Captain America – The First Juicer

I never really knew much about Captain America growing up. I was more of a DC Comic reader growing up.

So when I saw the preview for the movie that opened this weekend (and made more money that I could make in 10 lifetimes) two things struck me as odd about it.

First of all, what the hell was Paramount thinking NOT releasing this on 4th of July weekend?

Secondly, didn’t Steve Rogers’ transformation from a weakling to Captain America ring a bell with you?

A kid has tremendous heart and desire, but doesn’t have the physical abilities to succeed… or at least keep up with the competition.

So in order to keep up and beat the competition, he is pumped with all sorts of unusual chemicals that transforms his body and BANG! He’s a hero! He’s the best! Everyone wants to be him!

Replace Dr. Abraham Erskine and his Super Sodier Serum with Victor Conte and “The Cream and the Clear.”

Switch out Steve Rogers with Jason Giambi wandering into the A’s clubhouse in 1995 meeting his new teammate Mark McGwire and in 1997 teaming up with Jose Canseco.

A few trips to BALCO later, he went from a lean first baseman to a professional wrestler!

It’s the same damn story!
Granted, Captain America was taking out Nazis, so there’s no loss of honor pumping your body up for THAT goal.

But still, are you trying to tell me that Stark Industries couldn’t have made some quality post war bucks bulking up some big leaguers?

Here we are trying to get the whole steroid era behind us… and we have some awful Hall of Fame controversy on the horizon, the Bonds and Clemens trials this year… and now Hollywood is making juicing COOL again?

It’s a bad lesson for kids.

Kids should know that if you want to turn your body unexpectedly into a muscular frame, you should do it more honestly!

You know like being bitten by a radioactive spider or getting hit with a ton of gamma rays!

Hey Giants… keep listening to my advice

About a month ago, I gave the Giants all sorts of advice. And they seemed to have taken it to heart. (Yes, I firmly believe the Giants front office reads this blog.)

I told them to give Pat Burrell a shot and I said to just bring Buster Posey up and play him where ever he can fit.

Done and done.

And tonight Burrell homered and Posey tripled and the Giants are scoring some runs.

Good work. You listened to your pal Sully.

The lineup got a much needed injection… and they got it without calling BALCO.

Now KEEP LISTENING.

The Bullpen is nothing special. In fact I think it is downright mediocre. Wilson is OK but hardly a slamdunk. Romo is eh, nothing special. Affeldt has been awful. Now Casilla and Bautista have done well but the Giants need to bolster their bullpen.

And like with Posey, I think they should start from within. And I told them what to do last May and I stand by it.

Eric Hacker is pitching well in Fresno and at age 27, there’s really no reason to keep seasoning him. He pitched well this week against Sacramento and basically is a Quadruple A pitcher at this point. Why not put him in the pen and see what happens?

But Madison Bumgarner should seriously be inserted into the bullpen as their lefty set up man. What does he have to prove in the minors? He has a career 33-6 record with a 1.95 ERA over 61 minor league games. I think he’s ready.

But he’s also only 20 years old and they don’t want to blow his arm out.

Fine. There are 16 weeks left to the season.

Bring him up and have him pitch 4 innings a week… all out of the pen. Bring him in at the beginnings of innings and give him days off between appearances.

That’s 64 innings. The Giants don’t wear him down and those 64 innings come late in the game when chances are won’t have faced him before.

And as I said before, starting in the pen didn’t hurt Jim Palmer, Jimmy Key, Pedro Martinez and Adam Wainwright’s career.

Make those two moves, improve the pen and all this without giving up a single player.

Listen to me Giants… when have I steered you wrong?

Do as I say, not as I do

I saw how nuts Dodger Stadium went over Manny Ramirez’s pinch hit grand slam the other day.

I can’t help but wonder about all the people screaming for Mannywood now and cheering him on.

How many of them used to scream at Barry Bonds and holding up the “Got Juice” banners etc?

There must have been SOME overlap!

Keep in mind, when a player on a rival team is caught, he is a cheater.

When a player on YOUR team is caught, then “he got screwed!”

Folks, the steroid story is dead.

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