If Big Papi was/is not on steriods, then Curt Schilling is not an annoying loudmouth.

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Why? Because you say so? Because you wish you could criticize a prominent Red Sox player the same way that so many Yankee players are in the cross-hairs?

Get a clue. Wishing DOESN’T make it so.

“I think he only used steroids when no one was on base or after the Yankees were already winning by 8 runs.”

LOL, best comment…

If Big Papi was/is not on steriods, then Curt Schilling is not an annoying loudmouth.

Whatever one might say about A-Rod (and certainly there’s not much positive to say right now), it is curious why his name was the only one leaked. There are no other big names on a list of 104 players? Surely much of this has to do with Selena Roberts (as A-Rod rightly pointed out in hi interview). I’ve always viewed her as the Maureen Dowd of sportswriting, without a sense of humor. She doesn’t cover sports; she covers (and looks for) scandal. I’ve never read a positive Yankee story written by her.

Please excuse my need to repeat myself 3 times in every paragraph…lol

>> ~~Why would a PED user only use every other year? ~~

I addressed that in what I wrote on Sunday night. >>

I remember hearing something about this on XM around the time of the Mitchell report, but I don’t think it works like you’re suggesting. Dibble and Kennedy had someone on who was discussing how certain PEDs worked, and how you basically had to get them into your system on a consistent basis for them to work. Sort of like allergy medication, I suppose. You have to get on a ‘program’ and keep it going for it to be effective.

You don’t just start using one season, hit a bunch of home runs and then stop & start again in that short of a time.

Who knows if that applies to what Alex may have been taking, but I find it interesting that people keep citing his upturn in numbers during 2001-2003 as *direct* evidence to his PED usage. To me, looking at his age during the time in question, the numbers would suggest a normal career path of a slugger.

Now, obviously we know the truth now, but the guy was 18 when he started – hardly a mature physical specimen by any means — and was 25 by the time he got to Texas.

I’m not trying to make excuses by any means, but IMO the aberration years would come in the next few years if Alex is still hitting 50+ home runs every year 35-36.

So, his HR/PA & HR/OUTS marks should have been higher in 1996 through 1998, not lower.
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And his ISO for those years went from .273 -> .196. -> .249 ->

SLG? .631 -> .496 -> .560

Don’t have his LD%, but it’s pretty consistent from 2002 on.

And of course, it can’t be discounted that he played in the launching pad that is the Ballpark in Arlington…

The Kingdome was hitter friendly Raf.

So, his HR/PA & HR/OUTS marks should have been higher in 1996 through 1998, not lower.

There was no change in the park in 1999. Only A-Rod changed. And, that power spike continued in the non-hitter-friendly Safeco.

Read what I wrote on Sunday. That’s why I’m saying it started in 1999.
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I did read it. Commented on it too.

You have to dig down to ISO to really find anything, and even that can be explained away; the Kingdome was hitter friendly in 1999, as well as his ISO dropping a year later.

Ah, we’re back to the old big Papi must be juicing, even if most of his weight is fat, huh?

We should stick with what is public knowledge, not some unsubstantiated suppositions. Should the facts change, I’ll be the first to criticize any of my beloved Red Sox who are shown to be PED users, now or in the past.

(Did I mention that I never much cared for Paxton Crawford? )