Melky gets 50 game suspension

[GordonGecko]

For testing positive for testosterone.

They should test Dustin Pedroia. What's the penalty for testing positive for estrogen?

[NelsonMuntz]

And in other breaking news, scientists have discovered that water is indeed wet. Seriously, is anyone really surprised by this development?

[jcarey]

And in other breaking news, scientists have discovered that water is indeed wet. Seriously, is anyone really surprised by this development?

Not really. It seems like the perfectly logical thing to do after you get cut from a major league team. What did he have to lose?

[ieddyi]

this isn't getting enough attention. I'm pretty much rooting for the guy now, as weird as that sounds.

Well, the positive test was around the ASB, so he and his lawyers were probably looking for a Braun like escape. He did appeal , so his manning up now puts him ahead of Dbags like Ortiz ( and most players ) but how much credit does he really deserve?

[Yankees61]

Yep, don't think we've exited the Steroid Era quite yet. Here's to hoping they catch Bautista next.

Are you saying that hitting a HR once in every 38 ABs over the course of 6 years, then hitting a HR every 11 ABs over thext 3 years is suspicious?

The guy in my avatar is the REAL single-season HR king.

[ArodEra]

Well, the positive test was around the ASB, so he and his lawyers were probably looking for a Braun like escape. He did appeal , so his manning up now puts him ahead of Dbags like Ortiz ( and most players ) but how much credit does he really deserve?

Agree with your sentiments. Speaking of d-bags, the biggest one of all is Ortiz, and not because of the uniform but because of his statements that players using PEDs are disgracing their families and should be banned from the game. I wonder how disgraced he and his family feel.

[4trainEddie]

getting caught has cost him minimum $40 million on signing a multi year contract this off season.
he was making 6 this year , thats down to 4 now.
after taxes and agents fees , he might bank 2 for 2012.
with at least 3 kids and their mama's, he's crying for sure now.

he might get a one year 7 mil to prove himself for 2013.


what happened to the youtube video of him and the chick in the hotel room from a few years ago?

Cano is a free agent after next year,
amigo de la buena suerte

[Jace]

I know I am in the minority, but in this case the man who hit .327 should win the batting title. Otherwise the 3.1 per or the 502 are meaningless.

You just want the rule to be different than it is. The rule is that if you have less than 502 ABs, you still qualify for the batting title, but the denominator in your batting average is 502 and the number of hits you have is still the numerator. Thus someone who went 10-20 and hit an awesome .500 before they got injured and missed the rest of the season hits only .010 for the purposes of the batting title and won't win

There isn't a hard minimum, there is nothing really cosmically significant about having 3.1 ABs per game (its fairly arbitrary), someone that is by far the best hitter but had 501 ABs is still the best hitter

[Ram Man]

You just want the rule to be different than it is. The rule is that if you have less than 502 ABs, you still qualify for the batting title, but the denominator in your batting average is 502 and the number of hits you have is still the numerator.

If memory serves (and it may not in this case) I believe this first came up during the 1980 season when George Brett was over .400 in September but had missed enough games due to injury that there was a question about whether he would win the batting title. It was decided that he would qualify for the batting title if phantom ABs were added to his total to bring his PA count up to 502. As it turned out, he exceeded 502 PAs so the point was moot. However, the phantom AB policy was then adopted to address this situation for all leader categories that required minimum PAs.

[Yanks4eva1]

Holy smokes! I shouldn't be surprised but I am - about how incredibly stupid these players are. I think Melky looked at his friend Robbie, who actually has more talent and wanted to not only get a big payday next year, but wanted to surpass Mr. Cano and grab some of his spotlight for his own. He was a bad influence as a Yankee and this is just reflective of his character. What can you do? Just stupid.

[BxBomber44]

Melky was a bad influence as a Yankee? News to me. I always liked Melk and and glad he at least he admitted it up front - he was searching for a pay-day and got caught, so it goes. I'll never forget what Buster Olney once said... someone asked if he'd do Steroids if he was guaranteed $220 million over the course of a career (referencing manny).

[daverave]

Obligatory avatar change

Melky, we hardly knew ye...

[theDurk]

Obligatory avatar change

Melky, we hardly knew ye...

One of my all-time favorite av's...

EDIT: missed the PEDS photoshop. I need a bigger monitor.

[JL25and3]

If memory serves (and it may not in this case) I believe this first came up during the 1980 season when George Brett was over .400 in September but had missed enough games due to injury that there was a question about whether he would win the batting title. It was decided that he would qualify for the batting title if phantom ABs were added to his total to bring his PA count up to 502. As it turned out, he exceeded 502 PAs so the point was moot. However, the phantom AB policy was then adopted to address this situation for all leader categories that required minimum PAs.

The phantom AB rule was around for a few years in the 50s, and was finally adopted for good in 1967.

