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Efusjon Home Run Team, Starting today through December 31, 2009 every team member that personally enrolls 3 people will be placed in a drawing for a Framed, Ernie Banks Autographed, Chicago Cubs Jersey. This will be an incredible keepsake for our Home Run Club winner.

The Jersey is being provided by Mrs. Liz Banks, wife of Mr. Ernie Banks, of the 500 Home Run Club, and proud member of the Efusjon Home Run Club.

Each member of the Efusjon Home Run Club that enrolls 3 people in the month of December will have their name placed in a raffle.

Each time you enroll three your name will be entered into the raffle again. For example if you enroll 6 people in December you would have two chances in the raffle, 9 would give you three chances and so forth.

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One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. Kareem Abdul-Jabbor http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

Teamplayer: Once who unites others toward a shared destiny through information & ideas, empowering others & developing trust. D Kinlaw http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

The greatest danger a team faces isn't that it won't become successful, but that it will, and then cease to improve. Mark Sanborn http://twitter.com/efusjonmmi

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team. John Wooden
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Welcome to the 500 Home Run Club®, LLC, the exclusively authorized, internationally recognized organization founded to celebrate the awe inspiring achievements of the greatest home run hitters in baseball history. The club operates with the endorsement and support of both Major League Baseball and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Major League Baseball announced today that despite the nation's worst economic downturn in 80 years, the 30 Clubs drew 73,418,479 fans during the 2009 championship season, producing the fifth largest total attendance in MLB history.

Two of Major League Baseball's most historic franchises, the reigning World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox, set all-time club records, drawing 3,600,693 and 3,062,699, respectively. The Los Angeles Dodgers led the Major Leagues in attendance with 3,761,669 for an average of 46,400. Nine clubs drew more than three million fans (Dodgers, New York Yankees, Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers) and 10 clubs averaged more than 35,000 fans per game (the above clubs plus the San Francisco Giants).

Because of the economy, this year's total is 6.6 percent less than last year's total, but is actually only 5.2 percent lower when accounting for the reduced capacities of the two new ballparks in New York. The total number of seats available at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium is approximately 1.5 million fewer than at the old ballparks.

As household spending decreased and national unemployment figures across the United States reached a 26-year high of 9.7 percent in August, many of the clubs that saw the largest decreases in attendance played in markets that suffered unemployment rates that exceeded the national average.

"Major League Baseball is grateful to all of its fans for their remarkable enthusiasm for the national pastime this season," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Given these challenging economic times, I am exceedingly proud of the manner in which our Clubs have responded, demonstrating a deep commitment to maintain baseball's stature as the most affordable and the most family-friendly sport. The 2009 attendance being among the five highest figures of all-time reflects the vibrancy and resiliency of our game."

In addition, Minor League Baseball drew 41,644,518 fans this season. When combined with MLB's total, more than 115,000,000 fans attended a Major League or Minor League game in more than 200 cities.

source>>>

The National League's St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers have both cemented post-season appearances, with the Cardinals also clinching the National League Central Division title.

If the current standings hold true, the Dodgers are poised to wrap up the NL West title over the scrappy Colorado Rockies within the next couple of days. The Rockies, however, have a bit of a fight on their hands for the NL Wildcard with the surprising Atlanta Braves breathing down their necks.

On the American League side, the New York Yankees clinched the AL East title yesterday, September 27, following the team's three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, but the Sox remain poised to walk off with the Wildcard this week because they have a commanding lead over the Texas Rangers. With their 100-win record, which is the best in baseball, the Yankees will have the home field advantage throughout the post-season.

The Detroit Tigers remain in a race for the AL Central title with the Minnesota Twins, and the two teams play a four-game set beginning tonight, which will likely decide the division.

The playoffs are scheduled to begin Wednesday, October 7, but so far ticket sales have been a little weak for some brokers, with the exception of Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox tickets.

The Mets just dropped 3 of 4 from Philly, and their schedule will only get tougher coming up.

The Marlins are next on the list and the Mets have to travel and head to Florida after a miserable series with the Phills.

More bad news after hearing that David Wright will likely be done for the year, is that Santana had some arm and elbow issues and may be out for a bit.

He was scheduled to start Tuesday but will miss. Taking his spot is Nelson Figueroa, who has been shaky. Opposing him is Sean West who already had a big game against NY this season.

