See Ibanez, Raul, OF 2009 Phillies.

This is one that you’ve got to let roll off your back, or you risk giving credence to the suspicions of the cynical fan. Let’s face it…if Raul doesn’t sit down in front of cameras and make a statement about the post…we aren’t talking about it over here at LL.

The blogger may have walked too close to the line for some people’s taste, but clearly didn’t cross it into the realm of an accusation.

I wish FJM was still around to poop on Raul’s blocky head.

The hypothesis is easy to follow:

Former Mariners who are good become stars when they go to NL
Former Mariners who are useful become good
Former Mariners who are bad become useful

I give you: Piniero, Franklin, Aurelia, Soriano, Sandfrog, Cirillo and now Ibanez

It works in reverse as well: Cedeno, Beltre, Vidro, HRam

Along with the blogger and Ken Rosenthal. The blogger seemed very reasonable and the columnist and Rosenthal basically ganged up on the guy. Rosenthal especially came off as a total dick. They basically stated it wasn’t ok to state your thoughts as they pertain to somebody else.

The guy wrote an article exploring the possibilities for Raul’s hot start. He explored a variety of explanations, backed up with stats, and when these failed to fully explain Raul’s HR rate, he stated, truthfully, that it’s something we can’t quantify or explain (yet, anyway). He offered a variety of explanations for why, outside of the realm of statistical analysis, that Raul could be doing well. He also stated that a third of a season is not good evidence for any sort of assumption. And then he addressed the question of steroids, which was raised by a member of a forum (not him), and said, entirely truthfully, that it can’t be ruled out. He never accused Raul of anything, though he suggested it could be a possibility.

This guy certainly deserves a bit of blame. Writing articles on a clearly inflammatory subject can only lead to…this. In my opinion, the article was very informative outside of the steroid mention, and the much better route would have been to just leave it out altogether. Incidents like this are part of the reason that bloggers are viewed the way they are. Bloggers may not be journalists, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held accountable. Even speculation should be based on some sort of evidence, and “it can’t be ruled out” or “other explanations don’t make sense” isn’t proper evidence.

Raul Ibanez heard there were steroid accusations about him. He was, rightfully, angered (if he’s clean anyway, which I’d be willing to bet he is). While work ethic is often overvalued by media, players, organizations, etc., in my view, Raul worked his butt off to go from a bit of an afterthought to a solid hitter. Having finally signed a big deal for a winning franchise, and riding a huge hot streak, it’s got to feel pretty damn good to have that effort validated. Even though Raul clearly didn’t have his facts straight, baseball is his job and his life, and I can clearly understand why he is angry.

Raul could have reacted better. He’s taken issue with bloggers before, and he definitely doesn’t buy into what a lot of bloggers do (using defensive metrics). However, his remark about the “42 year old living in his mother’s basement” is nonfactual and immature. Not to mention, comments like this are a kick in the gut to bloggers who spend their free time producing relevant and useful analysis because they love the game more than the average guy.

John Rodriguez is a complete and total douche.