Shanoff’s Wake-Up Call: MLB’s A.D.D.

By Dan Shanoff
Today’s Call: Adderall vs. HGH, Selig and Fehr vs. Congress, Miguel Tejada vs. the D.O.J., Rich Rodriguez vs. West Virginia, Jason Garrett vs. Jerry Jones, LeBron vs. Joakim, Jarvis Varnado vs. Kentucky, Darrell Green vs. Cris Carter, Anna Grant vs. Colts fans and more.
The Opening Pitch: Adderall is the new HGH. MLB’s REAL drug epidemic has never been steroids; it’s amphetamines.
Despite the ban that went into effect when MLB banned PEDs, players have been abusing stimulants for decades, from greenies to souped-up clubhouse “coffee.”
Congressman John Tierney nailed MLB yesterday, when he cited a stat that the number of “prescribed” needs for Adderall, the stimulant, quadrupled from 2006 to 2007. “Hey, it’s not me; it’s my DOCTOR.”
HGH might help players’ bodies recover faster, but in a game where milliseconds are the difference between Hall of Famer and bum, alertness and reaction time generated from stimulants matter way more.
It’s why amphetamines were baseball’s real epidemic, not just during the Steroid Era, but going back to the oh-so-“pure” 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s (where coke joined “coffee”).
And apparently it’s still baseball’s biggest problem today.
Selig and Fehr meet Congress, Cont’d: As predicted, Bud Selig endorsed all of George Mitchell’s recommendations and Don Fehr protested recommendations made without union approval.
Both Selig and Fehr’s “taking responsibility” for the era -- or lip service to it -- rings hollow.
Sucks to be ... Miguel Tejada: Congress wants the Justice Department to investigate whether Tejada lied when he was interviewed about the Palmeiro case.
The situation goes back to the major flaw with the Mitchell Report:
While the report was quick to score “guilty” verdicts in the court of public opinion, not much of it constitutes LEGAL evidence.
Sucks to be (Part 2) ... Brian Sabean: The San Francisco Giants GM was called out -- by name -- along with owner Peter Magowan as two who might have nipped the BALCO scandal in its early stages ... if they weren’t so interested in capitalizing on Barry Bonds’ steroids-fueled exploits.
It’s refreshing to see a front-office executive and an owner join the long list of players tainted by the scandal. It remains to be seen whether Sabean will be able to survive this professionally, and it remains to be seen whether Bud Selig will have the guts to punish an owner directly. But it underscores the universal culpability in this scandal.
NFL Hot Story: Everyone wants Jason Garrett. But where will he end up: Ravens? Falcons? Or Cowboys? Let’s check the contenders:
Ravens: Baltimore made Garrett an offer to be head coach; he hasn’t taken it (yet).
Falcons: Garrett was last seen in Atlanta talking with the Falcons about being THEIR head coach. That’s a bidding war waiting to happen.
Cowboys: Jerry Jones says he will match any financial offer ... to remain an assistant. And here’s where he loses me:
I’m not sure why Jerry Jones would let Garrett go; it felt like the Wade Phillips hire a year ago was a seat-warmer for Garrett.
So: Why shouldn’t Jones fire Phillips TODAY and promote Garrett to the head job Garrett has to want more than the other jobs?
What is Garrett’s incentive to stay in Dallas, putting off head-coaching for another year, when he can be an NFL head coach RIGHT NOW.
If Garrett does end up in Baltimore or Atlanta, he’ll need his own Romo. Both have high draft picks, but Garrett should learn from his current undrafted stud QB: Don’t waste your 1st-round pick on a QB.
Rich Rodriguez vs. West Virginia, Cont’d: The biggest Mountain State feud since the Hatfields and McCoys continues. Did Coach Rod bolt for Michigan with a bunch of player files that belonged to his old employer? The school is investigating to find out. Meanwhile ...
Coach Rod’s “Shred Offense”: Far more tantalizing than mere file-stealing, what exactly was Rod shredding -- yes, shredding -- as reported being seen by eyewitnesses on Dec. 18? Shredding = Suspicious.
NBA Last Night: LeBron goes for 51 in a Cavs OT win ...
Vintage Cassell (32 pts) leading the Clips over the Suns ... How does Washington beat the Celtics in back-to-back games, then the Wiz lose to the Knicks? ... The Raptors might have the 3rd-best record in the East, but the Pistons proved the huge gap between No.
2 and No. 3 (Rip Hamilton: Game-high 39.)
Joakim Noah Watch: In his return after his teammate-imposed exile, compare Noah’s double-double (12/11) to the combined performance of, say, Ben Wallace and Adrian Griffin (10/5). Without help (or heart) from his teammates, Noah’s Bulls lost ... again.
Get well soon, Nene. I sincerely hope he didn’t keep his testicular tumor a secret because he was ashamed; too many men don’t get checked because the whole situation freaks them out. I wish him a complete recovery, and I hope he goes public in his battle.
College Hoops Last Night: Exposed! Teams exposed last night in losses as not-yet-ready-for-primetime: Ohio State (losing to Michigan State) and Miami (losing to BC).
College Hoops Name to Know: Jarvis Varnado. The Mississippi State C had a triple-double (10 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks) to lead the Bulldogs over Kentucky. (Sorry: “Under-.500-after-15-games Kentucky.”)
College Hoops Tonight: We will get the same “exposed” insight about young Florida and Top 25 surprise Ole Miss when the two play in Oxford.
NFL Draft: DeSean Jackson turning pro. The Cal star is the No. 1 wide receiver on the board, although you have to wonder about any superstar draft prospect listed at the exact same height-weight measurements as me.
More Fun with Pacman Jones: He allegedly smacked a woman ... and she’s a lawyer. It’s as if the guy sincerely has no interest in ever playing in the NFL again.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists: First-timers Cris Carter and Darrell Green seem like locks. Both were on the All-1990s team.
Carter is second in a ton of career receiving categories. In addition to being a shut-down cornerback, Green is probably the fastest player in NFL history.
OK, quick office-barstool question: Who do you think is the NFL’s fastest player NOW? Put your pick in the Comments.
More NFL Coaching Carousel: Assistant Coach Mania! Cowboys assistant Tony Sparano is in Miami for a second interview with the Dolphins. I think he’s a done-deal down there ... Why would the Redskins interview a re-tread like Jim Mora Jr. when they can have the innovative Jim Schwartz? ... If the Titans don’t want Norm Chow as O.C., I’m sure UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel would be happy to bring him back to college (and L.A.)
A.I. Season Opener: I will confess to being an “Idol” fan -- my predictions are far more astute about Idol results than they are about, say, the NFL. And on last night’s season premiere, I will confess to being touched by that one singer whose daughter had cerebral palsy. Who didn’t want her to turn out to be a talent? BTW: Book that hot kickboxer from Oregon for the Top 20, too.
The Last Word: The Pats aren’t THAT unredeemable.
Admit it: When 14-year-old Anna Grant popped on the screen during the Colts-Chargers game to get her PPK award wearing a Pats jersey and the Colts fans openly booed her, your first reaction was to chuckle at the Schadenfreude.
Then you recovered your humanity and felt kind of bad at having scoffed, because Grant was just a teenager wearing the wrong jersey in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Credit the Pats for giving Grant another celebration, this time in the friendly confines of Foxboro before the AFC title game.
(But save your sanctimony, Pats fans: If the original ceremony had been held at Foxboro rather than Indianapolis and a winner had been wearing a Colts jersey, you can bet Pats fans would have jeered even louder.)
Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.
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