STOP LYING MANFRED, THOSE BALLS ARE JUICED!

Welcome to Baseball's newest scandal. We've seen the performance enhanced drugs (PEDS) scandal but this is 2019 now. We still have PEDS but now we also have PEB's.....Performance Enhancing Baseballs.

Rob Manfred has spent a lot of time over the past few days emphatically denying that Major League Baseball has altered baseballs to generate more offense amid widespread criticism that baseballs are "juiced." He says it's false. I say he's probably full of shit.

There's one thing that just doesn't sit well with me over all of these "juiced baseball" allegations and that is the clear conflict of interest in all of this. Maybe some people just don't know this but Major League Baseball OWNS Rawlings, read more HERE. The fact that home runs are at crazy historic highs and MLB owns Rawlings the company that manufactures the baseball should be eye-opening! Why isn't this getting MORE attention? Manfred defended the $395 million purchase stating it guaranteed the viability of baseball. Owning Rawlings means producing and controlling the baseball ensures sustainability of the sport and quality control.

Quality control? HA! More like lies and manipulation of the game. Granted, Rawlings was purchased more than two years AFTER baseball started seeing spikes in home runs BUT 700 more home runs were hit in the 2015 season when compared to 2014. Another interesting stat? Bud Selig stepped down as commissioner in 2014 and Manfred took over as commissioner a few months before the 2015 season started. Coincidence? Maybe, but the increase in home runs in that short amount of time and the future acquisition of Rawlings under Manfred's leadership is very compelling.

So I really just don't buy what Manfred is trying to sell. There's an obvious conflict of interest here. He says "Baseball has done nothing, given no direction for an alteration in the baseball," read more HERE but in an interview with ESPN's Golic and Wingo, he admits scientists say that the ball has "less drag." Oh but don't worry fans....the topic is "under discussion" but he "can go no further" in discussions. That's cryptic and shady. Meanwhile, players like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer have their own compelling arguments and they make sense! The ball "feels different!" This isn't a made up problem but it is a problem Manfred is trying to sweep under the rug.

I don't buy the "no alterations" argument but I also don't buy the MLB doesn't "want" more home runs, either. Manfred says "The flaw in logic is that baseball wants more home runs. If you sat in owners meetings and listen to people on how the game is played, that is not a sentiment among the owners for whom I work." He wants us all to believe that owners are "concerned" about the number of home runs. They should be, too. There were 3,691 homers in the first half  and MLB is on pace for almost 7,000! If that happens, the old record of 6,105 in 2017 will be crushed....and that's a crazy number anyway! The game isn't supposed to be a Home Run Derby.

But once again....Manfred lying! Manfred goes on to say "It's easy to get carried away with 'you have too many home runs, but let's not forget that our fan data suggests fans like home runs. It's not the worst thing in the world." But remember, owners are "concerned" with the number of home runs. If fans liked all of the home runs, owners wouldn't be concerned at all, right? Maybe attendance wouldn't be down at baseball games! But remember...."it's not the worst thing in the world" as Moron Manfred says.

We just watched the Home Run Derby this week, which isn't nearly as exciting for me as it once was because seriously.....EVERY GAME IS A HOME RUN DERBY now according to statistics. Anyone else think it is crazy that Vladimir Guerrero Jr, a 20-year old Rookie hit 91 home runs?! Tell me that ball isn't juiced and give me facts to back it up. Tell me that ball isn't wound tighter!

Oh and what about Manfred's idea to make the game quicker? If he wants to do that long innings of home run derby during a regulated game is not the way to do it. AND if he wants to globalize baseball....the London Series we just watched with the Red Sox and the Yankees isn't a good impression. Baseball games aren't supposed to look like football scores, which is exactly what it looked like. People who are not familiar with the sport we all love so much suddenly think five hour long baseball games are normal....all thanks to the home run ball. STUPID Manfred!

Look, even if you don't think Manfred has a hand in this and he doesn't contribute to this issue....there is a problem here. Manfred doesn't make it any better. He contradicts himself and he looks untrustworthy. He's lost all credibility at this point. He's an idiot. He should be finding ways to solve the issue and he should be transparent.

Manfred is not being transparent at all. He wants us all to think he is but he's part of the problem. Congrats, Manfred....you created PEB's the next baseball scandal. OWN IT.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj