The New York Times' Harvey Araton sez Barry Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. I agree.

Like many baseball fans, I have had a number of thoughts and emotions over the years on what MLB should do/should have done about performance enhancing drugs. It is bizarre to me the way this has all shaken out. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who are HOFers even if you cut out their steroid years, are left out of the Hall. Meanwhile, Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa, and Bobby Cox, who won championships based on PED users, are in the Hall.

Oh, and Matt Williams is an MLB manager, Mark McGwire is a trusted hitting coach, and Nelson Cruz and Ryan Braun make it to the All-Star Game, and Jason Giambi was a beloved elder statesman of the game. Andy Pettitte is getting a monument plaque in Monument Park and a retired number. All admitted PED users. There is little or no consistency.

Not to mention that the players who use PEDs assume all the risks and the punishments, while the ownership that profited and still profits off their use just gets to cash the checks.

Anyhow, the New York Times' Harvey Araton has a terrific column that touches on this issue. Now that the feds have finally dropped their last remaining charge against Barry Bonds, after the obstruction of justice count was overturned on appeal, Araton argues that Bonds deserves to be in the Hall.

The whole thing is worth a read, but here are some of the most relevant points (emphasis added):

It has long been argued that Bonds had pretty much earned a spot in the Hall as Skinny Barry, with a decade’s worth of greatness before the 1998 preponderance of steroid benefits produced by McGwire and Sammy Sosa seemingly, and rather infamously went to Bonds’s head. What came after was surely a distortion of his previously immaculate stats. But in the context of continued revelations about baseball’s culture — foremost among them the Mitchell Report, which fingered Roger Clemens and shattered all notions of steroids as primarily a slugger’s scourge — the achievements of the bloated Bonds can no longer be permanently and completely discredited, viewed in a vacuum.

And this:

Baseball’s original sin wasn’t that it had — and certainly still has — athletes surreptitiously seeking an edge. It was management’s willful neglect of the problem for the sake of profits along with an obstructionist union wrongfully working to shield the guilty at the expense of the innocent.

As I always say, do you think Brian Cashman didn't know that A-Rod was juicing before they re-signed him? Heck, he could have known before trading for him in the first place!

Speaking of Rodriguez, Araton cites him as a positive example of somebody who has been accepted again into the game:

For many, it would no doubt be painful to hear an induction speech from Bonds, Clemens and the like. But wasn’t the notion of A-Rod again circling the bases after all that went down equally distasteful just months ago? Now what you hear is that he’s a great teammate, who served his time, paid his dues. So, in many ways, has Bonds, albeit with a smirk or a sneer. But how he has acted is not the point in the grand scheme. He deserves to be in the Hall, and baseball deserves to have him there, to deal more realistically, or honestly, with the industry’s original sin.

Ultimately, to me, it comes down to a number of things when it comes to putting PED users in the Hall:

• Bonds et al had to compete against pitchers who were juicing (and we will probably never know the full extent of that!) And Clemens had to compete against hitters who were juicing. And they were still superstars.
• PEDs themselves don't make you a great player, or Jeremy Giambi and Randy Velarde would have been big names.
• Bonds, Clemens, Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, etc. were the best players in the game in their era. How can you represent their generation in the Hall if they have been left out? 
• Jose Canseco has said there is at least one PED user already in the Hall. When that ever comes out, what will be the justification for keeping the rest out?
• What about players (cough, David Ortiz) who get a pass for PED use? Should they go in because writers like them, and they were never punished for such use?

It is a complicated subject, to be sure. But it seems to me that Bonds (and Clemens) need to be in the Hall of Fame. It's time for some consistency on this issue. If Torre, Cox, and LaRussa can be in, then so can Bonds and Clemens.

One other note on Bonds: for a guy who is supposed to be such a jerk, Greg Anderson, his trainer and childhood friend, literally went to jail -- twice! -- so as not to testify against him. Think about that for a second. I don't care how much money one could be given for doing so (some have suspected Bonds paid him off). Nothing is worth sacrificing your freedom that way. It says something about Bonds that Anderson did so for him.

