Say it ain't So-Sa!

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Ming
Yeah... like the one time a bat exploded into flying pieces... and the super balls inside the bat went screaming in many different directions.

I remember that. And I don't recall superballs being specifically named in the Baseball rule book as a cheating agent.

[Imran Siddiqui]

It was funny though... Superballs...

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Wasn't there one pitcher that swallowed his sandpaper and suffered internal damage because of that?

I liked the old Preacher Roe answer when he was asked about greasing the ball:

"I didn't throw a Vaseline ball. I didn't have to, because I had a good spitter."

Phil "the Vulture" Regan was still the all time classic bust, though. Goes into his windup, kicks, and out pops a vaseline tube right out there on the grass in front of the mound. Don't bother with the pitch, pick it up (the vaseline), stroll over to the ump, toss him the ball, and walk to the dugout. Ump didn't have to do a thing.

[Berzerker]

I cannot condone this!!! Suspend his a$$ for 1 week!!! My fantasy baseball opponent this week has Sosa in his line up. Seriously, yes, cheating is more common in baseball, but I lost some respect for Sosa today. There are plenty of guys who aren't pulling this crap, and I certainly would never have cheated when I played ball. On the other hand, if the ump called me safe on a slide and I knew I was out, I wouldn't call the ump's attention to his mistake.

[Sloth]

A rumor is spreading...Ming allegedly used a corked "banning bat" for his last 505 bannings

[reismark]

While it's a certainty he'll get suspended and that his alibi is both too typical and too obvious to be believed, I personally find it hard to believe that Sosa's been corking his bats all this time. We live in an era of extremely brittle weapons in baseball. Think about how many bats Sosa's shattered over the years - to only get caught now would be a mathematical near-impossibility.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Bats have to be all wood, because a corked bat increases bat speed (allowing you to hit the ball harder). One reason is because it's unfair to have this edge. Another is that it might be dangerous to the pitcher.

Last time I looked cork was wood .

I think the rule for the major leagues includes that the bat must be made from a single piece of solid wood. A bat could be made completely from cork, it just wouldnt work very well.

[TheStinger]

Isn't the fact that there all on steroid and other drugs worse than what bat they are using

[Sava]

according to the Score:
"Sammy Sosa has now been put on the deck of cards with Iraqi leaders."

Imran: Wayne Gretzky was traded.... 'nuff said

[monkspider]

What a jag bag. I'm sure this will forever tarnish his image, just like that one guy on that team that rigged the world series a long time ago.

[Imran Siddiqui]

We live in an era of extremely brittle weapons in baseball. Think about how many bats Sosa's shattered over the years - to only get caught now would be a mathematical near-impossibility.

Bats usually break at the handle... where there would be no cork.

Imran: Wayne Gretzky was traded.... 'nuff said

And looked what happened there .

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by JohnT
Gaylord Perry never cheated, he just used, uh, unorthodox methods of ball handling. Yeah, that's it.

By the end of his games there would be a greasy trace from the dugout to the pitcher's mound. Catcher's had to change gloves every five throws because they became so slippery.

[Az]

why not let them have cork bats, and have the pitcher wear some protective gear?

[JohnT]

Originally posted by monkspider
What a jag bag. I'm sure this will forever tarnish his image, just like that one guy on that team that rigged the world series a long time ago.

Shoeless Joe Jackson, whose memory is referenced in the title of this thread... and on the headlines of every sports page in America, it seems.

[Harry Seldon]

I think it's funny he says it's just a practice bat for warmups. If I tried to tell a cop my joint was a warmup for my hand-rolled cigarettes they'd probably beat me with a stick and STILL throw me in jail.

He just threw his whole career in a bad light. Unfortunately it's harder to prove he didn't use cork throughout his career and this was a one night mistake than it is to conjecture he's cheated all along.