Thoughts on Bautista - 50hr...

[cdn_collector]

Originally Posted by peterose4hof

Plus it's great to give a team with virtually no chance of making the playoffs something to cheer for.

That says it all right there. I didn't get to as many Jays games this year as I'd have liked, but I still watch at least some of just about every game on TV. I gave up on having to worry about fighting for play-off tickets months ago and resorted to cheering for Bautista to break George Bell's team record instead.

As for the PED question, which everyone has thought about at least once, I'm sure, I have to believe he's clean. Maybe I'm naive, but what's the incentive? He's not in a contract year and we're going nowhere near the playoffs. I'm hoping it's the change in his swing from last September. Obviously I don't know for sure [Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco have some history in Toronto right about the time Carlos Delgado hit 44], but I'm going to root for him and assume that at worst, this season is an aberration, but a clean one.


Regards,

Richard.

[Robextend]

He hit 2 more tonight...52 and counting!

[jb217676]

Bautista is killin' it lately! MVP...MVP...MVP...

[ethicsprof]

phenomenal player.
helping me to forget about all the McGwire memorabilia i bought for my nephews a few years back.

best,
barry

[jb217676]

I was watching the Boston-New York game tonight and one of the Red Sox TV commentators brought up Jose Bautista. He said when he first read his notes early last season on Bautista they mentioned he was a good platoon player and a decent bat to come off the bench. He's a little better than that now I would say. Maybe the Red Sox should have made a move on him?

[ElCabron]

If you watch him bat you can see why he has so many homers. The guy does not get cheated on his swings. He takes massive hacks at the ball and when he connects, it travels far.

[Bilko G]

I can guarantee you that Bautista has been tested more than once this year for PEDs. With the season he has been having, im sure he is being watched very closely. I dont think players can get away with it anymore because if they can then we are still in the Steroid era and everyone says the Steriod Era is over. I believe that he is clean.

[Anthony S.]

Of course players can get away with it. Major leaguers aren't even tested for HGH.

[Rich Klein]

we may never know

and sometimes players have "that" magical year.

Tito Francona, (Terry's dad) hit something like .363 in 1959 -- Tito was a good player -- but .363 was just off the charts

Davey Johnson gets traded to Atlanta in 1973 and goes from a previous high of 18 homers all the way to 43

Tony Gonzalez, a competant but not great major leaguer -- somehow hits .339 in 1967 during the age of the pitcher. In retrospect, who saw that coming

Felix Mantilla goes to Boston in 1964, becomes a regular and hits 30 homers that year. He had never really been close before

Cleon Jones was a good major league hitter, but in 1969 -- he hit .340 or so to help the Mets win the World Series.


(If my figures are wrong, I'm doing this from the top of my head and don't be afraid to post the real numbers and I'll edit them)

My point is, sometimes players have those magical years and sometimes everything just clicks for a year. A player might start strong, make a minor adjustment, and gains confidence. All of a sudden, they are in the "Sweet spot" and that sweet spot lasts a full season -- or in a tennis grand slam for the full 2 weeks. I always like to point out Andres Gomez the 1990 French Open tennis champion.

Andres was an honest professional, a better doubles player than singles player, but beat a young Andre Agassi to win that final. After that, he only played 2 more years and never got past the 2nd round of a major nor had he been that close before. But things broke right for "go-go" in those 2 weeks and he is a grand slam winner.

So, we'll never know with Bautista, but "fluky" things do happen

Rich

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Anthony S.

Of course players can get away with it. Major leaguers aren't even tested for HGH.

There is no effective test for HGH. It would cost MLB too much money to test everyone and it probably would catch no one. I think they are randomly doing it in the minor leagues, but I haven't heard if anyone has tested positive or not.