Judged by JENNIFER GILLAN, Sports Editor
It's the consolation round here at The Spectrum's "The Sharpest Point." This week, it's the battle of the Dans: Daniel "New Hotness" Honigman against Daniel "Not-so New Highlight" Gvertz.
The topic: Who is going to be the first big name to fall victim to the new Major League Baseball steroid policy?
The Stay Puf't second baseman
By DANIEL B. HONIGMAN
Who's going to be the first lucky contestant in the Wheel o' Steroids? We've already seen two major leaguers caught: Alex Sanchez and Jorge Piedra - two marginal players looking for an edge to get large multi-year contracts in the bigs.
With this in mind, I believe the first star big leaguer to be caught with his pants down will be Bret Boone of the Seattle Mariners.
The first big-name player who will be caught probably won't be one of the game's central figures; it won't be a Barry 'BALCO' Bonds or a Sammy 'Corked Bat' Sosa.
Boone isn't even the fan favorite in Seattle - it's Ichiro-town.
Remember Boone's breakout year in 2001? That was the first year we stopped seeing Bret the skinny, slick-fielding infielder, and started seeing Bret the Michelin Man. The guy probably gained about 25 pounds of pure muscle since he came up in 1992.
In his first nine MLB seasons, the former Peter Parker averaged almost 14 home runs, a .406 slugging percentage, and played in an average of 119 games per season out of 162.
Including an MVP-type season in 2001, when the Stay Puf't Man hit 37 homers, averaged .331, and knocked in 141 runs, Boone has averaged 30 home runs, a .500 slugging percentage, and played in 155 games per season since.
Boone is, and will always be, a good defensive player. With four Gold Gloves, his legacy is secure.
Too bad he'll ruin it after he's busted for juicing.
Pitchers' pin pricks
By DANIEL GVERTZ
You mean Alex Sanchez and Jorge Piedra aren't big enough names for you?
Everyone is looking in the wrong direction on this whole steroids thing. They're all looking over at the big boppers up and down the order, the position players who all of a sudden hit 40 homeruns after never reaching double figures in their career.
Can't anyone have a breakout season anymore?
You have to look at the guys throwing the ball to those big boppers. Pitching does a number on your rotator cuff, and those injuries are why guys like Doc Gooden and David Cone didn't have the careers that everyone predicted for them.
Well, injuries and, in the case of the good Doctor, cocaine abuse.
Either way, whatever happened to pitchers getting hurt and throwing in fewer games? Somehow you just never see that anymore - except with the Cubs. Roger Clemens, at 42 years of age, should not be able to go out there and make 30-plus starts and still be effective. I don't care how hard you work - actually, that's exactly what I care about.
Players who take steroids, especially pitchers who take them, don't do it just to bulk up. In fact, for pitchers, bulking up would hinder their ability to pitch well. A pitcher who takes steroids would do that to be able to increase recovery time from working out at the gym, or to keep his muscles from being too sore to make a start every fifth day.
Clemens is too old to be working out as hard as he is, for as long as he does, and the only reason he is able to is because he is - and has been for at least five years - on steroids.
I'm not saying he wouldn't be able to go out there and throw a 95 mph fastball without the aid of steroids, but he wouldn't be able to work out the entire off-season without enough rest. The body gets older. He might have the willpower to work out 365 days a year, but his body should not have the resilience.
Because of the MLB's new steroid-testing policy, Clemens will be the first superstar to be caught red-handed - or red-whatevered, depending on where that needle goes - and that will soil not just Clemens' career, but the 300-win club and the 4,000 strikeout club.
JG: I agree that Bonds or Sosa won't be the first ones to found pumping themselves full of illegal substances, but we're looking for the first big name player to be busted. I mean, you admit that Boone isn't even a fan favorite in the city he plays. His last spectacular season was 2001. Sure, he could have been shooting back, then but is he still? He can't exactly get caught if he's not doing it anymore.
'Highlights' Gvertz raises a valid point with the focus always being on sluggers instead of the men on the mound. But don't forget that Curt Shilling was part of the group that had to appear before Congress, and he railed against 'roids. I agree that something seems a little fishy with Clemens' ability to perform so well yet take such a beating year after year. Between the two, I definitely think Clemens is more likely than Boone.
Claiming the win after being defeated in the best 'fro argument is the Dan with the highlights: Gvertz.
