Canseco wants immunity

Jose Canseco now wants immunity to testify before Congress...

Wait, isn't he the one who claims HE brought steroids into baseball? This would be like letting OJ get immunity to testify in his own defense at his trials, or Pete Rose asking for immunity to talk about gambling in baseball. Immunity is reserved for those who can help indictment of figures ABOVE in a criminal action, not below. While Sheffield, Bonds, and others have used steroids in the past (knowing or not), they weren't actively involved in introducing them to the sport, nor pushing them, nor, as Canseco claims, injected them into others.

Canseco has done a LOT of stupid things in his life -- domestic abuse with two spouses, losing bar fights with his meathead brother, blowing out his arm pitching, and attempting to field anything in right field. He was a borderline hall of famer on his batting stats and other offensive achievements, but his off-the-field behavior put him low on many lists. Canseco has been effectively blackballed by major league baseball, not by conspiracy, but by his own egotistical stupidity.

This is not the guy you want coaching your kid's Little League team -- or even coming to SPEAK to your Little League team. Heck, I think a sleepover at Michael Jackson's house would be more appealing.

Maurice Clarett

So everyone bought the hype on Maurice Clarett's new attitude, largely because so many players in recent years have backed away from full participation in the combine drills. Some folks went as far as to push him back into day one.

Those who tried to jump ahead of the story got burned by Clarett's lackluster 40s. And then he declined to participate in the remaining drills, despite his "new attitude" claim that he'd do them all. His 4.72 didn't blow anyone off the mat, and his 4.82 followup probably dropped him from being a pre-combine risky third-round pick down to being a risky sixth round pick. At this point, he'll be lucky to wind up a seventh rounder.

Here are the facts. One season at a big-time school behind an experienced offensive line and good receiver corps. Two years without touching a football in a game. Off-field behavior issues, including (and especially) with authority figures. Ethical issues. Litigious. Backs down from goals pretty easily. Gets out of shape if left to his own devices.

He may wind up getting taken with a 7th round draft pick by a team with no intention of signing him. Essentially, a team could waste a pick on him and not bother negotiating with him. Because of the draft rules, he'd be ineligible to sign with any NFL franchise and would go back into the 2006 NFL Entry draft, where it could happen again.

Quick hits

I'm going to start working on this section to keep some stuff fresh, as well as generate starts for more formal editorials.

Our first Mock Draft of the season is out there. I think we may see four QBs go in the first round again, which would be a mistake. While Rodgers and Smith do show some potential for success, neither of them are first-rounders in a deep draft. This is part of the problem with kids coming out three years out of high school.

Know how many Hall Of Fame QBs have been replaced out of the draft with a QB that took them to the Super Bowl? One. Precisely one. David Woodley, an eighth round draft pick, replaced Bob Griese, despite poor Don Strock hanging on for centuries as his backup. And he got replaced in the subsequent draft by Dan Marino. So anyone calling for the Packers to draft a QB in the first round is ludicrous. The next starting QB to take a snap under center in Green Bay to start a game has zero chance of catching on. Look at the list of losers under center the Pack employed to replace Bart Starr: Scott Hunter, Jerry Tagge, John Hadl, Lynn Dickey, David Whitehurst, Randy Wright (whom I met, funny story), Don Majkowski, and Mike Tomczak. Only Majkowski made the Pro Bowl (in 1989). Hadl made it six times, five times with the Chargers and once with the Rams. His trade to the Packers for two #1s, a #2, and two #3s kept the Packers uncompetitive for years, and put the Rams in the Super Bowl.

Who'd the Rams get? All-American DT Mike Fanning who played 10 seasons, most of it with the Rams. DB Monte Jackson (two-time pro-bowler). C Geoff Reece. DB Pat Thomas (two-time pro-bowler). Monte Jackson was later traded for three picks himself. Reece was traded for a pick that turnned into Nolan Cromwell (four pro bowls). The Packers later traded Hadl, Ken Ellis, a third rounder, and a 4th rounder for Lynn Dickey. Sheesh! The players the Rams got in that trade helped the team for over a decade.

Disclosure is the better part of valor?

Jason Giambi is expected to make a full recovery from the intestinal parasite and benign tumor (and steroid depletion) and should be back for the post-season. While we here at ContractBud.com are happy to hear his health is improving at long last, we have to wonder -- why won't Giambi disclose more about his benign tumor?

Hitting .221 with only 11 homers by mid-July (punctuated by an 0-21 at the end there), Giambi evokes neither the courage nor the sense of humor of John Kruk. John Kruk was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 33 during spring training. He came back to play 75 games that season, hitting .302 to close out his career in Philly, then played a paltry 45 games the next year and retired. Kruk famously showed up with a t-shirt emblazoned with "If you don't let me play, I'm going to take my ball and go home." To this day, he maintains a sense of humor about his life-threatening situation.

While Giambi is more than welcome to retain his privacy over the issue, the number of questions raised not disclosing the information allows the whispers to come through. The speculation about an injection-related tumor will not go away until full disclosure is made. Giambi was already tops on a lot of folks' list for potential steroid users.

Tragedy through free agency?

Unless you're under a rock, you've seen that the Titans released Eddie George yesterday.

To listen to the radio and TV coverage of the event, one would think that he was dead instead of released.  Many times, the word "sad" was thrown around, and they spoke of how gut-wrenching it was to have released him.

In truth, George was much less the saint he is portrayed to be, and much more the athlete who is more concerned with zeroes in his check than thousands on the field.  This mostly came down to an argument over whether a $1 million roster bonus paid to him in March (that counted on this year's cap) would be counted as part of this year's salary.

I wish George the best whereever he goes, but he'll never find a better situation than he had here.  Oh, and to the talking heads in this city, don't say that it's a sad day for everyone in Nashville.  This Nashvillian isn't a bit sad.

Baseball expansion?

"He [Bud Selig] also said it's possible baseball will decide where the Expos move before finalizing a deal to sell the team, a process that could extend into early 2005. He said that areas that don't wind up with the Expos could become contenders for other franchises."

Wait a second here Bud. Baseball is losing money hands over fist and two to four teams needed to be contracted as of November 2001. Less than 3 years later, things are so hunky dory that baseball can expand? Are we talking going to 32 teams, 4 divisions, and a football playoff structure (4 division winners, 2 wildcards and a bye)? So Portland, NoVa, and Las Vegas get teams?

Or is he talking about moving his soon-to-be sold Brewers as well as perhaps a struggling franchise such as Tampa as well?

New 32 team league....

AL East
New York
Boston
Toronto
Baltimore

AL Midwest
Chicago
Minnesota
Detroit
Cleveland

AL Southwest
Kansas City
Texas
Las Vegas*
Tampa

AL West
Seattle
Anaheim
Oakland
Portland*


NL East
Philly
NoVa/DC/Norfolk*
New York
Pittsburgh

NL Midwest
Chicago
St Louis
Milwaukee
Cincy

NL South
Florida
Atlanta
Houston
Arizona

NL West
LA
SF
SD
Colorado

All-Star voting...

I think pretty much everyone on the staff is in agreement that the All-Star voting process sucks. That's a pretty fair statement.

However, Ed's inspired me to write an article about the All-Star process, so that's likely my next endeavor.

Comments?