Friday, August 17, 2012


TIME TO LOOK AT SABEAN, GIANTS
AS MUCH AS THE DRUGGED PLAYERS


We may never rid drugs from baseball and other sports because
technology always seems to be one step ahead. Now it's 'fast-acting
testosterone' which leaves the system in 6-8 hours, except in
Cabrera's case. But, teams can certainly cut down dignificantly
if they try to deal with the problem. Some, like Giants GM Brian
Sabean really don't seem to care, especially when he can take
advantage of the situation.

Sabean is no dummy. He just paid 4 million for a player who gave him
a great 100 games, keeping single handedly keeping the Giants
m in first place to the time he was suspended. Jose Guillen's short
stint with the team in it's world series year was more than enough
to provide several winning hits to help them finish one game ahead
of the Padres. Not to mention G Moto and possiblly other known users
on the team that year. Before that is wass, of course, Bonds,
Santiago, Barnard and company.

If Sabean would have REALLY done his 'due dilligence' a red flag would have
gone up when he saw these simple stats before his face:
- Cabrera was a lifetime .250 hitter who suddenly rocketed to over .300
hitting with homeruns going to double figures
- Cabrera was on four different teams in four years
- Cabrera started working out with convicted user,Alex Rodriques,
prior to his first prodigious (2011).
- Why Kansas City would let him go for Jonathan Sanchez and only at
a price tag of around 4 million..
Circumstantial evidence maybe, but well enough to tell other GMs to stay away
from this guy. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
Sabean, regarded as one of the more difficult GMs to even reach by phone,
was never a talented trader. Why else did he have to go after the likes of
known users Moto and Guillen plus other suspected ones. Sabean certainly
knew of Bonds' history many years but centered the team around hiim, firing
others including his managing partner Bill Neucomb, who was too honest.

Another point: Kudos to Kirk Gibson for noting
the effect this has had on other teams. Amazed other teams haven spoken out.
The Giants have had an unfair advantage in winning a certain number of
games they wouldn't have won without Cabrera on drugs. Certainly they wouldn't
have been in first place. Other teams , especially teams that have played
the Giants, like Arizona, have had a significant disadvantage when playing
the Giants with Cabrera. Hard to measure but probably a game or two per team
could have gone the other way, as Cabrera has had more key hits for the
Giants than any other player on the team.

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