Hey, These Angel Guys are Pretty Good Again! + Bartolo, Melky, What the Hell Were You Thinking?

So, don’t look now but after a home stand that can best be described with adjectives such as embarrassing, depressing and maddening (and that’s only if one has accepted the challenge of trying to describe it without resorting to profanity) the Angels are looking pretty good again, sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway and starting their battle with Detroit on the right foot. Did they need to get out of town? Did someone finally say just the right thing in a closed door meeting? Are there life sized cut outs of the MLBN analysts who’ve written the Angels off lurking somewhere in the clubhouse with “You Guys Stink!!” voice bubbles and sectioned, peel away suits and ties? Whatever it is (and if it’s that last item, pray that no one decides to tweet photos. *shudders*) I don’t care just so long as they keep playing to win, and hopefully continuing to smooth over a few still rough edges as they go.

Ervin Santana, Jered Weaver and Zack Greinke all looked like more like themselves again (in Santana’s case, it was his Dr. Ervin self, thankfully 😉 ). Sadly, so did C.J. Wilson – his post All Star Game Break self that is. He’s got to find a way to deal with that and he’s a smart guy so I still have hope, if not for this season than for next. But the offense picked Wilson up like a good offense should and, in truth, has looked great this whole road trip so far. As for the Bullpen…well…they’re trying. Yes, I know, sometimes very. But other times they’ve been stellar. I still feel like we’re in a “roll a pair of D-10s to see if the bullpen self destructs” kind of situation each time a new reliever comes out, but as more of the rolls, so to speak, come up positive so, more and more frequently, does my attitude each time they take the mound. Keep it up guys, it’s certainly no longer “a long season” be there’s still just enough season left to make a real go of it!

And now for something completely different, we pause for a brief steroid rant…

So, let me get this straight Bartolo Colon. You decide to get stem cell therapy to rejuvenate your arm, a therapy so new and unorthodox that MLB officials are all over it, studying the procedure and checking out the doctors, to make sure it doesn’t involve anything that is against the rules. And you have to know that between the new therapy itself, your amazing displays of youthful prowess on the mound and the fact that you keep touting the therapy, MLB will be watching you like a hawk. I would assume there were even extra mandatory drug tests involved but even if they were just the usual number of drug tests, in the middle of all of this you decide that taking outlawed Performance Enhancing Drugs is a smart thing to do?? *facepalm*

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like at this point in our story Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should be piping up with confused, questioning looks and a hearty “it slipped in”? Nah. That would make the “logic” Bartolo applied in arriving at this bonehead decision sound too intelligent. So I’m just going to go back to my original pronouncement over Twitter: Dumbass! And don’t even get me started on Melky Cabrera and his “associate”. A fake website to prove that the PEDs you took could have been taken accidentally? Only if former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, he of the imfamous series of tubes, was in charge of the investigation would this have stood a chance in hell of working. But even then an intern or, you know, a child with a few minutes of time on their hands, probably would have figured it out. So, I say thee Dumbass again.

Gentlemen, an old friend has a saying that I particularly like. “If you can’t be good, be good at it.” Now, when it comes to steroid use, I strongly believe that you should be good and just not take the junk in the first place. However, once you’ve made the, at least in this case misguided, decision not to be good, could you at least try to be smarter about how you go about doing it?! Because this level of dumb crime would have been rejected by the Scooby Doo staff writers as too unbelievably stupid for the kiddies to buy.

12 comments

  1. mlblogsinvariablybaseball

    These current outings of PED users does now beg the question as to how many ARE getting away with it still. My gut tells me in the neighborhood of 20 to 35%, but to be honest. I don’t care anymore. I thoroughly enjoy watching this game and accept cheating as part of the landscape as it has never had a negative effect on my enjoyment of the game. In fact cheaters caught, or not, only contribute to my enjoyment.
    Example: The George Brett Pine tar call. First I enjoyed his hit, then after the call I enjoyed and continue to enjoy in replay the nuclear explosion from Brett to the umps.
    Another example: The McGwire, Sosa home run chase. I enjoyed that year of baseball thoroughly and continue to do so in memory. The knowledge of them using PEDs didn’t change a thing for me. Baseball has always been about using whatever advantage you have at your disposal. I don’t fault these guys for doing what they did.
    Another: Bartolo Colon. Even though he is a proven cheater this year by going against MLB policy and breaking laws. I still enjoyed his performances. And now I cant help but enjoy his stupidity in getting caught and the story that it is. I call that a win/win for me.

    • This is a very simple game...

      Hey, nice to “see” you around again. Thanks for reading. Yeah, I just don’t like the drama of the steroid issues. Didn’t like it in the 90s, don’t like it now. I’m sure there are more guys doping though, I just hope it’s not as widespread as you speculate.

      — Kristen

  2. Minoring In Baseball

    Greinke sure did keep the Tigers in check the other night, but pitching in KC he saw plenty of them. Two good games and a fun series, though, so far. Go on with your bad self on the steroid rant, I still have no idea what these guys are thinking….
    Have a good weekend!
    –Mike

    • This is a very simple game...

      Wish I could say I was surprised too, Jeff…though there are still a few guys it would surprise and wound me to find out were doping, Bartolo’s not one of them. Yaaaay! It made my day that someone got my reference and laughed. 🙂

      — Kristen

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