Raul Ibanez Blogger Goes on OTL

by phils11 on Jun 11, 2009 1:02 PM EDT Comment 16 comments

A link to the video: OTL Taping

A link to the original article: Raul Ibanez great start comes with steroid speculation

I'm still reading the original post, but i think i agree most with Andy Behrens, who had this to say:

"Morris wrote a long fantasy post in which he examined Ibanez's 2009 home run binge. It was thorough. He discussed park dimensions, lineups, and the quality of opposing pitching. He gave the post a semi-incendiary headline and he addressed the fact that today -- unless you're a complete fool -- you sometimes think of PEDs when a player gets unusually hot at an odd point in the career arc. There were no accusations. It was basically the same thing Rick Telander did with Ryan Theriot, except with data.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer's John Gonzalez hopped on a soapbox: "Until there's proof to the contrary, shouldn't all of us -- from the traditional mainstream media to bloggers -- be judicious about calling people cheaters?" Indeed we should. But Morris didn't call Ibanez a cheater.

This afternoon, Morris found himself in a ridiculous situation. He was asked to appear on "Outside The Lines" to defend a position that wasn't quite his, debating both Gonzalez and a didactic national columnist who didn't seem like he'd read Morris' piece. Video here. Morris did well. (ESPN gave him no makeup to reduce glare, which is kinda bush league). Hopefully it was a good day traffic-wise for MSF."

-Link

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I watched the video too

And while I agree that he was being asked to defend a position he didn’t really take, I thought that ESPN, Gonzo and even Ken Rosenthal (who tore him apart) gave him a lot of credit. They gave him equal standing to themselves and said because blogs are as relevant as they are, they need to adapt a level of decency and standards that is on par with how relevant and widely read they are. I’m not saying that Jerod didn’t do that, just that it is a pretty big deal for ESPN, the Inquirer and FOXSports (or at least high profile writers for the last two) to admit that blogs are as much a part of the news and conversation as they themselves are.

"It was almost like if Harry didn't call it, it wasn't real." - Jayson Stark

by Chris Haines on Jun 11, 2009 2:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Um….ESPN, INquirer, and FOX Sports all employ bloggers to a certain extent so to dismiss blogging as ‘irrelevant’ would be to dismiss parts of their own business.

It means however that bloggers should also be more responsible in their ‘reporting’ – if you want to be taken seriously and relevant then you should act so

"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."

Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.

by jemagee on Jun 11, 2009 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The national media outlets still believe there is a difference between “professional” bloggers and independent bloggers. Dissing independent bloggers wouldn’t be hypocritical at all, at least in their perspective.

by yosoysean on Jun 11, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ok. I’ve now read the original blog post, the Inquirer article, and watched the OTL report.

I think the blame here lies in John Gonzalez. He basically cherrypicked the blog post and made it look like the blogger was subtly accusing Ibanez of steroid use. The post actually was an attempt to defend Raul and cited many reasons why he’s off to the start that he is and mentioned in closing that performance enhancers are only one possibility of many because of the era we’re in.

The ironic part of the video is when Gonzalez was lecturing the blogger about being careful about what he writes when it was Gonzalez’s article in the Inquirer that made this a national story.

by yosoysean on Jun 11, 2009 4:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The truth is guy

A LOT of guys juice… It’s been a part of baseball for years now.. Accept it for what it is..Even the scrubs have been caught juicing.

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

by Joe_D on Jun 11, 2009 10:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Joe DiMaggio

If Jow were playing today and was in the midst of his 56 game hitting streak, how many bloggers would probably say he must be on something.

by fan since late 40's on Jun 11, 2009 11:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

None

Unless he was crushing homers at a ludicrous pace as well.

by phatj on Jun 11, 2009 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I blog and I would, so that makes 1.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Jun 12, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A ludicrous pace

What is considered a ludicrous pace and what kind of a pace is Ibanez currently on?

by fan since late 40's on Jun 12, 2009 12:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Do your own math

Here’s a hint. Ibanez has 21 homers in a little over 1/3 of a season, when his previous best in a full season was 33. I’d call that a ludicrous pace.

For the record, I have no opinion as to whether Raul is on anything, nor do I care. But it’s putting up huge power numbers that draws suspicion, not hit streaks.

by phatj on Jun 12, 2009 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hitting

Thanks for your comment. This would put him on a pace for 63 home runs. Kind of a gray area. But in my mind the change in teams and parks could be enough to make a difference. Possibly people do not look enough at a change in a player’s body during the season.

by fan since late 40's on Jun 12, 2009 1:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Actually, he’s on pace for 58-59 home runs, since (as I said) it’s been slightly more than a third of a season.

As to whether the park factors could make the difference, that’s what the original blog post that sparked this entire controversy was investigating, and the answer is, not by a long shot. Yes, Ibanez is also playing on a better team now, but as David Cohen’s excellent post elsewhere on this blog shows, Ibanez has had similar prolonged hot streaks before, with miserable teams. So his current hot streak means, essentially, nothing.

What about changes to a player’s body? What should we be looking for?

by phatj on Jun 12, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shrunken testicles?

"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."

Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.

by jemagee on Jun 12, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting comments

I had a friend that started using steroids and lifting weights after he got out of the Army. He had a heart attack in his 20’s and damaged his liver. He said he could tell immediately if someone was using something. He said you can notice changes in their skin, changes in their body build and changes in their personality.

by fan since late 40's on Jun 13, 2009 1:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs