# MLB: May 2016 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 2, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688 "2016-05-02T17:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/261 "2016-05-24T14:45:02Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Boy, when are the Dodgers gonna get rid of that bum Kershaw, anyway? In a sign of continuing decline, he only managed seven strikeouts, gave up a friggen’ walk (dropping his K/BB to a measly 19/1) and couldn’t even stay under 100 pitches in the complete-game shutout. > > I assume he’ll be sent down to the minors any day, now. That two-hit shutout was his third-best start this month. Unbelievable. The Dodgers are 9-1 when he starts, 14-22 when he doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/262 "2016-05-24T20:35:44Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > I’m for an inclusive Hall… Admirable sentiment > [@BlankSlate](#): > > I think Ortiz is probably just as dirty as A-Rod. Apples and oranges. I hope the following makes you reconsider. Ortiz failed one test, along with 100 other players, way back in 2003 (when he was a Twin), before PEDs were outlawed, and the results of the test were supposed to be secret (yet conveniently leaked somehow). He’s also probably the most tested MLB player ever. [https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/26/david-ortiz-still-haunted-failed-drug-test/](https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/26/david-ortiz-still-haunted-failed-drug-test/) A-Rod, among other douchetacular\* things, confessed to the DEA to using steroids, paid $1 million hush money to keep his involvement in Biogenesis secret and covered his doctor’s legal fees. > **[Report: A-Rod confessed PED use to DEA](https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/11825652/alex-rodriguez-new-york-yankees-admitted-dea-used-peds)** > > Reinstated New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs during a meeting with the Drug Enforcement Administration in January, DEA documents show. \*_cough_ centaur painting ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/263 "2016-05-24T20:52:27Z")
He is a major league douchebag, but don’t forget that A-Rod never failed a test either. I simply believe [this guy](http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Ortiz-David-as-David-Arias-2.jpg), and many others, juiced for as long and as frequently as Mr. Rodriguez. It would be fantastically naive to think that the majority of users got caught. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/264 "2016-05-24T21:56:12Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > He is a major league douchebag He leads the league! ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/265 "2016-05-24T23:49:46Z")
> [@quimper](#): > > He’s also probably the most tested MLB player ever. > [https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/26/david-ortiz-still-haunted-failed-drug-test/](https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/26/david-ortiz-still-haunted-failed-drug-test/) Related to that, this article’s kind of interesting: > **[Did David Ortiz admit to more than he realized with his Players' Tribune...](https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/did-david-ortiz-admit-to-more-than-he-realized-with-his-players-tribune-editorial)** > > There is only one reason a player should be tested for drugs as often as David Ortiz claims he has been: a previous positive test. Basically, if Ortiz is indeed “the most tested MLB player ever,” it’s not because someone is out to get him, it’s not because he’s a nice guy who doesn’t kvetch and moan too much about being singled out; it’s because _he failed a drug test of some kind after 2003_. The only way you can be tested as many times as Ortiz says he has been is if he was caught taking some kind of banned substance (the article says probably amphetamines) following the leaked PED test we all know about. That’s because the agreement between the union and MLB mandates an Ortiz-level of testing for people with certain “first offenses” following the 2003 survey tests. If Ortiz wasn’t among them, the union would have balked. In any case, drug tests for athletes are notoriously unreliable. As others have noted, the fact that Ortiz can say “I’ve taken x drug tests in the last y years and they’ve all come up clean!” should convince absolutely no one that he has in fact never used banned substances. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/266 "2016-05-25T00:30:10Z")
Holy crap, I guess the Mariners were due for “one of those nights”. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/267 "2016-05-25T00:41:02Z")
Tony Gwynn’s family has filed a “wrongful death” lawsuit against the tobacco industry, claiming that they were looking for a way to appeal to more black athletes. According to the family, Gwynn was a dream come true. So the tobacco industry jumped on him in college. He dipped for 31 years, and died of salivary gland cancer ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/268 "2016-05-25T00:48:59Z")
Anybody want another lecture about their hypocrisy and manufactured outrage over PED’s? Or about how you \*cannot \*know who, if anybody, was clean in that era? I didn’t think so. But it would be nice to see a few more people stop pretending. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/269 "2016-05-25T04:12:36Z")