The betting odds in this one show the Marlins as a -205 favorite now that Santana is out. The total went from 7.5 to 9 and 9.5 at some books. Get up to 295% in total sign up bonus and bet these MLB odds at SBGGlobal.com.
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Figueroa has not faced Florida since 2002. In his most recent outing he lasted less than 2 innings allowing 6 ER's to Arizona back in early August en route to a 6-5 loss against the MLB betting line.

Even including the healthy Mets line-up from last year, they have lost a combined 5 of 6 against the MLB betting line and odds when Fig takes the hill.

That spells trouble considering West has shown good numbers in his last 3 outings. The only flaw is that even though he allowed just 6 ER's in those outings, he only pitched 14 innings.

The Marlins went 2-1 against the MLB betting odds, and odds-makers feel strongly about West against the Mets listing him as a steep favorite.

The Marlins have just come off losing 2 of 3 to Atlanta and will grab an easy win against the MLB betting odds Tuesday.

A safer wager is Florida on the run-line as they will win this one by 4+ with an offensive explosion. Prediction, Florida 7-4. Get up to 295% in total sign up bonus and bet these MLB odds at SBGGlobal.com. source>>>

A bankruptcy court judge on Monday set an Aug. 31 hearing to expedite procedures in the sale of the Cubs from the Tribune Co. to the Ricketts family.

Judge Kevin Carey set the quick hearing to simplify and shorten the legal motion process as part of completing the deal.

A two-year quest to sell the Cubs ended on Friday as the parent Tribune Co. signed a definitive agreement to sell 95 percent of the franchise to the Ricketts family for $845 million.

Tom and Joe Ricketts will have management control of the joint venture as its 95 percent owner. Tribune Co. -- which owns the club, Wrigley Field and approximately a 25 percent interest in Comcast SportsNet -- will retain a five-percent ownership interest.

The Tribune Co., which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year and owes $13 billion to creditors, outlined in papers sent to the court a two-step process that should culminate with the sale of the team. The first was the overall bankruptcy protection.

The second, the Tribune explained last week, is voluntarily placing the Cubs under Chapter 11 protection so that "the franchise can emerge free and clear of Tribune Co.'s financial obligations."

Once the deal is approved by the court, it will be submitted to MLB, where just like any other transfer of ownership it must be approved by a 75 percent vote of the 30 clubs. If the bankruptcy court proceedings are indeed expedited, the transfer could be approved at the next owners' meeting set for Nov. 18-19, appropriately enough, for Chicago's O'Hare Airport Hilton. source>>>

1. New York Yankees: You knew that season series with the Red Sox would turn around sooner or later.

2. Los Angeles Angels: The lineup is full of .300 hitters, but strange as it sounds, is there enough pitching to go all the way?

3. St. Louis Cardinals: There really is no glaring weakness or serious question mark on the roster, and that makes them a very narrow favorite in the NL.

4. Philadelphia Phillies: You gotta love that lineup, but can a team with a closer who has a 6-plus ERA win a second consecutive World Series?

5. Los Angeles Dodgers: Don't look now, but they've been a .500 team for nearly as long as the Rockies have been playing .600-plus baseball. But that said, expect a strong finish.

6. Boston Red Sox: It's not looking good for a Billy Wagner acquisition, so they need their own pieces -- Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, etc. -- to have an impact down the stretch.

7. Colorado Rockies: If you haven't figured it out already, you're just not paying attention: Nobody has played better baseball since JIm Tracy took over on June 4.

8. Texas Rangers: Nobody expects them to beat the Red Sox in the wildcard chase, but they're making it pretty interesting, aren't they?

9 Tampa Bay Rays: Too many good hitters -- B.J. Upton and Pat Burrell, to name two -- are underachieving for another miracle to occur.

10. Detroit Tigers: You can't like their chances in the playoffs, as the lineup doesn't produce much against quality pitching.

11. Atlanta Braves: There's a chance here for a run at the wildcard, as the rotation is deep, and could get a boost from Tim Hudson. But like the Giants, the offense is a bit short.

12. San Francisco Giants: Everybody knows there isn't enough offense -- especially with Freddy Sanchez's shoulder keeping him out of the lineup. But the defense isn't very good, either.

13. Florida Marlins: Can they ride Josh Johnson and a handful of productive hitters to a late wild card run?

14. Chicago White Sox: No team in serious contention looks less like a contender than the Sox. And Jake Peavy still is a ways from getting a chance to make a difference.

