Road NOT To Success
Mota, Testosterone, San Francisco Giants - Sabean Makes More Excuses
The Chronicle reached Giants general manager Brian Sabean by phone a few minutes ago, and he offered this explanation on the team’s decision to activate reliever Guillermo Mota after a second drug suspension term, 8/31/12, SFGate,com:“Our organization, before MLB was doing anything, before baseball even tested, we tested in the minor leagues. We strictly adhere to the program. We feel the program is a good one, and it’s working. Whether there will be changes made, that’s not for me to say because of collective bargaining. The long and short of it is, the club has no right to impugn anyone any more. You have to go case by case. We’re aware of Mota’s case inside and out, and we feel it was an honest mistake.” On any concerns about the perception of the Giants, given Melky Cabrera’s recent suspension for testosterone use:
“We’re always concerned about our brand, about how you’re perceived. But we’ve done nothing wrong. The player has done something wrong, faced the music, and under the policy of Major League Baseball we don’t have the right to shut him out. We don’t have the right to further sanction him.”
But, Brian, you do have the responsiblity to bring in players NOT suspected -OR CONVICTED- of illegal drug use and especially NOT two time convicted ones. To say that Mota made an 'honest mistake' is laughable....NOT READING THE COUGH MEDICINE LABEL! That's even worse than Bond's 'flaxseed oil' excuse because not only Mota is saying the testosterone was in cough medicine but he also said he didn't read the label. Then, on top of that, it's his SECOND CONVICTION! Come on Brian! Fool be once...
Is it shear coincidence that during your reign you've brought in 10 convicted users and a number more of suspected ones. No other team has brought in more than two, and usually made a point to carefully check them out after that or not bring them back after a second drug suspension (the Dodgers with Manny Ramirez a rare exception, done by the previous administration ). The A's had little use for him and didn't make it past spring training. . Why do you think Mota and other suspected guys clear waivers? Other teams have the decency not to mess with them, even if it would mean (illegally) helping their team
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Bringing in Jose Guillen , alone, gave you several game winning hits, enough to cover the one game finish over San Diego. This year, recently-banned Melky Cabrera probably meant another 5-10 wins in the time he was here. And now two time convicted user, Mota , is back , not to mention several other suspected users. As Arizona manager Kirk Gibson points out, it's not fair to the other (abiding) teams to knowingly acquire such players. (Sorry , Brian, but other teams knew better and so you got a real deal for both Cabrera and Mota. No due dilligence here. These and other players you go after had dramatic spikes in their stats, were malcontents with prior teams (when a player plays on four different teams in four years you must wonder, too). Nuff evidence. Nuff said. Stop it now or finally step in Stupid Selig.
PEFORMANCE ENHANCING SUPPLEMENTS - Mota: Giants Continue to Thrive , Get Away with Drug-enhanced Players
Giants Welcoming back Two Time Offender Mota Must Make Purists Wonder about Giants, Baseball Today
In light of the SF Giants reactivating Guillermo 'I did not read the label on the cough medicine' Mota following his second drug violation and 100 game suspension, baseball purists must question how the Giants can get away or have the balls to keep taking on known drug users or reputed ones. And they're winning, why of course, with players other teams respectfully turned away. Meanwhile the Giants continue to win and affect other teams' chances, eg Arizona Dbacks, with tainted players while baseball turns it's head (with rare exception, ieKirk Gibson).
It's true that the average modern baseball fan is not as concerned with such infractions if a player is entertaining him . Witness Barry Bonds' 10 year steoriod career when the Giants and fans totally supported their meal ticket while getting rid of players and management that didnb't subscribe to the idea, eg best natural team player Jeff Kent and team head Bill Neucomb.
Giants management claims ignorance when acquiring these tainted players, believing that MLB should do the screening. If other teams let such players as Cabrera get away for a player like Jonahtan Sanchez one has to know something is going on; then, looking at the numbers and finding Cabrera's sudden resurgence really says something. So much for due dilligence on the part of GM Sabean. Meanwhile the Jints are winning with these players other teams had the respect to turn away. Is it fair to other teams? No. Does it make the Giants and baseball a laughing stock to old school baseball players and fans? Yes.
From 2000 the team has been rampant with convicted and suspected steroid users (in a time before advanced testing was adopted), eg Santiago, Benitas, Bernard in addidtion to Bonds. One must wonder how many others had gone undetected.
The Giants rode their major League leading Drug reputation into the world series in 2002 after acquiring another convicted drug offender, Jose Guillen. After he came to the team, we saw a sudden spike of homeruns and hitting by the giants, with newly acquired Cody Ross hitting 8 homers in a short span and several in the playoffs.
Then there were others with equally surprising numbers, like Jose uribe , Renteria and the aforementioned convicted Mota. Note the Latin connection, and most of the success happening after fellow Dominican Guillen joined the team in August.
Guillen alone had several game winning hits, enough by himself to make up the one game margin the Giants needed to beat out San Diego IN the playoffs in 2010.
This year the trend contines with Mota and another Dominican, Joaquin Arias outhitting the league since the Allstar break. Arias, who had never hit a homerun in his prevous 2,000 at bats over five seasons has already hit three in the homer unfriendly San Francisco At&t Park. His 12 doubles are double the most he ever hit in a single season prior.
At an age when most players start slowing down, Angel Pagan is having a career power year with 8 homers and 29 doubles thru 8/31, again, in theSan Franciso ballpark unfriendly to hitters. Pagan only once hit more homes in a year, in the smaller New York Met's ball park.
Yet a third player, Gregor Blanco, has hit 5 homers this year in 111 games for the giants which is more than the three he hit his previous three years and 250 at bats in the big leaques, combined, again, playing in the large ballpark, unfriendly for hitting homers.
It's all very reminiscent of the 2010 team that featured the aforementioned number of Latin players who mysteriously became power hitters with the giants in the large ballpark.'
The Giants are basically thumbing their nose at major league baseball with their 'win-at-any-cost' attitude; they already have two of the five convicted drug users in 2012 in Moto and Melky Cabrera and may well have more who have gone undetected. And, so what if they lose a player like Cabrera.. They got a lot of victories out of his tainted player - at a reducedcost- that could well propel them into the playoffs again.
Sabean as long overlooked the team's drug use, but now even usually cerebral manager Bruce Bochy dismissed any problem with bringing back Mota, saying that the Giants, unlike other teams, are more concerned with a player's well-being and that they should be given another chance, in this case a third.
GM Brian Sabean is even more obvious, saying that it's up to major league baseball ot police the players.
Now, if Mota performs well one can assume he's still on 'cough medicine.' If he is off the performance enhancing drugs now, what's the point of having him around. No doubt the Giants hope he's still using PEDs -- at keast long enough to help get them in the playoffs. Let him get ' detected later.
And another recent acquisition, Hunter Pence , has been rumoured to be on and perhaps now off PEDs, based on his recent decline. The Giants may lose on this one unless Pence decides to risk going back on the drug. In any case it's a win-win propositon for the giants. They can't lose. Get a guy cheap and hope he gets away with it long enough to help propel the team...
So there you you go... The San Franicso Giant's Win-At-Any-Cost attitude. It'a affecting the pennant races, favoring the Giants by far yet only Arizona manager Kirk Gibson has brought up the discrepancy... Bud Selig where are you again? Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio? Baseball has become more like westling or roller derby today - an exhibition rather than a true measure of players' talents. Sadly , the ones who are playing it honest, which is still the majority are playing an an unfair field,being affected adversely by the cheaters.her prices for untained ones.
Mota, Testosterone, San Francisco Giants - Sabean Makes More Excuses
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