Hoya Paranoia | The Hoya's Sports Blog

Lance Armstrong’s story seems to be an all-time low in many regards — for cycling, for sports and even for morals. A man once seen as a legend and inspiration to so many (and who reminded everyone that they could persevere like he did through a series of popular wristbands), was exposed this past week as a repeated liar and cheater in admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs.

But my column this week is neither about Armstrong nor cycling, a sport whose sanctity took its knockout blow with Armstrong’s confession if not long before that. But rather, I’m focusing on recent developments in a sport whose sanctity has also been greatly affected by steroids and performance-enhancers – our national pastime.

Baseball hit the peak of its steroid era roughly a decade ago, but unfortunately the embarrassment brought to some of the game’s best sluggers (Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa to name a few) as well as the institution of suspensions for banned substances (which began in 2004) has only slowed but not eliminated steroid use.

This past week, in an exposé released by the little-known Miami New Times, a group of major leaguers were linked in connection to Biogenesis, a Miami-based anti-aging clinic.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal and, most notably, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (in addition to a handful of other athletes) were all revealed to have bought or acquired steroids, HGH and plenty of other substances banned by the MLB from the clinic.

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The MLB Playoffs are getting underway, which of course means that my beloved Cubs aren’t playing baseball anymore. In fact, it’s been a long time since the Northsiders have gotten anywhere deep in the playoffs; since the turn of the century (well, I guess two turns ago), our presence deep into October has been a rare sight.

Here’s how one Cub fan reacts to this year’s postseason setup.

National League

Giants - The last time the Cubs won the World Series, the population of San Francisco was around 400,000, and the Giants were in New York. Since then, the Giants have won five World Series. They’re looking to add another.

Note: this is obviously not this year’s Cubs team. (Bleacher Report)

Reds - The Cubs used to be managed by Dusty Baker but parted ways with the manager who brought them within seven outs of the World Series for proven ‘winner’ Lou Piniella. Another shrewd move by Cubs management in the history of such a winning franchise.

Nats - This team has come into existence, moved cities—AND countries in the process—rebuilt, and won their division in 4/67ths of the time it has taken the Cubs to not make a World Series since 1945.

Braves - Baseball old-timer/veteran Chipper Jones is out for one last hoorah as he rounds the bases on his way home to retirement with this Braves team. That same baseball old-timer/veteran Chipper Jones was -64 years-old the last time the Cubs won the World Series.

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Guide Editor Victoria Edel on Why Her Team’s Ace Deserves the Cy Young

R.A. Dickey should win the NL Cy Young Award. I’m not saying he will, but it would be a shame — an injustice even — if he didn’t.

Statistically, he’s dominated all season. And, as any baseball fan already knows, he did it with a knuckleball. I remember watching a game sometime in June, back when Met games were still interesting, in which one of the announcers pondered why more people didn’t try to learn the knuckleball, since it’s so hard for batters to consistently hit. Then he realized the answer was obvious: The pitch is too difficult for most people to throw with any sort of success, let alone the extreme success Dickey has had this year.

Let’s glance at the numbers: he’s got 20 wins, 3 shutouts, 5 complete games, and a beautiful 2.73 ERA. He’s also first in the NL in strikeouts. He’s close to untouchable, and, like I said, he does it with the most difficult pitch in baseball. Oh, and last night it was revealed that he’s had a torn right abdominal all season that needs surgery. But it’s not just the numbers that would make me vote for him.

I could go into his uplifting back-story — which I do think will help him come voting time. Dickey was a first round draft pick and was expected to be a star for the Rangers but for the wonky ligament they found in his elbow. His pitching struggled for years after that, until he learned the knuckle ball. Then his pitching struggled more, just in a different way.

And then, suddenly, he had it. At the age of 37 — quite old for his sport, it must be said — he found himself as one of the premier pitchers in the majors. Overcoming adversity that left him trapped in the minors, he became the most dominant pitcher in baseball.

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The last time our nation’s capital hosted playoff baseball, the Golden Gate Bridge was under construction, Mount Rushmore had just been dedicated, the only thing we had to fear was fear itself, and Prohibition was in the process of being repealed. That year was 1933, which means D.C. has been waiting 79 years to witness what the Washington Nationals are about to do this season.

Back on September 7^th, Stephen Strasburg (15-6, 3.16) had his worst outing of the season, as he lasted only three innings after giving up five runs on six hits; only 37 of his 67 pitches were strikes. The next morning, veteran manager Davey Johnson informed Strasburg that he would not be pitching again this season, ending the ace’s first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery after 159 1/3 innings.

At the time of the Strasburg shutdown, the Nationals had a 6 ½ game lead on the Atlanta Braves with 24 games remaining. As of today, despite being swept over the weekend by Atlanta, the Nationals hold a five-game division lead with 16 left to play, as well as the best record in baseball. Barring a catastrophic meltdown, then, the Nationals are going to win the National League East for the first time in their short history.

Still, the majority of baseball writers and fans are angry and dumbfounded by the Nationals’ decision regarding Strasburg. Why, they’re asking, would a franchise that has not finished above .500 in their previous seven years of existence bench arguably the best pitcher in baseball in the midst of a pennant race?

Well, I will give you two reasons why the Nationals are unequivocally right in their decision to cut Stephen Strasburg’s season short.

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