Interview: Steve Poltz, Part 5
Thu, Dec 13, 2007
by Geoff Young
In Part 4 of our chat with singer/songwriter/Padre fan Steve Poltz poltz.com, Steve talked about Steve Garvey’s homer in the NLCS in ‘84, shagging fly balls while Tony Gwynn took batting practice, and more.
In our final segment, Steve discusses his meeting of Ken Caminiti, the heartbreak of watching USD alum Brady Clark struggle in Colorado, and his favorite baseball movies.
***
Ducksnorts: How about the ‘98 team?
Steve Poltz: Back in ‘98, Kevin Brown did it all. He was such a gamer; I f***in’ loved that guy… [Ken] Caminiti, down in Mexico getting an IV… I have a memory of him driving on his motorcycle at Windansea — that was the year I knew the whole team pretty well. I remember him walking up to the deck at Windansea where I live, where I’ve lived for 19 years, and shaking my hand. Dude, that guy was larger than f***in’ life. He was badass.
[We ramble about Caminiti and Padres history.]
SP: I’ve been predicting the Rockies will get swept [in the World Series]. I’ve been saying, “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. The Rockies are going to get to the World Series and remember, ‘Oh, wait, we’re the Colorado Rockies; we’re a fourth-place team that got hot.’” I told my friends that and they’re laughing; I’m hoping for a sweep so I can say, “I told you so.”
[Ed note: The Rockies were down to the Red Sox, 2-0, when this interview took place; they did get swept.]
I’ve seen that happen so many times, where a team gets hot — with the Padres against the Yankees [in '98], and in 1984 [against the Detroit Tigers]. Those were two of the greatest teams we lost to, those ‘84 Tigers and ‘98 Yankees.
DS: Both of those teams were unstoppable.
[Waitress stops by to check on us; Steve raves about his pork chop and orders us homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert.]
DS: I hate to ask, but as a fellow USD grad, how painful was it to watch Brady Clark struggle in center field in that final game?
SP: It hurt so bad. I was at the game when we lost our left fielder and our center fielder. That was one of the weirdest things ever. I was saying [to my girlfriend], “That guy [Clark] went to USD, my alma mater; it’s okay, honey, we’ll still be all right.”
Brady Clark looked scared, and it broke my heart. They don’t want that to happen.
My favorite player this year was a guy that everybody would always rip on at Ducksnorts, [Geoff] Blum. I love that guy, and I was, like… everybody’s so harsh on him. What did they call him?
DS: “Silent L.”
SP: How come? What’s “L”? Is that for “Loser”?
DS: If you take the “l” out of “Blum,” you’re left with “bum.”
SP: Oh, wow; that’s genius… It’s so funny, I always thought that OG meant “Original Giles” and NOG meant “Non-Original Giles.” I laughed so hard when I saw “Orange Giles.”
I am such a fan of Ducksnorts. Next year I’m going to post. I’m going to get the courage up.
DS: Do it; you’re among friends.
SP: I’m so obsessed with the web site that after a game, in the morning, if I haven’t seen the game — I’m on the road, playing a show — I’ll read the comments of what people were saying during the game.
DS: Wow… Shifting gears, if you were GM for a day and you could make one move to help the club, what would it be?
SP: This would be selfish, because I love this player, but I’d do anything to get Eric Byrnes on the Padres. I love his hustle. He’s a freak. I want a guy with that kind of energy. I want gamers on my team. Do you like Eric Byrnes, or does he bug you?
DS: He bugs me when he plays the Padres, which means I like him. Dave Roberts used to do that to me before he came here.
SP: Yeah… Did you ever write on Ducksnorts about how they would call Dave Roberts “The Doctor” and what the song, “Dr. Roberts” is about? There’s a Beatles song, “Dr. Roberts,” about a guy who prescribes amphetamines.
[Ed note: This interview took place before Mike Cameron's suspension.]
DS: Final question. What is your favorite baseball movie?
SP: I love Bull Durham. It’s such an obvious answer. I really liked 61, the one that just came out. I love The Natural and A League of Their Own — that movie made me cry.
I’m a big fan of Bad News Bears — the original, with Walter Matthau. I like The Rookie, and I loved Major League… Field of Dreams was amazing.
The best baseball book I ever read — David James Duncan wrote this book called The Brothers K. He was a big fan of Dostoevsky, so it’s sort of an homage to The Brothers Karamazov. This is the best book I’ve ever read. [It] deals with religion, which has been a big theme in my life, baseball and war.
