Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Brown

A Letter to Manny Ramirez

Michael Brown — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:01:16 -0400

Writer's note: This article is being written under the assumption that Manny Ramirez did indeed take steroids. This assumption is made based upon a Boston Globe article stating that the fertility drug Manny took is commonly taken by steroid users.

Dear Mr. Ramirez,

You have broken my heart.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I would like to get some other things off my chest.

Year after year, I put up with "Manny Being Manny." The antics, the trade demands, and the petting of Julian Tavarez's hair. When other people in Boston were calling for your head, I told them to let "Manny be Manny," because of all the good you brought to Red Sox Nation.

I recently wrote an article defending A-Rod's usage, but this, well, this is different. This is personal. This concerns the Sox.

It would be one thing if you came to Boston and it didn't work out, but it did. You succeeded. You won two rings in a town that was cursed.

How well does your memory serve you, Manny?

Do you remember October 27, 2004?

Do you have any idea how significant that date is to every member of the Red Sox Nation?

You once said, and I'm paraphrasing, that anyone who lives and dies with the Sox needs to get a life.

This is a very big part of our lives Mr. Ramirez. I know I am not alone when I say that October 27, 2004 was the happiest night of my life, hands down, no comparison.

You have tainted this memory.

Now I must question the validity of the happiest moment of my life, as well as every other memory I have of you in Boston.

It would be completely and utterly ridiculous for you to even begin to deny using steroids. Since your drug is commonly used by juicers, then you will be tied to steroids.

Ignorance is a totally unacceptable excuse for the positive test. There is no way that you, or Boras, your satanic agent, could let this happen.

You were desperate for the $25 million you signed for. And now, you won't get $7.7 million of that.

You're not that stupid. Don't pretend to be.

Have you ever had a relationship where your ex-girlfriend turns around and finds the man of their dreams?

You get so jealous of her happiness, and you want a reason to hate her. Then, you find out she cheated on you. Now you hate her, and you can move on.

You are the cheating girlfriend, Mr. Ramirez. And now, everyone in Red Sox Nation can loathe you.

Alex Rodriguez: A Different View

Michael Brown — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:11:58 -0500

Let's all be honest for a minute about steroids. While this isn't why A-Rod took steroids, you have to look at the incentive.

My dream has always been to play baseball professionally. If I had more talent and the accessibility to steroids and HGH, I would take them to fulfill my dream. I wouldn't think twice about it.

This is where I have an issue with A-Rod juicing. He was a potential first-ballot Hall-of-Famer before his steroid use (allegedly 2001-03). In his last three years in Seattle, Rodriguez hit a combined 125 home runs. Problem was, he only made a hair under $9.6 million during that span.

He went to Texas with the $22 million per year contract, and wanted out after three years.

Next stop: the big time. The Yankees. Love them or hate them, everyone who has ever played baseball would kill to play in pinstripes. If you never longed to play for them, then you don't appreciate the value of 26 rings.

But when you're in New York, you're in the spotlight. And the New York media is quick to judge.

Everyone from the fiery tabloids to the level-headed Joe Torre has taken their turn at trying to bring down A-Rod, but nothing brings down a ballplayer like steroids.

Bruce Sutter once said, "Baseball is a perfect game, played by imperfect people."

Who are professional ballplayers? Quite a few are adulterers, stoners, womanizers, gamblers, cheaters, or overall immoral people. But we don't hear the stories of every athlete.

According to the story that singled out A-Rod, 104 players tested positive for Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in 2003. Just to put this in perspective, every team's active roster has 25 players. Thus, at least 13.9 percent of professional baseball players juiced in 2003.

I find it ironic that it would be a Yankee that made me come to the following realization—the best players from the steroid era need to be in the Hall of Fame.

You cannot know exactly who juiced and who was clean, so you have to let them all in. Canseco, McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, and the rest deserve their shot at Cooperstown.

You cannot turn the page on the Steroid Era and not look back. You need to appreciate it for what it was. Baseball was fresh off of a work stoppage and needed fan support, badly. Don't believe me? Compare the ratings of the NHL now with the NHL of six years ago.

In essence, the juicers made baseball big again. You enjoyed it. Don't kid yourself. What wasn't fun about the home run chase in '98? Even though I grew up in New England, the Red Sox aren't what got me into baseball, the chase was.

I digress. Alex Rodriguez isn't necessarily a worse human being than any other professional athlete. It's a business, and he made a money-making move.

I'm done booing juicers. It's pointless.

