Timdesuyo: vandenberg.: Am I the only one who thinks the guy who wrote the original article isn't a douche?

Wow, some dude who runs a blog wrote that its possible Ibanez took steroids. BFD.

I can see both sides to it. The blogger came to a logical conclusion, and didn't say that it was proof. But if someone accused me of using roids, I'd be pissed, because that kind of rumor spreads fast, sticks, and makes your professional life tough.

What logical conclusion did he come to, if I may ask?

Raul Ibanez eats babies.

Now send me a stool sample.

he sounds guilty

Bill Frist: he sounds guilty

Anyone who defends themselves must be guilty. This is an amazing society we've built ourselves.

I have to go take a stool.

Man, he pwned the shiat out of that guy.

/Has lost all interest in baseball

Maybe moving from Seattle to a place the sports media can find on a map wasn't the best idea for Raul.

12 of his 20 HRs are on the road, so it's not Citizen's Bank Park, or at least mostly not.

you have pee hands: Maybe moving from Seattle to a place the sports media can find on a map wasn't the best idea for Raul.

12 of his 20 HRs are on the road, so it's not Citizen's Bank Park, or at least mostly not.

Know what else doesn't hurt? Playing the Nationals 12 times and hitting 6 HRs.

The blog was fair. Ibanez should be mad at McGwire, A-ROD, Clemens, Bonds and everyone else who created this culture.

Its an easy cheap target because main media writers hate bloggers.

No. The best way to deny steroid use is to reply by providing your actual test results and saying, "fark you! Here are my test results. Now shut the fark up!" Offering samples of your waste/hair is not proof. It's posturing.

That game is over otherwise. Of course, leaving 16 runners on doesn't help either. And seriously, I'm a Mets big fan, but they leave 16 runners on and you're going to blame the umps?

Yup, despite all their shortcomings, they played well enough to beat the Phillies in 9 innings. Ump doesnt blow that call and the final score is 5-4 mets after 9.

The umps have already gave them a division title, whats one more game?

Brooklyn Irish Mets Fan: That game is over otherwise. Of course, leaving 16 runners on doesn't help either. And seriously, I'm a Mets big fan, but they leave 16 runners on and you're going to blame the umps?

Yup, despite all their shortcomings, they played well enough to beat the Phillies in 9 innings. Ump doesnt blow that call and the final score is 5-4 mets after 9.

The umps have already gave them a division title, whats one more game?

Well, the Umps tried to give the run back to the Mets by letting Tatis run over Ruiz on a sacrifice attempt, but Santos popped out.

The Phillies also wouldn't have caught up if either Beltran or Wright could catch, so who's to say the end of the game plays out the same way if the Mets have another run on the board anyway?

1derful: Daniels: Considering Manny Ramirez's (5th OF, 2nd LF) and Alex Rodriguez's (2nd) standings in the All-Star voting -- I'm gonna go ahead and say that the fans aren't really the ones who care about steroids. It makes for good copy. That's about it.

Being as Manroid and A-roid play in the two largest cities in the country, that analogy is shiat. When the cheater is on your team, you're less inclined to condemn them. If it comes out that Pujols was a juicer, you won't see me making any roid-related puns on his name.

If? I think you mean When

Im with Ibanez all the way. He said he'll do the test, and hold anyone accountable for their words. I think thats great. Except....The blogger actually didnt accuse but rather stated the the notion he may be on steroids is forthcoming as this era of baseball is filled with such accusations. I like Ibanez and I think he has a righ to defend himself, but lets not jump to conclusion. No accusation was actually made by the original blogger. Just the presumed assumption that people would be suspicious and i cant argue with that. That said, his response was gold and i respect him for it.

I wonder if Ibanez mixes The Clear and The Cream like he mixes his metaphors?

Production spikes like he has this year happens to few players at his age. Barry Bonds comes to mind as a player who's production spiked like Ibanez.

