Do you believe Brian's explanation?

[erb8472]

When I say I blame them, i mean letting it get to this point, not the players taking the steroids themselves.

So you don't blame the players for taking them, but if a child took them you'd want to blame their parents?

Also you consider a child stupid that took them, but don't consider grown athletes stupid for taking them, because everyones doing it? I fail to see your logic here.

[bgfield]

My 7th grade social studies teacher told us at the beginning of the semester that, as a life lesson, he'd tell us exactly one lie during the course of the year. At the end of the year, he'd ask us what he lied about.

Of course, I freaking forgot all about it by the end of the year, or else I would have probably gotten it (he did a quick lesson on lyconthropy, which is another way of saying werewolf. I was a big horror buff back then, and knew that). But the lesson was basically the same either way...put people in a position of trust, and you forced to trust them...but they can easily abuse it. It was an interesting lesson coming from an authority figure...be wary of authority figures or people in a position of moral truth.

But it comes right back to the very simple explanation offered up by one Gregory House. Everybody lies.

I see what you're saying, but still, at some point the person's character ought to come into play. I know I said the same thing about Raffy (and I still think there's more to that story than we'll ever know - unless Palmeiro is borderline retarded), but Brian just seems like too standup a guy to 1) have taken steroids on a regular basis and 2) lied about the fact.

Another thing to look at is in the report, Bigbie said Roberts had admitted to him that he tried roids "once or twice." We oughtta believe what Bigbie reportedly said, because if he's going to roll over on a friend already, he's probably not doing a whole lot of lying to the investigators. And if Brian's going to admit to Bigbie his steroid usage, to someone he knew took roids anyway, why would he have lied about the amount that he'd taken?

Of course, it's possible he is lying, but I just find it incredibly hard to believe. People point to his surge in home run totals in '05 but ignore the 50 doubles he had in '04, and the fact that in '07 he had 12 dingers (still far more than he'd had prior to '04), and this during a time when people were actually being tested.

If he had 40 dingers in '05, I'd say the guy's full of it, but the dude had a career year. He's such a tiny guy, I find it hard to believe, from a physical standpoint, that he'd ever taken steroids on a regular basis.

[blueberryale77]

As Rick Maese alluded to, to my knowledge (and I've read a lot of his quotes over the years) Roberts has never flat out denied that he ever tried steroids. He said Grimsley's allegations were ridiculous because he had "zero relationship with Grimsley" and never had a conversation with him about "anything remotely related to steroids." He said they'd had testing and he'd taken all the tests. He carefully didn't say he'd never tried it. Now, he has gone on the record saying that he never did before or after that one day. That's not a vague, political spin type of statement, it's an assertion of fact. Given how careful he has been with his words in the past, I don't think he would have put it in black and white like that if he were lying.

[Sports Guy]

It has nothing to do with being stupid. They are KIDS. Kids are influencial. Kids see athletes, like them...they look nice...they want to be like them. My nieces want to be Cinderella, and they certainly aren't stupid.

And, how hypocritical can you be? 30 seconds ago you blamed MLB for ALL OF THIS, and now you're preaching accountability?

Do you think a bunch of 8 year olds are doing roids?

These kids may start to get introduced to them when they are in middle school but it doesn't start to become prevalant until high school...So, you think 7 and 8 year olds(once who are 7 and 8 now) are going to get to HS and say, 10 years ago BROB did roids, so i am going to now?

LOL...If they do, it will be because they are morons, not because BRob did it.

[The Wedge]

I see what you're saying, but still, at some point the person's character ought to come into play. I know I said the same thing about Raffy (and I still think there's more to that story than we'll ever know - unless Palmeiro is borderline retarded), but Brian just seems like too standup a guy to 1) have taken steroids on a regular basis and 2) lied about the fact.

Another thing to look at is in the report, Bigbie said Roberts had admitted to him that he tried roids "once or twice." We oughtta believe what Bigbie reportedly said, because if he's going to roll over on a friend already, he's probably not doing a whole lot of lying to the investigators. And if Brian's going to admit to Bigbie his steroid usage, to someone he knew took roids anyway, why would he have lied about the amount that he'd taken?

Of course, it's possible he is lying, but I just find it incredibly hard to believe. People point to his surge in home run totals in '05 but ignore the 50 doubles he had in '04, and the fact that in '07 he had 12 dingers (still far more than he'd had prior to '04), and this during a time when people were actually being tested.