DS: Cool, I’ll have to check that out sometime.
Thanks again to Steve Poltz for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with us. Be sure to visit his web site at poltz.com to learn more about his new CDs, Traveling and Unraveling. And if you’re in town and looking for a good place to eat, drink, and otherwise hang out, give Starlite a shot. Tell ‘em Ducksnorts sent you.
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
December 13, 2007 at 7:34 am
Mitchell report due out today…ESPN reporting that Roger Clemens is in there…so is Andy Pettitte…Well, I had heard rumors of Rocket before, but this would have to be more than rumor.
I am nervous for baseball…I sorta feel like I am awaiting the test results.
December 13, 2007 at 7:37 am
Anyone know how Emil Brown’s defense in CF is? Now that he was non-tendered, he might be a cheap option…even if it is just for 25 games while Cameron is out and then a 4th/5th OF.
December 13, 2007 at 7:41 am
#2: Last time Brown played center field… six games in 2001… with the Padres…
December 13, 2007 at 7:45 am
Well I guess we can close the argument about who the best pitcher of their generation is between Maddux and Clemens
December 13, 2007 at 7:51 am
Miguel Olivo was non-tendered any interest?
December 13, 2007 at 8:02 am
That Steve Poltz is an amazing fellow. Just think Geoff, if things continue, this will be among the better known people who frequent Ducksnorts:
- Matt & Mud
- Matt Antonelli’s father
- Steve Poltz
- Keith Law
I’m not sure how many other bloggers (man that seems like such a derogatory term) can feature a similar audience. Congrats again on a fantastic blog, Geoff. I’m so happy I found this place.
December 13, 2007 at 8:03 am
Dude can’t get on base…but would help throw out runners.
December 13, 2007 at 8:05 am
Re: 6 I would imagine SA has checked out DS, he did write the forward to GY’s book. How did you pull that off GY did you jus call his office and ask?
December 13, 2007 at 8:05 am
Re: 7 isn’t that the definition of a backup catcher?
December 13, 2007 at 8:08 am
Re 9: Actually in our case it’s “Dude can’t throw out runners…but would help get on base.”
December 13, 2007 at 8:10 am
Steve Poltz has played in front of thousands of people. He opened for the Ramones. He’s seen a certain well-known, well-built singer naked. How he can he be the least bit worried about posting here?
December 13, 2007 at 8:16 am
GY, the Steve Poltz series has been great. And, yes, I’ve downloaded some of his stuff off ITunes. Great stuff. I’ve really enjoyed the series.
#4. You mean Maddux didn’t get his physique artificially? Freak of nature, I guess.
December 13, 2007 at 8:21 am
Not sure about Olivo, but finding a really good throwing catcher that they could use against certain running teams when Maddux or CY is pitching would probably be a very nice find.
December 13, 2007 at 8:22 am
Re: 13 thats why he sparks my intrest.
December 13, 2007 at 8:31 am
Is anyone else pretty underwhelmed about the Mitchell Report today? I honestly do not believe that many fans are going to adjust how they feel about the sport, and I think most people realize that steroids are a part of the culture.
The ESPN article that Geoff linked to on Knuckle Curve yesterday pretty much laid out why this report is going to be useless. It’s going to accomplish nothig. Baseball won’t take a hit from this, no matter how badly the media may wish it.
December 13, 2007 at 8:37 am
I dont think it will hurt baseball but what it may do is keep a guy like Clemens out of the Hall of Fame.
December 13, 2007 at 8:44 am
It won’t keep Clemens out of the HOF…not even close…unless you think it keeps Bonds out as well.
Both are no doubters, regardless of what this report says…the borderline guys are the ones that get kept out…Palmero, Big Mac, Sammy….not the sure fire guys like Bonds and Clemens.
Wonder if any Pads are in that report.
December 13, 2007 at 8:50 am
It depends on who is named. The list I saw this morning included Clemens, Pujols and Tejada. If those guys are really named, this is going to be a huge story.
Additionally, looks like Milton Bradley is on the list.
December 13, 2007 at 8:57 am
Supposedly Albert Pujols is on the list too. Clay Hensley and Mike Cameron too. Some certain steroid users will be left off (I haven’t seen David Ortiz’s name mentioned) so I don’t see why anyone should even care. Also, any list with Rich Garces on it is pretty cool.
