metirish

Freddie Garcia is the new slight favorite....several bookie associates have been calling me with news that a chap that looks a lot like Jeff Wilpon was seen in several parlors yesterday laying out "big" money on Garcia at 50/1 odds....no doubt trying to diversify his portfolio . Adam Rubin in the Snooze today has Garcia as the favorite , Mets "insiders" are talking about the team strongest with Freddie as the fifth starter and redding the long man....Neise looks like he will start in AAA Line Redding - 5/1 Niese - 10/1 Armas - 20/1 Figueroa - 10/1 Garcia - 3/1 Parnell - 50/1 Bostick - 70/1 Stoner - 100/1 Gee - 200/1 Antonioni - 200/1

Spring Training inter-squad games can't start soon enough.

] I'll translate that: Pudge wants to be employed LOL....exactly..

Redding - 3/1 early favorite Niese - 9/2 Armas - 12/1 Figueroa - 10/1 Garcia - 50/1 Parnell - 50/1 Bostick - 70/1 Stoner - 100/1 Gee - 200/1 Antonioni - 200/1 Pedro Martinez - 300/1 Mr.Met - 1000/1 Odds are based on which pitcher will start as the Mets first fifth starter.

We should have proper odds , Redding might be the favorite at 3/1 odds, Niese second favorite at 9/2 odds....and so on...Pedro is a long shot at this stage as he is not signed so get your money down at 100/1 odds....that price is sure to drop as rumors heat up.

$20 on Redding to be the first fifth starter.....$15 on Figueroa to be next .

] As a player, John McGraw tripped so many base runners that baseball was forced to introduce an infield umpire -- and McGraw is in the Hall of Fame too. For fucks sake man get a grip .

Cool pictures , Petey looks strong...sign him now.

Read in the Snooze where Ryan declared to the Phillies...."Hey they won the WS, more power to them. There's only a big bulls- eye on their back . We're coming".... fighting words.

] PORT ST. LUCIE - After a 101-loss season with Seattle in 2008, it isn't a stretch to suggest that J.J. Putz, Sean Green and Jeremy Reed are eager to get this season started. So it's no wonder the three ex-Mariners, who landed with the Mets in a Dec.10 trade, already have arrived at camp. The trio, working out with new teammates on the minor-league side of the Mets' complex since pitchers and catchers don't officially report until Friday, occupied consecutive locker stalls Wednesday. Their Mariners tote bags conspicuously rested on top. "It was a long season - not just the physical grind, but it was kind of a mental grind," Green said. "Everybody was struggling, and coaches are getting fired and players are getting released. It was kind of a tough situation." It's no secret that Putz will set up new closer Francisco Rodriguez, but Mets officials expect the 29-year-old Green will play a pivotal role in the revamped bullpen, too. The lefty-hitting Reed is projected to take over Endy Chavez's backup role and is capable of playing all three outfield positions. Putz used the same word - "versatile" - to describe both players. He believes Green, who relies on a heavy sinker that he throws from varying arm angles, can rise to another level without the overuse he had in Seattle in '08. Green made 48 first-half relief appearances, the most in the American League. Green's 29 relief outings of more than one inning during the season ranked third in the majors, behind Josh Rupe and J.P. Howell (31 apiece). "He was as lights out as anybody was the first half of last year," Putz said. "The way that they kind of abused him last year - he probably won't say it - but I think it really did take a toll late in the season. "He can pitch in a number of different roles. He's always been a guy that's never shied away from taking the ball. He can go three innings or four innings, then come back and give you another inning the next day." Green went 4-5 with a 4.67 ERA and one save for Seattle last season, his third in the big leagues. He also overcame adversity even before turning pro. Green was cut his freshman year of high school, and stayed around the baseball team as equipment manager. By his senior year he was throwing in the low-90s on varsity, setting up a college career at Louisville. "My body kind of caught up. I started throwing a little harder," Green said. "I really didn't have any plans to go to college to play going into my senior year, but I started throwing hard during the season and got drafted late by Toronto and ended up going to U of L." Poised to be selected in the first few rounds of the draft as a college junior, Green went 0-10 that season and slipped to the 12th round. "It was awful," he said. "Going into that season I was looking pretty good, like I was a fairly decent prospect." Reed, 27, was a major prospect in the minors for the White Sox and played for former Met Wally Backman at Double-A Birmingham. He was traded during the 2004 season to Seattle for Freddy Garcia, now a teammate. Reed had 488 at-bats and was the Mariners' regular center fielder the following season, but has since been a role player. "I'm really excited to be over here," Reed said. "I think the National League fits my game better - the fact that I've played all three outfield positions and, in the past, I've played some first base. I kind of want to work on that a little bit more just to have that. I feel like defensively I can go out there at any time and help the team. Gosh, I have a little over three years' service time and I've gone into one spring training knowing that I was going to play every day. So I'm kind of used to that. I'm used to going out there and fighting and giving myself the best opportunity to win a job."