15. Seattle Mariners: Nice season so far for Jack Zduriencik, Don Wakamatsu and Co.

16. Chicago Cubs: Only $845 million for a slightly disfunctional team that could get blown up this off-season. What a bargain. source>>>

In the category of baseball controversies that not only don't die but don't even taper off a little bit, we have now had two decades of the argument regarding Pete Rose.

We have come to the 20th anniversary of Rose accepting a lifetime ban from baseball for gambling on baseball. In every single moment during these 20 years, you could start a heated debate among baseball fans anywhere, by uttering these four simple words: "What about Pete Rose ..."

It is a classic debate. Against Rose is the fact that he violated the game's first commandment: Don't bet on baseball. For Rose is the argument that his stature as a player was such that he must be reinstated and made eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Rose's own conduct damaged his cause. For 14 years he denied that he bet on baseball. He then produced an autobiography in which he admitted that he had gambled on baseball and then lied about gambling on baseball. Not only had he bet on baseball, he had bet on Cincinnati Reds games when he was managing that club.

Rose insisted that he had always bet on the Reds to win, but baseball's prohibition on gambling is clear and inclusive. It is posted on the wall of every Major League clubhouse, and in more than one language.

Circumstances did conspire against Rose after he accepted the ban, which followed an exhaustive investigation by John M. Dowd, formerly a prominent Justice Department attorney. In the ban agreement, Rose did not have to admit guilt and could apply for reinstatement after one year. But as part of the agreement, Rose also voluntarily accepted a lifetime ban.

After the agreement, then Commissioner of Baseball A. Bartlett Giamatti stated publicly that he believed Rose had bet on baseball. Of course he believed it; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of banning baseball's all-time leader in hits. Giamatti, a former president of Yale University, was a brilliant man, whose commitment to the game was truly profound, and was expressed in language that was eloquent, at times poetic. Giamatti was appalled that a leading figure in the game could be involved in baseball betting.

Just eight days after the ban, Giamatti died of a massive heart attack. Some of his friends believed that the extreme stress of the Rose investigation and the subsequent banishment was a contributing factor in his death.

The next two Commissioners -- Fay Vincent and Bud Selig -- were very close friends of Giamatti. Had Giamatti lived, he might have reinstated Rose. But the two subsequent Commissioners were not positioned for a lavish show of mercy in this case.

Rose had some momentum behind an application for reinstatement in 2003. However, the furor over his admission of gambling, and the fact that he couldn't produce anything resembling a penitent public face, derailed his chances.

Reinstatement in and of itself is only a portion of the issue with Rose. If he is reinstated, then he would presumably be eligible for election to the Hall of Fame.

On one hand, it is difficult to rationalize the National Baseball Hall of Fame not opening its doors to the all-time hits leader. This is, after all, "Charlie Hustle," the epitome of effort, a gamer for the ages.

On the other hand, there is the seriousness of Rose's offense. You have heard people say, "They let all those steroids guys play; why can't Rose be reinstated?"

These are apples and oranges. The users of performance-enhancing drugs cheated, but they cheated with the intention of gaining a competitive edge. They suffered from an impulse that was simultaneously wrong and human.

There is no "but" with gambling on baseball. It is all wrong. So Rose said he only bet on his team to win? If Rose bet on the Reds four times a week, what did he tell the rest of the gambling community about the other three games?

The fact is that baseball's worst time in history, its least credible moment, its lowest position morally, spiritually, emotionally, came in 1919, when members of the White Sox conspired with gamblers to throw the World Series. For historical purposes, they became the Black Sox.

Much of the history of baseball can be seen as a reaction to that event. Its leadership became centralized. The first Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, began his tenure by banning eight White Sox players from the 1919 team for life. There was no appeal from his ruling, even though there was considerable evidence that Buck Weaver was innocent.

But from that time forward, the worst baseball-related sin anybody in the game could commit was gambling on the game. So in the scheme of baseball crimes, what Rose did was first-degree murder. For that, he received what amounted to a life sentence.

Can a two-decade banishment be considered enough of a price to pay? Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, a former teammate of Rose with the Phillies, took this position in a statement quoted by The Associated Press on Saturday, saying, "Twenty years have passed; isn't that enough?"

And Rose is 68 now. Perhaps advancing age will make him a more sympathetic figure.

There is a middle road, a compromise solution available. That would be a limited reinstatement.

