I had a really strong urge to use the steroids tag, but didn't feel like starting a flame war and didn't want to tag him based purely on speculation.

BTW, I think I might have one of the only pictures of Bret Boone as a Columbus Clipper. Between his short stint there and the complete lack of anyone actually going to Clippers games, there weren't very many people who saw him play at The Coop.

Yeah, even though I live maybe ten minutes from Cooper Stadium, I don't ever go because the ballpark looks like it might collapse in on itself at any moment and the crowds are almost entirely consisted of the most miserable bunch of goobers you would ever hope to meet. Also, the staff is surly and incompetent. Not a good time overall.

Here's hoping things get a little better when Huntington Park (Stadium? Field? I can't remember) opens in a couple years.

A couple of weeks in Columbus can make just about anywhere seem like a better place.

It's twooooo. It's twoooo.

/Columbus: come for the White Castles; stay for the ennui.

I've posted them before, and I'll post them again. Bret Boone's v. lefty splits for 2001:

G- 71
AB- 144
H- 64
2b- 12
3b- 0
HR- 9
RBI- 29
BB- 18
IBB- 3
SO- 17
BA- .444
OBP- .497
SLG- .715
OPS- 1.212

the crowds are almost entirely consisted of the most miserable bunch of goobers you would ever hope to meet.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

No, I know what you mean. I almost always end up in a section consisting of me, my children, and about three guys who look like they've seen every game at Cooper Stadium since 1956.

Here's hoping things get a little better when Huntington Park (Stadium? Field? I can't remember) opens in a couple years.

It's a matter of months now - it opens next spring, thankfully. That, along with the Indians affiliation which seems like a foregone conclusion, should boost attendance pretty substantially (at least for a while).

They took him to a farm upstate?

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS RING YOUR BELL!

Are you sure that's a Clippers game and not a Nats one?

Interesting stuff on Boone's splits. They reminded me of Braun's from last year.

Is it just me, or does that headline make it sound like he died?

The link links back to this thread, not ESPN.

Was he attempting a comeback this year? Hasn't played in the majors since '05.

The link links back to this thread, not ESPN.

Damn. I hate when I do that. It's fixed now.

Was he attempting a comeback this year? Hasn't played in the majors since '05.

Yep, he went to camp with the Nats, played miserably, then went to Columbus for a couple weeks and didn't do much better.

It's a matter of months now - it opens next spring, thankfully. That, along with the Indians affiliation which seems like a foregone conclusion, should boost attendance pretty substantially (at least for a while).

Really? Awesome. I haven't heard any news recently and never saw any construction (since I'm rarely in that part of town) so I figured it was still a ways away. Very glad to hear that.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS RING YOUR BELL!

THE CLIPPERS ARE YOUR HOMETOWN HEROES!

Really? Awesome. I haven't heard any news recently and never saw any construction (since I'm rarely in that part of town) so I figured it was still a ways away. Very glad to hear that.

I work downtown, so I see it pretty often. The concrete for the grandstands has been poured and you can see the shape of the place taking form. I know some people involved in the construction, and everyone is saying that it's on schedule to open next spring.

How many of these comebacks from a 2-3 year layoff ever work? I guess Julio doesn't count because he was constantly playing baseball even when not in the majors.

He's one of the last M's prospects I saw play here in Calgary for the Cannons who was still around. I think A-Rod is probably going to be the last, unless Omar Vizquel somehow beats him.

I think A-Rod will be the last Cannon left period, as his main competition is Brad Penny, Jason Grilli, and Ramon Castro.

How many of these comebacks from a 2-3 year layoff ever work?

A few. The first guy who pops in my mind is Chris Hammond.

I;d guess it's easier to comeback as a pitcher than a hitter. the rest might even do a pitcher some good. But I was stunned how much I lost even at a young age. I was a reasonable American Legion hitter at age 17. I didn't face fast pitch baseball again for about four years when I took BP with my old high school team. Who sucked, by the way. I'd say the guys throwing that BP would have been in the bottom quartile of the Legion pitchers I used to see. Anyway, i think I made contact maybe 1 time in 5. I'm sure I'd have gained quickly had I stuck with it, but I'm unconvinced I'd ever have been able to hit well again.

Not that I'm a world class athlete, of course. Just sharing an experience. I think the hitting coordination may leave in a hurry once you stop playing. However, I could still throw hard and with decent control. YMMV.

"A few. The first guy who pops in my mind is Chris Hammond."

Salomon Torres, too.

I;d guess it's easier to comeback as a pitcher than a hitter.

That hasn't been my experience. I took seven years off, and came back against better competition than I had ever faced, and hit and threw just as well as I ever had. What had evaporated was my defensive ability (ground balls, mainly) and my awareness and reactions on the basepaths.