Liverpool FC Forum

[LiverpoolUSA]

hey mate, i know this is a bit off topic but seems your involved in the game could you clear up a discussion i had in the pub recently. can baseball players use steroids without risking getting banned? someone said baseball is the only sport in the world were you can use them legally. i find this hard to believe but the fella was convinced.
thanks.

Well, that's an issue we've been working on. Up until last year, the league never tested players for steroids, so players certainly took advantage of them. That led to record numbers in homeruns, as guys like McGwire and Giambi and Bonds juiced up and hit them all out of the park.

Now public pressure has forced the league to start testing and suspending players if they're found guilty. Owners have been pushing hard for it, but they certainly knew the players were doing them- they just didn't say any thing because they were making a lot of money off it all, too!

It's all rubbish- players shouldn't do steroids, but the owners are just as guilty as the players for counting their dollars as more fans poured into the park to see the homers.

[yckatbjywtbiastkamb]

hey mate, i know this is a bit off topic but seems your involved in the game could you clear up a discussion i had in the pub recently. can baseball players use steroids without risking getting banned? someone said baseball is the only sport in the world were you can use them legally. i find this hard to believe but the fella was convinced.
thanks.

Well, that's an issue we've been working on. Up until last year, the league never tested players for steroids, so players certainly took advantage of them. That led to record numbers in homeruns, as guys like McGwire and Giambi and Bonds juiced up and hit them all out of the park.

Now public pressure has forced the league to start testing and suspending players if they're found guilty. Owners have been pushing hard for it, but they certainly knew the players were doing them- they just didn't say any thing because they were making a lot of money off it all, too!

It's all rubbish- players shouldn't do steroids, but the owners are just as guilty as the players for counting their dollars as more fans poured into the park to see the homers.

thanks mate.
didnt baseball used to be your national sport until the players strike a few years ago? i read an article about rio ferdinands pay demands and it was warning agents and footy players that the public has a breaking point. it said that baseball players on massive contracts went out on strike for more money when there was a recession in the u.s and the public turned its back on the sport and went off to american footy and basketball. at the time baseball was a national obsession and the players arrogantly thought that the public would always watch it.

[LiverpoolUSA]

thanks mate.
didnt baseball used to be your national sport until the players strike a few years ago? i read an article about rio ferdinands pay demands and it was warning agents and footy players that the public has a breaking point. it said that baseball players on massive contracts went out on strike for more money when there was a recession in the u.s and the public turned its back on the sport and went off to american footy and basketball. at the time baseball was a national obsession and the players arrogantly thought that the public would always watch it.

The strike did do a lot of damage, but the game made a big comeback with 98 homerun race between McGwire and Sosa (ironically fueled by steroids). I'd say baseball and american football are our two biggest sports- football has the edge, but its a shorter season. Baseball has the advantage of having minor league teams all over the country, so its better attended.

[yckatbjywtbiastkamb]

thanks mate.
didnt baseball used to be your national sport until the players strike a few years ago? i read an article about rio ferdinands pay demands and it was warning agents and footy players that the public has a breaking point. it said that baseball players on massive contracts went out on strike for more money when there was a recession in the u.s and the public turned its back on the sport and went off to american footy and basketball. at the time baseball was a national obsession and the players arrogantly thought that the public would always watch it.

The strike did do a lot of damage, but the game made a big comeback with 98 homerun race between McGwire and Sosa (ironically fueled by steroids). I'd say baseball and american football are our two biggest sports- football has the edge, but its a shorter season. Baseball has the advantage of having minor league teams all over the country, so its better attended.

ta mate, one more thing regarding u.s sports thats always puzzled me, why doesnt every city have an american football or basketball team? the nfl only has 29 or 30 teams and that seems ridiculous with a country the size of the u.s.
there must be literally thousands of cities in the states big enough to accomodate a sporting franchise as you call them so why the rationing?
california alone is the same size as great britain yet we have 92 league football clubs.

[LiverpoolUSA]

ta mate, one more thing regarding u.s sports thats always puzzled me, why doesnt every city have an american football or basketball team? the nfl only has 29 or 30 teams and that seems ridiculous with a country the size of the u.s.
there must be literally thousands of cities in the states big enough to accomodate a sporting franchise as you call them so why the rationing?
california alone is the same size as great britain yet we have 92 league football clubs.

If you look at MLB, there are hundreds of teams, with the minor league teams. They are like the lower division teams in football.