For those who demand that Rose must be in the Hall of Fame, make him eligible for election to the Hall. For those who demand that his punishment for betting on baseball must be a lifetime punishment, prohibit Rose from taking any position with any club in organized baseball. In this way, both Rose's greatness and his sins could both be clearly recognized.

In the absence of that sort of compromise, what will happen? Shortly after taking over as Commissioner, Selig said that it was very unlikely that he would reinstate Rose during his tenure. Nobody knew at that time that Selig's tenure would be 19 years, if one assumes that he will retire at the end of his current contract, which runs through 2012.

In recent years, Selig's responses to Rose-related queries have been much more non-committal. His most recent answer to a question about Rose's status was, "It is under review." So there is, once again, renewed speculation about a possible reinstatement.

Even now, 20 years into Rose's forced retirement, the controversy over his status refuses to go quietly away. Such is his stature in the game and in banishment from the game.

He was always notable for the way he played. Eventually, he was even more notable for what he accomplished and the records he set. Now, he is notable by his absence.

The argument about his reinstatement will go on as long as the banishment goes on and Rose is still alive. In fact, if he is not reinstated during his lifetime, the argument will probably take on the quality of something very much like eternal life. source>>>

Stephen Strasburg, the first player selected in this year's major league draft, led a slew of first-round picks who signed pro contracts.

The Washington Nationals reached a contract with Strasburg that various media reports pegged at more than $15 million for four years. The club didn't say how much it will pay the pitcher but if accurate, the amount would break the record $10.5 million the Chicago Cubs paid pitcher Mark Prior in 2001.

Strasburg, a 20-year-old who throws 100 mph-plus, went 13-1 with a 1.32 earned-run average in 15 starts this year for San Diego State. He struck out 195 batters, walked just 19 and was named the nation's top collegiate player.

Other first-round picks signed to major league deals ahead of the Monday night deadline included University of North Carolina first baseman-outfielder Dustin Ackley with Seattle, North Carolina right-hander Alex White with Cleveland, Missouri right-hander Kyle Gibson with Minnesota, Southern California shortstop Grant Green with Oakland, Georgia high school right-hander Zack Wheeler with San Francisco, California prep left-hander Tyler Matzek with Colorado and St. Louis left-hander Jacob Turner with Detroit. source>>>

There is a high-profile baseball program to coach and a national championship to defend next spring and summer for LSU's Paul Mainieri.

But he's got something else to tend to now.

Mainieri spoke out Tuesday on the Major League Baseball-mandated deadline that arrived Monday and turned into a dark day for Mainieri and the Tigers program.

Monday was the final day for players drafted in the 2009 MLB draft to either agree to terms or pass up the chance to turn pro for another year.

LSU lost two more players from its 2009 recruiting class on Monday's deadline, one expectedly and the other as he was standing in line to get his ID picture taken at freshman orientation.

That player, Brody Colvin of St. Thomas More-Lafayette, was the final piece of a recruiting class that took on a different shape in the last few weeks. Colvin was the fourth LSU signee who signed with the team that drafted him, joining Chad Stang, Zack Von Rosenberg and Slade Heathcott.

The two that hurt most are Von Rosenberg and Colvin, in-state players who spoke of their desire to play for the Tigers.

As late as Monday morning, Mainieri exchanged text messages with Colvin that indicated the player was set to play for LSU. Less than three hours later, Colvin was on his way back to Lafayette after agreeing to a $900,000 signing bonus from the Philadelphia Phillies.

"Those players chose baseball over the experience at LSU," Mainieri said. "I won't belittle anybody for taking a significant signing bonus and going into pro baseball.

"I am disappointed, but we're going to win and be successful with players who want to be at LSU. We have all the pieces in place to have an outstanding team."

The occasion Tuesday was designed for Mainieri to announce the incoming 13-man recruiting class that will fill out the Tigers' 2010 roster.

But Mainieri didn't pass up the chance to voice his displeasure about the current system and vow to find a way to change it.

"I'm going to spend the next year of my life trying to get Major League Baseball to change that date," Mainieri said, later saying he planned on speaking to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. "I hope that my status as the coach at LSU and (as) the defending national champions that maybe we have some credibility with the people in Major League Baseball -- the decision-makers -- and I can rally some of my peers and we can petition Major League Baseball to change that date to July 15." Meanwhile, the Tigers will launch defense of their national crown next week when a 34-player roster finalized after Monday's jolt.

The 13 players in the 2009 class include six freshmen and seven junior-college transfers, six pitchers and seven position players. Five of the newcomers have been drafted at least once.