I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. My only question is this. You say test me test me test me. Why dont you just get your own test done and publicize the results. that will shut people up.

ckirchen1: No. The best way to deny steroid use is to reply by providing your actual test results and saying, "fark you! Here are my test results. Now shut the fark up!" Offering samples of your waste/hair is not proof. It's posturing.

Fair or not, the above doesn't really prove much either.

Who has failed a steroid test? Almost no one. Not Bonds, not Clemens, not McGwuire. A-Rod ONLY failed when it was supposed to be an anonymous test. Manny didn't even fail for steroids, only for female fertility drugs used to mask steroids.

"You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool

He's gonna give him his underwear?

Brooklyn Irish Mets Fan: That game is over otherwise. Of course, leaving 16 runners on doesn't help either. And seriously, I'm a Mets big fan, but they leave 16 runners on and you're going to blame the umps?

Yup, despite all their shortcomings, they played well enough to beat the Phillies in 9 innings. Ump doesnt blow that call and the final score is 5-4 mets after 9.

The umps have already gave them a division title, whats one more game?

IAmRight: Couldn't we just wait to see how the year plays out? Like no one's ever had a great couple of months before.

Since you are living in denial that Ibanez's stats look shady at best, I was wondering if you still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy?

Cueball is on pace, at AGE 37, to hit 55 HR, 156 RBI, .329 BA, 1.062 OPS.

Career best in those stats: 33 HR in 2006, 123 RBI in 2006, .304 BA in 2004, .869 OPS in 2006.

Sounds like a Roider to me.

Dawg47: Lil ragey, dontcha think?

I'm late to the party, but yeah, I was thinking the same thing... sounds like Roid Rage to me.

I just read the guy's original blog post. The real story here is that some sportswriter for the Philadelphia newspaper couldn't come up with a real story... So he just pointed to some guy's blog and cried foul.

JRod's blog entry was totally fair and should be standard reading for every baseball fan. The player only reacted to the sportswriter's column, and he had taken the guy totally out of context.

Simple case of he said - he said and then some guy threatened to take a dump.

IAmRight: You're still wrong. The BEST way is to, when approached, pull down your pants, take a piss and a sh*t, shave your balls, and say, "Here you go. Test 'em."

Everyone who has been indicted passed a bunch of drug tests. No one has straight up given samples to the media.

I am not talking about the league administrered test being passed. An independent one. Allow the diagnostic facility to share the information as well as samples. I should have specified further.

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/06/10/whats-eating-raul/#more-2248

sorry i fail at linking but from that article:

Through 55 games, Ibanez was hitting .329/.386/.676 with 19 homers.

OK, let's start in 2002. That year, Ibanez had a 50-game streak - June 7 to August 2 - when he hit .328/.385/.704 with 15 doubles, 5 triples, 15 homers. He drove in 54 runs. Few noticed because the Royals were abysmal that year, and it was in the middle of the season. But that stretch, you will note, is about as good as the stretch he's on now. In some ways, it's even better.

In 2003, he had a 55-game stretch where he hit .326/.360/.514 ... not as good, but pretty damned good.

In 2004, he hit .365 over a 54-game stretch. In 2005, he got off to a dreadful start and then hit .330/.400/.524 over his next 55 games. In 2006, he hit 18 homers and drove in 57 RBIs in a 52-game stretch.

The last 52 games of the 2007 season, Ibanez hit .363/.425/.652 with 15 homers.

Last year, for 55 games, July 12 to Sept. 14, he hit .374/.435/.648 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers. And that, you might remember, was in Seattle and a lousy hitters' ballpark.

This is a man who, when he gets hot, absolutely tears up pitchers. I've seen it up close. He has had a 50-to-60 game hot streak EVERY SINGLE YEAR since 2002.

dont let facts get in the way though

Hans Kammler: http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/06/10/whats-eating-raul/#more-2248

sorry i fail at linking but from that article:

Through 55 games, Ibanez was hitting .329/.386/.676 with 19 homers.

