Neifi Perez is the bane of Cubs fans everywhere. For years in Chicago, because he was a Dusty Baker favorite, Perez was beyond reproach, even if his production didn't back up Dusty's faith. Then Dusty got fired, Neifi moved out, and before you know it, Neifi was serving an 80-game suspension -- 18 of which he still has left to serve -- for testing positive for stimulants. It's been a hard fall.
Perez and the Rockies had agreed to a $750,000 minor league contract on Tuesday, a goodwill gesture that manager Clint Hurdle called a lifeline for one of the more popular players in club history who has hit hard times of late. But the team later had second thoughts and decided against bringing him back. "We just didn't feel like it was a good fit,'' assistant general manager Bill Geivett said.
Reading between the lines, this sounds like Hurdle wanted to help a friend, while the front office didn't want to waste baseball resources on someone without, you know, baseball talent. The scarier part of this is: Just what kind of trouble has Neifi fallen into? Is Mike Tyson his personal accountant?
Your move, Neifi. Dusty's waiting on the other line.
LHP James Houser, a Sarasota native who was the Rays' second-round pick in 2003, was suspended 50 games on Saturday for "testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance,'' according to MLB.
Good Lord, first it was Neifi Perez, and now James Houser? Who will the children of America turn to for guidance and support? The next thing you know Nook Logan will get suspended, and nobody will watch baseball anymore.
Houser was pitching for the Devil Rays Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. I know you don't really care, but I just love the fact that there's a baseball team somewhere named the Biscuits. I would be proud to wear that uniform. I'd be walking down the street and some old man would elbow his grandson in the shoulder and tell him, "You see that man? That's Tom Fornelli, and he plays for the Montgomery Biscuits." Oohs and aahs would ensue.
Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, Houser. What I want to know is why there are so many Devil Rays players being suspended for performance enhancing drugs. If you're keeping count, and really who isn't, Houser is the fifth Devil Ray to be suspended in the last three years. There was Juan Salas earlier this season, Alex Sanchez right before the 2005 season. Josh Hamilton was suspended in 2004, but that was for nose candy, not steroids. And of course there was Julio Lugo.
Considering all the players in the organization juicing, shouldn't the Devil Rays be a lot better than 46-75? Maybe steroids are performance decreasing, and we've all gotten our panties in a bunch for nothing.
Neifi Perez has been suspended twice for using a banned stimulant, but he claims, it's all a big misunderstanding. Instead of taking the stimulant for performance-enhancing reasons, he says it was a prescribed drug for ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. From ESPN:
"Many people might be trying to understand how is it possible that a player tests positive for the same substance three times in half a season," Perez said. "The truth is that they tested me four times between May 10th and June 1st and they never told me if there was anything wrong. I have been using that same medicine all this time."
Perez said that by the end of last season, he could not focus on games and visited a psychologist, who diagnosed him with ADHD and prescribed him Adderall, an amphetamine. Perez claims that the team gave him the medicine and he used it at the end of last season, including during Detroit's playoffs and World Series run. But when spring training began, Perez finished his dose and the doctors gave him a new prescription.
"I went to two different drug stores and they wouldn't sell me the medicine, so someone from the team told me I could use any amphetamine and I started using something else," said Perez. "They tested me during spring training and everything was negative. But then in May I guess I tested positive, but they never told me there was something wrong. ... Even twice, they only tested me, when the regular procedure is to test at least four or five players."
I don't know if Perez has a chance to get his suspension appealed, but it sounds like he might have a case, especially if he was acting on the advice of a team doctor. Plus, if he really was tested four times in the span of three weeks, it doesn't seem like he would have even had a chance to get a banned substance out of his system. Under the testing guidelines agreed upon by MLB and the Players Association, a player is not supposed to be penalized twice for testing positive for the same instance of taking a banned substance. We were quick to ridicule Perez before, but if anything it seems like it's the Tigers and MLB who dropped the ball on this one.
Shortstop Jack Wilson has informed the Pirates he will accept a trade to any of the six teams named in his limited no-trade clause, including the Detroit Tigers.