That group will blend in with 21 returning players.

"I'm extremely excited about this incoming group," Mainieri said. "The class is really an outstanding class. Despite losing three of our high school signees to the major league draft, this is still an outstanding group.

"The bottom line is we are going to play with the kids who want to be at LSU. I don't belittle anybody for going into professional baseball."

The influx of junior college players is a direct result of the uncertainty of the players who were drafted. Two of the transfers, Joey Bourgeois and Trey Watkins, signed just last week.

"It's a little bit more junior-college heavy than typically we would want it to be," Mainieri said. "It wasn't exactly the way we wanted it to be, but believe me, the sky is not falling in."

The affable Mainieri bristled at the notion that the late signees were LSU's Plan B and said he doesn't regret imposing his own deadline on Heathcott, Von Rosenberg and Colvin.

Mainieri's deadline was two weeks earlier than Monday and he said he asked the players to let him know if they planned on continuing to negotiate with the clubs that drafted them or if they were ready to give their word they would head to LSU.

"I was not going to let Major League Baseball determine the fate of LSU baseball," Mainieri said. "I told the three players that by Aug. 3 either they sign professionally or decide to come to school.

"Just because they had a deadline of Aug. 17 didn't mean I had to wait until Aug. 17."

He didn't, but Colvin did. Mainieri said late last week he thought Colvin was LSU-bound, and that feeling persisted until Monday when he got a phone call to the contrary.

"Part of the job of being a college coach is handling the risk of losing players to Major League Baseball," Mainieri said. "You recruit against other schools. Then, a Major League team drafts a player and can throw as much money as they can at him. It's a real issue." source>>>

Add the names of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez to those that have been leaked from the list of 104 players who tested positive for the use of performance-enhancing drugs during Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing. And the big question now on the minds of many observers -- ironically, in the wake of supposedly anonymous identities getting leaked by unauthorized, unnamed sources -- is, what will happen with the rest of the names?

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez
Ortiz, Ramirez named
Complete coverage
- Ortiz tested positive in '03; Manny named
- Manny mostly mum
- Ortiz responds
- Timeline of 'The List'
- Sox support Ortiz
- Baseball reacts
- News upsets Yankees
- Bodley: Reveal names
- Ortiz lifts Sox
- Ortiz's statement
- Drug Policy in Baseball
- Ortiz's bio/stats
- Ramirez's bio/stats

Sights and Sounds
Ortiz responds
MLB Tonight
Bodley
Reynolds & Duquette
Ortiz comes to plate
Photo gallery

"Can somebody in baseball, please -- we're all begging people -- get that stupid list out and move on?" White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said on Thursday night in Chicago. "This is ridiculous. This is embarrassing. This is a joke. Whoever is there is there, get them out and that's it.

"Every week we've got to come up with this thing. It's getting old. We all know the list is out there. It's like, who's going to be next? I think we should do it. Believe me, if that list is going to be out there, it's not going to be any problem for baseball. Maybe people will be upset, disappointed. But there are already a few names out there. Maybe they need to talk about it. Maybe we need to talk about this every week to get people's attention, but it's not the right way to get attention."

Prior to Thursday, the names of Barry Bonds, Jason Grimsley, Alex Rodriguez, David Segui and Sammy Sosa had also been made public. Ortiz confirmed Thursday's report, which first appeared on The New York Times' Web site, quoting unnamed sources, was accurate. Ramirez has declined to comment.

A-Rod, when asked about the latest revelations, said, "He's my friend and I care for David. I have nothing else to say about it."

Several of his Yankees teammates were more expansive in their responses.

"That list, names are going to keep coming out," Mark Teixeira said. "I agree with everyone else who says just put it all out. It's ridiculous. Just let all the games go on and let everyone deal with it at the same time. Every two months things come out. It's not good for the game. It happened in 2003. Let it all come out, let everyone talk about it for one or two days and then we can move on. I don't understand how something that was supposed to be anonymous can come out in the first place."

"Too bad for everyone, once again, we're sitting here talking about it," added Yanks shortstop Derek Jeter. "I'm pretty sure someone will come up with something else. I'll stick to what I said before: Not everyone was doing it. You're talking about 100 people. There are a lot more than 100 people playing baseball. It's unfortunate that we have to sit here and talk about another name a couple of months later. I wish that wasn't the case but unfortunately it's the situation."