If he had 40 dingers in '05, I'd say the guy's full of it, but the dude had a career year. He's such a tiny guy, I find it hard to believe, from a physical standpoint, that he'd ever taken steroids on a regular basis.

My story was less an of an indictment on Roberts, but more of an indictment of all those guys who are under/have been under suspicion who say deny deny deny. It's also an indictment of anybody who gives Roberts grief for coming out now.

[Baroquen131]

As Rick Maese alluded to, to my knowledge (and I've read a lot of his quotes over the years) Roberts has never flat out denied that he ever tried steroids. He said Grimsley's allegations were ridiculous because he had "zero relationship with Grimsley" and never had a conversation with him about "anything remotely related to steroids." He said they'd had testing and he'd taken all the tests. He carefully didn't say he'd never tried it. Now, he has gone on the record saying that he never did before or after that one day. That's not a vague, political spin type of statement, it's an assertion of fact. Given how careful he has been with his words in the past, I don't think he would have put it in black and white like that if he were lying.

Given how careful he has been with words in the past, it only reinforces the fact that he's been deceptive about the issue. I'm not going to speculate on the possible reasons for skirting the truth - I'm just putting that out there.

I want to believe him, but I don't know if I can. He may very well be truthful, and only tried it once. But that's one of the consequences of lying... you lose that trust.

[Sports Guy]

So you don't blame the players for taking them, but if a child took them you'd want to blame their parents?

Also you consider a child stupid that took them, but don't consider grown athletes stupid for taking them, because everyones doing it? I fail to see your logic here.

I would to if you were you...The way you are twisting words is amazing.

I said I blame MLB for letting it get to this point...I blame them for not having punishment and testing much much sooner....But I blame the players for taking the actual drug.

And anyone who does it is stupid IMO.

[Dr. FLK]

Do you think a bunch of 8 year olds are doing roids?

These kids may start to get introduced to them when they are in middle school but it doesn't start to become prevalant until high school...So, you think 7 and 8 year olds(once who are 7 and 8 now) are going to get to HS and say, 10 years ago BROB did roids, so i am going to now?

LOL...If they do, it will be because they are morons, not because BRob did it.

No, I don't. But, believe it or not, "kids" can still be influenced beyond the age of 8. HS kids (13-17 year olds) can see ML athletes getting to the level they are with the aide of PEDs. They are trying to get playing time, scholarships to college, or even drafted. And, there really isn't a lot of talk in high schools about the health risks associated. And, without the proper information/education, it's difficult to make the "smart decision." I think you're "everyone is stupid" blanket statement may be a bit general.

[erb8472]

I don't care...I blame MLB for all of it.

When everyone is doing it, it makes the playing field level.

That being said, drugs should never be apart of any sport and MLB should clean up the game.

Twisting words? You said that you blame MLB for all of it.

[Earl of Tomato]

It is very likely that Brob used something in the 2005 year, when his power took an unexpected leap.

[erb8472]

When I say I blame them, i mean letting it get to this point, not the players taking the steroids themselves.

Sure doesn't sound like you are placing any blame on the players in this post.

[blueberryale77]

Given how careful he has been with words in the past, it only reinforces the fact that he's been deceptive about the issue. I'm not going to speculate on the possible reasons for skirting the truth - I'm just putting that out there.

I want to believe him, but I don't know if I can. He may very well be truthful, and only tried it once. But that's one of the consequences of lying... you lose that trust.

That was my point... he never directly lied. He let people connect the dots between his statements. Maybe they were deceptive, but they weren't outright lies.

I also respect the fact that he never bashed the guys who got caught or sought to distance himself from them (other than saying he hadn't had conversations with Grimsley), as so many guys who we know were users did. He always showed sympathy for the people involved, whether if was Rafael Palmeiro, David Segui, Jay Gibbons, or even Barry Bonds. To me he comes across as someone who genuinely feels terrible about the whole situation, not a guy who's laughing all the way to the bank.

[bgfield]

It is very likely that Brob used something in the 2005 year, when his power took an unexpected leap.

One would think he'd have been caught right along with Raffy then.

[The Wedge]

It is very likely that Brob used something in the 2005 year, when his power took an unexpected leap.

It's more likely that a career doubles hitter got all the breaks, and most of those doubles went over the wall.

[The Wedge]

Heck, it wasn't even most of them. It was like 1 in 3 or 4 of them.

Extremely poor wording on my part. Meant to say that most of the homers were doubles any other year.