Sunday Lightning 2.22.2009

• Bursting the bubble of innuendo about trainer Angel Presinal:

Peering through the subterfuge about personal trainer Angel Presinal, the implication is that any kind of involvement with him at all by any player means that they were automatically using his apparent familiarity with steroids as basis for conviction of guilt, and it is----in the court of public opinion. The truth is that simply because the man knows about steroids and probably provided them with guidance in their correct usage to certain players, that doesn't mean he's on a level with Kirk Radomski and Brian McNamee as a dealer/enabler.
As someone who's done research into steroids; has friends who are serious, competitive bodybuilders; and has worked in gyms, I'm here to tell you that because someone has a certain knowledge about the usage of PEDs, knows where to get them and how to apply them, it doesn't eliminate any training knowledge they have or disqualify them from helping those who want to play clean. I know about steroids but have never used them and, truth be told, I don't think they're that dangerous if used correctly under medical supervision; it's not as cut and dried as is implied.
ESPN.com had a story about Presinal posted yesterday----LINK. Reading between the lines through the gray areas and knowing what I know about personal trainers and steroids, here's what I think goes on with Presinal: he knows about steroids; he knows how to beat drug tests; and if a player asks about them, he tells them what the deal is. He neither recommends them, nor advises against them; if a player wants to play clean, he can help them get into condition without them; if they don't, he has the knowledge to help them there too.
Because a person has knowledge about a certain subject doesn't make them guilty. People believe that competitive bodybuilders are muscleheaded idiots, and some of them are; but they also have to know about nutrition; and I'm not talking about basic carbs, proteins, fats; I'm talking about everything about how each and every single thing a person ingests affects their body and performance; that includes water intake, how many calories to consume, how to gain and lose weight and be in peak condition on a particular day at a particular time. It's a science. So as the media tries to turn this Presinal into the devil incarnate and assume everyone who's had any dealings with him whatsoever is, by proxy, a steroid user, the fact is that they might be; but they also might not be; but you'd never know that by the ominous way in which he's portrayed.

• When (not if) Manny signs with the Dodgers, he'll be looking for someone to blame for his "substandard" contract:

After Manny Ramirez finally rejoins the Dodgers, I've said all along that he's going to publicly fire Scott Boras for not following through on his promises to get him $100 million. Then there's going to be the sticky situation of an irritated Manny because he had to "settle" for around $25 million for one year. That's the thing with Manny: he seems to blame others (even those that are trying to help him) for his problems. Boras does deserve a chunk of the blame for what's gone on with Manny from the way he forced his way out of Boston and behaved like a fool; but Manny's not as stupid as people tend to believe; he shares in the responsibility as well. One thing that has to be worrying to the Dodgers is that Manny is going to show up in a bad mood because he didn't get the multi-year deal he wanted even if was the Dodgers who wanted him and paid him.
It reminds me of when the Oakland Raiders drafted Lester Hayes far later in the NFL draft than his talents indicated he should've gone (Hayes had a stutter which made people think he was stupid); he showed up to camp all angry because he was passed over by so many teams; Raiders coach John Madden had to explain to Hayes that it wasn't the Raiders he should've been mad at because they were the ones who did draft him. If Manny's on a one-year deal, it shouldn't be a problem because he'll still be motivated to give the big money another shot next year, but if they give him a two-year contract, who knows what Manny's frame of mind will be as he sits there and stews?

