Sex Sells....and Steroid Scandals Do Too

Jose is laughing (or shooting up) all the way to the bank. Bloggers, radio talk show hosts, and other media types urged the public not to buy the book and put money in Jose's pockets, but not many people listened. Amazon.com has the book listed as it's 3rd best seller. I cannot figure out why people say do not buy the book. There is really no evidence to support his information as fiction. Classic "he said, she said" problem. What if Jose really does have something to say? Canseco has done a lot to tarnish his credibility and the fact that he says he was blacklisted from baseball instead of admitting his diminished skills certainly do nothing but fuel the speculation he has a bone to pick with baseball as a whole.

Apparently he said Miguel Tejada was on the juice as well. However, Ozzie Smith has a some good thoughts to add into the entire fiasco.

"...As a fan I sit back and I say everything he says can't be true, everything can't be a lie either, so where there is smoke there's fire and baseball is a point right now where it really has to find itself," he said. "...It really has to answer some serious questions. ... Just deal with it and get it over with ... This thing is going to get a lot uglier before it gets any better....If it is a deterrent, it's a deterrent that says if in fact you are caught, you're out. ... That is a deterrent. ... To say the first time you get ten days or the second time you get 30 days, it still leaves room for people to try it and you know if in fact you leave it open that way somebody is going to try it."

My only problem with what Ozzie said is that it's hard to take someone like this...

...too seriously. Yup, that's Ozzie

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ESPN had it's top 100 fantasy seasons of all time listed out, and for those of you without ESPN Insider, here's the highlights.

20. Sandy Koufax, SP, 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 27-9 record, 1.73 ERA, 0.985 WHIP, 317 K, 323 IP
19. Hack Wilson, OF, 1930 Chicago Cubs
Stats: .356 AVG, 56 HR, 191 RBI, 3 SB, 146 R, 585 AB
18. Walter Johnson, SP, 1912 Washington Senators
Stats: 33-12 record, 2 SV, 1.39 ERA, 0.908 WHIP, 303 K, 369 IP
17. Babe Ruth, OF, 1931 New York Yankees
16. George Sisler, 1B, 1920 St. Louis Browns
Stats: .407 AVG, 19 HR, 122 RBI, 42 SB, 137 R, 631 AB
15. Pedro Martinez, SP, 1999 Boston Red Sox
Stats: 23-4 record, 2.07 ERA, 0.923 WHIP, 313 K, 213.1 IP
14. Babe Ruth, OF, 1926 New York Yankees
Stats: .372 AVG, 47 HR, 146 RBI, 11 SB, 139 R, 495 AB
13. Ty Cobb, OF, 1911 Detroit Tigers
Stats: .420 AVG, 8 HR, 127 RBI, 83 SB, 147 R, 591 AB
12. Ken Williams, OF, 1922 St. Louis Browns
Stats: .332 AVG, 39 HR, 155 RBI, 37 SB, 128 R, 585 AB
11. Jimmie Foxx, 1B, 1932 Philadelphia Athletics
Stats: .364 AVG, 58 HR, 169 RBI, 3 SB, 151 R, 585 AB
10. Sandy Koufax, SP, 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 26-8 record, 2.04 ERA, 0.855 WHIP, 382 K, 335.2 IP
9. Lou Gehrig, 1B, 1934 New York Yankees
Stats: .363 AVG, 49 HR, 165 RBI, 9 SB, 128 R, 579 AB
8. Babe Ruth, OF, 1923 New York Yankees
Stats: .393 AVG, 41 HR, 131 RBI, 17 SB, 151 R, 522 AB
7. Walter Johnson, SP, 1913 Washington Senators
Stats: 36-7 record, 2 SV, 1.14 ERA, 0.780 WHIP, 243 K, 346 IP
6. Babe Ruth, OF, 1927 New York Yankees
Stats: .356 AVG, 60 HR, 164 RBI, 7 SB, 158 R, 540 AB
5. Lou Gehrig, 1B, 1927 New York Yankees
Stats: .373 AVG, 47 HR, 175 RBI, 10 SB, 149 R, 584 AB
4. Lou Gehrig, 1B, 1931 New York Yankees
Stats: .341 AVG, 46 HR, 184 RBI, 17 SB, 163 R, 619 AB
3. Rogers Hornsby, 2B, 1922 St. Louis Cardinals
Stats: .401 AVG, 42 HR, 152 RBI, 17 SB, 141 R, 623 AB
2. Babe Ruth, OF, 1921 New York Yankees
Stats: .378 AVG, 59 HR, 171 RBI, 17 SB, 177 R, 540 AB
1. Babe Ruth, OF, 1920 New York Yankees
Stats: .376 AVG, 54 HR, 137 RBI, 14 SB, 158 R, 458 AB

Barry Bond’s 2001 season was 26th, which kind of shocked the hell out of me. Pedro stopped in again at #30. Dwight Gooden was the highest Mets at #34.

