Pat Yasinskas just posted some notes that I think Saints fans will find comforting as they head into the divisional round of the playoffs versus the Arizona Cardinals.

Since the merger, only one team who has scored 50 points in one game has returned to win their next round game - the proof and research, since I’m too lazy to do it, is here.

Also remember that while the Cardinals did score 51 in that game, they also gave up 45 to the Packers - an offense that I would argue isn’t on the same playing field as the Saints (provided the Saints are back on their A-game, which is in no way guaranteed - although having Shockey, Moore and Meachem all back at 100% should be a huge boost.)

I’ll have my takes on all four games for you later this afternoon.

-rb

Rob Brown General

Mark McGwire admitting that he used steroids is like me admitting that I had dinner last night. While there’s a doubt that, hey, maybe it got skipped one time, anybody who knows me knows damn well that I’m not missing a meal.

So, now we have to ask the more realistic question: how are we supposed to react?

Artificially Big Mac is trying to convince us that steroids only helped him recover from injury, and didn’t help him hit the longball. Fair enough, Big Mac.

In fact, the argument could be made. In 1987 during his rookie year, McGwire tattooed 47 rocks over the yellow stripe, earning him the most homeruns ever tagged by a rookie. So, clearly he was CAPABLE of hitting the longball before he started plugging needles into his backside.

Mark would then go on, over the next four years, to knock in 32, 33, and 39 homeruns a year for his next three years. That puts him amongst the best four year starts in MLB history. And obviously, when it was all said and done, slugging 500+ HR’s after that start wouldn’t be incredibly mystifieing.

So where do the ‘roids come in? After looking at the stats and seeing how incredibly his first four years of numbers were, it’s tough to NOT think - maybe he’s right. Maybe the ‘roids didn’t neccesarily help him hit the bombs, and simply were in place to help him heal up from injuries like he said.

Then again, I hate to see “common sense overrules the numbers,” but this:

Good thing it's from this side. From the other side all you can see is the bat.

can’t POSSIBLY hit as many homeruns as this:

What the hell is IN that milk?!!?

…..right?

BigMac has said he started the ‘roids pre-1998.

Fair enough. But if he’s telling the truth about the steroids only being used to help injuries, then it would’ve started - more than likely - in 1993. While BigMac has never played a full 162 game season, that was the first year injury really knocked him down - he stepped to bat in only 27 games that year, and only 47 the year after that.

So, if the ‘roids started there - which I’m not sure if it’s safe to assume they did or did not, but I’m going to anyway because, hey, no one can tell me not to - then the homeruns after that should be slightly higher than his first four years … if they indeed help with the longball.

Now, I’m not sure how to look at the info past where the steroids come into play. On one hand, the numbers didn’t skyrocket. In fact, the average stayed around the same for the most part. However, when did his first two seasons of 50+ homeruns take place?

Yeup. The two years after he got past his injuries.

Fair enough. Coincidence, maybe?

1997 was the year McGwire was sent from Oakland to St. Louis. He pounded out 58 home runs that year between the two squads.

So if 1997 was his first year back and he went to 58, how in the world did he add almost another TWELVE the very next year - remember 1998? That was the year he pelted SEVENTY homeruns - to an already monster season?

Must’ve been that milk he was drinking.

And it wasn’t just that year - he was only five shots off pace in 1999, when he drilled 65 and left everyone else in the dust.

Then, the scandal hit. And age hit. And it all started falling. While for most players the 32 he hit in 2000 would’ve been a huge season, for a guy who was coming off of back-to-back 65+ shot seasons, cutting them in half was drastic.

It also times up pretty well to the world getting “smarted up” about steroids in baseball.

The next year, the count dropped again: this time it was 29. It was also his last year in league.

I can already hear the argument: “but Rob, in 2000 and 2001, he was 36 and 37 years old!”

Yes, I’m aware. But he was 34 when he drilled freaking SEVENTY homeruns! Did that two years take him from king of the hardball to the Crpyt Keeper that fast?

I’m not sure what to think: what about you?

-rb

Rob Brown General