• Circumstances could save New York Rangers coach Tom Renney:

The NHL is a league that tends to fire their coaches first and ask questions later and the Rangers coach Tom Renney is right in front of the firing squad for several reasons, not the least of being how awful the team's been lately. Even with that, he probably has tonight to get the team straightened out because of the accident of circumstance that two of the team's old-time players----Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell----are being honored at Madison Square Garden tonight. After the ceremonies, they're playing a rebuilding team in the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom they should beat; and if they don't, they're not playing again until Wednesday in Toronto against the same team which is plenty of time to make a change.
Not wanting to distract from a celebration is a strange way to save a coach's job, but these things happen and sometimes they turn out to be for the best. Many coaches and managers have been days, hours and minutes away from being sacked, and are spared for one reason or another out of sheer luck and turn things around. Firing Renney wouldn't solve the Rangers problem of not being able to score, but the players do seem to have tuned him out; and he's not blameless in this whole mess because his team plays a lackluster offensive style, has been hideous on the power play and he has a lot of say-so in the composition of the roster.
They're still in a relatively secure playoff position and there's no team in the conference that they can't get past in the playoffs, so a change, even if it's just for the rest of the season (the NHL also tends to fire coaches briefly, then bring them back sometime during the next season) might be a wakeup call. Team president Glen Sather is close with veteran coach Pat Quinn and he's a successful, respected coach; Peter Laviolette is still out of work; and the Rangers employ a "fixer" with a history of having his teams burst out of the gate when he takes over in Jim Schoenfeld. Then there are the less intriguing names like Bob Hartley, John Tortorella or Robbie Ftorek. One way or the other, Renney had better get the team back on the right track, because if they lose again and look like zombies, he'll be out. (Following is a great clip of Schoenfeld confronting a referee in the runway while he was coaching the Devils):

Money Down The Tubes And ARod's Links

• Tom Glavine returns to the Braves for $1 million+incentives:

If Glavine can provide anything----leadership, a few innings, a win here or there----I suppose it's worth it, but the Braves have some young pitching that would undoubtedly deliver more on the field than Glavine can at this point. It's easy to look back and say he should've retired after that final game debacle for the Mets in 2007; and I probably wouldn't have wanted to go out on that note either; but he returned to the Braves, didn't pitch well and got hurt. Truth be told, he looks like he's got nothing left in the tank. The Braves have James Parr, Charlie Morton and Tommy Hanson off the top of my head who deserve the rotation spot more than Glavine does based on ability alone.
I only hope for Glavine's sake that he'll know when to quit if he pitches poorly and his body doesn't respond in spring training. It's obvious why the Braves are bringing him back: if he can pitch, he can be of some use; they're reeling from John Smoltz's stunning defection and recent comments about the organization; and they're being loyal to Glavine for his years of service. This, however, is a major part of the Braves current problems; they're clinging to the past and reluctant to do what needs to be done to rebuild the orgnanization properly; and part of that is cutting ties with the past and guys who can't do it anymore like Tom Glavine.

• Nothing more needs to be said about this:

This guy's in trouble. Read this link to the story about Alex Rodriguez: NY Daily News Story and I'm sure you'll agree.

The ARod Press Conference----A Preview

• Much ado about nothing:

If you think Alex Rodriguez is going to come out with any kind of unrehearsed, freewheeling and spontaneous response to any question at today's press conference, you can forget it. Here's how this thing's going to go:

1. The "supportive teammates" will stream out in front of ARod (Derek Jeter will be there, although everyone knows that he'd prefer to be spreadeagled and coated with honey over a pair of warring nests of red ants than be at that press conference) along with manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman; the Steinbrenners won't be there. Making themselves inconspicuous in the background will be the army of lawyers, PR people and image consultants that ARod has employed, along with ex-wife Cynthia. (Madonna will be at power yoga and unable to attend.)
   
2. ARod will give a short statement, adding a bit more flesh to his evasive responses to the softballs Peter Gammons hurled at him, but not saying anything of consequence or, more importantly, to incriminate himself. There will still be a plausible deniability as to the amount of stuff he used, when and from whom he got it. The statement will be rife with contrition and regret and clearly written by someone other than ARod.
   