My day seeing Buster Posey, Matt Harvey, and some other assorted shenanigans

I had kind of a busy day yesterday, so I am going to write about it in two very long Squawks. This one will be about the crazy fun and weird stuff of the day, including meeting and interviewing Buster Posey and watching Matt Harvey warm up for the game from about 10-15 feet away, something that got me called a jinx yet again! A later Squawk will be about the honor of attending the Mets' 31st Annual New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund Game and Family Day at Citi Field. Let's get started!

My day started out in a very weird way, when I saw the following headline from the Staten Island Advance: "Great Kills dentist accused of exposing self to teen employee." It was my former dentist! Fortunately, I only went to Dr. Alan M. Kratenstein briefly last year. But, as somebody else pointed out to me, this dentist's hand was in my mouth, which made me feel sick for the rest of the morning. Oy.

Buster Posey: more charismatic
than Derek Jeter

After a few hours at work, I headed to Topps headquarters to see superstar San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey in the flesh. (Thanks to my friend Joe Favorito for the invite!) Posey appeared at a presser there for bloggers to promote the fact that he is the baseball card company's new brand ambassador. And talk about perfect timing, given that he just caught a no-hitter the night before!

You hear a lot about how Posey, who has three World Series rings in five years and an NL MVP award, and who has been voted the new Face of Baseball, is the new Derek Jeter. I actually think Posey is much more charming than Jeter, who too often seemed to talk in a monotone with dealing with the media, as if he were at a dentist visit!

Posey has real star quality. Even if you knew nothing about baseball, you would know that he was somebody, the way he carries himself. Very charismatic.

Posey opens up the Topps baseball card box set.
First card he sees? Ervin Santana. Heh.

Anyhow, he talked about why he signed up to promote Topps. He said it was "really special" to represent the brand. Posey said that baseball cards are "something the younger generation can and should get excited about." He also noted that his grandfather is a big card collector.

Someone asked Posey about what it was like to see himself on a baseball card for the first time. He called it a "cool moment" and "a little bit surreal," and said he would always remember that day. He also talked about how his three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, act about seeing their father on a baseball card!

Of course, many of the questions were about Chris Heston's no-hitter from the night before, and for what it is like in general to catch no-hitters (Posey has caught three, one away from tying Jason Varitek, something somebody pointed out.)

Posey said that while a no-hitter is a "rare feat" is is "unique in its own way," there is also a "commonality in no-hitters" -- that the pitcher and catcher "are able to get on same page" and "keep that rhythm." Posey said the challenge was to be efficient. He also had a lot of praise for Chris Heston. Somebody asked him if he felt bad that he didn't catch one of Tim Lincecum's two no-hitters Posey had a very humble response, saying that there was no guarantee that Lincecum would have had a no-hitter that day with Posey as catcher!

This is the Ervin Santana card that
Posey touched. I took it home with me.

I got the opportunity to ask Posey a question. I asked what it was about the Giants having so many more no-hitters than other franchises, and noted that they had four no-hitters in four years, and 17 no-hitters in all.  Posey first responded by pointing out that the team has had five no-hitters in seven seasons. Heh! (I didn't even think of Jonathan Sanchez's in 2009 because that was the pre-Posey era!)

My fellow Yankee fans will appreciate who Posey said "gets a ton of credit" for the team having so many no-hitters. That would be pitching coach Dave Righetti, who had a no-hitter of his own with the Yankees in 1983.  He also credited Righetti as being "instrumental" in his progress as a catcher.

Posey was also asked about Matt Harvey, who he called a "great pitcher" with "great stuff," and said that "we know we have our hands full" facing him last night. (Well, that didn't really happen, as you will hear shortly!)

Posey said he is passionate about baseball and said that he has no specific goals, other than to "just win." Although he did then say that he would like to set the record for catcher with most rings. (Yogi Berra has 10, though, so Posey's got a way to go on that!)

A young reporter from SI for Kids then asked him a lot of questions. The best one was what superhero power Posey would want. He said to fly, as he doesn't like to sit in traffic! He also said his favorite move was Dumb and Dumber.