Sure, ok, let’s pretend that Ortiz is the Virgin Swan of all athletic competition. For all times. La la la la, forever more. OK, so in happier news: The Yankees have reached .500! Yay Mediocrity! But considering the Yanks were 8-16 on May 3rd, 22-22 looks pretty sweet right now. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/270 "2016-05-25T06:15:50Z")
[Cubs Win!](http://m.mlb.com/news/article/179980634/cubs-15-hit-attack-polishes-hammels-gem) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/271 "2016-05-25T06:52:30Z")
In pretty good fashion, too. The pitcher had hit a two-run double before taking the mound. Next game, Arrieta gets the start. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/272 "2016-05-25T10:48:35Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Sure, ok, let’s pretend that Ortiz is the Virgin Swan of all athletic competition. For all times. La la la la, forever more. Um, no. Try again. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/273 "2016-05-25T13:18:22Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > He leads the league! Nah. Arod isn’t especially likeable, but he hasn’t ever committed assault or drove drunk, or anything else that put other people in danger, which can’t be said about all major leaguers. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/274 "2016-05-25T13:25:49Z")
Whew. Mariners are back to their normal selves, though I was getting worried last night. Mariners were down 5-4 vs. the A’s. Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, 2 strikes on the batter, and Leonys Martin whacks a walkoff 2-run HR. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/275 "2016-05-25T14:44:35Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > Nah. Arod isn’t especially likeable, but he hasn’t ever committed assault or drove drunk, or anything else that put other people in danger, which can’t be said about all major leaguers. I think those things are outside the scope of “douchebag,” which is more about attitude and carriage than material actions. A-Rod is self-absorbed, arrogant, entitled, obnoxious, tasteless, and crass. That’s a douchebag. Urinating on his cousin’s house more expressive than substantive, so I reckon that’s within the terms of his douchebaggery. Sending goons to threaten violence against his former drug supplier, however, was something a bit else. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/276 "2016-05-25T16:39:08Z")
By the way, I was on the road for a little bit yesterday and wanted to catch the Indians game on satellite radio, so I got tuned in to the White Sox’s pre-game show. I don’t generally have anything against the White Sox (other than Hawk), but Jesus Christ were those guys ever smug about the fact that Chris Sale was an automatic win yesterday, and that they were virtually guaranteed to win again the next day because they had Quintana on the mound. Now, I fully acknowledge that Chris Sale is the best pitcher in the AL and that the Indians are not considered a powerhouse team. But the Indians have also been playing well of late AND they were also starting an undefeated pitcher (who, again, I acknowledge hasn’t had the stats that Sale has had). I took _tremendous_ pleasure in Sale getting knocked out of the game early, not because I hate Sale, but because I was just imagining those radio bastards falling all over themselves trying to explain the implosion. I mean, hell, even Kershaw has a bad game once in a while. There is no such thing as “automatic” in baseball. Also, Quintana’s going up against Kluber so maybe don’t bet the house on the Sox getting a W today, either. Jesus. Assholes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/277 "2016-05-25T19:55:34Z")
Jake Arrieta’s line today: 5 IP, 4 runs allowed - all earned, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. First time he’d allowed over 3 runs in a game in almost a full calendar year. Luckily, the Cubs had another 6 run outburst, so he’s still in line for the win. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/278 "2016-05-25T20:05:04Z")
The other night, Coco Crisp had his 1500th hit in his 1500th game. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/279 "2016-05-25T21:23:11Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Jake Arrieta’s line today: > > 5 IP, 4 runs allowed - all earned, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. > > First time he’d allowed over 3 runs in a game in almost a full calendar year. Luckily, the Cubs had another 6 run outburst, so he’s still in line for the win. Arrieta, Kershaw, Syndergaard in the NL; Sale in the AL – so many pitchers off to phenomenal starts this year. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688/280 "2016-05-26T14:57:56Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > … I don’t generally have anything against the White Sox (other than Hawk)… No love for Hawk? Mercy!! I’m not a White Sox fan but I get a kick out of him. If your home team announcers want to be, well, homers, then more power to 'em. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-may-2016/753688.md?page=15)