More news , that picture is recent because they have been dating for only six months , current girl is the object of much scorn and ridicule in Puerto Rico , she is known for being an air head...also known as "dark cloud" as a BF from a few years ago killed himself and a guy she dated last year got cancer.....crazy stuff.

My wife tells me that of course this is shocking news in Puerto Rico , anyway Robbie's current squeeze is a TV personality and model and she has been all over TV over there today talking about how all of this is false and that in due course all will be reveled , she did say that the ex told Alomar that when they broke up she was going to ruin him.Current GF also claims that Robbie is in good health.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/features/freeagents?season=2008

Type B from what I am seeing.

12 pages..... Not sure if it was last season or the one before that Alomar was shown in the stands at Shea watching a game , looked pretty good then , may have been Father's Day IIRC.

from the Daily News Tejada's representatives are scheduled to hold a press conference at Minute Maid Park Wednesday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time in Houston to address Tejada's status with the club, Astros assistant GM Ricky Bennett said. The charge against Tejada - a Dominican citizen with a work permit at the time of the 2005 interview - could affect his immigration status

I can't ever remember rumors that he was gay.

="soupcan":3kmruy73]Horrible story all-around. Assuming her story is true though and that my reading comprehension isn't as poor as I think it might be, how valid is Alomar's contention that IF he had AIDS it was a result of being raped by two men at age 17? Wouldn't subsequent medical tests administered by various teams over the course of his carrer have picked up HIV?[/quote:3kmruy73] The ex is the one saying that about the rape , or that' what she claims he told her , if the rape claim is true and Alomar didn't get tested in subsequent years then that is rather sad and irresponsible of him. metsmarathon Feb 11 2009 07:32 AM BEFORE learning he was HIV-positive, they had unprotected sex. AFTER learning he was HIV-positive, they did not have unprotected sex. am i reading the same article? seawolf17 Feb 11 2009 07:34 AM ="metsmarathon":15hmqqt2]BEFORE learning he was HIV-positive, they had unprotected sex. AFTER learning he was HIV-positive, they did not have unprotected sex. am i reading the same article?[/quote:15hmqqt2] That's what I read also. She's suing for distress -- not that she doesn't have the right to be distressed, but I would think she has to prove that he knew he had HIV before having unprotected sex with her, and the article doesn't say that. Sucks for Roberto. soupcan Feb 11 2009 07:38 AM Maybe its a blackmail thing and he chose not to pay her so she puts this out there under the guise of suing him? Benjamin Grimm Feb 11 2009 07:41 AM If she found out about the HIV (or AIDS) when he did then she's responsible for any decisions she made about any kind of contact with his bodily fluids. This seems less about a health concern than about a way to drag her ex-boyfriend through the mud after an (I assume) ugly breakup. Of course, we still don't know if Alomar has HIV, or anything at all, although my hunch is he probably does. If not, there would be little point in launching such a lawsuit. Alomar could easily quash it by taking a test and providing the results to the court. I have to wonder if the sudden decline in production that Alomar experienced in 2002 may have had something to do with illness. (Or age, of course, or "the pressure of playing in New York.") John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 11 2009 07:46 AM Well, it's clear that "New York" wasn't the cause of his decline since he played in other cities since and wasn't any good in those places either. I mean, it seems obvious he wasn't where he used to be physically when he got here, although had this thing not come up I would have sooner guessed steroid withdrawl or old age before AIDS. But yeah, obviously the chick is interested in $15 million more than anything. metsguyinmichigan Feb 11 2009 07:48 AM Always lots of rumors that Alomar was gay. Supposedly he spit at the umpire because he made a homophobic slur. Nymr83 Feb 11 2009 07:49 AM ="metsguyinmichigan":2qftspnl]Always lots of rumors that Alomar was gay. Supposedly he spit at the umpire because he made a homophobic slur.