Sox fans, I've had enough of steroid users getting heckled at Fenway. Would you boo Ortiz if he admitted to juicing? What about Nomar? Or Mo Vaughn? Or even (gasp) Jason Varitek?

I would have done exactly the same thing, and I'd bet most of America would too.

As baseball fans, we cannot move forward from the Steroid Era until we recognize the good it did for the game. But more importantly, it needs to become the past.

The Resurrection Of The Boston Bruins

Michael Brown — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:18:06 -0500

A week ago, I did a double-take when reading the score of the game between the Bruins and the Canadiens.

Could it be true? Did my eyes deceive me? Did the Bruins really beat the Habs 6-1?

And then it hit me- These aren't the '07-'08 Bruins. Nor are they the '06-'07 or '05-'06 version.

We are witnessing the resurrection of the Black and Gold. They now have the pieces to be good this year and many years to come. For the first time in recent memory, they have no glaring weakness. They have the pieces, and they're putting them together.

Any discussion about the Bruins offense must involve Marc Savard, who has been phenomenal thus far. With 25 points, he's the Bruins assist and point leader and on pace for a 108 point season. But he isn't the only player pulling his weight. The young forwards for the Bruins have exceeded expectations as well. Six of the Bruins top ten scorers are age 25 or under.

Tim Thomas is playing absolutely spectacular right now, and Manny Fernandez is 5-1-1 himself. Not bad for a thirty-something backup who is supposed to be washed up due to age and injuries.

Right now the Bruins stand at 12-3-4 (28 points), and they sit two points behind the Rangers for first place in the Eastern Conference. However, they have three games in hand on New York.

They're the hottest team in the NHL, and their players are skating with a swagger that hasn't been seen on the Garden ice in years. Look at Milan Lucic. The 20-year-old isn't afraid to pick a fight with whoever crosses his path, and plays with a passion matched by few in today's NHL.

The Bruins are back, and they are proving that they are a force to be reckoned with.

All of a sudden, there are two title contenders playing this winter on Causeway Street.

NFL Division Preview: AFC East

Michael Brown — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:42:39 -0400

Note: This is the first of nine NFL previews, with each division being spotlighted, followed by playoff predicitons.

Every team in this division has some pretty burning questions heading into the season, but one thing is for sure - this is New England's division.

1. New England Patriots (2007: 16-0, Lost Super Bowl XLII to Giants)

The Patriots have won the AFC East six of the last seven seasons, and the year they didn't (2002) was because they lost a tiebreaker to the Jets (both teams finished 9-7).

There is no doubt that the Patriots have one of the most explosive offenses the NFL has seen in a long time. There is also no reason to believe that their record-setting offense will slow down.

Their defense, however, is a big unknown. The Pats let Asante Samuel, who had 16 regular season interceptions the past two seasons plus a handful of playoff takeways, go to Philadelphia. Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson are also gone. Their linebackers are aging, and who knows if Jerod Mayo can step up in time to help the team immediately.

2. Buffalo Bills (2007: 7-9)

While the quarterback job appears to safely be in the hands of Trent Edwards, a sophomore slump would create a big controversy in Buffalo between Edwards and fifth-year QB J.P. Losman.

Losman or Edwards aside, the Bills should make a run at the playoffs. If their two one-point losses came out as wins last year, the Bills would have finished a respectable 9-7.

Look out for Marshawn Lynch this year. If Edwards can establish the pass early in a game, this could leave defenses vulnerable to Lynch, who rushed for 1,115 yards last season as a rookie. Don't expect the Bills to excel at anything, but they should be solid at just about everything, which could spell out success in January.

3. New York Jets (2007: 4-12)

The Jets have overpaid a lot of players this offseason in an attempt to address huge problems they had in 2007. For example, Alan Faneca was signed to a five-year, $40 million deal to help improve one of the league's worst offensive lines. If Faneca makes $8 million this year, he will make more than NFL MVP Tom Brady.

The Jets failed to find an effective QB in either Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens. While Pennington is more talented, he showed a supreme lack of ability in making smart decisions last season. It is possible that Erik Ainge, a fifth-round pick by the Jets, is the future of the team.

Many moves made by the Jets were designed to help them become a contender this year, but I just don't see it happening, unless Clemens or Pennington can mature into a solid QB. If the team wins six games or less, look for Eric Mangini to lose his job.

4. Miami Dolphins (2007: 1-15)

Don't think that having Bill Parcells "buy the groceries" means Tony Sparano will know the right way to "cook". Their three QBs - John Beck, Josh McCown, and Chad Henne - have never proved themselves on the NFL stage. The Miami defense is suspect at best.

