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Scott Gray (CT) Commentary - Brady Anderson the Steroids Poster Child


Jagwar

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I did say I sucked at math.

And I could tell you never liked Brady.

I didn't want to say you suck! Not to be a revisionist but I didn't like much about the teams in the 90's. Mercenary mentality, pretty boys and cold fishes. Not even a fan of Ripken(more so as a hitter, he clogged the order for years hitting 3rd). If Ripken(who got pretty huge himself in the 90's) had hit even a little down the stretch in 1989, we would have won the east and HE would have had another MVP.

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I personally don't care about the writers opinion. But let's be honest their is at least a very good chance Brady was juicing. If I had to bet a large sum of money one way or the other I'd bet he did. Remember he did play on the same teams as Raffy and the type of substance Raffy was on added strength without the bulk. Just my opinion

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I personally don't care about the writers opinion. But let's be honest their is at least a very good chance Brady was juicing. If I had to bet a large sum of money one way or the other I'd bet he did. Remember he did play on the same teams as Raffy and the type of substance Raffy was on added strength without the bulk. Just my opinion

Brady also was Cals buddy. And Cal always talked about his knack for recovering quick to keep the streak going. If were talking guilt by association, whos do say Cal didnt introduce Brady to them? I mean, Cal reinvented himself at 30 after several down years.

Heck, Davis is having a breakout year while Brady is a VP of the team. I smell a conspiracy ;)

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If we're talking about guilt by association, Maris' proximity to Mantle isn't flattering. People have been trying to get a leg up for a long time.

http://mlb.si.com/2013/05/13/mickey-mantle-corked-bat/

The bat in question — a 35-inch, 32.6-ounce Louisville Slugger from 1964 — was said to have been studied by John Taube of PSA/DNA, a professional authentication service. Taube discovered alterations atop the barrel of the bat, and x-rays confirmed that it had been drilled and filled with cork. The Grey Flannel Auctions listing said that former Twins equipment manager Ray Crump claimed in an autobiography (presumably this 1993 out-of-print but available one) that he had corked some bats for Mantle, but that none had surfaced.
Many more have likely gotten away with using one. A contemporary of Mantle’s, Tigers first baseman Norm Cash, said in a 1981 Sports Illustrated article that he “used a hollow bat my whole career,” including in 1961, when he led the AL with a .361 batting average and hit 41 homers with 142 RBIs, numbers he never approached again. That article also mentioned numerous other players from the 1970s and early 1980s accused by their peers or opposing managers of using corked bats, including Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, and Pete Rose owned up to using one in bating practice.
Batted ball speeds off a corked bat are lower, producing shorter fly ball distances, though there may still be an advantage to being able to produce more bat speed and acceleration.
His absence down the stretch in 1961 due to an abscess in his hip is said to have been caused by a quack who injected him with a concoction of steroids and amphetamines, administered to cure him of a sexually transmitted disease.

Warts and all, Mantle is still revered for what he accomplished as a player and for facing up to his demons later in his relatively brief life (he died in 1995 at age 63). It’s doubtful that the corked bat in question will ever be definitively connected to him, so this saga over a randomly resurfaced curio shouldn’t do anything to diminish his standing in the eyes of baseball fans.

W/o being fully informed on this study, I think they downplay the benefits of a corked bat. While the benefits of bat speed might be canceled out by less bounce, the contact rate would seem to provide a huge benefit to hitters. I have a hard time believing corked bats aren't helpful.

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