[/quote:2qftspnl] which has what to do with anything here? metirish Feb 11 2009 07:50 AM I can't ever remember rumors that he was gay. HahnSolo Feb 11 2009 07:58 AM All this time I thought he was happily pillowing Mary Pierce. Benjamin Grimm Feb 11 2009 07:59 AM That kind of rings a bell with me. (The gay Alomar rumors.) John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 11 2009 08:01 AM I did my part spreading those rumors after hearing my/his former drycleaner talk about how Alomar was obsessively particular about he preferred his shirts to be folded. Anyway, this and that are two different things. MFS62 Feb 11 2009 08:07 AM I wish him well. Later Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 08:08 AM I'm trying to zoom in on the alleged rape. The record shows him playing in the SALlie League at 17 and the California League at 18. The California League, as far as I can tell, sticks to the Golden State and doesn't wind out to New Mexico, or even Arizona, though maybe it did in 1986. Nymr83 Feb 11 2009 08:14 AM ="Edgy DC":1zt4k77z]I'm trying to zoom in on the alleged rape. The record shows him playing in the SALlie League at 17 and the California League at 18. The California League, as far as I can tell, sticks to the Golden State and doesn't wind out to New Mexico, or even Arizona, though maybe it did in 1986.[/quote:1zt4k77z] Reno, NV had a team from 1955 to 1992 (or so says wikipedia) soupcan Feb 11 2009 08:19 AM ="Nymr83":328ycyjo]="metsguyinmichigan":328ycyjo]Always lots of rumors that Alomar was gay. Supposedly he spit at the umpire because he made a homophobic slur.[/quote:328ycyjo] which has what to do with anything here?[/quote:328ycyjo] AIDS. Gay. There's relevance. Met Hunter Feb 11 2009 08:19 AM I have to say, I'm surprised by this story, but not shocked. The rumors of Robbie's sexual orientation have been around for years. I always felt that Piazza took some hits for Robbie back in the 'there's a gay Met' days. Hirschbeck did in fact call Alomar a name (faggot) that infuriated Roberto. A couple years ago, I attended an autograph show that both Sandys were at and we saw Roberto in the lobby. He looked like hell and we thought he was dying. We were told that he recently had surgery and was a litle under the weather. Either way, this is a sad story. If he indeed is infected, knew about it, and convinced his girl to have sexual relations with him, that is irresposible and criminal. Despite that, I hope for the best to the entire Alomar clan. A great baseball family. soupcan Feb 11 2009 08:22 AM ="Benjamin Grimm"]That kind of rings a bell with me. (The gay Alomar rumors.) There was some article making the rounds written by a gay writer who said he had an affair with a 'prominent baseball player with an east coast team'. At the time I think that many people assumed he was talking about Piazza but there were also whispers that it could have been Malomar. We used to joke here that Mary Pierce was a bad choice for a beard for Robbie because she looked more like a man than he did.. MFS62 Feb 11 2009 08:25 AM Yiles! No wonder she was fronting for Virgin. Who would want to .... ? Later Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 08:28 AM She gets a tough rap. A funky nose, but she had a wonderful athletic build, even by tennis player standards. Centerfield Feb 11 2009 08:31 AM I have confirmed with four different sources that Mary Pierce is one of the unnamed 103. Nymr83 Feb 11 2009 08:38 AM ="soupcan":1r1auihp]="Nymr83":1r1auihp]="metsguyinmichigan":1r1auihp]Always lots of rumors that Alomar was gay. Supposedly he spit at the umpire because he made a homophobic slur.[/quote:1r1auihp] which has what to do with anything here?[/quote:1r1auihp] AIDS. Gay. There's relevance.[/quote:1r1auihp] You can catch AIDS by having normal heterosexual sex. You can also be raped by men even if you yourself are not gay, I still fail to see the relevance. metsguyinmichigan Feb 11 2009 08:44 AM ="soupcan":1hl6exl4]="Nymr83":1hl6exl4]="metsguyinmichigan":1hl6exl4]Always lots of rumors that Alomar was gay. Supposedly he spit at the umpire because he made a homophobic slur.[/quote:1hl6exl4] which has what to do with anything here?[/quote:1hl6exl4] AIDS. Gay. There's relevance.[/quote:1hl6exl4] Well, the point was that if he was saying he got the disease because he was raped by two men in Mexico, that might not be entirely true. But certainly there are multiple ways to get AIDS, and I wasn't casting any dispersions on him because he might be gay. Just saying the rape thing seemed odd, as did the refusals to be tested over the years. soupcan Feb 11 2009 09:00 AM Of course you can 'catch' AIDS in ways that have nothing to do with homosexual sex. The fact remains however that it originated as a disease specific to the homosexual community and rightly or wrongly, still remains something that many people consider a 'gay desease'. The rumor that Alomar is gay combined with the rumor that he has AIDS makes the statement valid. Fman99 Feb 11 2009 09:13 AM ="soupcan"]="Benjamin Grimm"]That kind of rings a bell with me. (The gay Alomar rumors.) There was some article making the rounds written by a gay writer who said he had an affair with a 'prominent baseball player with an east coast team'. At the time I think that many people assumed he was talking about Piazza but there were also whispers that it could have been Malomar. We used to joke here that Mary Pierce was a bad choice for a beard for Robbie because she looked more like a man than he did.. Wow I can't believe Robby Alomar had sex with Geddy Lee. Benjamin Grimm Feb 11 2009 09:17 AM You know, millionaire professional athletes have trouble getting the prettiest of women, and often have to settle for those who look like Willie Nelson. Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 09:26 AM Cruel room. Vic Sage Feb 11 2009 10:00 AM my observations: 1) saying someone has AIDS could be actionable, unless it were true, so it is unlikely the woman would make this accusation without some good faith basis to believe it to be true; 2) The gay rumors (which i recall) and his sudden and precipitous drop in performance add further credibility to the claim and therefore are relevent issues to raise without pretending otherwise, or implying veiled innuendo of homophobia for having done so, 3) There doesn't seem to be an allegation that Alomar knew (or even that he necessarily should have known) that he had AIDS at the time they were having unprotected sex, so there is no criminal liability (or moral culpability); 4) this is tragic all the way around; and 5) Namor's perspective does not surprise me in the least. John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 11 2009 10:01 AM View the suit: [url:xutp2sq2]http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0211091alomar1.html[/url:xutp2sq2] metirish Feb 11 2009 10:08 AM 12 pages..... Not sure if it was last season or the one before that Alomar was shown in the stands at Shea watching a game , looked pretty good then , may have been Father's Day IIRC. Nymr83 Feb 11 2009 10:16 AM I always thought "Ilya" was a guy's name, at least the one Ilya I know is, unless I'm spelling his name wrong? ]There doesn't seem to be an allegation that Alomar knew (or even that he necessarily should have known) that he had AIDS at the time they were having unprotected sex, so there is no criminal liability (or moral culpability); #29-34 on the first cause of action seems to allege just that, even if it isn't true it is certainly being alleged. HahnSolo Feb 11 2009 10:24 AM ="metirish":z7miuiq4]12 pages..... Not sure if it was last season or the one before that Alomar was shown in the stands at Shea watching a game , looked pretty good then , may have been Father's Day IIRC.[/quote:z7miuiq4] I believe so. I think he, his dad and brother took the Shea countdown number down on Fathers Day. I didn't see him that day. Vic Sage Feb 11 2009 10:51 AM there is no evidence that he knew he was positive until 1/06, and the complaint doesn't allege any. That he SHOULD have known before then, based on his various symptoms, is a matter of conjecture, and not the basis of "criminal" conduct. It might rise to tortious conduct, if her allegations are proven true, and though sections 29-34 of the complaint are worded broadly (as such complaints generally are), they clearly are about what he SHOULD have known. Of course, during all this time HE should have known, shouldn't she have? Why would she continue to have unprotected sex with someone whose symptoms she alleges were so obvious that ignoring or denying them rose to the level of negligence (civil, much less criminal negligence!). Wasn't she contributorily negligent? Oh the other hand, if he actually told her that he'd been tested on the numerous times that she alleges, and always told her he had tested negative, that's fraudulant behavior. Still, in most jurisdictions "emotional distress" needs at least some element of physical damage to be actionable, and certainly so for a criminal prosecution. She doesn't claim any battery, and as long as she tests negative, neither she nor any state may have a claim against him for what he might have or should have known. But certainly, if her allegations are true, there is moral culpability here. Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 11:05 AM Possiblities also exist that (1) he honestly had been tested, and received a false negative, and (2) had honestly been tested, and received an accurate negative, but contracted the disease subsequently. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 11 2009 02:20 PM A suit for distress several years after the supposed diagnosis... and after she continued to cohabitate (and, presumably, perform girlfriend-ly duties) with the guy for 3-plus years after THAT? I'm guessing that he's not a fantastic breaker-upper. metirish Feb 11 2009 06:05 PM My wife tells me that of course this is shocking news in Puerto Rico , anyway Robbie's current squeeze is a TV personality and model and she has been all over TV over there today talking about how all of this is false and that in due course all will be reveled , she did say that the ex told Alomar that when they broke up she was going to ruin him.Current GF also claims that Robbie is in good health. Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 06:16 PM I hope that's true. Good health doesn't necessarily mean virus-free, but it's good to have a woman stand by you when another is airing you out. metirish Feb 11 2009 06:22 PM More news , that picture is recent because they have been dating for only six months , current girl is the object of much scorn and ridicule in Puerto Rico , she is known for being an air head...also known as "dark cloud" as a BF from a few years ago killed himself and a guy she dated last year got cancer.....crazy stuff. Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 06:27 PM La Nube Oscura. Ouch. Frayed Knot Feb 11 2009 07:03 PM Robbie will be part of next year's 1st timers club for HoF consideration. Fman99 Feb 11 2009 07:56 PM ="metirish"]My wife tells me that of course this is shocking news in Puerto Rico , anyway Robbie's current squeeze is a TV personality and model and she has been all over TV over there today talking about how all of this is false and that in due course all will be reveled , she did say that the ex told Alomar that when they broke up she was going to ruin him.Current GF also claims that Robbie is in good health. I'd shake that shack. soupcan Feb 11 2009 08:37 PM I dunno - he don't look so good to me.. Of course I'm looking at him thinking he's got full-blown AIDS and he's trying to hide it but doesn't he look a little gaunt? He looks older than a 41 year-old former professional athlete should and he was always a pretty youthful looking guy. SteveJRogers Feb 11 2009 09:11 PM Shots of him getting inducted into the Blue Jays' Level of Excellence (they don't retire numbers) last spring Edgy DC Feb 11 2009 09:39 PM ="The New York Times":gev7takj]After he joined the mediocre Mets in 2002, Alomar�s play took a sharp turn for the worse.[/quote:gev7takj] Hey, paper of record, easy on the editorializing. That's not a blog you're writing. metirish Feb 19 2009 08:32 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 19 2009 08:44 AM Nothing new in this case , some pictures here of Alomar's GF... Be careful Opening These At Work[/url:2ob5iosb] scroll down John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 19 2009 08:35 AM Looks like she's smuggling a few batting helmets in her top. metirish Feb 26 2009 07:03 PM Update if anyone is interested......Gisselle a famous Puerto Rican Merengue singer and ex squeeze of Alomar's felt compelled to take a HIV test and go public with the results today because of a smear campaign down there in the gossip pages....she tested negative. Also his current GF holds daily news briefs on Robbie and has taken to calling him her husband....my wife tells me this girl is really a hate figure down there and it's worse now because she is seen to be using Alomar for her own publicity. I didn't appreciate how highly thought of the Alomar family are in Puerto Rico and it's a circus there right now. TransMonk May 06 2009 01:00 PM That's settled: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/05/06/2009-05-06_alomar_settles_suit_with_former_gal_pal.html Ex-Met Roberto Alomar settles suit with former gal pal in AIDS lawsuit BY John Marzulli DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Wednesday, May 6th 2009, 4:00 AM The ex-girlfriend of Roberto Alomar has settled her lawsuit that accused the former Mets' second baseman of being stricken with full-blown AIDS and having unprotected sex with her, according to court records. No terms of the settlement was disclosed. Ilya Dall, 31, had alleged that Alomar had been in declining health for years, but insisted he was disease-free before testing positive for AIDS in February 2006, according to the suit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court. She sought $15 million in damages. The couple had been dating since 2002 and broke up last October. Dall claimed in the suit that Alomar had told her he was suffering from erectile dysfunction and had been "raped by two Mexican men" when he was 17. Asked if she regretted the public disclosure of intimate details of Alomar's health, Dall told the Daily News: "I'm sorry, but I have no comment." Alomar's lawyer would not comment on whether the baseball legend had AIDS. "He's healthy and he looks great," said Charles Bach. "The matter is over. The plaintiff [Dall] has withdrawn her complaint." As part of the settlement, Dall agreed not to file any future lawsuit against Alomar. Dall's suit originally filed in Queens Supreme Court in January, was transferred to federal court at Alomar's request because they live in different states - he in Florida and Dall in Whitestone, Queens. Dall's lawyer, Robert Sullivan, also declined to comment on the settlement. jmarzulli@nydailynews.com metirish May 06 2009 01:06 PM My wife was telling me last night that Robbies current GF who also serves as his spokesperson in PR has been all over TV there boasting that they are getting married and showing off a ring that she says cost $300K . This information was blurted out during a press conference yesterday to announce the settlement. Benjamin Grimm May 06 2009 01:16 PM Of course, this settlement doesn't settle the issue of Alomar's health. It just got the plaintiff to agree to shut up. He's still just as HIV positive, or not, as he was before today. So that issue remains up in the air. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 06 2009 03:18 PM ="metirish"]My wife was telling me last night that Robbies current GF who also serves as his spokesperson in PR has been all over TV there boasting that they are getting married and showing off a ring that she says cost $300K . This information was blurted out during a press conference yesterday to announce the settlement. This GF... is she actually made of plastic, or does she just seem as if she must be?