The standards for qualifying have changed over the years, and haven't always been the same in both leagues. According to b-r.com:

• Prior to 1920, a player must have appeared in 60% of the team's games to qualify for a title. This number was rounded to the nearest integer.
• From 1920-1937 (unclear, and previously thought to be until 1944), a player must have appeared in 100 games.
• From 1938-1944, the AL used 400 at bats and the NL stayed with 100 games as found by Paul Rivard of SABR.
• From 1945-1956, a player must have 2.6 at bats per team game. Note however, that from 1951-1954 a player could lead if they still led after the necessary number of hitless at bats were added to their at bat total.
• From 1957 to the present, a player must have 3.1 plate appearances per team game. Note however, that from 1967 to the present a player could lead if they still led after the necessary number of hitless plate appearances were added to their at bat total.

Supposedly the 1954 batting title influenced the change from AB to PA as the qualifier. Ted Williams hit .345 in 526 PA - but only 386 AB, with 136 walks. Bobby Avila won the batting title at .341, but people realized it was silly to penalize Williams for all those walks.

[JDPNYY]

getting caught has cost him minimum $40 million on signing a multi year contract this off season.
he was making 6 this year , thats down to 4 now.
after taxes and agents fees , he might bank 2 for 2012.
with at least 3 kids and their mama's, he's crying for sure now.

he might get a one year 7 mil to prove himself for 2013.


what happened to the youtube video of him and the chick in the hotel room from a few years ago?

Cano is a free agent after next year,
amigo de la buena suerte

It's more like...

Doing PEDs gave him a chance to get a 40 to 50 million dollar contract. He had nothing to lose. Someone will sign him this offseason for what he was worth before his sudden change.

Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

[awy]

worth it

[Ram Man]

The phantom AB rule was around for a few years in the 50s, and was finally adopted for good in 1967.

Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps my first recollection of it potentially being a factor in a batting championship was in 1980.

[NelsonMuntz]

He really should have just pulled an Ortiz and acted like he has no idea how he could have tested positive.

[Snatch Catch]

Well, the positive test was around the ASB, so he and his lawyers were probably looking for a Braun like escape. He did appeal , so his manning up now puts him ahead of Dbags like Ortiz ( and most players ) but how much credit does he really deserve?

Considering the level of ridiculousness in caught players' public statements historically, Melky's response is startlingly refreshing.

Oh, and for the record, I half expect Cano to be next. Ever since he gained all that weight in the Dominican over one offseason several years ago I was suspicious, and his brother from another mother getting pinched now doesn't exactly assuage the fear.

[Jax Teller]

Considering the level of ridiculousness in caught players' public statements historically, Melky's response is startlingly refreshing.

Oh, and for the record, I half expect Cano to be next. Ever since he gained all that weight in the Dominican over one offseason several years ago I was suspicious, and his brother from another mother getting pinched now doesn't exactly assuage the fear.

You know it's going to happen right after the Yankees sign Cano to a huge contract.

[Sixty one]

Shocking and disappointing! Why in the world would he do this and think he could get away with it? Also, when did he start using and who was his supplier? I think major league baseball needs a full investigation on this one.

[JL25and3]

Shocking and disappointing! Why in the world would he do this and think he could get away with it? Also, when did he start using and who was his supplier? I think major league baseball needs a full investigation on this one.

What's particularly special about this one, as opposed to all the others?

[False1]

Obligatory avatar change

Melky, we hardly knew ye...

Lol I like how PEDS was photoshopped Onto the box. Nice touch.

[ieddyi]

"Victor Conte thinks Melky Cabrera just isn’t very bright
Matthew Pouliot Aug 15, 2012, 4:35 PM EDT
21 Comments

BALCO founder Victor Conte still thinks it’s pretty easy to cheat in baseball. That Melky Cabrera got caught with enhanced testosterone levels just means he was doing it wrong.

The T/E test is easy to beat. Only the dumber than dumb get caught RT @Leroy1027 What are your thoughts on Melky's positive drug test?

—
Victor Conte (@VictorConte) August 15, 2012
Failed an IQ test. Easy to beat test RT @RMaq28: Thoughts? Per @MLB, Melky Cabrera suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone.

—
Victor Conte (@VictorCon"


http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...t-very-bright/

[NelsonMuntz]

"Victor Conte thinks Melky Cabrera just isn’t very bright
Matthew Pouliot Aug 15, 2012, 4:35 PM EDT
21 Comments

BALCO founder Victor Conte still thinks it’s pretty easy to cheat in baseball. That Melky Cabrera got caught with enhanced testosterone levels just means he was doing it wrong.

The T/E test is easy to beat. Only the dumber than dumb get caught RT @Leroy1027 What are your thoughts on Melky's positive drug test?

—
Victor Conte (@VictorConte) August 15, 2012
Failed an IQ test. Easy to beat test RT @RMaq28: Thoughts? Per @MLB, Melky Cabrera suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone.

—
Victor Conte (@VictorCon"


http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...t-very-bright/

Yep. The best cheaters are always a step ahead of the testing.