Jack Clark fired over his PED remarks about Pujols and Verlander

Former major leaguer Jack Clark, who accused Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander and Anaheim Angels slugger Albert Pujols of using performance enhancing drugs, has been fired from his job as a Fox Sports Radio talk-show host, the St. Louis Dispatch is reporting.

Clark, who hit 340 home runs during an 18-year big league career, began working at WGNU-AM in St. Louis just last week. He based his accusation on conversations he said he had with Chris Mihlfeld, Pujols' former personal trainer, who worked with the Dodgers when Clark was the team's hitting coach in 2000. He also accused Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander of using PED's since he's had a dropoff in performance from previous years.

"Verlander was like Nolan Ryan, he threw 97, 98, 100 miles an hour from the first inning to the ninth inning," Clark said on WGNU-AM. "He got that big contract, now he can barely reach 92, 93. What happened to it? He has no arm problems, nothing's wrong. It's just the signs are there.

"The greed ... they juice up, they grab the money and it’s just a free pass to steal is the way I look at it."

InsideSTL Enterprises quickly distanced itself from Clark and co-host Kevin Slaten. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the company issued a statement saying it had "terminated its relationship with Jack Clark and Kevin Slaten. As independent contractors, we want to make it clear that the opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of InsideSTL. Also as independent contractors, InsideSTL did not have editorial control over the show’s content."

"It is irresponsible and reckless for Jack Clark to have falsely accused me of using PEDs," Pujols, who is on the disabled list and did not travel with the Angels to Cleveland, said in a statement. "My faith in Jesus Christ and my respect for this game are too important to me. I would never be able to look my wife or kids in the eye if I had done what this man is accusing me of."

Pujols has threatened legal action against Clark. There has been no word on whether Verlander plans to do the same.

Verlander says he would accept a gay teammate

During an interview with CNN's Carol Costello, Detroit Tigers pitcher, Justin Verlander, said that he would "absolutely" accept an openly gay player on his team.

"I wouldn't mind it," Verlander added.

While some players in the major professional sports have reservations about having a gay teammate, it's almost a breath of fresh air to hear one of baseball's big names to say he'd welcome a gay teammate. I still don't think anyone is ready to face it head on no matter how they speak on the subject.

Verlander went on to say that he's "pretty sure" that there are gay players currently playing in the majors and that the Tigers are equipped to have a gay player in the clubhouse.

"I'm sure there are," Verlander said when asked if there are currently gay MLB players. "I think as with any sport, a gay player would be hesitant to come out, but the sheer number says there absolutely is."

"Yeah, I don't see why not, given the right situation, and a team that's a family atmosphere, and I feel like we have that atmosphere here. I don't think one of our players would be scared to come out. We got 25 guys, it's a family, and our goal is to win a World Series. What your sexual orientation is, I don't see how that affects the ultimate goal of our family.

I agree with what he's saying but he doesn't speak for the rest of his teammates who might feel differently about it. It really shouldn't matter as long as he would be helping your team compete an win championships while performing at a high level. Right now it won't be accepted and I'm pretty sure we're a long way off from seeing a player come out.

Verlander wonders about free agency

Will Justin Verlander be a Tiger for life?

The reigning AL Cy Young Award Winner and AL MVP spoke with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via MLBTradeRumors.com) where he (Verlander) discussed his newfound celebrity status and his future with the team. Verlander expressed his love for Detroit but admitted that he wondered what it would be like playing in a bigger market and what it would take for him to remain a Tiger.


Verlander acknowledged that, sure, he’s thought about what it would be like to play in a bigger market.


“It would be fun, but hopefully I help turn Detroit into a major market,” he said. “Other teams are major markets not just because of their fan base but because of the national fan base. That comes from winning. They’re always on the news because they win.


“We may not have the biggest city in the world, but if we go out there every year and we’re in the playoffs and win some World Series titles, then our national fan base grows. My goal is to help make Detroit and their fan base a major market. I want to be a key piece in that.”


The key is owner Mike Illitch. Illitch desperately wants to add a World Series trophy to his collection of Stanley Cups. Illitch is willing to make the committment to win na dthat means spending money. He proved it by signing Prince Fielder to a megadeal this offseason.


“That’s one of the conversations I had with the Tigers right before I signed,” Verlander said, in reference to the five-year, $80 million extension to which he agreed before the 2010 season. “We talked about money and all that stuff. I wanted reassurances that I’m going to be part of a winning team. They said, ‘We’re going to do what it takes.’ That’s all I needed to hear. I want to win a World Series. And some of the other things I want to do in this game involve being on winning teams.”


I'm pretty sure that Verlander will be a lifetime Tiger, but nothing is certain in the world of sports. Just ask Peyton Manning about that.

Victor Martinez's Lavish Ride

Professional athletes usually don't tool around in "luxury" cars that the average man drives around in. Consider the case of one of the newest Detroit Tigers, Victor Martinez. I've heard about Justin Verlander's Ferrari, but to me Martinez's Rolls Royce Ghost takes it.

The car is retailed at $250,000 before customization. I'd have to work a lifetime to get one tire off of it. It is a nice car, but Martinez won't be in the major leagues forever bagging $12 mill a season. Be smart with that money.

Tigers pitcher Robbie Weinhardt had an interesting take on the car.

"Awesome," said pitcher Robbie Weinhardt, "My signing bonus ($15,000) probably pays for nothing on that car. Maybe the air freshener."

I guess you can buy those kind of items when you get big money deals like the one Martinez signed this past offseason.

Verlander Needs To Get Off To A Quick Start

One of the keys to the Detroit Tigers' season is the success of Justin Verlander. That's fairly obvious to anyone who watches the game of baseball. What Verlander needs to do in particular, is get off to a good start. That's something this team is going to need from their number one starter. If that happens the Tigers can surprise early.

In the past Verlander has struggled early. Not where he can't get the ball over the plate, but he ges knocked around a bit early in the season. I don't have the stats sitting here in front of me, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. He gets some early wins but not enough for others to doubt his status as the staff ace. His record usually hovers around .500 for his first six to eight starts before he hits a midseason run where he looks unbeatable before looking kinda ordinary toward the end of the year. He has Cy Young stuff and ability, he just needs more consistency from end to end.

Verlander is clearly the key to the rotation. If he can battle hard enough the offense will get him enough run support. I don't doubt his ability to be a top of the line starter, sometimes he makes me wonder though. I still feels like he has his moments where he wants to dial it up and try to blow everyone away. He's been around long enough to know that's not the way to pitch. If he wants to be in the Cy Young conversation, he has to get rid of that mentality. I'm not saying abandon the bread and butter fastball. Just don't rely on it to get you out of a jam. You gotta let the players behind you make plays sometimes. I know, for the Tigers that might be a stretch since some of the players in the field are better suited to a beer league. But you just can't  keep pumping fastballs over the plate. Verlander is good. The rest of the staff is good. But they can be a whole lot better and having Verlander off to a quick start may be the key early on.