Melky Cabrera has been suspended 50 games because he "tested positive for testosterone" according to espn.com. Aren't mammals supposed to have testosterone? webmd.com lists eight reasons for a testosterone test and none are for enhancing performance in sports.
After 2011 National Conference MVP Ryan Braun tested positive for testosterone following a Major Baseball League (MBL) tournament game in October 2011 he was excoriated even though he skated on a technicality. How's Braun doing in 2012, presumably without performance enhancing stuff? His OPS+ is down from 166 to 147 (145 career) but he leads the National Conference in home runs and isn't that the real concern, that batters will hit more home runs?
How about Cabrera? Melky was the All Star game MVP and his OPS+ is 158 up from 121 in 2011 (101 career) and he leads in runs and hits with a .346 BA. Oops. Looks like Melky went to see the cousin of Alex Rodriguez, the one who helped A-Rod get juiced in his days as a Texas Ranger.
The media reaction has been predictably critical. During his Yankee years 2005-2009, Melky never mastered the English language like his fellow countryman and buddy Robinson Cano. Melky always seemed a little out of place and I thought has was banished after the Yankees 2009 championship to send a message to Cano that he had better develop better habits than Melky had.
That may explain why Melky is getting criticized while David Ortiz, who was implicated years ago, has still not been treated nearly as harshly.
Melky Cabrera is the latest MBL player to fall to the temptation of a huge pay day. According to baseball-reference.com Melky is getting $6,000,000 for 2012. His previous three seasons:
2009 Yankees $1,400,000
2010 Atlanta Braves $3,100,000
2011 Kansas City Royals $1,250,000
He signed a one year deal for 2012 following his best season: OPS+ in 2011 in his one season with Kansas City following his one disastrous season with Atlanta. It looked like he had finally found himself and a baseball home in San Francisco in 2012. Now he is out.
But does Melky's foolishness merit such disdain? Since I watched last night's Yankee game with my fast forward DVR technique I might have missed comments about Melky but I heard none when listening. While waiting to start the recording because of a rain delay of 105 minutes, I turned on the Mets game. I didn't stay long because both the play by play guy and Ron Darling, the former Mets pitcher (1983-1991), were killing Melky, especially Darling who played with Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden and Darrel Strawberry, all of whom used illegal performance reducing drugs during baseball seasons. What a hypocrite! And Darling described Melky as a guy who had "come off the bench" for the Yankees. Melky was a regular for the Yankees in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 when he was the starting center fielder on that championship team. Darling did not even know that much about Melky yet he saw fit to ridicule him, kick him when he was down.
People need to grow the heck up. Players are not supermen but we expect super human performances from them. If a player on the San Francisco 49ers NFL team had been suspended for a comparable violation, how much criticism would there be? I'm guessing much less, probably not much of a blip on the media radar.
One lesson driven home is that performance enhancement is not all about hitting home runs. Melky has 11 in 459 at bats. Which means that any player could be using. To the steroid zealots who cast the first stone: sweet dreams. Your favorite player could be next.
3 comments:
The PED he was using aren't designed for power, but for endurance, so he can maintain his strength. Look at Braun's numbers since the All-Star Break. Before we was caught using, he usually put up better numbers in the second half comapred to the first... this year there is a decline. Which is only "natural" during a 162 game grind.
The PED's used are for endurance and giving the athlete the strength to maintain or increase their numbers. Look at Braun's numbers after the AS break in the years before he was caught. He was better, despite playing more than 100 games? It doesn't seem "natural," does it? Same with Melky. Didn't he admit he did it, that he was rolling the dice to do well for a big contract. If they are not using it for an edge, why are they using it?
Maybe I'm missing the point but Melky's career OBP, SLG, OPS are dead even first half, second half. In 2012 with only 30 second half games Melky's OPS: .910, .895. Doesn't look like the testosterone provided much endurance. In 2011 Melky did better in the second half: .787, .838 but not exactly Nolan Ryan numbers that would make one suspicious.
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