34. Dwight Gooden, SP, 1985 New York Mets
Stats: 24-4 record, 1.53 ERA, 0.965 WHIP, 268 K, 276.2 IP
Yet another player who wasn't struck by the "sophomore slump," Gooden actually improved upon his 1984 rookie season, in which he set a new rookie strikeout record. In 1985, he wound up winning the NL Triple Crown as well as the Cy Young award, leading the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts and finishing second in WHIP. Gooden also had 16 complete games and eight shutouts, numbers that now seem virtually unreachable.

All that and he was 20 years old. Really, just a shame what happened to him. I know we've all heard it a million times, but he was special. Tom Seaver was the 2nd and last Met at #76.

76. Tom Seaver, SP, 1971 New York Mets
Stats: 20-10 record, 1.76 ERA, 0.946 WHIP, 289 K, 286.1 IP
A three-time Cy Young award winner, Seaver's best fantasy season came in 1971, a year where he finished as the runner-up to Ferguson Jenkins. Seaver finished second in the NL in wins, but that was primarily the result of a Mets offense that averaged just 3.63 runs per game that season. He led the majors in ERA and WHIP and was third in strikeouts.

Piazza did make the list too, obviously not as a Met though.

93. Mike Piazza, C, 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: .362 AVG, 40 HR, 124 RBI, 5 SB, 104 R, 556 AB
The second and final catcher to make the top 100, Piazza finished second in the NL MVP voting in the best year of his career in 1997, to a player you'll also find in the top 100. Piazza finished in the top 10 in the majors in batting average, home runs and RBI, and he batted 38 points higher and had 10 more homers and 38 more RBI than any other backstop. Most will tell you this was the best hitting season by a catcher in baseball history; fantasy owners certainly won't disagree.

Yeah, that season was #93. Needless to say, there were some pretty good players all over that top 100 list if .362 with 40 homers and 124 RBIs gets you #93.

Since Canceso's name has been peppered all over the news, might as well let you know that he too was on the list for his 40/40 season.

60. Jose Canseco, OF, 1988 Oakland Athletics
Stats: .307 AVG, 42 HR, 124 RBI, 40 SB, 120 R, 610 AB
The combination of power and speed is a rarity in a baseball player, and there might not be a better asset in fantasy baseball than a 40/40 man. Canseco would become the club's charter member in 1988, leading the majors in homers and RBI while finishing 12th in stolen bases. He earned American League Most Valuable Player honors, but at least his fantasy owners didn't have to stomach his 1-for-19 World Series performance.

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Anyone have some extra money burning a hole in their pocket?



There is no other way to commemorate one of the worst collapses in baseball history.

Holy ticket price. I was perusing the Pirates site for ticket information as I'll be going out to PNC Park to see the Mets whoop some Pirate ass and this is what I find. You can get some pretty damn good seats for $26 to $35 dollars and outside of the $100+ dollar seats, they are pretty cheap. I always knew media revenues were a big problem, but I forgot about the lower ticket prices. The Mets average ticket price is over $25 and the Pirates probably have 90% of their tickets at and mostly below that price. There is also a whole lot less bling in their ticket plans than the Mets, which is an added plus. Platinum & Gold? Was that really necessary? Aluminum might get added next season for the really, really bad games.

A big part to Kaz's success with the bat is simple.


Keeping his head down and on the ball. How many times, mostly from the right side, was Kaz pulling out last year. Sometimes he even looked like a cartoon character from bugs bunny after he swung, missed, and spun around. You almost thought he'd drill himself right into the ground at some points.

Kazuo Matsui, moving from shortstop to second base, said he spent 20 days in Japan practicing his new position and arrived to spring training Thursday to begin more intensive instruction. ... Francisco Campos, a right-hander who had two victories in the 2004 Caribbean World Series, is on loan from Campeche in the Mexican League in a bid to make the Mets.

Like Pedro is out to prove something, Kaz is too. I would assume no one is unhappier with his results last year than him.

Mets get a loan from Mexico...

RHP Francisco Campos has been loaned to the Mets from Triple-A Campeche of the Mexican League. If Campos doesn't make the big-league club, he must be returned to Campeche. . . .

Another guy into the mix. I think the Mets can now officially make a 25-man roster out of only relievers. Last time I said that, they only had about 22 relievers.

From BP's Triple Play...

Who's on first? Now we know...: When the Carlos Delgado domino finally fell, the losers in the sweepstakes did the expected, acquiring Doug Mientkiewicz from the Red Sox. In return, the Sox picked up first-base prospect Ian Bladergroen. Bladergroen hit a sharp .342/.397/.595 in low-A last season before tearing a ligament in his wrist. In his two-year minor league career, the 44th-round pick out of Lamar Community College hit .316/.376/.505; he projects as a power hitter with decent plate discipline. The Sox did well capitalizing on the Mets' desperation and getting good value for an expendable player.