The Pirates and Tigers continue to discuss a multiplayer deal that would send Wilson to Detroit, and Wilson wanted it known to all concerned that he would do nothing to disrupt it. He also would be open to trades to other teams.
Because we're past the July 31st non-waiver deadline, Wilson must first pass through waivers for any trade to happen, but given his contract that shouldn't be a problem -- he's still owed the balance of a $5.25 million salary this year and is set to make nearly $14 million combined in 2008 and 2009. Given his poor offensive production (only once in his career has he had an OPS above .700), there aren't many teams who'd be willing to risk taking on that kind of financial burden to block this trade.
Who can Pittsburgh get in return? It's possible the Tigers might try to pass one of their big-league players through waivers (Craig Monroe, perhaps?), but otherwise it will likely be a package of prospects, since players not yet included on the 40-man roster are not subject to any kind of waiver restrictions.
Why would the Tigers be willing to take on Wilson's salary? For one, they just found out Neifi Perez will be suspended the rest of the year, so their bench could use a solid defensive middle infielder. Plus, given the length of Wilson's contract, if the Tigers picked him up it'd give them the option of moving Carlos Guillen to first base at some point in the future.
In early July, Neifi Perez became the first major league ballplayer to be suspended after testing positive for stimulants, which were banned by MLB before last season. He earned a 25-game suspension, which was set to expire following tonight's game ... except that he just tested positive again, which means he'll have another 80 games tacked onto his last sentence.
Trouble is, there are only 54 more games left, which means he'll have to finish serving time next season. He'll be a free agent at the end of this season, and considering he's a fringe major leaguer right now, it'll be that much more difficult to find a new team with this hanging over his head. All in all, he's lost out on almost $1.2 million of his $2.5 million contract this season.
Under the rules of baseball's current testing program, a first offense is not reported to the media but puts a player on probation. This means his first suspension was the result of his second positive test, and his second suspension the result of a third positive test. This leads to me to believe that either a) Perez knows he's hanging onto his big league career and is willing to do absolutely anything to hang on, b) Perez really has no clue whatsoever what he's putting into his body.
Before the White Sox finished getting their butts kicked by the Red Sox all weekend, and fell into a tie with the Royals for last place in the AL Central, Ozzie Guillen got some support from an old friend.
Guillen received a phone call of support Friday from former Cubs manager Dusty Baker,and the two spoke for 10 minutes.
"He handled it really well. I supported him when people were all over him," Guillen said, revealing he had received a similar message from Atlanta's Bobby Cox."I keep supporting him. He said, 'You're the biggest supporter I have, besides my family. That's why I called you to make sure you know I'm behind you.' I appreciated that."
I've no idea what kind of advice Dusty was able to give Ozzie, but I'm pretty sure he probably shared a bunch of excuses with him. Dusty explained to Oz that it's not his or the team's fault, but it's the media that's caused them to lose so often this season. That slow start the Sox got off to? That's because the weather was cold and since Ozzie is from Venezuela, he can't manage well in the cold.
As if things weren't bad enough for White Sox fans, now we find out that Dusty freaking Baker of all people is consoling our manager over the phone. Next thing you know Ozzie will have Kenny Williams trade for Neifi Perez and start giving press conferences with his son on his lap.
For testing positive for performance-enhancing substances for a second time. Wire reports say Garcia was also suspended 15 games on June 24th for violating baseball's minor-league drug policy. I'm really not sure how the minor-league policy differs from the major league policy, considering I thought a first violation was for 50 games. Then again, Neifi Perez only received 25 games, so this is all over the board.
Here's one item to note about Garcia's suspension: he's been in the Dodger system since 2002, and hasn't hit more than 20 home runs in over 1,300 career minor-league at-bats. It's quite curious that many of the drug policy violators seem to have been either pitchers, minor leaguers, or non-power hitters. That makes me believe that either the tests for big-time players are covered up, or whatever substances they take aren't easily detectable. How else can you explain Rafael Palmeiro being the only noteworthy player busted for violating the substance policy in baseball? Previously at FanHouse: Neifi Perez Suspended 25 Games
On Deck is The FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups
Detroit Tigers (49-34) vs. Boston Red Sox (53-31)-7:05PM Est.