Seriously though, I question why they are releasing the names. The only thing I can think of is that the owners think this will hurt the players and keep salaries down. Otherwise, what good could possibly come out of this? Typical owner behavior — incredibly short-sighted. This might help them out in the short-term but it will certainly hurt long-term.
December 13, 2007 at 9:07 am
19: As much as I love me some dirt, I’ve wondered about the burden of proof backing up the disclosures.
December 13, 2007 at 9:40 am
#8: Not exactly.
#12: Glad you’ve enjoyed the series (and his music)! Steve is good people.
#13: Olivo? Only if he works with Shawon Dunston to improve his plate discipline.
#19: Agreed. The emphasis on assigning blame vs trying to solve the underlying problem is driving me crazy.
December 13, 2007 at 9:47 am
#19,#21: I really don’t see the purpose in naming names. First, if you’re named, you’re guilty in the eyes of the public, regardless of how thin the proof is to make it into the report. Second, what’s the point besides trying to embarrass the players for whom you have such possibly thin evidence. Third, what possible good can it do for the game to name names of players, who appear to be, many of the stars who put fans in the seats and that young fans admire?
I’m sorry, but wouldn’t it be easier to just take a gun and aim and fire at your foot.
December 13, 2007 at 9:56 am
Happy day for me! The Twins signed Adam Everett, so any thoughts of acquiring him to deal Khalil are now impossible. I seriously had nightmares about this last night. I am not kidding.
December 13, 2007 at 10:08 am
I was accused of being too negative yesterday about the Padres and especially the ownership of John Moores. My main point is that you just cannot trust the baseball owners. The release of the Mitchell Report is a perfect example. What possible motivation could they possibly have to release players name except to use it for leverage against the players? Can someone think of any plausible reason? These short-sighted and foolish decisions make me not want to go to Padre games because I don’t want a dime of my money going to people like John Moores and Bud Selig and all the rest of these idiot owners.
December 13, 2007 at 10:10 am
Phantom…I don’t think you have to worry. The guys in the FO are much smarter than me and they seem to like KG…I bet they sign him to a 3 year extension before next season.
December 13, 2007 at 10:11 am
I hit submit too fast…
I meant to also say that the extension will be predicated on KG wanting to stay. The little I knwo about him personally seems to suggest he would not mind going to play for an East Coast team, even if it is at a little less money…
December 13, 2007 at 10:11 am
Reason for report - MLB trying to look like they are fixing the problem
Reason for naming names - George Mitchells ego (he wants to catch himself a big fish)
Re: 17 one of the arguments for bonds is that he was a HOF before he blewup to cartoon like size. If its shown that Clemens has been using since his days with the redsox then it may turn alot of HOF voters off. I also do not think it is a lock that Bonds gets in the HOF, at least not on the first ballot.
December 13, 2007 at 10:13 am
19: Salaries are a function of supply and demand, the report may change the distribution of the salaries, but it shouldn’t change their aggregate value
19,21: More time should be spent on solving the underlying problem, but I don’t think solving the problem and revealing who took steroids are mutually exclusive propositions
20: The weight of the report does hinge on what kind of evidence is associated with each name
19,22: I think Schlom has it backwards, in the short-term this is going to hurt baseball. But making baseball more transparent could help reestablish the trust of the fans and that would be a long-term benefit. Baseball should be applauded for revealing its flaws and attempting to correct them, though it may deserve criticism for its methods
December 13, 2007 at 10:13 am
Steve…you have to admit that Bonds was a top30 all time player before 2000…he may not get in on the 1st ballot, but that would be a shame…same with Roger…he was great before the “Steroid Era” began in 1995. Now, Canseco was juicing in the 80’s so anything is possible.
December 13, 2007 at 10:21 am
Here’s the problem that I have with releasing the names — it obviously isn’t going to name everyone using them. So what is the point other to embarrass the players on the list? We know there is a steroid problem in sports — we’ve known that for 30+ years. So why is it a huge concern now? Simply because Bonds broke the home run records? That seems like a poor reason doesn’t it? I just don’t understand it. Shouldn’t the fact that they are instituting better testing and punishing players that get caught pretty harshly be good enough? Logically that would seem to be the case however they are releasing a bunch of names including some long retired and some are even dead (Caminiti and Kile). The only reason that I can see that they are releasing the names is that they figure they will get leaked anyway but that doesn’t seem like a good one.
