I gave up worrying about it a long time ago. Seriously. In fact, I must say I enjoyed baseball on the juice more than I do this smallball game they’re back to playing these days. People who go to games just waiting to see a fine bunt really amuse me.

Damn, not just chicks dig the long ball, folks. Guys do, too. I think a whole lot of fans are like me. They really don’t care how the players got that talented, they just want to watch them play at the highest level possible (no pun intended). I think the media worries about it a lot more than the average fan does.

I sort of naturally assume just about everyone from that era used steroids and/or HGH, actually. And hey, what kills me the most is all the holier-than-thou whimpering from some of the old timers out there. As if they wouldn’t have used them if they’d had the chance.

And seriously, as if they didn’t play hopped up on “greenies” in the “old days” all the time, too. I was a clubhouse guy for the Portland Beavers way back in the 1960s and I saw heavy amphetamine use even then — by minor league guys. And what I heard at the time was that it was even more common in the big leagues in those days. And many days to follow — including when I covered pro baseball in the late 1970s through the 1990s.

Cheating is part of the culture of baseball, I’m afraid — from stealing signs to throwing spitballs to using corked bats. You think many guys hesitated about using an illegal substance?

And really, it’s ridiculous to think this is confined to baseball. You think there isn’t rampant use in the NFL? Come on, those guys just have better masking agents. I believe I’ve seen the signs in the NBA, too. And the Olympics.

I’m sort of libertarian when it comes to this stuff. Explain all the ramifications of usage to these guys and if they want to take the risk in order to provide me with better entertainment, I’m pretty much fine with it.

And hey — don’t talk to me about kids using it. I don’t condone that any more than I condone underage drinking.

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Tags: Dwight Jaynes, major-league baseball, Mark McGwire, Portland Beavers, steroids

Great stuff from Allen Barra (Thanks to Deadspin):

There’s a perception that Alex Rodriguez has finally “turned around” his postseason hitting with three good games. But he’s still not in the same league as Reggie Jackson as a postseason hitter, the radio call-in shows keep reminding us.

If that’s your perception, then look at the following comparison:

Player A: 42 games, 151 at-bats, 40 hits, 7 homers, 19 rbi, .265 batting
Player B: 42 games, 158 at-bats, 46 hits, 9 homers, 25 rbi, .291 batting

I’ll give you a hint — Player A likes to collect antique automobiles, Player B is often seen with Kate Hudson. Shock and amaze your friends with those statistics: Player A is Reggie, Player B, A-Rod. Through their first 42 postseason games, A-Rod batted 26 points higher, had hit two more home runs and drove in six more runs than Reggie in his first 42 postseason games.

What changed everyone’s perception was Reggie’s 43rd postseason game, Game Six of the 1977 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he hit three home runs. No one called him “Mr. October” before that game. Next time, think about this before you start to dump on any player for choking in the postseason. What a difference one game can make.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Allen Barra, Dwight Jaynes, major-league baseball, New York Yankees, Reggie Jackson

Yes, I’ve been out there in the forefront of this movement for years. Way before the Baseball Group, before the bill in Salem, before David Kahn. All of that. Nobody wants it more than me.

But folks, get a grip. Yes, the fan support for a team here would be wonderful. Everyone in sports would be shocked at how well attended these games would be. I still believe that. We’d have big crowds and nice local TV ratings.

There’s a move behind the scenes going on right now to fly the owner of the Oakland A’s up here to see the site of the post office near Union Station. If he likes it, people will push our Congressmen to get that post office out of there (a move scheduled to be made at some point in the future, anyway) and make way for a new ballpark. Using a combination of the $150 million from the state funding bill and money promised by a tribal casino of $350 million, put that ballpark on the fast track and get the A’s up here.

Yeah, I know the governor has always said he wouldn’t allow that tribal money to be used because the tradeout would be a casino somewhere nearby. But for some reason supporters believe the plan, which includes a floating casino, might get OK’d because of the hard economic times.

Nobody would love that more than me. I could fall in love with the entire concept. But I won’t. Because it’s just not realistic. I think the owner of the A’s will fall in love with the site and with Portland. But as soon as he takes a hard look at the economics up here, he’ll sober up in a hurry.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s just no corporate support in Portland. The Blazers sold out every game last season and still lost tons of money. You can’t get sponsorship money or sell signage and really — who’s going to buy all those luxury suites? Nobody. All the street-corner food carts in the world aren’t going to be able to support the thing.

It’s a shame. This is the right place for the A’s. The post office location is the right place for the ballpark. But Portland — right now — is no place for a franchise needing corporate support. Do the math. Check it out.

It really pains me to say it, but it’s just not going to work at this time.

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Tags: Dwight Jaynes, major-league baseball, Oakland A's, Portland

Baseball has kind of screwed up the whole thing in recent years, allowing just two teams and one game to open the season. It isn’t until tomorrow that everybody plays. I don’t like it and never have — everybody should share in the joy of their openers on the same day.

But that aside, I just wanted to wish all my friends, especially those who share my passion for baseball, a very Happy Opening Day!

It’s been a long, cold winter.

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Tags: Dwight Jaynes, major-league baseball, opening day

I never saw Shawne Merriman  or any of the other NFL players over the years slapped on the wrist with four-game suspensions for using steroids, put through a major news conference like A-Rod’s yesterday, so I will continue to think the world’s gone crazy over this stuff.

Why, WHY do baseball players on steroids mean so much more to the nation’s media than pro wrestlers, body builders, football players and basketball players on steroids? Or guys selling insurance on steroids, for that matter?

Just. Let. It. Go.

Spring training is upon us, baseball will continue to draw record crowds this summer and people will be able to enjoy the great game on a sunny afternoon every bit as much as they did before. If you care so much about steroids in baseball I invite you to turn your attention to drunk drivers or drug-fueled crime. You know, stuff that actually matters in this world.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, major-league baseball, Shawne Merriman, steroids