Then Posey did a ceremonial opening of the new Topps Series 2 set for 2015. The very first card he saw? Ervin Santana of the Minnesota Twins, who is currently serving an 80-game suspension for PEDs. Everybody laughed over this. There should have also been sad trombone music!

Here is the front of the card.
What is on the back?

We also got to hear about Topps' new Series 2 line of baseball cards for 2015, which include Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant's rookie card. They also have some new First Pitch cards, featuring people who have thrown out first pitches at baseball games. This includes "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm and Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead. Talk about cards that were tailor-made for yours truly! (But where was the card for 50 Cent's first pitch?)

I got a picture of the Dead baseball card, but it only showed the front side of the card. So what was on the back of the card? Someone I work with wondered: "Does the back of the card list different drugs (think LSD instead of RBI) and quantities per season?"

So I threw the question out to my Facebook friends, and received responses like: "Number of insufferable drum solos by tour," as well as "Road Trips (not W-L columns, in this case it's Good and Bad), visits to Dock Ellis' house, Toking Average, Bong Hits, Lyric Errors, etc." Other responses included "Number of times hallucinations involving fabulous furry freak brothers" and "Most joints rolled during one tour." Squawker Jon thought the Dead cards should be scratch and sniff.

When I was at Topps headquarters, I also got to say hello to Topps staffer Chris Vaccaro, who I knew from our days at the Daily News. And I got to talk to Steve Keane, my fellow Staten Islander and blogger at the Eddie Kranepool Society. Also made a new friend -- a young woman named Brandon from FanDuel.com. My phone's camera went out of whack during part of the event, so she was nice enough to share some of her Buster Posey photos with me!

Anyhow, I went back to work after this, and then headed to Citi Field in the late afternoon to go to the Answer the Call benefit game (details on that in a future Squawk.) I got to the media check-in at 5:15 p.m., as I was supposed to, but there was a snafu. Even though I had RSVPed, and gotten written confirmation on the RSVP, my name was not on the list. This could have been fixed in two minutes if the Mets' young receptionist hadn't been a (rhymes with witch). Even though I showed her this RSVP information, she simply would not listen to me or do anything about it. I wasn't surprised at how rude and unprofessional she was, given that her tank top and miniskirt getup was a very unprofessional workplace outfit, unless your workplace is on the pole!

Because of her incompetence, I had to wait 45 minutes in the media check-in area until the Mets PR person I was dealing with contacted the Mets communications director -- the same person who got us access to Citi Field for our Guideposts Spartan Race photo shoot -- to get the situation fixed, and get me into the ballpark.

Fortunately, it all worked out in the end, and I was able to get some very moving quotes from people at the picnic, including getting to talk to Rusty Staub, the founder of the benefit fund. More on that later today.

Something funny happened, though, while I was cooling my heels waiting. I saw an older gentleman with a baseball cap on his head come up to the receptionist and say that he was picking up tickets for himself, Tommy Lasorda, and Joe Torre. He then smiled at me while I was waiting -- he must have noticed how stressed I looked. His smile made me relax a little and feel better. I smiled back.

Anyhow, I saw Lasorda come in after that, and I said hello. Was glad I didn't see Joe Torre, because I would have asked him things like "Why didn't you bunt on Curt Schilling?" and "Why did you pitch Jeff Weaver in the World Series?" and "Why did you hate A-Rod so much?" and it wouldn't have ended well!

Anyhow, later on that night, I saw that same smiling, kindly man talking on the Mets broadcast with Torre during the game, talking about  prostate cancer awareness. The man was billionaire Michael Milken. How funny is that?

Matt Harvey, future Yankee

As for the game itself, I got to see Matt Harvey warm up and was about 10-15 feet behind him -- the picnic area was right behind the bullpen. He has a real swagger to him. Like Posey, Harvey has true star quality. But while Posey has an aw-shucks demeanor, Harvey is all strut.

I joked on Facebook that I was scouting him for the Yankees, since we all know he will be in pinstripes at some point!

