The View from the Cheap Seats

Eddie — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:21:50 +0000

When the Mitchell Report was first released in December, many speculated that the mere mention of a player’s name would serve as its own punishment. We had already seen what the consequences of even suspected steroid use would be when Mark McGwire became eligible for the Hall of Fame. The man who broke Roger Maris’ single season home run record and slugged over 570 in his career was remembered more for his selective memory during a congressional hearing than he was for his exploits on the field.
Possibly because of McGwire’s example, or maybe due to the desire to put the cloud of performance enhancing drug use behind them, player after player came clean and admitted their guilt. After all, hadn’t Jason Giambi gotten himself back into the fans’ good graces with an apology? From former player Fernando Vina to current star Andy Pettitte, many of those named copped to the charges and moved on. And why not? Senator Mitchell himself had advised Commissioner Bud Selig that no sanctions be handed down to any active players named in his report. It was time to cut losses and move on.
Roger Clemens, however, decided to fight. In what has become an incredibly tragic display of arrogance, Clemens has staunchly insisted that he never used performance-enhancing drugs of any kind and that he is the victim of a witch hunt. Ironically, since he first characterized himself as a victim, he has steamrolled down a destructive path leaving a long trail of his own victims.
First, there was the libel lawsuit filed against former trainer, Brian McNamee. Then, after demanding his day in court, he appeared before a congressional committee and firmly stated that Pettitte, who had confirmed all of McNamee’s accounts of their relationship, had misremembered their conversations, stopping just short of calling his good friend a liar. It was during this hearing that it was revealed that Clemens’ wife had used steroids. Regardless of his innocence or guilt, the Mitchell Report was no longer Roger’s biggest problem.
Now, we find out that Clemens carried on a long-term affair with country singer, Mindy McCready, which started when he was 28 and she was only 15. Once again, Roger denied any wrongdoing while, at the same time, McCready confirmed everything. Perhaps the most amazing part of the whole saga is that much of the focus seems to be on the affair itself rather than the fact that it may have been carried on with a minor.
So, to recap, in December, Clemens was suffering the embarrassment of being named as a steroid user in the Mitchell Report. Now, because of his misguided and unsuccessful attempts to discredit any and all who accused him, he is being investigated by the Justice Department as to whether he committed perjury. The IRS is investigating his finances to determine if he purchased steroids. His wife’s steroid use has been exposed, it has now become known that he is possibly guilty of statutory rape, and his chances of ever being voted into the Hall of Fame are virtually gone. His reaction to all of this? Everyone else is lying. Our reaction? Clemens has now joined Barry Bonds as the face of the steroid era in baseball.
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When Moises Alou went down with a hernia during spring training, the Mets’ general manager, Omar Minaya, came under a lot of fire for trading away prospect Lastings Milledge to the Nationals during the off-season for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. Now, however, just a month later, Church is probably the Amazins’ MVP. Displaying not only the proficiency versus left-handed pitching that was the biggest mark against him in Washington, he has also shown himself to be an excellent defensive outfielder with a cannon arm. That such a strong defensive catcher like Schneider was also acquired in the deal makes it one of Minaya’s best.
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Is there a more exciting basketball player in the world right now than Chris Paul? He currently has the entire New Orleans Hornets squad strapped to his back as he barnstorms through the NBA playoffs. It has been a long time since a point guard has been able to dominate games the way Paul has all season long. He gave notice of an official changing of the guard during the first round as he made the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd look very old, averaging close to 30 points per game while dishing out more than 10 assists per contest. Dare I call him the best since Magic Johnson?
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Growing up, I played ball all over Brooklyn. From Shore Road to Bay 8th Street, from the Parade Grounds to Marine Park, I traveled the length of the borough to get to games. Actually, I was a passenger on all of those trips since my Mom did a lot of the driving. And sitting. She did a lot of sitting. She sat down the line in an overcoat during those April games when the weather had forgotten that it was springtime. She sat under an umbrella on those hot days in August to watch me pitch when she could have been at the beach. To me, it was her job in a way. I couldn’t drive, so how else was I supposed to get there? Now, as an adult with a parent’s perspective, I appreciate her being there more than I’ve ever told her. She taught that you can’t give your children anything more valuable than your time. Thanks, Mom.
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When my oldest was 9, he made his pee-wee football all-star team and was excited about traveling to Virginia for a “bowl game.” That is, until we realized that the game was the day after his aunt’s wedding and he assumed he would have to miss it. My wife, however, would hear none of that. Realizing how important it was to him, she decided that after leaving the reception on Long Island at midnight, the kids could sleep in the car as we drove through the night to Newport News, Va. in order to get our son to his 9 a.m. game. Exhausted, she was the prettiest mom on the sideline, still in her hair and makeup from the wedding.
I learned a lot that day, just as I’ve learned a lot sitting with her through all of the ball games and competitions in which our children have participated. There have been championships and heartbreak, a lot of travel and many weekends where the grass grew too long in the backyard or the laundry didn’t get done. Through it all, she has always maintained that we only have a short time to enjoy watching the kids be kids and that we can’t miss it. She has made the whole ride more fun for all of us. Happy Mother’s Day, Gin, from a guy who clearly outkicked the coverage on his wedding day.