3. He'll take questions from the press, but won't answer them directly; he'll be more forthcoming than he was in the Gammons interview, will defend himself with a smile and repeatedly apologize for lying to the kids of America who look up to him; to his family and friends. Instead of pulling a Roger Clemens and playing the slugging boxer, trying to do battle with those that dare question his integrity and motives, ARod will dance. Rather than bore in as a two-fisted slugger like Roberto Duran, he'll pull a Sugar Ray Leonard; prancing around, answering but not answering; never being specific and sticking to his script. The press will unload on him afterward, saying that he wasn't more upfront and honest than he was in the Gammons interview, just more slick, more polished and more prepared. He'll be ripped in the media and by anonymous teammates for being a poser and this story will continue to be a distraction throughout camp and at least until the season starts.
   

• On a more interesting note, I did some in-the-trenches research into ARod's choice of PEDs:

I dug out one of my hardcore steroid books (don't ask): The Underground Steroid Handbook by the late Dan Duchaine and found some interesting (and unintentionally funny considering ARod's image) facts about the drugs he was supposedly taking. Duchaine was known as a steroids "guru" and was unabashed about helping his clients procure and use the drugs correctly and assisting them in passing drug tests when they were using. He also formulated a dieting system somewhat like a souped up version of that Atkins Diet for bodybuilders to lose fat and increase definition. (I suspect relatively strongly that before he died, Duchaine was involved with some major league players; Ken Caminiti advocated a diet that he used during his steroid years with the Padres that sounded eerily close to Duchaine's "high-fat" diet and Duchaine was based not far from San Diego.)
The Underground Steroid Handbook isn't written by a doctor or for medical purposes, but it effectively describes what was once exclusively for bodybuilders and strength athletes and was tacitly allowed to creep into baseball through lax enforcement and the absence of rules prohibiting them. Primobolan is considered, without trying to be humorous, a steroid for those that are afraid to use the real deal PEDs like Winstrol, Sustanon, Deca Durabolin and Dianabol. ARod was never specific about how he took the drugs, but there are the pills and shots and it seemed to be implied that he took shots; the following describes the shots since the pills are predominately used by women, which may or may not exclude ARod. (The book was published in 1989):

PRIMABOLAN ACETATE:
This short-acting injectable form of Primabolan has a cult following of competitive bodybuilders in America. It is now only manufactured in Germany . European athletes used to regard Primo Acetate injection to be for children because the dosage is so small.

I don't consider Primo Acetate injection effective for anyone unless used in large doasges. There are other steroids just as safe to use and more effective...

PRIMOBOLAN DEPOT:
This is a longer acting Primobolan than the Acetate and is usually taken weekly. It is thought to increase muscle size by decreasing muscle density, although this view is held by athletes, not scientists.

It's side effects are less that Deca's; it may not raise blood pressure as much as other injectables. Primabolin Depot in America is an 'I'll try it for a while.' kind of drug.* (*Italics added.)

The very idea of ARod----at age 25; as cautious as he was with his body; and as serious as he was about his place in history----was going to take anything without knowing what it was is ludicrous; it's beyond ludicrous. The information above isn't what you'll get off the internet, but the facts about the drugs, who takes them and why. Those steroids themselves are considered kind of "juice for fairies" who are afraid to take the full step and take the hard core drugs that most everyone else was taking. ARod was never (and presumably never will be) specific about what he was taking, but it's clear from the descriptions of the drugs that it was Primabolan Depot that he was taking and he wanted to try it to see if it worked.
The sickest part is that what he was taking probably didn't help him all that much, if at all; and the conscious choice of taking PEDs with limited side effects (and of course, limited effectiveness) is circumstantial evidence that ARod knew damn well what he was taking and wanted to give it a shot (pardon the pun). Had he stayed clean, his numbers probably would've been at or close to what they were with the drugs; but now ARod's tainted forever even if he was taking "juice for fairies" and even if he does the unthinkable and spills his guts sometime in the near future, nothing's going to change that and he did this to himself and no press conference with the entire Yankees roster standing behind him is going to help him regain what he lost with his stupid insecurities.