The Players Association is ardently against releasing the names. Regarding the '03 results, the Players Association was supposed to destroy the tests, but officers of the federal government, investigating the case against the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, seized them under a warrant from an MLB-approved lab. They are still in government possession and the union continues to contest the seizure with the case at the federal appellate court level.

The tests are supposed to be under court seal and the union again on Thursday said it would fight to maintain that legal privacy. Major League Baseball declined to comment and deferred queries to the union.

"That list was supposed to remain confidential, so whoever is leaking it, I can assure you, he isn't from the Players Association," said Dave Bush, a pitcher with the Brewers. "I don't know who has it or who knows about it, but that list is not supposed to be out there. At the time that test was taken, it was to remain confidential. The situation we're at right now -- with testing -- is because of that '03 test, so it's irrelevant who was on it. It's sensational now."

"This is all kind of pointless to be honest," said Jonathan Papelbon, Boston's closer and a teammate of Ortiz. "What's the point of even talking about [what happened] six years [ago]? That's the way I feel about it. I don't see the point of releasing any names."

"From a players' standpoint, it's not going to do any good to see the people you love and you care about have their name tarnished by the entire list coming out," said Mariners veteran Mike Sweeney. "In the same breath, if it does come out [in its entirety] maybe we can move on. I think the entire list will eventually get out."

"I wish they would just get the whole list out there," added Seattle left-hander Jarrod Washburn. "It's bad for the game to keep dragging it out. It stinks that all of these guys used performance-enhancing drugs, but when names on the list keep coming out every couple of months, it just keeps opening a wound that we're trying hard to close."

In 2003, 5-to-7 percent of the players tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs, reaching a threshold that led to the establishment of MLB's current drug policy that includes random testing and was renegotiated three times. In '03, there were no punitive measures and the names were not supposed to be disclosed. Suspensions and/or fines began in '04.

As far as performance-enhancing drugs are concerned, the current program calls for a 50-game suspension for the first positive test, a 100-game suspension for the second and a lifetime suspension with a right to seek reinstatement after two years for a third. All three are accompanied by a loss of salary for the suspension. A different set of penalties apply if a player tests positive for a stimulant.

Ramirez, who now plays for the Dodgers, is the only Major Leaguer to violate the drug policy this season. He lost 50 games from May 17 to July 3, a suspension that cost him $7.7 million of his $25 million salary, which is partially deferred.

"I see both sides of it," said White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle, who tossed only the 18th perfect game in MLB history on July 23. "When we got tested, they said it never was going to come out. So for that reason I can see it not coming out. But it seems like it's giving baseball a bad name. Every couple of weeks, every month, one name gets leaked out here and there. It's almost like, get it all out and get it over with and go forward."

"Don't just keep busting out two to three names a year or whatever it is," said Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro, who played with Ortiz and Ramirez on the '07 Sox. "Just get it out there now, get it over with. I'm pretty sure some people are going to have different opinions. So many good things have happened for the game. We've got all this good stuff going on and it just goes back to the names coming out. It hurts the game. Hopefully we can just get it out of the way, get it over with and enjoy the game for what it is."

"I don't sit here and judge people one way or the other," said pitcher Derek Lowe, another former Boston teammate who now plays for the Braves. "Everybody has the opportunity to take stuff or not take stuff. I don't think they're bad people for doing it. I'm probably in the minority. Baseball is baseball. You still have to get guys out."

Lowe and Johnny Damon, who both played with Ortiz and Ramirez on the Red Sox, wonder if the news will taint Boston's 2004 World Series championship team.

"That probably is what's being said, and that's what makes guys like me upset," said Damon, a member of a team that swept the Cardinals in the '04 World Series and is now playing for the Yankees. "I was never in that conversation with guys who said when and where they would do it. It wasn't in lockers. That's the tough thing. I've never been in that conversation."

Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis are the only players remaining on the active roster from the Red Sox teams that won the World Series in 2004 and '07, although Youkilis played a minor role in '04.

The '04 Red Sox clawed back from an 0-3 deficit in the American League Championship Series to defeat the Yankees and win the first World Series title for the franchise in 86 years.

"I clearly didn't know of anything that was going on," said Lowe, the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the '04 World Series. "Fair or not fair, you have to look at both sides. In 2003, people said everyone was going to get tested, but nobody was ever going to know. From what I understand, people who were taking it at that time were notified that they had failed. But at that time, who cared?" source>>>