This article, however, does qualify as bad (and recycled too). It’s like one those really bad Final Destination movies that just keep getting made.

Please, Craig.. We’ve had enough. Take your soap-box somewhere else.

I so badly want to see Selig eat crow on this one, probably slowly just like he does everything else.

What is going to set him off to make him actually give a shit about doing REAL TESTING?

Testing in the game right now is a joke and he knows it. We all know it.

So proclaim with me people, “MEL-KEY! MEL-KEY! MEL-KEY!” Root for this dude on the sidelines and will him to victory much like 1990 NL Batting Champion Willie McGee. Let’s do this!

my question is does the CBA allow those types of performance bonuses? I would guess no. I think they can only be games played/ innings etc, not the quality of those games played.

And I don’t get the whole “we can’t take it away” argument. To say that you can’t take away an award (in the sense that it’s an honor, see above) the very same year that someone is caught cheating is just asinine.

Press: “Andrew! Andrew! How does it feel to win the batting title?”

Andrew McCutchen: “Oh. I didn’t know I won that. Thought that Melky character had it wrapped up.”

P: Well, yes, but we got him disqualified. We had to make sure Melky didn’t win.

AM: Thanks, I guess. What do I get? A commemorative plate? Bud Selig bobblehead?

P: No, silly, you won the Batting Title!

AM: Yeah, but what did I *win*?

P: Well, there’s no prize per se…but hey! Batting Title! Ted Williams and all that.

AM: “Ummm….”

P: How does it feel knowing that Melky didn’t win it?”

AM: He had the higher average, correct?

P: Yes. But he cheated.

AM: Well, we can’t have that. I’ll take my Title now, where is it?

P: It’s not a thing. You can’t “take” it.

AM: I see. But the commish is going to come out and give me one of those big fake checks, right?

P: Um …the commish…uh…he’s not here, Andrew.

AM: WHAT? How could the Commissioner of Baseball not attend the ceremony for one of the most prestigious awards in the sport?

P: Well, it’s not an actual award, and this really isn’t a ceremony. There’s actually not ceremony. This is just kind of a…recognition. Yes! A recognition.

AM: Recognition of what?

P: Having the highest batting average!

AM: Who, me? Or Melky?

P: Well, Melky, yes but he’s disqualified. You’re the winner! You’ll be remembered along with greats like Bill Meuller!

AM: Who?

P: Nevermind.

AM: Me and this Bill guy will have our names on a trophy in Copperstown, right?

P: Well, not exactly…

AM: So…help me out. What did I win?

P: Nothing. Everything. The BATTING TITLE! You know, Ted Williams! Rod Carew! Freddy Sanchez!

AM: Who?

P: Nevermind, another bad example. Congrats!

AM: I won?

P: Yes!

AM: I won an award that’s not actually an award, even though it’s called a Title. But I get nothing. And if Melkly would have won, he would have won…nothing? And now that he didn’t win the award, even though he beat me, he still gets nothing. Which is the same thing that I get?

P: EXACTLY! Don’t know why it took so long for you to understand that.

AM: Me either.

And the mere fact that it exists in such an extensive wikipedia article tells us that it is unlike Most Walks

If you remove all the bref links, there’s about 20 citations in that article. Compare that to Sam Fuld’s wikipedia page, and you get 167. Does he ‘extensive’ wikipedia article show how important he is? Or what about 187 for Optimus Prime?

I also find the discipline for PED’s a little absurd itself. If any of us were to fail a random drug test at work we’d be asked to pack our bags and hit the pavement. 50 game suspension after the fact? That helps but I believe if they are not banned it should at least be 100 then a ban but why not suspend for 50 future games and erase 50 prior games stats from the players career. Seems fair to me. It’s obvious the allure of a big contract cancels out the fear of getting caught and I say to those who argue that we don’t even know how much PED’s help or even if they do at all….of course they work. Otherwise the players wouldn’t be risking taking them. At the very least they help with your bodies recovery throughout the long season keeping you healthy and more fresh. When you feel healthy your concentration and confidence is better. It’s not rocket science.

Either that’s clever and intentional: “figure” = stat, or you’ve just set my mind in another direction.

A simple web search could have confirmed that

You don’t even need a web search, the file name is silver-slugger-3.jpg, and you can also read “Silver Slugger Award” on the trophy…

There’s a history and a tradition to it

Did you know Freddy Sanchez won it two years ago? How about the AL two years ago?

A Silver Slugger is awarded to a player that is voted by other players and managers to be the best offensive player at their position.

I’m sure players have behavior clauses in their contracts (Josh Hamilton comes to mind). Don’t know whether they are tied to performance bonuses.

http://www.justinmorneau.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/silver-slugger-3.jpg

If cheating were so bad, why do you only strip a player or disqualify a player from a title/award? Those hits had real affects on wins/losses and ERAs of pitchers potentially in the CY Young race. So, if you’re going to make a tiny rounding error in one instance isnt that saying that the one instance is more important than others? If not, you’re just saying it’s the easiest way or making an ultimately empty gesture (jester).

Finally, where is the clamor for ensuring pitchers who scuff balls or batters who use cork bats dont win awards? Pitchers who have scuffed balls have won awards in the past (which, come to think of it was probably the beginning of the slippery slope to rampant PED/amphetamine usage).

Focusing on the batting title is just a silly, meaningless way to wag one’s figure at someone.