In defense of Pujols

I don't normally do sports here, but this seems somewhat newsworthy. Besides, I'm ticked off and need to vent.

Pictured left is the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols, in pain from a pulled oblique muscle suffered in a game on Saturday. Nodoby knows when he might return.

Before being injured he was on pace to hit about 323 home runs this season. Alright, maybe 74. In this his sixth major league season, he's never missed more than a few games in a row due to injury, although he's often played in pain (unlike others). It's sad for baseball fans since he'll probably miss the All Star game. His hitting display in the home run contest a couple of years ago was otherworldly.

But because of the above, and because of Bonds, some people wonder if all he's "for real". Here's one such schmuck, who is chiding St. Louis sportswriters for not immediately launching investigations of Pujols for possible steroid use (or perhaps coating his bat with flubber).

I've been watching Pujols since his first at-bat in 2001. He looks the same, hits the same, and acts the same since that first day. His work ethic second to none and he lives, eats and sleeps baseball. Some even say he takes that darn bat to bed. He's been tested repeatedly for steroids and there's no evidence he's dabbling.

So let me recommend to mister "sports nut" that before throwing anymore high and tight fastballs towards the Arch, try checking some stats. For example, you might want to take a look at this guy, who accumulated MORE home runs than Pujols did in his first five seasons.

Think he was on roids, too, Mr. Pearlman, or were all those HRs just cheap shots to the short porch? You can ask him yourself--he's in the broadcast booth of a team close to Slate's headquarters.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG? 6/7/06

Former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley is in trouble, and the substance called Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is why. The FBI just finished raiding his home and he's been singing like a bird.

His tale of woe apparently includes a few juicy allegations. Other than narc-ing out other major league players he's also passed on a few stories, like how the clubhouse coffee pots were labeled "leaded" and "unleaded" to differentiate between ones loaded with amphetamines. He claims the Latin players and Southern California players were the best sources of banned substances due to their connections with Mexico or Latin America.

Meanwhile Bug Selig continues to whistle Dixie and hope everyhing goes away. He knows that home runs put butts in the seats, and those fans also buy seven dollar beers and four dollar hot dogs. Who would want to give up that racket? It's just too bad Selig didn't get his arms around the problem years ago without having to let the Feds come in and clean everything up.