Rosenthal says a deal is "close" with the Angels.

Best wishes to Alomar , more is sure to come out here on this story. His dad claims this is all news to him. Not surprised by Nymr83's reaction.

OMG , brilliant....

Some players are there already , this note from David Lennon... ] With a few days left before the Mets get down to official business, it's a more relaxed atmosphere early this week, and the clubhouse discussion this morning turned to movies. Yes, life over here is a little different than what's happening across the state. As J.J. Putz and Sean Green rattled off a few of their recent favorites-- Valkyrie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Mike Pelfrey chimed in, asking if anyone had seen "Marley and Me." After some laughter from his teammates, Pelfrey talked about the emotional ending, and then tried to find someone else in a near-empty clubhouse who had seen it. No luck. Just more harassment. With Pelfrey decked out in a Livestrong canary-yellow t-shirt, Duaner Sanchez cracked, "You look like Big Bird." As for this evening's movie? As they were leaving, a few of the Mets were deciding between Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Taken. Santana threw briefly from the mound today and announced that he should be ready for the season opener. ]"That's what we're shooting for," Santana said. "Of course, we have to be very careful and not try to rush anything. I go by the program, so right now it's just about playing catch. Today was my first day on the mound, just to get the feeling for it, and we'll go from there. We'll see what the next step is." This is a Alex Rodriguez free zone

Congress thankfully win not haul Rodriguez in for a grilling. ] The statement from Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) today reads: "The news that another one of baseball's premier players -- in addition to another 103 unnamed players -- used performance enhancing drugs is disturbing and sends yet another horrible message to our young people. "With unemployment in this country approaching double digits and our constituents' very livelihoods being threatened by the nation's economic woes, I intend to focus on passing President Obama's Economic Recovery legislation to get Americans back to work to fix our sinking economy. The American people need leaders who will focus on stemming job losses and getting credit to flow in the marketplace before hearing from yet another person who cheated both himself and the game of baseball. The Committee began this investigation in the face of a weak and ineffective drug testing policy that compromised the integrity of Major League Baseball. Now that baseball is implementing one of the most comprehensive drug testing policies in major league sports, I look forward to monitoring how well the policy is working to ensure the credibility of our national pastime.

Our David has spoken ] Mets' David Wright praises A-Rod for coming clean BY DAVID LENNON | david.lennon@newsday.com 1:57 PM EST, February 10, 2009 David Wright praised Alex Rodriguez for coming clean on his PED use during Monday's interview with ESPN, but also took a hard-line against cheaters. "I hope that anybody who cheats get caught," Wright said. "Maybe its me being na�ve, but I think baseball is clean. You would have to be either very desperate or flat-out stupid to try and beat the system now." That said, Wright still believes that A-Rod is "a tremendous player" and laughed when someone asked about comparing himself to the Yankees' third baseman in the wake of these revelations. "He's better than me," a smiling Wright said