Making matters worse, Posada had this beauty for a cameo: “I kind of apologized to [Yankees manager Joe Girardi]. I just had a bad day yesterday.”

We agree, Jorgie. A real bad day. But “kind of” apologizing to your manager doesn’t cut it. Either way, Posada is totally out of line in this instance. Let’s say that he was feeling one hundred percent but was just miffed that Girardi dropped him (and his .165 batting average) to ninth in the batting order. Is that a reason to be coy and just ask for a day off? Shame on Girardi for not asking more questions of his designated hitter.

“Hey, can I have the day off?” is not something that should be followed by a yes, but rather a “why?” Or in Posada’s case, a “thanks.” When your DH is hitting miles under the Mendoza Line, any time you can leave his name off the line-up card is a huge advantage.

Once the missus Tweeted that his back was the reason he needed to sit, Posada looked foolish. He would have been better of being honest (if his back was in fact bothering him) and told Girardi as much. Instead, he had to make a spectacle of himself.

This is not totally out of character for Posada, either. Yes, he has been a good soldier for the majority of his time in baseball but let’s not forget when Posada stomped on the tiny home plate cameras like a pair of Bronx cockroaches during the 2004 ALCS. And then he had an attitude about it when questioned.

The only reason why he is still in pinstripes is because of his successful past. When Yankees general manager Brian Cashman re-signed him to a four-year, $52.4 million dollar free agent contract in 2007 (the last time he hit .300), it was because the crosstown Mets were wooing him. Cashman upped his original offer by a year to keep Posada around and now he is paying $13.1 million for a disgruntled former catcher in his walk year.

The Yankees have no problem eating contracts and even for a hometown hero like Posada, that may be the best solution for everyone involved.

Photo by Aris Sakellaridis

But then again Amber Elizabeth Simerly is not just anyone.

“I received my first weight set when I was 12 years old and have been hooked ever since,” the 32-year-old mother of one said. “I powerlifted through high school and began bodybuilding in my 20′s. Six weeks out from my first show I dropped out and it drove me nuts for the past 10 years that I didn’t get up on that stage and finish what I started.”

What transpired since then was a whirlwind of negativity in Simerly’s life. “My mother was diagnosed with cancer for the third time, there were several deaths in my family and I was in a bad relationship,” she recalled. “I went through a divorce and had to face life as a single parent.”

Simerly met a woman in her gym, Natlia Zapata, that had competed in the past and won her class in fitness. After a short period of time, Simerly felt that the time was right to make her comeback. She had her sights set on the Elite Muscle Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina just a few short weeks ago.

“Even though I didn’t place, it didn’t discourage me one bit,” Simerly said confidently. “Natalia and I are going back for more in April at Johnny Stewart’s and North Carolina State.”

Because she has experienced such difficult times, Simerly uses her training as an outlet and something positive to focus on. “When I go in there I take every bit of passion, craziness and stress out on those machines,” she said. “I believe that you can literally think yourself hard. I love being able to say, ‘I want my glutes to come up.’

“Think of some crazy workout to do, do it two or three times and physically see and feel the results,” she added. “I believe, bottom line, is that it is all about intensity. In all aspects of life. You get what you put into it.”

And Simerly has put an awful lot into ‘it’ lately.

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Photos courtesy of Tyson Arts

If you are at the level of using hCG, especially after heightened levels of testosterone has shown up in previous tests, then you are certainly not a beginner or just happened to take something by accident. Ask anyone associated with bodybuilding about PCT (Post Cycle Therapy, in case Webber or Deese happen to be reading this) and they will tell you that it is an essential part of the cycle to prevent the drastic ‘downfall’ that can follow, and to trick the male body to produce its own testosterone again after ingesting an amount of the synthetic version. That plus to prevent ‘ball shrinkage,’ which does not need to be explained.

It is also kind of ironic that the news of Ramirez being suspended for 50 games comes the day before Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to make his comeback with the Yankees following hip surgery performed during Spring Training. 

Photo by Bill Menzel

Getting around the rules has become all the rage in the paranoid world of Major League Baseball. The players are looking for an excuse to fall back on as the administration keeps making the banned substance list longer. The latest way around it? According to an Associated Press report, 106 major leaguers have claimed to have ADHD, thus allowing them to take something on the aforementioned list.

That number comes out to 7.86 percent of the players and according to someone who is ‘in the know,’ that is a preposterous amount when compared to the general population. A red flag has definitely been raised, according to the Gary Wadler, the chairman of the committee determining what is on the banned substance list for the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“This is incredible,” said Wadler in the AP report. “This is quite spectacular. There seems to be an epidemic of ADD in major league baseball. I’ve been in private practice for a lot of years. I can count on one hand the number of individuals that have ADD.

“To say that [7.86 percent] of major league baseball players have attention deficit disorder is crying out for an explanation,” continued Wadler. “It is to me as an internist so off the map of my own experience.”

Another stat given in the report that would seem to back up Wadler’s claim is that the National Institute of Mental Health estimates three to five percent of children have ADD.

The report did not state what substance was being allowed by the players claiming to have ADD.

New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce can spin it any way he wants, but anyone that has watched him play in the past can clearly see that he was not himself in Sunday’s 20-14 loss to Philadelphia. Although the entire team had a lousy day, Pierce stood out for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps the most obvious example of that was on Brian Westbrook’s second touchdown on the day. After catching a third down pass from Donovan McNabb, the crafty running back easily outran Pierce – no shock – but when the linebacker appeared to pull up at the five yard line, Westbrook walked into the end zone untouched.