December 13, 2007 at 10:22 am
Re: 29 I think Bonds should go into the HOF, he was a HOF before he started using, but if he is convicted of perjury who knows what will happen, he may be in jail for his induction ceremony.
Was Clemens a HOF when he left Boston? If it is shown that he started using in Toronto when he “rejuvenated” his career how will that affect how people see him? If he did not start to use in Toronto (speculation) and have those great years with the Yankees would he still be the legend he is today?
December 13, 2007 at 10:24 am
Really off topic, but could a possible platoon partner for Hairston be our old friend PMac? Or has he missed the boat?
December 13, 2007 at 10:28 am
If you’re going to have a steroid investigation, you have to release the names for at least two reasons:
1. The names will be leaked anyway. Better to get them out there and at least give the illusion that you’re being transparent.
2. If the report is released with all the names redacted, the fans and media will scream bloody murder and demand to know who tainted the game.
It could also be a bait and switch: throw some players to the wolves to make it seem like you’re cleaning up the game.
December 13, 2007 at 10:28 am
Re: 32 FREE P-MAC!!!!!!!!
But really I think P-Mac injury last year really hurt his career chances, he made the team coming out of ST but got hurt, was sent down and never came back.
December 13, 2007 at 10:32 am
So the only Padres on the list so far are former Padres correct?
December 13, 2007 at 10:40 am
Hensley is on there (allegedly).
December 13, 2007 at 10:44 am
26: I’m not so sure about that. Khalil seems to have reached a positive relationship with the city, the fans, and the media that he would likely have to rebuild in another town. There’s no way that Khalil could ever go to a large market team, as he’s just not the kind of person that would want to deal with that level of exposure.
One of the more interesting things I’ve noticed in the past two years is that although we’re not privvy to his personal life, Khalil (along with Adrian, Jake, Giles, and Cameron) is one of the most commonly quoted players in the San Diego media. I think he’s really found a happy medium in San Diego where he’s able to make himself available, but there are boundaries that are known and respected.
December 13, 2007 at 11:04 am
Mike Cameron, Hensley are supposedly on there…
Mark Prior as well…
December 13, 2007 at 11:06 am
Thanks, Geoff. The Poltz series have been awesome. I can’t believe he’s scared to comment. Aren’t we nice around here?
Come on, Mr. Poltz, leave a comment here about our Padres.
re: Mitchell reports, I think they had to publish names because that sells easier to make it seems like the league is doing something, along the lines of shaming a person into not doing the wrong thing again (doesn’t always work). It is much harder for the league office to come up with steps to prevent/limit the chance of abuse from happening. I’d be surprised if the report contains any useful information or guidelines to improving the system so PEDs are harder to come by…but that’s just the cynic in me.
December 13, 2007 at 11:18 am
31: How do you know he wasnt using when he was younger? Clay isnt exactly a monster of a man.
December 13, 2007 at 11:21 am
The PDF, which is available on MLB.com, is a searchable doc. I couldn’t find either “Cameron” or “Giles” anywhere in the report.
December 13, 2007 at 11:32 am
41: I saw a list on Dodger Thoughts that is apparently rank with errors (Cameron, Pujols being two examples).
December 13, 2007 at 11:35 am
Is Miguel Olivo’s plate discipline really any worse at this moment in time than Michael Barrett’s?
December 13, 2007 at 11:36 am
Padres / Former Padres mentioned as users / suspected users in report:
Caminiti
Joyner (same story as reported years ago, tried them and quickly stopped)
Adam Riggs
Jack Cust
Two unnamed players overheard discussing Winstrol in SD clubhouse, circa 98/99. Could be Caminit/Joyner, but most of that 98 squad is suspect.
Rondell White
Ron Villone
Kevin Brown
Matt Herges
Gary Bennett. Yikes.
Ismael Valdez.
Gary Matthews Jr is mentioned, but the report says there’s insufficient evidence. It seems they have as much on him as they do about many other players listed, though.
December 13, 2007 at 11:39 am
The Mitchell Report is 409 pages! In case anyone really cares about it, here’s the direct link:
http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf
I can’t imagine that there are going to be too many people (if any) that read the whole thing!
December 13, 2007 at 11:41 am
43: Their plate discipline in the minors was about the same. In the majors Barrett has a much better walk rate - not great, not even all that good, but much better than Olivo’s. Barrett’s also shown he can hit for a higher average consistently.
