"I would like to make absolutely clear that I am not in any doping process...We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case but a natural occurrence."
If he is indeed found guilty, he would become the biggest fraud since Rafael Palmeiro when the former Orioles' first base slugger insisted he had never used steroids in the BALCO investigation last year only to come up positive during MLB's new anti-drug testing program. Hopefully for Landis' case, he won't look as two-faced.
-Landis got a vote of confidence from six-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong. The former champion told the AP that his ex-teammate never caused any concerns regarding cheating. He also cast a shadow of doubt about where the positive test came from:
"Secondly, I can't help but be aware the lab that found this suspicious reading is the same one that was at the center of the 'L'Equipe affair...When an independent investigator contacted the lab, they wouldn't answer the simplest of questions, wouldn't go into their testing ethics, who did the tests, etc., etc.. I don't personally have a ton of faith in that lab. I think they should lose their authorization and the report pretty much supports that."
It's hard to put too much emphasis on his comments because Landis is a separate case. The only way to assess this situation is to wait for the backup results.
-There was one blockbuster baseball deal. With the deadline looming Monday, Texas bolstered its offense by acquiring outfield slugger Carlos Lee from Milwaukee in a six-player trade. The Brewers received outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix along with reliever Francisco Cordero and minor leaguer Julian Cordero. Included in the deal was outfield prospect Nelson Cruz, who went with Lee to Texas. Nobody questions what the 30 year-old Lee brings. He was hitting .286 with 28 homers, 81 RBI's and 12 stolen bases when Milwaukee unloaded him. He can definitely provide more plate protection for Mark Teixeira, who has slumped from 43 homers last year to only 14 this season. At first look though, it seems that Rangers GM Jon Daniels overpaid. Mench is a solid outfielder who can hit for power and Nix has the potential to be a solid regular everyday. With closer Derrick Turnbow struggling since the All Star break, the Brewers are looking for Cordero to find the form he had two years ago when he saved 49 games. The other factor in this trade is that Lee turned down a four-year $48 million extension Thursday. That means Texas is gambling that the All Star slugger will be able to get them to the postseason. Despite losing five straight, they're 2.5 behind the AL West-leading Angels.
-It was a good night for both locals. Especially for the Mets, who cameback to beat the Braves 6-4 behind Pedro Martinez. Returning from the DL due to a bad hip, he made his first start since June 28. After a shaky first in which he allowed four runs, Pedro cameback strong retiring the final 12 batters to improve to 8-4. He went six innings on 77 pitches before turning it over to the bullpen. Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner tossed three scoreless to put the Amazin's 13 clear of their closest competitors in the NL East. Can you actually call it competitive? Atlanta did have a chance to come into this series with momentum but lost two of three to the Marlins.
-Trailing 4-2 after one, the Mets got a two-run single by Carlos Beltran to tie it. A Jose Valentin sac fly in the third and David Wright's 22nd homer in the seventh was the difference. The best part was that their ace felt good afterwards:
"You saw in the first two innings that I was a little tentative. Would it hurt? Would there still be something wrong? But by the third inning, I let it go and nothing bothered me."
Those final three words are the ones Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya and every Met fan wants to hear. Without a healthy Pedro, they can forget about winning anything in October.
-A night after being honored by the Staten Island Yankees, Chien-Ming Wang tossed a gem- shutting out the Devil Rays 6-0 to propel the big club within half a game of the Red Sox. The 26 year-old second-year starter was in complete control, setting down the first 12 hitters he faced before ex-Met Ty Wigginton singled to lead off the fifth. Wang needed just 104 pitches to two-hit Tampa Bay for his second career complete game. His first ended bitterly when Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman walked off over a month ago. The D-Rays had no such luck, grounding out 18 times and leaving skipper Joe Maddon to heap some serious praise on the Taiwan product:
"I almost saw Halladay out there. A real heavy sinker. Just pounds the strike zone. The velocity on his sinker is really abnormal."
Incredible compliment indeed.
-Alex Rodriguez supplied the only offense Wang needed with a runscoring single in the first. The 2005 AL MVP has responded to heavy criticism by reaching base nine times and going five-for-14 with a homer, 3 RBI's and five runs scored. Definitely a great sign for the Bronx Bombers.
-Derek Jeter chipped in with three hits, a two-run single and a stolen base. The Yankee captain is 15 for his last 29 and continues to put up an MVP calibre season. He's now hitting .351 with six homers, 61 RBI's, 68 runs and 21 steals. The power isn't there but if you look at the other stats, it's hard not to conclude that he's been the Yanks' best player this season. Of course, he'll get stiff competition from Boston's incredible tandem of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. White Sox slugger Jim Thome is also a prime candidate. Cleveland's Travis Hafner and Toronto's Vernon Wells could also be in contention as should Seattle speed demon Ichiro. Of course, much will depend on who makes the postseason. For a second year in a row, it's not a given that the Yanks will make it. If they do, it will be because of Jeter, who understands what his role is:
"My job is to get on base, move guys, things like that so that's pretty much all I'm trying to do."
Spoken like a captain.
-If you don't believe Jeter is MVP material, check out how well he's doing in every key situation. The numbers don't lie:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5406/situational;_ylt=Auoj1dLbQs1Zex_iGFMDgmmFCLcF
-There were a couple of other deals Friday night. The Braves further improved their pen by acquiring Danys Baez from the Dodgers for utility man Wilson Betemit. By getting Baez, that should give them a solid setup man to get the ball to recently acquired closer Bob Wickman. Atlanta trails the wild card leading Reds by 6.5 games. They'll have to leap over five teams just to qualify for their 15th straight postseason.
-The Phillies sent third baseman David Bell to Milwaukee for minor league pitcher Wilfrido Laureano. Like Atlanta, the Brewers trail a bunch of teams for the wild card and are seven out. They're hoping Bell can provide some offense at the hot corner. For the disappointing Phillies, it could be the beginning of a firesale which could include Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Jon Lieber, Cory Lidle and Tom Gordon. It will be interesting to see who else departs. The good news for Philadelphia was that second baseman Chase Utley extended his hit streak to 28.
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