“Obviously everyone os going to use that as an excuse,” Pierce said, referring to the talk of distractions affecting the team’s play. “It’s not an excuse. The Philadelphia Eagles came ready to play and they more plays than the New York Giants today.”

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While not totally inaccurate, Pierce did back some of that up by leading the team with 12 tackles during the game. It just didn’t seem like the same team out there and even though it is easy to point to the Burress situation as the reason, the Giants may have been overdue for a bad perfoemance.

Falling to 11-2, they dropped their first home game of the season. Maybe things are aligned right for them, though. Because the Dallas Cowboys lost in Pittsburgh, the Giants clinched the NFC East. That is clearly not a case of ‘backing in,’ and Big Blue still is being viewed as a favorite to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

If you were Ben Braffman, hearing the Mayor of New York City take a stand against your client definitely had a silver lining. When Mike Bloomberg angrily spoke out against Placixo Burress and his reckless, gun-toting behavior, he may have mistakenly gave the wide receiver’s lawyer a lead. One that a sharp counsel will use to his advantage.

Bloomberg called for Burress to be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law” and that he made a “mockery” and a “sham” of the laws.

It isn’t every case that gets the mayor’s attention such as this and by him saying what he did – although it was totally justified – it will not be long before Braffman starts crying that Burress will be unable to receive a fair trial. He’s already planted the seed by saying, “I think the mayor can at times influence pending legal proceedings.”

To give a quality lawyer anything in a high profile case will be stretched, twisted around and used to the full extent. And this is the same attorney who represented and was able to gain an acquittal to Sean Combs (I refuse to call a grown man P. Diddy or Puffy). So expect to hear all sorts of nonsense if this case ever gets to trial. A ‘dog and pony’ show awaits.

By Alex Truman

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag entitled, “This is Your Magazine,” where we profile the every-day athlete. If you would like to see yourself profiled here, please send us your story and photo to superbas@optonline.net.

This article based on informing high school athletes, parents, coaches, and teachers on what could make high school athletes even better at what they do.
High schools bring up many hardships for the inspiring athletes within their walls. An athlete needs to worry about his training and diet, but being a high school student gives athletes more to deal with. Classes, homework, and projects all become obstacles that a student has to overcome. Athletes need to overcome the stress and hassle of being a student, and they need to excel at sports at the same time. The pressure put on high school athletes is incredible, but that is what makes athletes who they are.

Having a good diet and training regimen will separate the athletes from those who just take up space on the team. Athletes need to train and eat like machines. Having 6-8 meals a day, weight training 4-6 times a week, and doing cardio 3-7 days a week will not only make the athlete bigger, stronger, and faster, but it will help to keep their immune systems healthy.

Let’s start out with how a high school athlete should get their training done. This is aimed towards the athletes that need to train more than their team trains. Some athletes need to train their skills, some to get stronger, some to get bigger, and some just to get in better shape. No matter what their goals, these athletes are going above and beyond their coach’s standards, and all their hard work will pay off.

Students who want to get better at skills or get in shape:

Talking to coaches, teammates, or peers about setting up drills would be a great start. If an athlete is in a team sport, then the athlete could talk to a coach or teammates about having extra practices for those who want to improve on their skills.

Students who want to get stronger:

Start a program and follow it. Research programs like 5×5, Sheiko, Westside, etc. Find a program that works for you, and make sure not to overdo it.

Students who want to get bigger:

Keep track of your diet. Make sure you are eating clean, or you will see more fat gain then expected. Add 500 calories a day to what you are currently eating. If after a week you do not see any weight gain, increase your intake another 500 calories. Keep adding more calories until you see a difference.

Now diet is another big key in any athlete’s quest to become great. As a high school student it is hard to find the time to schedule 6-8 meals a day. Many high school athletes only eat 3 times a day, but that just won’t cut it. For a human body to get the nutrients it needs, meals have to be spread throughout the day. If a student tells a teacher why he or she needs to eat during the class, then the teacher should have no problem allowing the student to have a quick snack. A shake, protein bar, fruit, and other simple things will go over much easier then a full-on meal. Keep in mind you are in class, and you need to eat quickly and not disturb anyone.

This is how to get 8 meals a day:
Meal 1- 6:00am
Meal 2- 8:00am
Meal 3- 10:00am
Meal 4- 12:00am
Meal 5- 2:00pm
Meal 6- 4:00pm
Meal 7- 6:00pm
Meal 8- 8:00pm
(Note: Keep meals 7 and 8 pretty light on the carbohydrates and simple sugars, or your body will start to store more fat as you sleep.)

Follow all of the above instructions this school year, and become the athlete you always wanted to be. Don’t let anything stand in your way. Remember, you are responsible for becoming who you want to be, and nobody else can be blamed for you not giving it 100% effort 100% of the time.

Alex Truman, in addition to being a MuscleSport Mag staff writer, is a 17-year old high school athlete, powerlifting champion and aspiring bodybuilder. At an offseason bodyweight of 200 pounds, Alex is able to deadlift 550 pounds, squat 500, bench 365, clean and jerk 255 and snatch 185.