I wouldn’t mind any one of a bunch of backup catchers if we can ship Barrett out, but he’s a pretty good backup option.
December 13, 2007 at 11:51 am
#43: Olivo is at 6.60 K/BB for his career, Barrett is 1.71.
#45: I’ve got some initial thoughts on the report over at Knuckle Curve.
December 13, 2007 at 11:53 am
Re: That’s a good answer.
I know I am in the minority here, but I love stolen bases, and I love catchers that have guns. Maybe I’m stuck in the late 80’s.
December 13, 2007 at 11:54 am
About 60 pages into the report (just browsing). Occurs to me that a lot of the things Rob Manfred is quoted as saying are exactly the same as he told me and some of my classmates last year. This guy’s a real character - very, very smart and very straightforward, almost to the point of seeming arrogant. A couple of interesting things from our conversation last year:
- I asked: “So, by starting with minor league testing in 2002 (or whenever it was), were you admitting that there was a signficant problem in the major leagues?”
-He answered: “That’s exactly what I’m saying!”
He went on to say that they’ve been trying to get steroids testing into baseball as early as 1994 (repeated in the Mitchell Report, pg 19) but that “you can’t negotiate on moral grounds, you can only negotiate on economics”.. inferring that owners and players weren’t interested in anything but the economics in the game (also somewhat repeated in the report).
Funny thing he said in talking wth Gene Orza of the players association, “Listening to Orza talking about player’s urine you would think that he’s talking about mother’s milk!”
December 13, 2007 at 11:59 am
The Jays signed Eckstein for $4.5 million. Does that change anybody’s mind about Iguchi’s deal? Hacksaw said yesterday that he’d rather have Eck. But, heck, he said the Pads’ offense might be worse than the Giants’. I think Hamilton should remove the “saw” from “Hacksaw.”
December 13, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Re; #47
Then again, Michael Barrett posted a whopping .235 OBP while with the Padres. At least Olivo got on base more than a quarter of the time.
Plus, he has that gun for an arm. Yow!
December 13, 2007 at 12:03 pm
David Eckstein possesses one of the top three most annoying batting stances, along with Craig Counsell and Aaron Rowand. I don’t think I could have handled 500 AB’s worth of that crouch.
December 13, 2007 at 12:05 pm
A lot of names on the list seem to be guys coming off major injuries which would explain why they’d use HGH at least. The biggest name other then Clemens and Pettitte is Brian Roberts who had that major elbow injury a few seasons ago.
December 13, 2007 at 12:07 pm
39: Public shame is an effective deterrent to steroid use. Baseball shouldn’t stop there, but it would be imprudent not to use it as such
December 13, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Hacksaw is going to have some splain’ to do about his man crush on steroid user LoDuca
December 13, 2007 at 12:09 pm
#51: I trust 1900 PA of Olivo more than 140 PA of Barrrett.
December 13, 2007 at 12:10 pm
52: Don’t forget Coco Crisp, or that annoying smirk that Andruw Jones gets on his face
December 13, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Re: 57
It seems we passed on all of the right free-agents.
December 13, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Re: 42 so Pujols is not mentioned?
December 13, 2007 at 12:20 pm
59: Nope
December 13, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I always new Eric Gagne wasn’t as good as he appeared when he was a Dog. I wonder how many “performance enhanced” saves he had against our team. He may have single handedly cost us a trip to the playoffs during our first year in Petco.
December 13, 2007 at 12:21 pm
59: His name is not listed in the report the best I could tell.
December 13, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Re: 60 & 62 that sucks that people randomly threw in his name!
December 13, 2007 at 12:25 pm
53: Except there’s no evidence that HGH helps you heal, and it isn’t legal for it to be prescribed for that purpose.
December 13, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I haven’t read the sordid details yet, but the report starts naming players on p. 197. What I can find:
Ex-Padres: Jack Cust, Rondell White, Ron Villone, Kevin Brown, Matt Herges, and Gary Bennett. Jerry Hairston (Scott’s brother) is named, as is USD alum and former Padre farmhand Bart Miadich.
December 13, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Gary Bennett?!?!!?
Just think if he HADN’T of used HGH.
UGH!
December 13, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Benito Santiago and Gary Sheffield are both named.
December 13, 2007 at 12:31 pm
61: Further evidene of “WTF were the the Brewers thinking signing Gagne for $10mil?!?!?”