Of course, seeing him in the flesh, and staying for the game, meant that I got the blame for being a jinx to Matt Harvey and the Mets. Squawker Jon pointed out that Harvey had never lost a game in which the Mets had scored four runs or more. That is, until now!

Me at the game, with a bad selfie.
Jon said I look very startled!

I only stayed until the middle of the sixth inning for the game, but the damage was done. Squawker Jon (and others!) blame me for Harvey's poor performance!

During the game, I walked around the park, and also had a fabulous Patron margarita, as well as some carnitas tacos (without eating the shells.) Also got to meet Facebook friend Brad Kurtzberg at the game. Nice guy!

As for Harvey, it does make me laugh how irate Jon was. He texted me: "What did u do to Harvey?" Hey, don't blame me!

In all, it was a very busy day! Will write about the second half of the day later on this Thursday.

San Francisco Giant Hunter Pence is a world champion -- and a "Game of Thrones" fan!

San Francisco Giants pitcher Chris Heston may have just thrown a no-hitter in only his 13th major league start ever. But is he throwing a "Game of Thrones" finale party? No. However, teammate Hunter Pence is. Watch the funny video below!

Tim Lincecum: The new face of Major League Baseball?

Shocker! ESPN2's SportsNation's viewers believe that Tim Lincecum can become the face of Major League Baseball.


SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle says that The Freak is "a two time Cy Young winner and a World Series Champion." She notes than Lincecum is "not the kind of corporate face that's been boring people for years and losing young fans." Ouch!
 
As for myself, I find Lincecum a fascinating dude, not just because he's a great pitcher, but he because he's got personality to spare. He's very charismatic, in a quirky, San Francisco sort of way. He reminds me a little of Shaun White, in that both of them have their own unique looks.
 
And as a Yankee fan, it's fun to see somebody like him, who would never "fit in" with the Yankees' hair code or image. I felt the same way watching Manny Ramirez and his own non-corporate hair.
 
Lincecum is one of the more memorable faces in MLB these days, but I don't know if he can become "The Face of MLB," because of his love of, um, a certain herb. When asked about how San Francisco was reacting to the World Series victory, he said:

"Just a lot of craziness, I'm hoping," Lincecum said. "A lot of beer flowing. Smoke in the air, I'm hoping."

Don't think he's talking about tobacco smoke there!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Photo by Estebomb

World Series bridges Squawker divide

In the ten years that the Squawkers have known each other, the end of the World Series has usually left one of us fuming. We started working together shortly before the 2000 World Series, and I'm still not ready to talk about that one. In 2001 and 2003, the Yankees lost, and in 2004 and 2007, the Red Sox won. Lisa took none of these Fall Classics very well. In 2002, I rooted for the Angels, who had been the first AL team in five years to beat the Yankees in the playoffs. Lisa, naturally, rooted against the Angels.

In 2006, I rooted against the Cardinals after they beat the Mets in the NLCS. The Cardinals' easy victory over the Tigers so easily only made the Mets' failure to make the World Series that much worse. In 2008, the Phillies won, and 2009 was, for me, a nightmare all around.

Aside from 2010, the only time we have been on the same side was in 2005, when both of us rooted against the Astros of Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, though from different perspectives.

The irony of us being on the same side in 2010 and not feeling too bad about the outcome is that both of us were actually rooting for the Rangers. Lisa rooted for them because of having lived in Texas. I rooted for the Rangers because I thought a World Series victory would give them a better chance of keeping Cliff Lee.

But both of us are finding plenty of reasons to enjoy the Giants' victory. The Giants have some similarities to the 1969 Mets - great pitching and patchwork hitting. Both the Giants and Mets upset a great-hitting AL team in five games. Both the Giants and Mets had a Cy Young ace (Tim Lincecum, Tom Seaver) and a no. 2 pitcher who was sensational in the World Series (Matt Cain, Jerry Koosman). Both the Giants and Mets had a rookie starter combine with a reliever for a shutout (Madison Bumgarner/Brian Wilson, Gary Gentry/Nolan Ryan).

