Buster Olney on Hamilton to Baltimore

[scOtt]

Hamilton just turned 31 a few weeks ago. He can still play LF decently for now, but over the length of a FA contract, he would likely become a DH.

Edit: It certainly didn't hurt our cause when the fans gave him a standing ovation on his 4 HR/18 TB night. Can only help his impression of us. Props to those who were there and represented Baltimore so well.

I didn't realize he was so old. "old..." I'll preface this by saying I LOVE the flexibility Buck has right now with the DH. But if it meant signing Hamilton and locking him (eventually) into the DH spot, I'd take that in a heartbeat.

As with all FA discussions, I don't much care about the money. I think PA will put up the money if convinced. It's the years I worry about. I wouldn't give him more than 5 years guaranteed. Line in the sand. Club options beyond that, or incentivized options based on REAL production in the last years of the deal.

Overall... GET him! Put up or put up.

[scOtt]

I am guessing Bonds wasn't "pure".

Not "pure", but you have to admit a pure hitter. A FORCE in the batter's box.

[sangar]

I did. But I don't recognize his records and I definitely don't consider him "pure". Same goes for all the other cheaters. And it's sad because he easily had the talent to be a first ballot HOFer without that crap. As far as I'm concerned Hank Aaron and Roger Maris are the career and single season home run kings respectively.

Hamilton is another story. He's made some awful mistakes, but he never cheated the game of baseball. Only himself and his family.

There is a lot of evidence that suggests Aaron was using steroids. It is a certainty that many of his teammates were using them.

[OriolesMagic83]

I think the O's should go all in for Hamilton. The O's haven't had a real star like him in ages. Ripken was our last star player. Isn't Hamilton an above average defender? I'm not sure why everyone already has him pencilled in at DH. Wasn't he playing CF earlier in the year. Offer him a 6 year deal/140 mill with a couple of options. I would rather have Hamilton than Pujols starting this year, especially considering Hamilton won't get near the years Pujols will.

[Roll Tide]

I guess I'll have to take your word for it. I didn't realize steroids made you super human.

Well Bonds wouldn't have hit half the home runs he did without roids. Just look at the before and after photos.

[DrungoHazewood]

Well Bonds wouldn't have hit half the home runs he did without roids. Just look at the before and after photos.

You mean the before 1998 and after 1998 photos of his page in the Baseball Encyclopedia? He had 411 homers before anyone really thinks he started using anything. Even if he was 100% clean I think he's at least a 500-homer guy, probably 600.

[NickM21]

Bonds would have been (or is I guess you should say) one of the best players of all time without ever using steroids. The story I read was he went to Griffey Jr. after the '98 season and discussed how they were getting jipped with McGwire and Sosa roiding up and taking the spotlight and all the records that they should have. Griffey Jr. didn't want to get involved with the stuff, Bonds of course did. And the rest is history.

Back to Hamilton, I can't really decide if I would shell out the necessary dough to get him. It's not my money, but I don't want Hamilton to decline and spend time on the DL and that not allow us to sign someone else. Or even worse, one of our own.

EDIT: the alleged conversation was mentioned in Jeff Pearlmans "Love Me, Hate Me, Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero". Attached is a news article on it.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=20060315&id=V6kaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PEUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1621,3736652

[Malike]

Well Bonds wouldn't have hit half the home runs he did without roids. Just look at the before and after photos.

This is a fairly ridiculous statement, Johnny. Barry Bonds was plenty strong enough to hit home runs without steroids. Steroids do not help a hitter in being able to hit a baseball, you either can, or you can't. Maybe Bonds wouldn't have put so many balls in the harbor, but they still would have gone out of the park. Mark McGuire hit 49 HR's in his rookie season, he was a string bean. Bonds would have hit a ton of HR's if he never took a steroid. He could flat out hit.

[Can_of_corn]

Not "pure", but you have to admit a pure hitter. A FORCE in the batter's box.

Best I have ever seen. I remember in 2002 he would get maybe 2 pitches a night to hit and he would crush one of them.

The steroid use doesn't bother me much since I came to the conclusion years ago that if cyclists are using all this crap then pretty much every baseball/football/basketball player is as well. Other sports as well, like golf, if a PGA player can take something and get 15 yards on his drive you think he isn't going to?

[Can_of_corn]

Can you point me to any? Skeptical but curious.

I have always found the odd power spike that 1973 Braves enjoyed to be questionable.

Also, if Aaron's career numbers were transported into the steroid era he would be under as much suspicion as Bagwell.

[baltfan]

I have always found the odd power spike that 1973 Braves enjoyed to be questionable.

Also, if Aaron's career numbers were transported into the steroid era he would be under as much suspicion as Bagwell.

I kind of thought this was silly, but did a bit of research and am intrigued.

1971-1978 - Tom House

House said that he used steroids during his eight-year Major League career, though he wasn't specific about which years. House estimated that "six or seven pitchers on every staff were fiddling with steroids or hGH" while he was playing.

Tom House also says that steroids were rampant in the 1960's. This comment represents the earliest date that steroids were implicated in baseball. While this time-frame seems reasonable, House was still in the minor leagues at that time.

http://thesteroidera.blogspot.com/2006/08/earliest-accounts-of-steroids-and-hgh.html

Guess who Tom House played for? You got it, the Atlanta Braves from 1971 -1975. Aaron also was noticeably bigger laterin his career. Sure part of that was filling out and weight gain, but anything is possible

Here's more interesting stuff especially for a guy that has been so outspoken against those that used.

http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2007/02/hammerin_hank_a.html

[sangar]

I kind of thought this was silly, but did a bit of research and am intrigued.

1971-1978 - Tom House

House said that he used steroids during his eight-year Major League career, though he wasn't specific about which years. House estimated that "six or seven pitchers on every staff were fiddling with steroids or hGH" while he was playing.

Tom House also says that steroids were rampant in the 1960's. This comment represents the earliest date that steroids were implicated in baseball. While this time-frame seems reasonable, House was still in the minor leagues at that time.

http://thesteroidera.blogspot.com/2006/08/earliest-accounts-of-steroids-and-hgh.html

Guess who Tom House played for? You got it, the Atlanta Braves from 1971 -1975. Aaron also was noticeably bigger laterin his career. Sure part of that was filling out and weight gain, but anything is possible

Here's more interesting stuff especially for a guy that has been so outspoken against those that used.

http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nation/2007/02/hammerin_hank_a.html

Thank you, rep earned and given. I have finals next week and I can hardly find the time to scratch my ear.

Admittedly, the evidence is circumstantial. But, for anyone who is in a steroid laced environment, to put up those kinds of numbers at that stage of life being considered "pure" is a stretch.

As Can-of-Corn said: Bagwell.

[weams]

House worked as a pitching coach for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers.

That was back in the days that the steroids came across the Rio Grande like no bodies business.

[Lucky Jim]

That was back in the days that the steroids came across the Rio Grande like no bodies business.

Sadly, steroids were the business of a lot of bodies.

[mcinww0]

Since when are the Orioles big bidder for free agents?

Not my money so I'm in favor of it, Hamilton could DH down the road and play a solid LF or 1B for now, which would basically drop Nick Johnson from the roster and take playing time from Riemold and Davis. Replacing Johnson's ABs with Hamiltons would probably be worth 4 wins or so already this year.