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The View from the Cheap Seats by Eddie Mayrose

Bob — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:15:51 +0000

Now that Spring Training has finally started, it’s a pleasure to, once again, be discussing the actual on-field events of baseball. I had almost “misremembered” how much fun it is. Fun, however, is probably not the word Mets GM Omar Minaya is using as he spends each day visiting his starting outfield in the hospital or trainer’s room. Moises Alou (hernia), Carlos Beltran (knee) and Ryan Church (concussion) all must have Minaya wondering how prudent it was to ship Lastings Milledge to the Nationals. Maybe Johan Santana can play the outfield on his off days. Seriously, the Amazins need to place a call to the Angels and inquire about Juan Rivera. A rising star who sat out last year with a broken leg, he currently resides on L.A.’s bench due to an overcrowded outfield. …. Across town, while it’s true that the Yankees did well to resign their core of Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada, they have essentially done nothing to improve a team that trailed the Red Sox from wire to wire in ’07. In fact, the case could be made that they are weaker at some positions, especially defensively. AL baserunners are licking their chops at the thought of taking extra bases on Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui as at least one will have to man left field. ARod, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano can’t be too happy about throwing across the diamond to Jason Giambi who, like Michael Jackson, wears a glove on his left hand for no apparent reason. With the Blue Jays improving, it will be interesting to see just how much of daddy’s DNA was inherited by Hank Steinbrenner, especially if they finish third. Those rookie pitchers had better produce. … The Jets went on a free agent spending spree last week, committing more than 70 million dollars to four free agent linemen. Seven time Pro Bowler, Alan Faneca, garnered the biggest contract in league history for an offensive lineman, inking a deal for $40 million to fill a hole created when the club refused to give Pete Kendall a $1 million dollar raise last year. With that kind of sound, economic policy, is it any wonder that season ticket holders face increases every year? None of this will matter, however, if Gang Green can’t find a quarterback. Am I the only Chad Pennington fan left standing? Memo to Eric Mangini: Chad’s your man. … The Big East Men’s Basketball Championship opened at the Garden yesterday, with St. John’s on the outside looking in for the third time in the four years that Norm Roberts has been at the helm. Further frustrating fans of the Red Storm is the fact that many of the participating teams are led by New York City players that St. John’s failed to sign or decided not to recruit. There was a time when all of the Big Apple’s players put other schools on hold as they waited for a call from Lou Carnesecca. Hasn’t anyone noticed that the Johnnies’ fall from the top of the conference started at the same time that they stopped getting city players? Now, most of the blame for that lies with Mike Jarvis, who guided the program into its most embarrassing era ever and completely disregarded the hoops hotbed that was merely a subway ride away. But, Roberts, who should be credited for bringing high character people into the fold, has made little progress in mending fences with CHSAA and PSAL coaches and players. With St. John’s watching McDonald’s All Americans Sylvan Landesberg (Virginia) and Kemba Walker (UConn) leave the city this year, season five of the Roberts era might be the last… Nate Robinson scored 46 points for the Knicks last weekend in an overtime loss to the Blazers. Amazingly, many Knick fans were heading for the exits while the hometown team was down three in the last minute and still more left as the overtime began. A sad statement for what was once the signature franchise in the league. The Blazers, by the way, are one of four teams who have improved themselves after unloading disgruntled “stars” on the Knicks. The Bulls, Nuggets and Suns have all benefited from the same generosity. Looks like there might be more to putting a team together than just assembling talent… Finally, there’s this question for all of the deliriously happy Giants fans as they continue to revel in the glow of their Super Bowl title. Does Eli Manning still stink?

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The View from the Cheap Seats

The View from the Cheap Seats by Eddie Mayrose