Comments on: Testing Disparities

By: Nicholas Zettel

Nicholas Zettel — Wed, 03 May 2017 12:32:29 +0000

It’s not MLB’s business to violate Thames’s medical privacy and CBA / JDA rights, though. Who cares what the Cubs say? They can test Thames confidentially, like everyone else in the league, and if he doesn’t test positive no one ever hears (like every other player).

By: Homer Time

Homer Time — Tue, 02 May 2017 19:39:54 +0000

I think that’s more of a CYA for MLB. This guy coming out of nowhere and having the success he’s having MLB has to do something, right? Look at how the Cubs reacted. Read the Twitter comments of Reds fans. If MLB does nothing that the public can see then they’re not doing enough to police steroids. Who knows. That’s the way I see it.

By: Nicholas Zettel

Nicholas Zettel — Tue, 02 May 2017 17:33:38 +0000

I appreciate this response and your argument. My question, then, why not conduct the testing of Thames confidentially, as required by the CBA & JDA? Why publicize it and violate his rights under those documents?

By: Homer Time

Homer Time — Tue, 02 May 2017 17:28:10 +0000

I think that based on the situation of him coming basically out of nowhere this degree of testing, while maybe not expected, is certainly not surprising. You have two subjects here on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. One left MLB as a potential wash out and went to another league in another country on the other side of the world, then came back 3 or 4 years later and is now raking. The other is a highly touted prospect who rose through the minor leagues and was subject to MLB and MiLB testing protocol the entire time he’s been in pro ball. That is the difference here. One is known and the other is coming from Mars. Race should be the last thing that one should be looking at here when they are making their argument in this case, at least in my humble opinion. Are MLB execs targeting the Brewers 1st baseman because he’s African American or are they targeting him because they know nothing about him and there is likely 0 precedent for someone coming from KBO back to MLB to have the kind of success he is having regardless of race? If Trevor Story followed a similar path in his career and came back with the same results are you saying he wouldn’t have been tested as frequently?

By: Nicholas Zettel

Nicholas Zettel — Tue, 02 May 2017 01:16:42 +0000

That’s not an argument. It’s also not unfounded, unless you don’t believe MLB has a diversity problem in the executive ranks.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 01 May 2017 17:42:15 +0000

The unfounded assumption that this is about race.

By: Nicholas Zettel

Nicholas Zettel — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 18:24:26 +0000

So, what’s the argument that testing Thames in this manner is not problematic?

By: Homer Time

Homer Time — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 17:04:47 +0000

I got the same feeling from this article as Fred. Whether that was your intent or not, it certainly directed the reader there.

By: Nicholas Zettel

Nicholas Zettel — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 11:44:07 +0000

This was a post about both baseball and analytics. You can’t just flip a switch and turn off politics — MLB and the analytics movement have their own politics.

If you have a problem with mixing politics and baseball, that’s on you, not BPMilwaukee.

By: Fred

Fred — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 04:08:46 +0000

You’re right. This too is primarily a problem with racism, xenophobia and whiteness. PED witch hunting in MLB. No context at all that needs consideration. It’s just toxic whiteness. You’ve scraped up another angle for your noble fight for social justice. Bravo.

I come to sites like this one to read about baseball. Analytics. Great stories. Also – to momentarily escape egomaniacal virtue signaling that’s infecting every corner of digital media.

I’ve always been a big fan of BP. Reality is there’s 1,000 other baseball blogs out there and this kind of preaching pushes BP Milwaukee well down the queue.