Their books share subjects and have similar titles.
Otherwise, Will Carroll’s book on steroids that will be released this week is nothing like the blockbuster memoir Jose Canseco released on Valentine’s Day.
Canseco’s book, “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big,” names names, presents shocking, if unsubstantiated, anecdotes and offers conclusions without documentation.
Carroll’s book, “The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball’s Drug Problems,” uses aliases to describe haunting stories. There’s a 16-year-old (Wes) pitching prodigy who was prescribed – with his parents’ blessing – human growth hormone so he could grow from 5-feet-8 (he did, 3 inches in two years), and a Triple-A singles hitter (John Albertson) who started getting steroid injections in 2001 after a scout told him he was “an empty .300” hitter.
“We’ve had this collective yawn at the players who tested positive so far,” Carroll said, referring to the 47 minor-league players and three nondescript big-leaguers – Alex Sanchez, and Agustin Montero. “And I’m saying, ‘No, no. These are exactly the ones we should have expected.”‘
The problem with Carroll’s book, though, is that after thoroughly researching steroids, he submits no definitive conclusions can be drawn.
Which is exactly the point he wishes the American baseball public would absorb.
“We’ve had this ongoing debate without having any of the facts – not just some of them, but any of them,” Carroll said Thursday. “We have no evidence that steroids have any affect on baseball play. Obviously, steroids make you bigger and make you stronger because they can grow lean muscle mass. Can they make you faster? Yes, because we’ve seen that with sprinters. But the idea that all those skills might not translate into baseball really doesn’t occur to many people.”
Although Carroll’s readers will be far more educated on steroids, the book’s sale receipts will probably show America would rather be entertained. While Canseco made the sensational claim that Jason Giambi is “the most obvious juicer in the game,” Carroll wonders how anyone can look at the substance-abusing brothers of those two players – Ozzie Canseco and Jeremy Giambi – and believe steroids have a significant impact on baseball performance.
After connecting his research of steroids with the home run boom from 1996-2001, Carroll returns to the theory espoused before the BALCO scandal broke in 2003 – the No. 1 factor was a juiced baseball, followed by hitter-favorable ballparks, bat composition, nutritional/strength training enhancement and then, steroids.
“Jay Jaffee, who I think is the premier statistician in the game, the one thing he keeps pointing to is the ball,” Carroll said. “Every time somebody wants to look at the ball, they clam up. They won’t let you test it, they won’t let you look at the factory. I’m not saying steroids don’t help, but there are so many other things.”
What are the odds?
Following a six-year trend, injuries are hitting the Padres hard. First, super sub Eric Young suffered a dislocated shoulder while making a terrific catch in center field and will be out at least two months.
Then, shortstop Khalil Greene suffered the quirk of breaking a finger on his right throwing hand in each of the team’s past two trips to Dodger Stadium. And neither was the result of a pitch, which is how fingers usually get broken.
In a freak accident in September that likely cost him the National League rookie of the year award, Greene broke a bone at the tip of his right index finger while fielding a grounder and missed the final 18 games.
“Before the injury happened I wasn’t too concerned about winning rookie of the year,” said Greene, who finished second to Pittsburgh’s Jason Bay. “It wasn’t something I placed a lot of value on to begin with.”
Last week, Greene suffered a mid-knuckle fracture when an errant throw from catcher Ramon Hernandez clipped the top of his right hand. Greene will be sidelined another three weeks.
Footnotes
There was a time when no one would have thought this would happen: Entering Saturday, the Rockies had averaged bigger crowds on the road (27,505) than at home (24,825). …
Now that baseball got rid of Montreal, what about Tampa Bay? Since opening day, the Devil Rays’ average crowd in their past seven weekday games is 9,301. Not only is Tampa Bay last in the majors in attendance, it’s 39.6 percent behind 29th-place Kansas City. …
This almost meant very little. Through Wednesday, their 15th game, the only starting pitchers to lose to the Yankees all had double-Ls in their last names – Curt Schilling, David Wells, Rob Bell and Ted Lilly. The streak ended Thursday when the Yanks pinned just one “L” on Toronto rookie Gustavo Chacin. …
Sure the Yanks are struggling, but that’s what they get for cutting payroll. According to preliminary luxury-tax estimates released this week, the Yanks opened this season with a $204.6 million payroll, a 1 percent drop from last year’s $207 million.