NHL also has minor leagues, and tons of junior leagues, like the reserves and U-17 et al in football.

As for the NFL, there are about 80 men on each squad if you include practice squad. There are only so many people with the size to play in the league. College football literally has thousands of teams, and that is big as well here. That makes up for the 30 NFL teams.

As for basketball, there simply arent enough tall people  . It's definitely the third most popular sport here, and attempts at minor leagues have failed.

[looprevil]

I think the expense is another reason.  Most of the cities just don't have a big enough market to support a pro franchise.  That or the interest isn't there.  Take hockey for instance.  The NHL thrives in Canada and some cities in the states but in others they have a really poor fanbase.  On a side note I think it would be more interesting if the NHL joined up with the other 'minor leagues' and made it more like the european soccer system where teams could be promoted and relegated.  Same with baseball.  It would make it more interesting.

[LiverpoolUSA]

Major League teams control most of the minor league teams; that's where their young players go to train and get ready for the majors. So, the players are relegated and promoted. Minor League teams are in markets that couldn't support a pro franchise, but could put 5,000+ in a stadium per night.

As for hockey, it's simply not popular in much of the US, and the expansion to those places (down south) is part of why there is a lockout right now. There is a good chance many of those teams will be cut from the league when play finally resumes.

[policy]

Another reason why American football can't have too many teams is because they play so few games. Well that is my view anyway.

You are right that market size is a key issue. They don't have a football team in LOS ANGELES of all places. We had two previous teams but they left for greener pastures if you can believe it. It is probably because there is so much else to do in Los Angeles. But if you go to St. Louis, Missouri there is nothing but barbecue and sports to do over there so they have passionate fans.





Speaking of the minor leagues................

Chelsea seems to have the closest thing that we have to a farm system in England.

Abrahamovich with his deep pockets buys the best South American talent and pens them up in Brazilian side Corinthians until they are ready to be called up.

If not Corinthians, he takes the European prospects and builds them up in the UEFA cup winning CSKA Moscow.

It is very innovative and probably not illegal.

It is just smart. I think that the bigger clubs need to do the same thing.

When Rafa came to LFC, he brought his keen understanding of the untapped Spanish market.

It would be prudent if we had our feelers combing all over the world like Abrahamovich's minions.


If you want a keen eye on prospects, just watch Corinthians, CSKA Moscow and Chelsea. In fact, they have such a surplus, that Chelsea can get rid of Mutu, loan out Veron and Crespo and still have two sides worth of All-star level players so that they can with the Premiership and still win other cups (Carling).



If we want to seriously contend in the premiership, we need to have a surplus of good players that Rafa can rotate. This is most evident in the incredible weakness we had when our most valuable players were injured this season. you know the long list. At certain points of the season, you had a disabled list that could have been our starting 11.

I personally don't think that we should get rid of Baros. His attitude is the only question for me. He should just shut up and compete. If it doesn't cost too much, we should try to keep players like Hamann and Biscan who came through for us in the clutch at crucial times because we know that they can be there for us. They can be our Dave Roberts (a la Boston Red Sox 2004).

The names that are thrown around the most on the forum lately are Jose Reina (promising goalie from Villareal), Peter Crouch (Skinny 6'7" striker from Southampton), Pablo Aimar (midfielder from Valencia, one of Rafa's old players), Sean Wright Phillips (Midfielder from Manchester City whose been injured a lot this year but will cost beacoup bucks because he has shown class), Joaquin (winger from Real Betis - dope as$ed player with lots of promise. Everyone here wants him), and Dirk Kuijt (Feyenoord - I don't know much about, but sounds promising).

But I personally am glad that you starting this thread. (There is a related "Rumour" thread, but I think they spotted Elvis there recently.)

10 years ago in America, we didn't have baseball fantasy league and all of the hype and information that is now afforded us in this internet age. I think that soccer aka "football" needs to have more concrete information about prospects from different regions (like Venezuela), but at the same time, it is kind of cool to think that somewhere in some obscure league is the next Maradona. We just don't know about him yet.

[el_stinger]

Why do you feel the need to be an a*sehole el_stinger?

The guy is trying to start a dicussion and you just be a point blank knob! Have a bit of respect and try and make people feel welcome FFS.

wtf?

[Gareth G]

Hahaha, sorry about that el_stinger. I misread the whole thing and realised straight away, but I was in a hurry to go out and didn't have time to edit it, then I just plain forgot about this when I eventually got home.

So, my apologies and have a beer on me.