The Giants also have some appealing personalities, notably Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson. And they have a great history and an enthusiastic and creative fan base that had never seen a title in San Francisco.

So Lisa and I are uniting for once to say congratulations to the Giants and their fans, and condolences to the Rangers and their fans.

The Squawker truce will last until Cliff Lee files for free agency.

God only knows why Brian Wilson has that beard

I've been watching most of the World Series so far, even though it's been a bit of a snoozer so far. The San Francisco Giants are dominating the Texas Rangers, the way Texas dominated the New York Yankees.

It is funny to see the contrast between the two fanbases, though. One other thing that has cracked me up is San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson. Check out an article I wrote for The Faster Times about him.

I did like seeing the kid dressed up as Ron Washington last night. And whatever you think of George W. Bush's politics, he can still throw a great first pitch.

But geez, the Rangers need to find their bats, and soon, or San Francisco will be celebrating their first-ever World Series title!

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Why couldn't that be the Yankees? The Giants get to Cliff Lee

Remember how I wrote a few weeks ago that Cliff Lee could be "beatable" in this year's postseason, because the Yanks did get to him for five runs in Game 5 of the World Series last October? Well, I was right about Lee not being automatic, but I was wrong about who would get to him. The San Francisco Giants made the Texas Rangers pitcher look very hittable last night, with that six-run fifth inning.

And I'm sure a lot of Yankee fans were thinking the same thing I was -- why couldn't that have been the Yankees who did that? Yes, I'm still bitter about Joe Girardi giving up in Game 3!

Much like the Twins made the Yankees look like worldbeaters in the ALDS, I wonder if the Yanks made the Rangers, especially Lee, look completely dominant in the ALCS. It will be interesting to see how the Giants handle Colby Lewis, the starter who shut down the Yankees twice. If San Francisco manhandles him, I'm not going to be happy!

Tim Lincecum wasn't at his sharpest, but it didn't matter. I've heard some Yankee fans coveting him, though. First off, he's not a free agent for a few more years. Second, he'd have to kill his personality, and everything that makes The Freak fun to watch, as a Yankee. Can't see him in pinstripes at all, no matter how much I like watching him pitch!

Oh, and how about Barry Bonds sitting in the stands? Squawker Jon was repelled by seeing him. I think it's okay that he's there. After all, he had a lot to do with the Giants being able to get that wonderful new ballpark, and he did get them to the World Series in 2002. Why should they hide him away? Like it or not, he was an important part of the franchise's history. (And no, Roger Clemens doesn't even come close to being as important in Yankeeland!)

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Please reunite Mike and the Mad Dog -- if only for one day

If WFAN is smart, they'll have Mike Francesa do part of his show today with his old partner Chris Russo, and get the Mike and the Mad Dog band back together. Because hearing the Mad Dog celebrate his beloved San Francisco Giants making it to the World Series, while Francesa pontificates about the failure of the Yankees to do the same, would be radio gold.

I'm not the only one thinking this way -- I saw lots of fans express similar sentiments Saturday night. After all, New York radio listeners heard Chris squawk about his Giants for the last 20 years; he's arguably the most famous San Francisco Giants fan in New York! And given that most fans in the tri-state area don't have Sirius/XM Radio, they're not going to get to hear what the Mad Dog has to say about his team.

I do have XM in the car, but I don't want to have to go for a ride this afternoon just to hear Chris' infectious laugh! I'd love to hear his whole excited "good afternoon everybody" thing on local radio here, and I think many fans agree.

After Mike and the Mad Dog broke up their partnership two years ago, neither has been the same. And when they did reunite for one show last year, during the 2009 playoffs, it reminded me of how much better they were together than apart.

Let's hope WFAN gives Mad Dog a call to have him on this afternoon's show. It would be must-listen radio!

* * *

Speaking of which, I will also make sure to listen to Michael Kay's explanation this afternoon about how the Texas Rangers were able to win the ALCS, when he declared the series "over" after Game 1! Hope some listeners give him grief.

What do you think? Tell us about it!