Brian Roberts to retire

[mdbdotcom]

I don't remember all of the details, but didn't Roberts make an out, get frustrated, and then just kind of bopped himself on his batting helmet with the bat? Who in the world would think that could cause a concussion? You see football players bump helmets without thinking about it, and this can't be that much more severe, it just happened to be a freak thing.

Maybe I'm missing some crucial detail, but I always thought this was a pretty innocent thing that just happened to line up all wrong.

I had always assumed that the hitting himself in the head with the bat story was just a story to cover something that happened that he didn't want made public. It's not that unusual for players to hurt themselves doing things they are not supposed to be doing and then make up a story about how it happened.

[Gurgi]

Roberts has rubbed me the wrong way for years before his injury. He played not 100%. The guy didnt run it out to first base most times. Made a host of mental errors while playing and seemed to moan over and over about how hard it was to concentrate at the end of the season when your team was sucking and ten to twenty games out of it. He didnt provide much leadership.

As i said I dont miss him one bit.

[OFFNY]

I had always assumed that the hitting himself in the head with the bat story was just a story to cover something that happened that he didn't want made public. It's not that unusual for players to hurt themselves doing things they are not supposed to be doing and then make up a story about how it happened.

I once read that Jim Lonborg did that in between the 1967 and 1968 seasons ...... and shortly afterward, he admitted to doing it !!!

When a reporter (who allegedly knew what really happened) confronted Lonborg on why he didn't tell the truth, he simply said, "I had to. The heat was too much."

[Frobby]

Roberts has rubbed me the wrong way for years before his injury. He played not 100%. The guy didnt run it out to first base most times. Made a host of mental errors while playing and seemed to moan over and over about how hard it was to concentrate at the end of the season when your team was sucking and ten to twenty games out of it. He didnt provide much leadership.

As i said I dont miss him one bit.

There's a lot of revisionist history in this post. Roberts did not make a "host" of mental errors. It isn't true that he didn't run hard to first base "most" times. I'd say he made fewer mental errors than most players, and while it's true that there were times where he didn't run at 100% to first base, it certainly wasn't most of the time, and he certainly didn't jog down there. I personally don't think he was worse than most players in that regard, or if he was below average, it wasn't by much.

The Brian Roberts I'll remember is the one who had great, patient at bats, the one who distracted opposing pitchers mightily when he was on the bases, the one who had a very high success rate stealing bases, especially stealing 3B, who hit a ton of doubles, who was troublesome from both sides of the plate, who ran charity functions in his spare time. I'm sorry his four year deal worked out so poorly, but that doesn't cause me to forget that BRob was an excellent, exciting, heads-up player for most of the time he was an Oriole.

[weams]

There's a lot of revisionist history in this post. Roberts did not make a "host" of mental errors. It isn't true that he didn't run hard to first base "most" times. I'd say he made fewer mental errors than most players, and while it's true that there were times where he didn't run at 100% to first base, it certainly wasn't most of the time, and he certainly didn't jog down there. I personally don't think he was worse than most players in that regard, or if he was below average, it wasn't by much.

The Brian Roberts I'll remember is the one who had great, patient at bats, the one who distracted opposing pitchers mightily when he was on the bases, the one who had a very high success rate stealing bases, especially stealing 3B, who hit a ton of doubles, who was troublesome from both sides of the plate, who ran charity functions in his spare time. I'm sorry his four year deal worked out so poorly, but that doesn't cause me to forget that BRob was an excellent, exciting, heads-up player for most of the time he was an Oriole.

I used to enjoy his at bats where he would foul off 12 pitches before getting a hit and then immediately steal second, and third.

[mdbdotcom]

I once read that Jim Lonborg did that in between the 1967 and 1968 seasons ...... and shortly afterward, he admitted to doing it !!!

When a reporter (who allegedly knew what really happened) confronted Lonborg on why he didn't tell the truth, he simply said, "I had to. The heat was too much."

Lonborg's contract prohibited him from skiing, which he did anyway and blew out his knee. When the truth came out, he lost his contract. And that was coming off a season (1967) in which he'd won 22 games and led the Sox to a 7 game World Series. He didn't start as many as 30 games again until 1972.

In 2002, Jeff Kent broke his hand "washing his truck." Everyone laughed about it for a while until eyewitnesses who'd seen Kent attempting to pop wheelies on his motorcycle (contract violation) came forward. It didn't make much difference for Kent, as he only missed four games and had a good year.

When players hurt themselves doing embarrassing things, they lie about it.

Roberts is a guy who had already tried to get around the rules by using steroids. Not until the evidence was irrefutable did he admit the truth. Until there is concrete proof that he received a concussion that affected him for several years by tapping himself on the head with his bat, I'm skeptical.

[Frobby]

Lonborg's contract prohibited him from skiing, which he did anyway and blew out his knee. When the truth came out, he lost his contract. And that was coming off a season (1967) in which he'd won 22 games and led the Sox to a 7 game World Series. He didn't start as many as 30 games again until 1972.

