# MLB: August 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 1, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071 "2012-08-01T16:49:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/181 "2012-08-19T23:10:17Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > A side question: can a reliever win the Cy Young award? I think Eric Gagne or Trevor Hoffman won it one year…can’t remember, although I don’t think Mariano Rivera ever did. [Here’s the past winners.](http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp_cya.shtml) Gagne won it once, as have Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Sparky Lyle. So relievers can and have won the Cy. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/182 "2012-08-19T23:12:15Z")
The Orioles overcame a 5-run first-inning deficit to beat the Tigers 7-5 and take the series 2-1. I’ve been quite impressed this year by their ability to come back, both early and late in games; it’s something that they haven’t done very well in recent years. Has anyone seen [this article](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/exclusive-daily-news-uncovers-bizarre-plot-melky-cabrera-fake-website-duck-drug-suspension-article-1.1139623) about the Melky Cabrera steroid issue? It seems that Cabrera, or someone close to him: > [@](#): > > created a fictitious website and a nonexistent product designed to prove he inadvertently took the banned substance that caused a positive test under Major League Baseball’s drug program. > > \ > > The scheme began unfolding in July as Cabrera and his representatives scrambled to explain a spike in the former Yankee’s testosterone levels. Cabrera associate Juan Nunez, described by the player’s agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, as a “paid consultant” of their firm but not an “employee,” is alleged to have paid $10,000 to acquire the phony website. The idea, apparently, was to lay a trail of digital breadcrumbs suggesting Cabrera had ordered a supplement that ended up causing the positive test, and to rely on a clause in the collectively bargained drug program that allows a player who has tested positive to attempt to prove he ingested a banned substance through no fault of his own. Wow! If true, that’s quite an elaborate scheme. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/183 "2012-08-19T23:35:10Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Wow, Reds! I haven’t felt like this since I was 7 years old. I’m guessing you are re-visiting the mid to late 1970’s? 🙂 > [@RTFirefly](#): > > [Here’s the past winners.](http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp_cya.shtml) Gagne won it once, as have Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Sparky Lyle. So relievers can and have won the Cy. I would love for a Red to win that award this year, hopefully on top of a playoff series win. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/184 "2012-08-20T00:20:45Z")
Nats win, Braves lose, Nats now up by 5 going into a 3-game series between the two clubs. Go Nats!! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/185 "2012-08-20T00:39:52Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > [Here’s the past winners.](http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp_cya.shtml) Gagne won it once, as have Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Sparky Lyle. So relievers can and have won the Cy. Also Dennis Eckersley, Steve Bedrosian, Willie Hernandez, Mike Marshall, and Mark Davis, just going by memory. There may be others. In 1950, before they invented the Cy Young Award, relief pitcher Jim Konstanty won the MVP Award. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/186 "2012-08-20T00:42:25Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I’m guessing you are re-visiting the mid to late 1970’s? You got it. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/187 "2012-08-20T04:51:41Z")
Mariners beat the Twins to complete their seventh series sweep of the year and their fifth win in a row; they’re 22-13 since the All-Star break. Things are really starting to look up in Seattle. Also, Astros have the worst record in the Majors? _ahem_ “As a Seattle Mariners fan, I hereby extend the hand of friendship and a warm welcome to the Houston Astros as they join the American League West next season.” 😛 > [@mhendo](#): > > Has anyone seen [this article](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/exclusive-daily-news-uncovers-bizarre-plot-melky-cabrera-fake-website-duck-drug-suspension-article-1.1139623) about the Melky Cabrera steroid issue? > > It seems that Cabrera, or someone close to him:Wow! If true, that’s quite an elaborate scheme. And one that would only hold up, I would think, as long as MLB didn’t ask Cabrera and/or his people to produce the physical product … ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/188 "2012-08-20T14:06:28Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Also Dennis Eckersley, Steve Bedrosian, Willie Hernandez, Mike Marshall, and Mark Davis, just going by memory. There may be others. > > In 1950, before they invented the Cy Young Award, relief pitcher Jim Konstanty won the MVP Award. Generally speaking, for a reliever to win there has to be no starter having an obvious standout year. I wouldn’t expect any relief pitcher to get the nod over Cueto this year, for instance (unless he craters). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/189 "2012-08-20T14:11:10Z")
The Dead Sox have officially surrendered. Carl Crawford was trying to contribute with his bum elbow as long as they had a chance. But now the focus is on being healthy for 2013. The Tommy John is tomorrow. And the soap opera plots are blossoming in the meanwhile. If only they had a reasonably MLB-ready starter or two in AAA, they could bench the worse-than-useless Beckett. But they’re stuck with him. He can’t even go to the bullpen, since he takes all day to warm up. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/190 "2012-08-20T14:17:47Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In 1950, before they invented the Cy Young Award, relief pitcher Jim Konstanty won the MVP Award. So he was winning it all the time? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/191 "2012-08-20T15:16:05Z")
Say, **RTFirefly** , if you have access to Nats’ playoff tix when the time comes, and you buy an extra one for your buddy **bup** , I’d appreciate it. -Nats fan in Chicago ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/192 "2012-08-20T16:12:22Z")
Those of us in the NL West will have eyes on a couple of series this week. The Dodgers and the Cabrera-less Giants play each other in LA through Wednesday of this week while the ever-lurking Diamondbacks are at home against Miami hoping to benefit from the mayhem. Should be a fun time. I have the pleasure of attending tomorrow night’s Dodger game to collect my Fernando Valenzuela bobbleheads. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/193 "2012-08-20T17:45:06Z")
I’m going to the Nats/Braves tonight and tomorrow! I bought tix for tomorrow and a friend just called with an extra ticket for tonight. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/194 "2012-08-20T18:31:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The Dead Sox have officially surrendered. Carl Crawford was trying to contribute with his bum elbow as long as they had a chance. But now the focus is on being healthy for 2013. The Tommy John is tomorrow. I thought it took about a year tocome back from that. Would a position player be ready earlier? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/195 "2012-08-20T18:48:27Z")
A year for a pitcher, 6-9 months for a position player, so they tell us. Carl may be ready for Opening Day. The guy’s taken a lot of criticism for underperforming, which he has. But in his case it isn’t from laziness. He’s wound pretty tight, and tried probably too hard last year. Unfortunately, hitting is an area where the harder you try, the worse you do. He tried his damnedest again this year, including playing with a serious injury, and playing well, too. But he’s not part of the problem despite the results to date. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/196 "2012-08-20T18:56:28Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The guy’s taken a lot of criticism for underperforming, which he has. But in his case it isn’t from laziness. Laziness? Why would that even enter into it? Who gets to the highest level of competitive athletics and goes out in front of the world and fails because of laziness? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/197 "2012-08-20T19:04:08Z")
Carl’s problems last year were largely because he was trying to justify the contract. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/198 "2012-08-20T20:10:52Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Laziness? Why would that even enter into it? Who gets to the highest level of competitive athletics and goes out in front of the world and fails because of laziness? Way too many guys get complacent, and then yes, lazy, after they score a big guaranteed contract. Josh Beckett and John Lackey are great examples from that same team. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/199 "2012-08-20T20:30:54Z")
[Clemens returns to baseball.](http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8285793/roger-clemens-signs-independent-sugar-land-skeeters-texas) Write your own bylines. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071/200 "2012-08-20T21:07:53Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > [Clemens returns to baseball.](http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8285793/roger-clemens-signs-independent-sugar-land-skeeters-texas) Write your own bylines. Wow, he’s 50? I didn’t realize he was quite that old. I would have guessed like 46 or something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-august-2012/630071.md?page=11)