It's going to be a tough day in Detroit for the Tigers. How do you play a game just hours after losing a player like Neifi Perez? It's like going out on the same night that your dog died. Well, if you didn't like your dog and the only reason you're upset by his death is because you'll miss kicking it when you're angry. Andrew Miller will be the Tiger to take the mound with a heavy heart tonight, and he'll be facing a red hot Boston Red Sox lineup. In their last four games the Red Sox have scored 33 runs, and could match their longest win streak of the season with a win tonight. The Red Sox took three of four from the Tigers in Boston earlier this season, but I'm sure all those losses could be pinned on Neifi Perez somehow, so who knows what's going to happen this weekend?
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced on Friday that infielder Neifi Perez of the Detroit Tigers has been suspended 25 games, effective immediately, for testing positive for a banned Stimulant in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
MLB didn't say what stimulant Perez tested positive for, but I'm guessing it wasn't Red Bull or coffee. He'll also get to tell his grandchildren someday that he was the first Major Leaguer to be suspended under baseball's new program.
I'm going to take a wild guess and say it was greenies that Perez was busted using. Also, the suspension means that it's the second time Perez tested positive. Under the program, a first positive test does not trigger a suspension and is kept quiet. The player is then tested randomly, up to six times, over the next 12 months. If the player tests positive again, then he's suspended for 25 games.
I'm sure this comes as a shock to nobody. Just looking at Perez and his .172 average, home run, and 6 RBI this season lets you know that he has to have been doing something to gain an unfair advantage.
Congratulations to Verlander, no-hitters always make us happy because they remind us that any random Tuesday night game is 27 outs away from history ...
That's from The Feed, and I think it about sums up how most baseball fans -- and certainly those in Detroit -- felt last night. Everyone knows you're not supposed to mention a no-hitter while it's in progress, but everyone wants to talk about it when it's over. Let's put our ear to the ground and check out how the Tigers blogosphere celebrated. From The Detroit Tigers Weblog:
I wish I could type up something poetic or dramatic or chuck full of literary goodness. I don't really have that in me, and I don't think I could muster it right now anyways. But watching this unfold was a thing of beauty. Justin Verlander was good in the first inning, and better in the 9th. His defense helped him of course, but with strikeouts accounting for 12 of the 27 outs, he certainly didn't overtax them.
Of course, he still had to rely on his defense a little, like that grounder up the middle which Neifi Perez scooped up in the eighth. From Roar of the Tigers:
Now, I may or may not have vomited in my mouth a little when that ball came to Neifi!!! Perez's backhand, but the sea slug clipped it and tossed it from his knees, behind his back, to Polanco, easy as you please. And Polanco somehow sent it along to first for the double play to end the 8th. I thought that was a hit, that was ZE END, I was going to have to shed a wee little tear for yet another lost no-hitter, but NEIFI!!! PEREZ CAME THROUGH IN THE DEFENSIVE CLUTCH.
Read THOSE words. Savor them. O THIS WACKY WORLD WE LIVE IN.
Neifi Perez is the bane of Cubs fans everywhere. For years in Chicago, because he was a Dusty Baker favorite, Perez was beyond reproach, even if his production didn't back up Dusty's faith. Then Dusty got fired, Neifi moved out, and before you know it, Neifi was serving an 80-game suspension -- 18 of which he still has left to serve -- for testing positive for stimulants. It's been a hard fall. 
Another day, another huge name being suspended by Major League Baseball. Today's martyr? 
It's starting to look like this "
In early July, 
Before the White Sox finished getting their butts kicked by the Red Sox all weekend, and fell into a tie with the Royals for last place in the AL Central, 
For testing positive for performance-enhancing substances for a second time. Wire reports say 
The 
