Spring Update: Roberts proving he's the everyday secondbaseman

[Flacco Machado]

About the same way I feel. Still skeptical and this is the first two weeks of ST but I'm glad to see that he's doing well.

Same for me. Let's get him through May/June, then I'm a believer.

[TradeAngelos]

And I have to be honest. The steroids thought crossed my mind. I ain't saying he's on the juice. But the thought floated into my mind when I was looking at the pics - especially the forearms. Brian is an admitted former steroid user. It's not an insane or even unfair observation to make. I am not saying that I think he's using. I actually have a hard time believing he would be that absolutely stupid.

I am a certified personal trainer and I know it when I see it. Especially when the subject is 34 years old, and has a magical revival. That improvement might be made naturally at 24, but not at 34. The body is trending down not up. His arms are straight ripped from hand to shoulder, one of the key tell tale signs is the flexor muscles on his forearms which get huge when a big muscle gain happens fast.

I could care less because I will guarantee a large percentage of players are on something, and I think the whole steroid situation is a bunch of overhyped nonsense anyway. They are all doing something and only the idiots get caught.

[crowmst3k!]

I am a certified personal trainer and I know it when I see it. Especially when the subject is 34 years old, and has a magical revival. That improvement might be made naturally at 24, but not at 34. The body is trending down not up. His arms are straight ripped from hand to shoulder, one of the key tell tale signs is the flexor muscles on his forearms which get huge when a big muscle gain happens fast.

I could care less because I will guarantee a large percentage of players are on something, and I think the whole steroid situation is a bunch of overhyped nonsense anyway. They are all doing something and only the idiots get caught.

Is that kind of gain only attainable with steroids, or is it only far more likely?

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[isestrex]

I am a certified personal trainer and I know it when I see it. Especially when the subject is 34 years old, and has a magical revival. That improvement might be made naturally at 24, but not at 34. The body is trending down not up. His arms are straight ripped from hand to shoulder, one of the key tell tale signs is the flexor muscles on his forearms which get huge when a big muscle gain happens fast.

I could care less because I will guarantee a large percentage of players are on something, and I think the whole steroid situation is a bunch of overhyped nonsense anyway. They are all doing something and only the idiots get caught.

I don't agree with it... but it's definitely something that has to be strongly considered nowadays and not just tossed out of plausibility casually.

[TradeAngelos]

Is that kind of gain only attainable with steroids, or is it only far more likely?

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Anything is "possible" I guess. Far, FAR more likely if you want to call it that.

I would like to see some more pics to be sure, but at first glance I immediately noticed how much bigger he looked. Usually if you want to tell someone is juicing the forearm definition and size is a dead giveaway. And his look massive.

I will say this, once you do a cycle of steroids there is an unproven but accepted theory that the fibers around your muscle "stretch" to sizes that could never be achieved naturally. Even long after you stop taking them most believe you can grow back into that size because you have stretched the surrounding muscle parts out previously. Kind of like raising your muscle size "ceiling" so to speak.

Who knows, I am just happy he is looking great whatever he is doing. Looking strong and solid, far cry from previous two years.

[Art Wing]

I am a certified personal trainer and I know it when I see it. Especially when the subject is 34 years old, and has a magical revival. That improvement might be made naturally at 24, but not at 34. The body is trending down not up. His arms are straight ripped from hand to shoulder, one of the key tell tale signs is the flexor muscles on his forearms which get huge when a big muscle gain happens fast.

I could care less because I will guarantee a large percentage of players are on something, and I think the whole steroid situation is

a bunch of overhyped nonsense anyway. They are all doing something and only the idiots get caught.

He looked to be pretty scrawny less than one year ago. Innocent until proven otherwise but *

[Tony-OH]

Isn't the question more about his brain than his brawn, though? Or did he really put all that concussion stuff behind him? That's the aspect of his injury history that freaks me out the most. And that's why I just wonder how long he'll last, even if he does play. Of course, I too would love to see B. Rob be B. Rob... I'm just withholding judgement for the time being.

Perhaps, but he suddenly has a lot of brawn again and he seems to be driving the ball much better than last year.

[Orioles4Life21]

It's sad that in this day and age it's just natural to look at a picture of someone and be suspicious that they're cheating. I did it too.

[ChuckS]

Brian wasn't able to do to the kind of strength and conditioning coming back last season due to the post-concussion syndrome. It makes sense that he lost a lot of muscle mass because of it and also makes sense that he could gain it back naturally with a full offseason to work out.

He may be using something, but I don't think the fact that he has added some muscle mass automatically makes him guilty.

