A reader in Australia, a Mets fan, asked in e-mail what evidence besides his back acne did I have that Mike Piazza used steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs. What impressed me was he asked the question in a civil way unlike the irrational manner in which most Piazza fans write their accusatory e-mail.

“As a keen Mets fan from the other side of the world,” Chris Iliadis wrote, “I’m intrigued by the notion that back acne is enough evidence of PED use. Surely there is more??”

Among Piazza fans, I have become notorious for citing back acne as the reason I suspect Piazza used steroids. I initially did so about eight months after I began this website. I would have raised the issue earlier, but two or three times my editors at The New York Times said I couldn’t because no one had written about it.

The primary blocker was …

Keep reading...

Is anyone here familiar with the name Dan Szymborski? Does anybody know Dan Szymborski? Has anyone ever spoken to or communicated in any way with Dan Szymborski? Does anyone know why Dan Szymborski hates me?

I never heard the name Dan Szymborski until very recently. I had no idea who Dan Szymborski was. In truth, I didn’t know if his name was Dan Szymborski or Dan Szymbobski. But my grandson enlightened me.

My grandson scans the Internet much more than I do. He knows a lot more than I do, especially about web sites and digital dandies. When I asked him if he knew who Dan Szymborski was, he filled me in. Dan Szymborski, he informed me, though he didn‘t use the term – I have made it up and applied it to Dan Szymborski – is a digital dandy.

Dan Szymborski has written for ESPN.com, which used to have …

Keep reading...

As teams wrap up their business for 2015 and head into the new year, it seems that the hot stove, ignited ever so briefly during the winter meetings two weeks ago, has lain mostly dormant ever since.

Although the ace-level free agent pitchers have all selected their new teams, the market for hitters has barely budged, save a few transactions from the two Chicago clubs.

The Cubs continued their collection of the best talent in baseball by poaching outfielder Jason Heyward and second baseman Ben Zobrist for less money than they were offered elsewhere, and the White Sox revamped their infield with trades for Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie, the former in a notable three-team deal that included several top prospects.

But outside Chicago, splurges for position players—either with money or prospects—have been …

Keep reading...