OK, let's start in 2002. That year, Ibanez had a 50-game streak - June 7 to August 2 - when he hit .328/.385/.704 with 15 doubles, 5 triples, 15 homers. He drove in 54 runs. Few noticed because the Royals were abysmal that year, and it was in the middle of the season. But that stretch, you will note, is about as good as the stretch he's on now. In some ways, it's even better.

In 2003, he had a 55-game stretch where he hit .326/.360/.514 ... not as good, but pretty damned good.

In 2004, he hit .365 over a 54-game stretch. In 2005, he got off to a dreadful start and then hit .330/.400/.524 over his next 55 games. In 2006, he hit 18 homers and drove in 57 RBIs in a 52-game stretch.

The last 52 games of the 2007 season, Ibanez hit .363/.425/.652 with 15 homers.

Last year, for 55 games, July 12 to Sept. 14, he hit .374/.435/.648 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers. And that, you might remember, was in Seattle and a lousy hitters' ballpark.

This is a man who, when he gets hot, absolutely tears up pitchers. I've seen it up close. He has had a 50-to-60 game hot streak EVERY SINGLE YEAR since 2002.

dont let facts get in the way though

AND, the Royals let him go so they could sign Juan Gonzales! FAIL!

BTW - that should be:
Play the Nats 12 times in 2 months

Is Ibanez really stupid enough to be surprised by these allegations? His outrage outrages me.

edip1976: Also Disregard the fact that he looks exactly the same, except older.

I have ZERO opinion on whether Ibanez juices.

But the idea that your body automatically morphs into the Hulk when you use any PEDs is compeltely idiotic. Look at the list of people who have been named, only a handful like Bonds turned into monsters. You can't tell by looking.

Or Canseco, or McGwire, or Palmiero, or Sosa, Or Clemens, Or Giambi, Or Rodriguez...
You see where I'm going with this, right?

Some Hulk up - Bonds
Some Bulk up - A-Rod

None stay exactly the same.

maroonpk: I just read the guy's original blog post. The real story here is that some sportswriter for the Philadelphia newspaper couldn't come up with a real story... So he just pointed to some guy's blog and cried foul.

John Gonzalez of the Philly Inquirer is a complete hack. All of us in Philly know this. I'm a die-hard Phils fan but even I can't argue with the thought process that the original blog writer had in his post. Maybe his conclusions were a little bit of a stretch, but he has every right to pose the question and examine the evidence.

Also Ken Rosenthal comes off like a COMPLETE douchebag.

Degree Absolute: Is Ibanez really stupid enough to be surprised by these allegations? His outrage outrages me.

yea while i believe ibanez, it is silly to not see this coming. I mean were in the steroid era. everyones guilty until proven innocent. So prove your innocence.

I don't know about steroids, but Raul Ibanez definitely takes testosterone. Orally. Provided by Chase Utley.

stank: I don't know about steroids, but Raul Ibanez definitely takes testosterone. Orally. Provided by Chase Utley.

2/10. Obvious Mets troll is obvious.

thompsonius: Dawg47: Lil ragey, dontcha think?

I'm late to the party, but yeah, I was thinking the same thing... sounds like Roid Rage to me.

this

Hans KammlerThis is a man who, when he gets hot, absolutely tears up pitchers. I've seen it up close. He has had a 50-to-60 game hot streak EVERY SINGLE YEAR since 2002.
dont let facts get in the way though

So so true, but since he's become an East Coast playa, he's gotta know no-one is allowed any kind of success without wanna-be writers pissing all over themselves. If he'd tanked for a month at the beginning and THEN went on this tear he would be under the radar. But people (especially drunk, lazy writers) like shiny things they don't have to dig for.

My question is WHERE THE HELL IS THE shiat STORM OVER JUAN PIERRE'S PERFORMANCE SINCE MANNY'S BEEN OUT??!!??1?? Wharblgarble.