Pinch-hitter Kyle Maxie lifted a fly ball into shallow right, and third-base coach Chad Caillet had Stevens tagging and testing Jonathan Pigott’s arm. Pigott’s throw was perfect and had Stevens beat by 10 feet. Stevens, though, barreled through catcher Buddy Munroe and immediately was ejected by umpire Paul Guillie. – ESPN

I have a problem with how this was dealt with.  First off, yes in amateur baseball your suppose to slide and try to avoid contact, ok no problem there we all know that.  When the catcher is up the line, which in this case he clearly was, you have every right to blow through him because you have no other option unless you want to retreat (pointless).  The umpire overreacted with the decision probably not even thinking about the fact the catcher was up the line.  When will college umpires realize that at this point in a baseball career you must accept your actions and if you are willing to stand up the line, the runner has every right to blow through you.  Of course in the professional ranks the runner can blow through you no matter what but we are talking about blocking the line NOT standing on the plate or just in front.

/rant

http://www.navyseals.com/seal-ethos

United States Navy SEAL

In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life.I am that man.

My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.

My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.

I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men.Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.

We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations.

I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time.  I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.

We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.

We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend.

Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. I will not fail.

It has been announced that in 2003 Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod (or A-Fraud now) tested positive for two different types of steroids.  That was the same year he received the AL MVP award in Texas.  He also refuses to comment on anything regarding these tests.  There was 104 players whose urine samples tested positive in this 2003 testing but A-Rod’s drug of choice was ‘Primobolan’.

Primobolan, which is also known by the chemical name methenolone, is an injected or orally administered drug that is more expensive than most steroids. (A 12-week cycle can cost $500.) It improves strength and maintains lean muscle with minimal bulk development, according to steroid experts, and has relatively few side effects.

A man by the name of Gene Orza has also been said to have tipped off A-Rod of upcoming tests so he could at least be clean for the ones that carried a penalty.  This just shows that there are alot of ‘god-like’ players who aren’t playing by the same rules as everybody else.  I for one am glad these players will be phased out because it gives those players who do follow the rules/laws a chance to live their dream.  Who is to say there isn’t somebody that could have been better than A-Rod without steroids but was well behind him when he did use.  People need some serious work on their morals and ethics because that is a joke.

Read complete coverage at SI.com.

Jose Canseco – March 25th, 2008

Published on Feb. 8th, 2009

Rickey Henderson is one of the newest members to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He received a spot on 511 of the 539 ballots.

Henderson is known as the game’s best leadoff hitter with 3,055 hits in a 25-season career covering four decades (1979-2003) and included four seasons with the Athletics and appearances with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Red Sox and Dodgers. He was a career .279 hitter and holds a .401 on-base average with 297 home runs.  Hall of FAME for sure.

(Chart Taken From Here)

2009 Results

Player	Total Votes	Percentage
Rickey Henderson	511	94.8%
Jim Rice	412	76.4%
Andre Dawson	361	67.0%
Bert Blyleven	338	62.7%
Lee Smith	240	44.5%
Jack Morris	237	44.0%
Tommy John	171	31.7%
Tim Raines	122	22.6%
Mark McGwire	118	21.9%
Alan Trammell	94	17.4%
Dave Parker	81	15.0%
Don Mattingly	64	11.9%
Dale Murphy	62	11.5%
Harold Baines	32	5.9%
Mark Grace	22	4.1%
David Cone	21	3.9%
Matt Williams	7	1.3%
Mo Vaughn	6	1.1%
Jay Bell	2	0.4%
Jesse Orosco	1	0.2%
Ron Gant	0	0%
Dan Plesac	0	0%
Greg Vaughn	0	0

Complete Hall of Fame coverage >

Another interesting fact for ballots was Mark McGuire (Big Mac). His votes went down from the last vote. Its very obvious that the whole steroid scandal is destroying his chances at getting into the Hall despite his extraordinary slugging ability.  Into the hall of SHAME!

Also another note on steroids, Roger Clemens will possibly be indicted on purgery in front of the Grand Jury during investigations.  Another for the Hall of SHAME.

Also I’m bringing in the new year with a new design which looks pretty clean if you ask me.  For some MLB news though…. John Smoltz, the long time Brave, will be wearing a Red Sox uniform this season along with Brad Penny who signed a contract as well.  Also to that list is outfielder from the Tampa Bay Rays, Rocco baldelli.  So I guess the Sox have got a lot of good talent for relatively cheap prices and hopefully they can compete with the Yankee’s who spent over $300 million on: CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.  It is very obvious the Yankees play by their own rules with what seems to be an unlimited bankroll.  I still feel the Rays are the top contenders though, especially with the addition of Pat Burrell, who can add power in the DH spot.

The Dodgers were probably the biggest winners before the trade deadline. Not only did they get Casey Blake for third base from the Indians, they also acquired Manny. Problems definitely had been stirring in Boston so Manny being sent on his way wasn’t really unexpected but at least in my opinion going to the Dodgers was. Manny had a fight early with Kevin Youkilis after their bench clearing brawl with the Tampa Bay Rays and a number of other problems like running through stop signs by Sox third base coach. It was obvious both sides needed to part ways. On ESPN’s Sportscenter last week, Manny said basically he wanted out of Boston. I’m sure he was reminded of when he was almost traded for A-Rod and that wouldn’t sit well with anybody. Anyways the Dodgers should be competitive in post season play seeing as how they got rid of 4 young players for 2 veterans. My beloved Braves parted ways with Mark Teixeria. He could have had a contract extension with the Braves in spring training but passed on that and it seems the Angels only want his services for the remainder of this year. So if there is a team out there looking for a young upcoming star he is a good choice but I am sure he will come with a large price tag.

For more information on winners and losers, check out USA Today.

In other baseball news, mlb.com is offereing a chance of a lifetime. You can submit an audition to be a “rookie” reporter in the WORLD SERIES. How it will work is: you submit an application, and then several people will be chose to battle it out in several competitions, and last but not least America will vote for who they think should be the broadcaster. Sounds like a pretty unique opportunity to me but unfortunately I do not have the deep, microphone loving voice that you o so long to hear.