December 13, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Barry Bonds suddenly has a lot of company.
I wonder when the probe on LSD, reds, and reefer users during the 60’s and 70’s will surface?
December 13, 2007 at 12:34 pm
So Gagne does HGH and has an amazing season earning a Cy Young. But Trevor has essentially the same season in ‘98 and gets shafted, even though he was clean. Trevor should have two Cy Youngs and would be an automatic lock 1st ballot guy. This sucks!
December 13, 2007 at 12:37 pm
#67: Thanks, Dex; I skipped over that section. They are indeed mentioned on p. 162.
December 13, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Re: 70
I’ll bet my pair of brown stirrups that Gagne kept an ever present supply of HGH in those athletic strap glasses he felt compelled to make a bizarre fashion statement with.
December 13, 2007 at 12:39 pm
65: Ricky Bones, also
December 13, 2007 at 12:40 pm
It is funny…So much venom towards Barry over the past couple of years (yes, I did my fair share of booing)…things like asterisk’s were talked about…Roger’s name comes up last year and people blow it off…now, it comes out again…I wonder if there will be the same talk about asterisk’s next to his record K’s/Cy’s…
As a Rocket fan, I am just wondering…
December 13, 2007 at 12:40 pm
69: It’ll probably surface the same time there’s evidence that indicates those substances enhance an athlete’s performance
December 13, 2007 at 12:41 pm
re 73: pg 140
December 13, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Man the Media kills me some times, they are saying that Jeff Kent (who I dont like) is on the list of players in the report… well here is what it says about Jeff Kent:
From PageSR-4
“Plainly, baseball needs to do more to effectively address this problem. I have never met or talked with Jeff Kent of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he appears to have understood this when he said in September, as reported in several newspapers: “Major League Baseball is trying to investigate the past so they can fix the future.”
I wonder how many of the names we are hearing are just blind searches that people did without even reading the text.
December 13, 2007 at 12:42 pm
74: I’m completely torn. I’d love to see Rocket thrown under the bus, a la Bonds. I completely think that everyone that did steroid’s deserves to be called out. That being said, I think that I’d like to see baseball move on.
December 13, 2007 at 12:44 pm
78: Agreed, but you’ve got to get the skeletons out of the closet before you can clean it
December 13, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Wow, Nook Logan?
December 13, 2007 at 12:45 pm
How about Bonds for Left Field?
I’m serious, btw.
December 13, 2007 at 12:47 pm
70: Gagne’s drug use aside, Hoffman didn’t deserve the Cy Young in either year he was a real candidate. He wasn’t the best pitcher on the Padres in 98 (Brown, who himself wasn’t as good as Maddux) and he wasn’t as good as Webb, Harang, Carpenter, or Oswalt in 2006.
December 13, 2007 at 12:49 pm
81: I wouldn’t mind. He couldn’t play LF full-time, but he’s a tremendous weapon.
December 13, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Re: 81
Are you seriously questioning Ryan Klesko’s man-love toward Barry?
Is Ryno’s judgment correct, leaving us, the harsh critics at Ducksnorts, in the wrong?
Oh wait, I’m sorry, I thought you said you would cancel your season tickets.
I would love a Hairston/Bonds platoon.
December 13, 2007 at 12:59 pm
81: I am pretty sure he wont be playing next year since he got indicted.
December 13, 2007 at 1:02 pm
85: It’s all presupposed on him either arranging for a plea deal that keeps him free for the regular season or the trial being set for later than November 2008. I couldn’t guess how likely either would be.
December 13, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Re: 85
There is a big difference between indictment and conviction.
A good lawyer. Ha Ha.
December 13, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Off the top of my head, names like Logan and Donnelly being non-tendered just before being named; Tejada being moved just before being named; Bigbie signing in Japan just before the release of the report containing him naming names. It looks like there was a lot of knowledge going around of the pending results in the report. I feel so naive.
December 13, 2007 at 1:04 pm
86: Which is what would deter anyone from signing him. I’d rather see Bonds just leave the game.
December 13, 2007 at 1:06 pm
87: That’s true, but the Feds have a remarkable conviction rate. It’s not because they’re so much better than their opponents, but because they don’t bring cases they’re not almost entirely sure of winning.
He’d have a better chance of probation if it wasn’t perjury. The justice system treats that more seriously than assault.