[reprinted from DRSEA Newsletter – Volume IV, Issue 7]

The strange case of the Florida Marlins Leo Núñez – who is actually Juan Carlos Oviedo – may be just the tip of the iceberg if what some baseball insiders are telling the DRSEA INFORMER is true, following the revelation that the Dominican Republic pitcher played under an assumed name for years and is older than he claimed when signed.

Several people have told me that as many as 30 current major league and minor league players from the Dominican Republic are in the same fix as Núñez /Oviedo, and, like him, failed to come forward when MLB offered amnesty to players who admitted falsifying their names and/or ages.

“It would be naive to think that Núñez is the lone culprit in this,” one person told the INFORMER . “Major League Baseball really only intensified its crackdown on age and identity within the past two or three years; before that it was kind of hit or miss, and if you were missed, the chances of avoiding discovery, obviously, are pretty good.”

(more…)

Chase Utley, the five-time All-Star second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, is “teaming up with PETA to urge people to always adopt from animal shelters and never patronize pet stores or breeders.”

Utley and his wife Jennifer also run The Utley Foundation:

The flagship event of the Utley Foundation, Utley All Star Animals Casino Night is an annual event created by Jennifer and Chase Utley. All funds raised from the evening benefit the Etana Fund at the Pennsylvania SPCA, which helps to support and care for the many victims of animal cruelty, neglect and abuse. Each year hundreds of people spend the evening playing casino games, bidding on amazing silent and live auction items, and enjoying delicious cocktails and food. 2011 marks the fourth year that Jen and Chase have put on this event and to date the casino nights have raised close to 1 million dollars. Utley All Star Animals is always looking for new sponsors to join them in the fight against animal cruelty.

Furthermore, Jen and the Phillies Wives have started “Save a Pet at the Park,” an annual event where:

the Pennsylvania SPCA brings cats and dogs to the game to be adopted by Phillies fans. … Fans holding tickets to the game are encouraged to bring donation items to the PSPCA. The 2010 event also included the sale of a calendar featuring the players with their dogs. … Over the past 4 years, the event has raised over $170,000 for the PSPCA.

And finally, the Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Park has been named the “most vegetarian-friendly ballpark by PETA” for the last four years.  So there you go.

Pete Rose’s lifetime ban for breaking the rules of baseball is justified – and not subject to debate – according to Dominic Genetti over at the Hannibal Courier-Post:

You break the rules of baseball and you get kicked out, it’s as simple as that.

I don’t care if you’re the all-time hits leader, all it takes is one screw up and you’re done. Rose did exactly that and he deserves exactly what he got.

Whilst technically correct as per MLB rule 21(d) and the findings of the Dowd Report, Genetti presents less-than-compelling logic for his stance in general (“There’s no time or room in baseball for cheaters…”) and a baffling conclusion regarding Pete Rose in particular:

…[I]f you’re still not convinced that Rose shouldn’t be in the hall, consider the fact that his son got into some trouble of his own in the minor leagues when he was caught distributing drugs to players.

*Scooby-doo head shake*

Rather than closing the debate, perhaps we should use this as a chance to question whether the punishment reasonably fits the crime.  Arguably more damaging actions (e.g., drug use) result in only limited suspensions, whereas Rose is banned for life – not for throwing games – but for betting on games (sometimes for his team to win).  Clearly some sort of penalty is appropriate, but a lifetime ban for this infraction seems arbitrarily harsh in comparison.

At any rate, the main debate surrounding Pete Rose shouldn’t center around his eligibility for election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but rather whether his stats are even good enough to get him in.  I suggest that his avgWAR of 3.42 is not good enough for induction.  Enshrine the bat that slapped the record 4256th hit, sure…but Pete Rose himself is not worthy of a plaque in Cooperstown.

We reported this spring on the new fixin’s on the menu over at Grayson Stadium, home of minor league baseball’s Savannah Sand Gnats.  Mrs TheUmpire and I were lucky enough to sample the tasty new wares at a recent game.  We present this "Making of the S’mores Panini" photo essay for your enjoyment:

First, the bread…	…then Nutella…	…marshmallow fluff…	…crushed graham crackers…
…on the grill…	…a dusting of powdered sugar…	…a drizzle of Hershey’s chocolate syrup…	…ta-da!

Lefthander Cody Kukuk was drafted in the seventh round by the Boston Red Sox last month. If he makes it to the show then he will become one of a select number of MLBers, and the first Red Sox since Johnny Reder in the 1930s, whose last name constitutes a palindrome.

• Truck Hannah
• Toby Harrah
• Eddie Kazak
• Dick Nen
• Robb Nen
• Dave Otto
• Johnny Reder
• Juan Salas
• Marino Salas
• Mark Salas

Sources: Boston.com, All Experts, Wikipedia