[El Gordo]

Hmmmn, looks like the "Roberts is toast" crowd from last winter is now becoming the "I'm witholding judgement" crowd to cover their butts. Shouldn't they have been the I'm witholding judgement crowd last winter?

[SrMeowMeow]

Hmmmn, looks like the "Roberts is toast" crowd from last winter is now becoming the "I'm witholding judgement" crowd to cover their butts. Shouldn't they have been the I'm witholding judgement crowd last winter?

When you gaze into the straw man, the straw man gazes into you. So, watch out, I guess.

[Il BuonO]

I am a certified personal trainer and I know it when I see it. Especially when the subject is 34 years old, and has a magical revival. That improvement might be made naturally at 24, but not at 34. The body is trending down not up. His arms are straight ripped from hand to shoulder, one of the key tell tale signs is the flexor muscles on his forearms which get huge when a big muscle gain happens fast.

I could care less because I will guarantee a large percentage of players are on something, and I think the whole steroid situation is a bunch of overhyped nonsense anyway. They are all doing something and only the idiots get caught.

Really? Just from looking, huh? That's some eye you have. I don't doubt your profession just your means of skepticism. I was a trainer briefly but also studied nutrition and sport science while playing baseball. So, I also learned what exercises and weight training specifically benefits a ball player.

The body is trending down is a general statement at best. Know of anybody who works out who isn't juicing over 50 who has a great workout routine and looks good? I'm 49 and I still don't do curls because my arms get all bulky. I don't take anything, not even supplements. I probably should take a weight loss supplement, but that's another discussion. Body type also plays a big part in all of this.

Anything is "possible" I guess. Far, FAR more likely if you want to call it that.

I would like to see some more pics to be sure, but at first glance I immediately noticed how much bigger he looked. Usually if you want to tell someone is juicing the forearm definition and size is a dead giveaway. And his look massive.

I will say this, once you do a cycle of steroids there is an unproven but accepted theory that the fibers around your muscle "stretch" to sizes that could never be achieved naturally. Even long after you stop taking them most believe you can grow back into that size because you have stretched the surrounding muscle parts out previously. Kind of like raising your muscle size "ceiling" so to speak.

Who knows, I am just happy he is looking great whatever he is doing. Looking strong and solid, far cry from previous two years.

As I said above, there are baseball specific exercises such as forearm and wrist curls that in even as short a time as six months you would see a noticeable difference in size and definition.

Go back and look at the pictures from last year. He was scrawny. I posted the comparison shot side by side in another thread. When someone who has lean body mass hits the gym the weight can be put on rather quickly if you consider that muscle weighs more than fat and he was inactive all of last year. It would be incredibly stupid for him to attempt a comeback in possibly last year of his career. That's a lot of risk.

Lastly, I have been a supporter of Roberts in the past but you could hardly consider me one of late. I'd like to be surprised and don't think he has to do a whole lot to surpass the production we had at 2B last year. That being said, I think he faces very long odds at his age, but we don't need to go throwing dirt on the guy before he's in the grave.

[CaptainRedbeard]

Roberts just can't win here, can he. If he fails, a lot of people will be justified in their "I told you so's." If he succeeds, the mantra will be "he must be back on the juice." (I'm not trying to point fingers in this thread and I immediately thought the same thing after seeing the pictures). His admittance of prior usage will always condemn him, and I'm not sure I buy his whole "I only tried it once story," but I think this is getting out of hand.

We should cut the man some slack. He's made mistakes. Heck, I wouldn't even blame him if he was using steroids again after all he's been through. I'm sure many would succumb to the temptation under the same circumstances, myself included. But I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt.

I really hope that Roberts does not read this board. Orioles fans should have his back. He has enough on his hands trying to prove everybody else wrong. Every time I see a post doubting Brian Roberts on this board, it irks me. Not because I disagree with it on a conceptual level, but because it just doesn't seem right.

The potential for a resurgent year from Brian Roberts should have Orioles fans ecstatic. One of the bright spots from the endless losing years, an iconic career Oriole, is essentially (potentially) back from the dead. He plays the position that we are weakest at and brings OBP and baserunning smarts, the two dynamics which our offense sorely lacks. Nothing could be more positive for this team. For that reason, I will push my doubts about Roberts to the back of my mind, and only use them as reasons to celebrate his successes. I hope others will do the same.

[CaptainRedbeard]

I was trying to find another picture to compare Roberts to for before/after and rather hilariously came across this one from the offseason before the 2011 season and an almost identical OH thread.

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/107425-Did-Brian-Roberts-put-on-some-serious-muscle

[CaptainRedbeard]

And don't forget this one from 2007:

I think Roberts has always had pretty big arms and a lot of upper body strength and definition, although I can't recall any pictures as impressive as the ones from ST this year.