The only bright spot for this organization could be the potential running combo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. But if they fail to stay healthy, games will be decided by the defense and whoever is under center.

It also remains unknown if Ted Ginn can handle being the go-to receiver in Miami. While he did this very well at Ohio State, he was playing on one of the best offensive units in college football. Look for Miami to win a few games, but they are still a couple seasons away from returning to success.

Top Five Celtics Games of the Paul Pierce Era (1998-Present)

Michael Brown — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:31:12 -0400

There have been many ups and downs for the Celtics over the past 10 seasons, known as The Paul Pierce Era. Before the beginning of the NBA Finals tonight, here are the top five Celtics games during that decade.

5. November 1, 2000—Celtics 103, Pistons 83

The Truth's first game after being stabbed eleven times outside a club a little over a month beforehand. He drops 28 points on the Pistons, with Antoine Walker chipping in 33 of his own on opening night.

4. January 26, 2003—Celtics 91, Magic 83

Pierce's first career triple-double (27 points, 13 assists, 13 rebounds) powers the Celts past Orlando.

3. February 15, 2006—Cavaliers 113, Celtics 109 (2OT)

This article wouldn't truly represent the ups and downs of the Pierce Era if it did not include a strong performance in a losing effort. Here, the Celts drop a tough one to Cleveland. Pierce drops 50, out-dueling LeBron (43 points), but gets little help from the rest of the team.

2. May 18, 2008—Celtics 97, Cavaliers 92

Game seven. The Truth. King James. You know how the rest of the story goes. LeBron drops 45 but misses key shots down the stretch, and Pierce throws down 41 of his own. Celts move on, Cavs go home.

1. May 25, 2002—Celtics 94, Nets 90

There should be no question as to what the best Celtics game of the past decade is. The Celtics, outplayed by New Jersey for three quarters, were down by 21 in the fourth quarter, and outscored the Nets 41-16 in the final frame. Pierce scores 28, Walkers contributes 23. This win gives the Celtics a 2-1 series lead, but this was the closest (until this year) that Pierce had come to the Finals.

David Ortiz's Injury Could Have Silver Lining for Boston

Michael Brown — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:14:28 -0400

With the recent announcement that David Ortiz is expected to miss at least two to three weeks with a wrist injury, many are quick to assume that this is detrimental to the Red Sox. After all, since the beginning of the 2004 season, no one in Major League Baseball has hit more home runs or driven in more runs than Big Papi.

But is it entirely a bad thing? Though he has not recently been vocal about a desire to be traded, Coco Crisp has been clear that he feels he can be an everyday player, whether for the Sox or another team.

The issue, however, is that none of the three outfielders the Sox have could reasonably be benched in Coco's favor. J.D. Drew is going to make $14 million this year, Manny Ramirez is one of this generation's best players, and Jacoby Ellsbury is a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Now with Big Papi's injury, Manny can DH (which I am sure he does not mind), allowing the Sox to play an outfield of Ellsbury, Crisp, and Drew.

This is crucial to team chemistry at this point in the season. As we approach interleague play and the All-Star game, teams need to come together for the long haul. Playing time allows Coco to show off the skills he still possesses, in case Ortiz recovers easily and the Sox can trade Crisp by the trade deadline for some bullpen help.

The other possibility for the Sox is to give some regular time to Jeff Bailey, who is tearing up AAA pitching for the PawSox. Bailey, in 52 games for Pawtucket, is batting .310, has an OBP of .405 (5th in IL), 17 home runs (3rd in IL) and 45 RBI (3rd in IL). At 29-years old, it would only make sense for him to go up to the majors, right?

Wrong. With a healthy Ortiz, the Sox have no room for him on an everyday basis. When Ortiz or Ramirez DH, Kevin Youkilis plays first and Mike Lowell plays Youk's other position, third base. If Youk plays third so Bailey can play first, then Lowell must sit. Otherwise, Youkilis, who owns the best batting average on the Sox, would have to sit so Bailey can play. Bailey could DH, but then Crisp or Ellsbury must sit in order for this to happen.

Between Bailey and Crisp, the Sox have a lot of trade bait to go get some bullpen help (I refuse to say they could trade Justin Masterson, after giving up Kason Gabbard and David Murphy for the juicer Gagne).

Theo Epstein and Terry Francona should have a very interesting couple of months ahead of them, thanks in part to Big Papi's wrist injury.