CABRERA DRUG BUST LATEST IN 15 YEAR STRING OF QUESTIONABLE GIANTS TRADES - IS THIS REALLY 'DUE DILIGENCE' GM BRIAN SABEAN?
CABRERA JUST THE LATEST IN A 15-YEAR STRING OF TRADES BY THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS FOR FORMER OR SUSPECTED ILLEGAL DRUG USERS.
Most people are blaming the player, in this case Melky Cabrera for his selfish, disregarding use of performance enhancing testosterone. And, yes, of course he's to blame. But, it's time to look at the team who leads the major leagues in drugged player. Of the four players found guilty this year of using performance enhancing drugs, two of them were on the San Francisco giants, namely Cabrera and Guerellma Mota from earlier this year.
Of course the Giants have had a history of substance abusing players - far more than any other team. In it's World Series year there was Jose Guillen, who came to the Giants mid-season and sparked a late season surge that vaulted the Giants into the playoffs and World Series. Before he wascaught and suspended , he'd singlehandedly won games fot he Giants and quite possibly influenced others; note the comic August stats in players like Cody ross, Jose Uribe and others. Twice convcted Mota was undoubtedly using at the time, too. The Giants only won the penant by a game over San Diego, and steroids certainly werre probably enough to make the difference
There are signs that are easily visable re. players on illegal drugs.
Even if a player shows no outward physical signs a player' suddenly increasing stats must be a signal (added to the other sluces) , as were Cabrera's between last seasonat Kansas City and the previous one, one has to question things. And whenyou add the fact that Cabrera trained with convicted user Alex Rodriguez , of the Yankees, one has to get more suspicious.
Brian Sabean, GM of the Giants has blatantly ignored condemning players'
use of drugs and, instead, has continued going out and getting known or suspected users.like Guillen and Mota most recently.. He defended Barry Bonds for years and was ready to bring him back until the commissioner's office told him not to. Guillen and Mota had had previous histories of drug use before Sabean went after them. Therewere a host of others over the Bonds years with whom o Bonds was known to share his secrets.
The Giants readily apologise for the player's use each time they're busted, but then every year seem to come back with more such players. Perhaps not only the players
should be penalized but teams like the Giants should be penalized after, say, two of their players are found guilty of drug use in a year.
When the Giants were supposedly 'given' Cabrera by Kansas City
for Jonathan Sanchez last year everyone was shocked. Now, looking back, perhaps Kansas City knew something - at least that Cabrera could be a malcontent, as he had beenat Atlanta, and that his batting average suddenly shot from .255 to over .300,from 4 homers to 18 homers relaltively late in his career after leaving Atlanta.
One has to consider all these factors and wonder why the Giants acquired Cabrerarelatively easily and for a low price while other teams weren't pursuing him that much.It's an old story with the Giants. Try to win at any cost - even if it means acquiringdamaged goods,' which has been the case over and over. Not that thew playersthey received were ALL users but many were just bad trades, eg Rowland, Zito,
Huff (except for the one world Series year) The Giants have overpaid dearly and nearly signed Cabreraand Lincecum to long contracts except that the players balked.
And NOW one can look back and wonder why the Giants unceremoniously dumped head man Bill Neucomb after their world series year when the Giants started seeing the after effects of 2010.. Perhaps Newcomb didn't like what was going on, seeing the Giants make k dangerous trades that WEREe now biting them in the butt. Without Newcomb, Sabean is more free to continue the trend he began with Barry Bonds some 15 years ago.
OTHER NOTES:
And, by the way, WILL Bonds make the Hall of Fame. Check statistics and be reminded that Bonds was a 'mere .290 hitter who never hit more than 34 homers with Pittsburg, before coming to the Giants in the mid-90s. And, will the so-called sellouts continue at AT&T without the Giants' star
around and with one of the weakest hitting teams that doesn't hit homers and currently has a losing record at home? (Between you and me the Giants have NOT been selling out every game, despite what the team announces for marketing purposes.
I've gone to games and gotten tickets in the 3rd inning and have seen large blocks of empty seats. GM Brian Sabean claims to have done his 'due diligence' in acquiring Cabrearaand his other trades and it is mere coincidence that the Giants have had as many drugged players as have all the other teams together.. LOL. Many were shocked when the Giants backed into their World Series victory in 2010, wondering if it
was a fluke, a one year anomoly. I think that query has been answered. And, finally, people are questioning whether the National league really deserves home field advantage, based on it's victory in the World Series highlighted by none other than Melky Cabrera and his three run homer.
The Giants are not only affecting and infecting their own situation but now all of baseball. If MLB doesn't start clamping down on them perhaps repuation will finally come into play and teams and fans in other cities will let them have it. Sabean likes to say he does his 'due diligence' researching his trades. LOL
CABRERA DRUG BUST LATEST IN STRING OF QUESTIONABLE GIANTS TRADES - 'DUE DILIGENCE' GM BRIAN SABEAN?