

4.  If you have done steroids since 2003 admit it at that press conference.

5.  Ask Joe Girardi to play you as much as he can in the spring.   If he can give you nine innings without it messing up some younger player's development then play nine.  Take the bus to some road games too and get used to the heckling.

6.  Learn to say "I'm sorry."  No qualifiers.  Don't try to halo yourself by using the "everyone else was doing it defense."  Enough with "naive" and "stupid" and "culture."   Things like "I was wrong" and "I let everyone down" go a long way.


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The text of A-Rod's apology reads much better than it sounded. On tv it just seemed like he needed to get in the words naive and stupid as many times as possible.

Does anyone actually use the phrase loosey-goosey when not apologizing to Peter Gammons? Is that a phrase Alex uses when clubbing in Miami.

Question to everyone: what are you mad at? Why do you care anyway? Root for the guy or don't. Watch the games or don't. At the end of the day it's just television programming for the summer.

People were much less interested in steroids before a surly black man put up the biggest numbers.

Jeter's quote still bothering me. The correct answer would have been "no." (Read down the blog if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

I guess Jose Canseco is less of a crazy-talker than people made him out to be.

I really look forward to getting back to Mets talk around these parts but (a) its hard story to ignore and (b) the Mets don't do anything good or bad and I can only wax poetically about Lee Mazzilli so many times.

Of the 103 players left on the list none were Mets right? I have an idea about one but I'll get lynched if I voice it.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

You're good at your job.   What if I could give you some medicine that would make you the best ever?  All you need to do is drink this every day.

You'll be so good you'll make more money than you could ever need.  Never mind life-changing money, this is dynasty changing money.  No, not the Yankees, your dynasty.

For over $27 million dollars a year you can drink my magic potion and be the best.  73 grand a day my friend.

Want to buy your old high school buddy a new car?  Done.  Pay cash.  40 grand to spend in cash left over.

You could take care of your parents.  You could buy them a mansion with a week's worth of money.   Cash.

Your kids and their kids and their kids?  They will never want for a single thing unless they take investing advice from the Wilpons.

You might do it.  You could be the best.  Sure everyone will still like the charismatic guy at the office a little better than you, but you could ditch your wife and bang Madonna!  You could have it all!

I used to get mad at the steroids.  The damage is long since done.  You chose to ignore it when it was two smiling guys in 1998.   You kinda got annoyed that a surly black man decided to become king in 2001 and again in 2007.   You cried hysterically when Rajah returned to the Bronx, as if he weren't some sort of mercenary Red Sock.   You ignored it all.  Why not ignore this one too?

The damage is done, the records are ruined.  73 is 73 now, and A-Rod is A-Rod.  Let him hit his 800 homers.  You can sit home and watch old Roger Maris highlights while the Yankees draw 4 million every year.

I'm sorry A-Rod doesn't smile as nice as you'd like or give the right quotes.   He's one of the best players in the game right now.   A-Fraud?  You're the one who cheered him when he stepped into the batters box.  Why stop now?   At least he's admitted he was wrong, how about you?   For 27 million dollars a year you might do steroids too.



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Alex Rodriguez spoke to ESPN's Peter Gammons today and admitted taking steroids:

When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day.

Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. 

I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful.

at the time, I wasn't being truthful with myself. How could I be truthful with Katie Couric or CBS?

Many of the world's major religions speak about forgiveness.  Perhaps your does too.  Maybe you're just an American.  We're a forgiving people.   He admitted it.   He said he's sorry.   We can beat him up about not being honest with us in the past, now he has.   It's over.   Time to move on.


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Bill Madden has the most ridiculous A-Rod analysis yet in today's News.

Bill wants the Yankees to cut A-Rod and eat the contract.

He wants the Yankees to eat a quarter billion dollars.

Come on dude.

If the Yankees ever did such a thing (probably after moving to Montreal) A-Rod could sit home and make $25 million a year to hang out with Madonna.

In Madden's scenario I assume that A-Rod would be placed on unconditional release waivers.   A team could claim A-Rod for $1, but then would assume responsibility for the contract.  You see that kind of attempt every August.   In today's economic environment nobody is taking this one on.   So A-Rod might sit home.

A-Rod could reject the claim, which would void the contract, and become a free agent.   A quarter billion dollars is a lot of money to walk away from, but maybe after a while enough money is enough money, and reputation and a desire to play is more important than money you'll never use.  I've never had $25 million so I can't tell you what it's like.

Anyway, let's say A-Rod was magically a free agent.   Would you want him on your team?

I'd take him in a second.  Actually I'd take him as my shortstop right there in Flushing.   I sold my soul earlier this winter when I decided I wanted Manny, so why not A-Rod?   Let him play shortstop and let Overreyes play second.    You moved Reyes for Kaz Matsui, you can move him for A-Rod.

You wouldn't want A-Rod in this lineup?  All those who wanted Manny wouldn't want A-Rod?

Is he clutch?  No.  Is he a choker?  Yes.   He will fit right in with the team when he goes 1 for 64 in October. He also might put up MVP-like stats (the writers will never vote for him now).

The Yankees aren't eating this contract.   Steroids are part of the legacy of the last 15 years.  As I said yesterday, Selig should declare blanket amnesty and delcare that all the records stand forever.  Time to move on.

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From 60 Minutes.

They may have taken the video above down, the transcript is below and the video will work on this page.

"For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?" Couric asked.

"No," Rodriguez replied.

Asked if he had ever been tempted to use any of those things, Rodriguez told Couric, "No."

"You never felt like, 'This guy's doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He's getting better numbers, playing better ball,'" Couric asked.

"I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no," he replied.


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