In 2002, Jeff Kent broke his hand "washing his truck." Everyone laughed about it for a while until eyewitnesses who'd seen Kent attempting to pop wheelies on his motorcycle (contract violation) came forward. It didn't make much difference for Kent, as he only missed four games and had a good year.

When players hurt themselves doing embarrassing things, they lie about it.

Roberts is a guy who had already tried to get around the rules by using steroids. Not until the evidence was irrefutable did he admit the truth. Until there is concrete proof that he received a concussion that affected him for several years by tapping himself on the head with his bat, I'm skeptical.

So, guilty until proven innocent, huh?

On the steroids matter, the evidence was hardly irrefutable. All the Mitchell report contained was a statement by Larry Bigbie that Roberts had told him, in 2004, that Roberts had tried steroids "once or twice" in 2003. It would have been very easy for Roberts to simply deny Bigbie's statement -- there was no evidence at all other than Bigbie's say-so. But Roberts chose to admit that Bigbie's statement was true. I'm not nominating him for sainthood, but it isn't the case that he admitted his steroid use because he had to.

When someone comes up with evidence that Roberts got a concussion from something other than hitting his helmet with a baseball bat, let me know.

[weams]

So, guilty until proven innocent, huh?

On the steroids matter, the evidence was hardly irrefutable. All the Mitchell report contained was a statement by Larry Bigbie that Roberts had told him, in 2004, that Roberts had tried steroids "once or twice" in 2003. It would have been very easy for Roberts to simply deny Bigbie's statement -- there was no evidence at all other than Bigbie's say-so. But Roberts chose to admit that Bigbie's statement was true. I'm not nominating him for sainthood, but it isn't the case that he admitted his steroid use because he had to.

When someone comes up with evidence that Roberts got a concussion from something other than hitting his helmet with a baseball bat, let me know.

Actually, he could not deny it. He was being subpoenaed to testify before the congress on the issue. He supposedly was able to avoid that by acknowledging that Bigbie was accurate.

[Redskins Rick]

There is a BIG difference between taking it once or twice and being a regular user like some was.

Neither is right.

However, once or twice, I can understand, won't condone, people are human and people do make mistakes.

Anybody that says otherwise is just so full of crapola, it isn't funny.

I refuse to condemn a person for admitting to being less than perfect.

If evidence shows he is a liar, then, I will change my opinion of the man and consider him with the Bonds and A-Rod of MLB and a total a-hole.

[weams]

Jason Grimsley also named Roberts in a federal affidavit as steroid users.

[weams]

There is a BIG difference between taking it once or twice and being a regular user like some was.

Neither is right.

However, once or twice, I can understand, won't condone, people are human and people do make mistakes.

Anybody that says otherwise is just so full of crapola, it isn't funny.

I refuse to condemn a person for admitting to being less than perfect.

If evidence shows he is a liar, then, I will change my opinion of the man and consider him with the Bonds and A-Rod of MLB and a total a-hole.

I have no idea how many times any player uses enhancement. Until they are caught the number they always say is zero. When they are caught the number always remains one. Unless there are documented instances of two, three, four, and five.

[Great8]

There's a lot of revisionist history in this post. Roberts did not make a "host" of mental errors. It isn't true that he didn't run hard to first base "most" times. I'd say he made fewer mental errors than most players, and while it's true that there were times where he didn't run at 100% to first base, it certainly wasn't most of the time, and he certainly didn't jog down there. I personally don't think he was worse than most players in that regard, or if he was below average, it wasn't by much.

The Brian Roberts I'll remember is the one who had great, patient at bats, the one who distracted opposing pitchers mightily when he was on the bases, the one who had a very high success rate stealing bases, especially stealing 3B, who hit a ton of doubles, who was troublesome from both sides of the plate, who ran charity functions in his spare time. I'm sorry his four year deal worked out so poorly, but that doesn't cause me to forget that BRob was an excellent, exciting, heads-up player for most of the time he was an Oriole.

Excellent post. Well said.

[mdbdotcom]

So, guilty until proven innocent, huh?

On the steroids matter, the evidence was hardly irrefutable. All the Mitchell report contained was a statement by Larry Bigbie that Roberts had told him, in 2004, that Roberts had tried steroids "once or twice" in 2003. It would have been very easy for Roberts to simply deny Bigbie's statement -- there was no evidence at all other than Bigbie's say-so. But Roberts chose to admit that Bigbie's statement was true. I'm not nominating him for sainthood, but it isn't the case that he admitted his steroid use because he had to.

When someone comes up with evidence that Roberts got a concussion from something other than hitting his helmet with a baseball bat, let me know.

I didn't say he was guilty, I said I was skeptical. You should know the difference.

[Redskins Rick]

How does someone try steroids once or twice? He may have said that to Bigbie but I'm skeptical that he was telling Bigbie the truth. Again, I'm no expert on steroids, but I don't think it's something you "try" once or twice. To try and see the effects, wouldn't you have had to have done it a lot more than once or twice?

You know no person that ever tried pot once or twice?

[Number5]

You know no person that ever tried pot once or twice?

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