As we wind down towards the end of 2009 and into 2010, we decided to take a look back at the events of Major League Baseball in what has been a busy year.
January
Those aren't empty seats, they are Marlins fans wearing head-to-toe orange
On New Year’s Day, the MLB network is launched by commissioner Bud Selig giving fans an opportunity to watch every single game played. This means that Florida Marlins fans have a new outlet with which to ignore their team, to go along with “not going to the games”.
Just over a year after signing a two-year $36.2m deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the hitter formally known as Andruw Jones is released to go and spread his .158 batting average somewhere else.
Jeff Kent retires from baseball as the all-time home run leader for second baseman, and behind only third baseman Bob Jones in the “all-time dull name” category.
February
The venue of the legendary 1965 Beatles concert, Shea Stadium, is demolished. The stadium was also where the New York Mets played baseball up until the last few weeks of the season, when only their opponents played baseball there.
Joe Torre releases a tell-all book about his time managing the Yankees. Among those thrown under the bus are GM Brian Cashman (“betrayer”), Carl Pavano (“hated”) A-Rod (“A-Fraud”). Best wishes, Joe Torre (”bitter”).
Andruw Jones doesn't want to hear about the outrageous 5% paycut you were forced to take because of the economy
The Texas Rangers win (ahem) the Andruw Jones sweepstakes and sign the ever expanding outfielder to a 1-year $500k minor-league contract resulting in a $17.7m pay-cut. That’s probably not good, is it?
Speaking of A-Rod, 7th February was the day Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez is on the “government-sealed” list of 104 major leaguers who tested positive for steroids in 2003. A hastily arranged interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons takes place where Rodriguez admits steroid use whilst with the Rangers between 2001-2003. Fancy that, he stopped using in 2003 and that’s the last time he was tested.
The New York Times reports that another “anonymous” result from that 2003 test was that of Barry Bonds. The report states that although Bonds’ urine sample did not test positive initially, when it was seized by the feds in 2004 a re-test came back positive for steroids. With the slugger still without a team and no sign of playing again, Bond’s urine sample declares that it is now clean and hires an agent.
March
"And with the 1st pick, the Washington Nationals select..."
Jim Bowden resigns as GM of the Washington Nationals amid speculation that he’d been taking cuts from payments made to prospects from Latin America. The baseball community recoils in horror as everyone had always assumed that a roster that bad must have been put together by some variation of “pin the tail on the donkey”, but it turns out they had an actual GM.
The Dodgers re-sign Manny Ramirez to a two-year $45m contract. What could possibly go wrong?
Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling announces his retirement from baseball, allowing him to dedicate all his time to his favourite subject, Curt Schilling.
The Detroit Tigers release Gary Sheffield after batting only .178 during Spring Training. Who says the pre-season doesn’t mean anything? Well, possibly the Mets who gave Sheff a one-year deal.
April
Hours after pitching six shut out innings against the Oakland A’s, rookie Angels pitcher Rick Adenhart is killed when the car he was travelling in is hit by a drunk driver. In a sport where it’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate the lies from the truth, the genuine outpouring of emotion that the Angels players displayed for the rest of the season as a result of Adenhart’s passing captivated even the most cynical of observers. They took his jersey on the road for every game and the message was clear “We haven’t forgotten you, you are still part of this team.”
Bud Selig announces that the 2011 All-Star game will be in Arizona. Nobody outside of Arizona cares.
"Swing batter batter....."
Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson day (April 15th) by allowing all players in the league to wear Robinson’s #42 on their jerseys. Barry Bonds’ urine sample writes #42 on its test tube.
May
A scandalous biography of A-Rod hits bookshelves, detailing allegations that Rodriguez was still using steroids after hejoined the Yankees, and that he would tip pitches to opposition players when games were close in the hope that he’d get more at-bats as a result. Kate Hudson decides that this the guy she wants to date next.
Manny didn't seem to mind the "breast lactating" side effect that came with his meds
Manny Ramirez is suspended 50 games by MLB for violating their Performance Enhancing Drug policy. Ramirez initially played the “my physician unknowingly prescribed meds that are banned by MLB” card, until it was revealed that the “meds” he was “prescribed” was actually the women’s fertility drug human Choronic Gonadotropian (hCG). Steroid users take hCG to restart the body’s testosterone production as they come off steroid cycles. Either that or Manny was really concerned that he couldn’t conceive.
Adam LaRoche of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the first player to ever have a home run taken away by instant reply. By watching the play on his replay monitor, the game’s umpire doubled the number of viewers tuning into the game.
An eighteen-year-old pitcher for a New York high school pitches a no hitter for Robert F Kennedy against Prospect Heights the day after burying his father. Jordan Wiener’s father Michael was New York’s first fatality from swine flu. The Mets invited Wiener to throw out the first pitch in their next home game against the Marlins, and the high school senior brought the house down with a fastball strike right down the middle.
June
David Ortiz, February 09: "Ban (steroid users) for the whole year". Yankee fans, June 09: "Cheater, cheater, compulsive eater"
The darling of the Boston baseball media, David Ortiz is reported to have also been on that “super top-secret” list of players who failed a steroids test in 2003. For the first time in 6 years, Red Sox fans have nothing to say. Manny Ramirez also appears on the list, resulting in much tarnishing of the Red Sox’ 2004 and 2007 World Series wins. In Manny’s defence, the meds he was taking were probably to keep his menstruation regular.
Giants pitcher Randy Johnson becomes the next (and probably last) to win 300 games. What makes this achievement more impressive is that 270 them were with a mullet.
Coming Soon: Part II of our 2009 Baseball review.
Is all your info right? I am not trying to be a jerk, still I don’t spot how this makes total sense! Peace!