No, they're not related - just three links to the above topics.
First off, good news regarding Carsten Charles (from a very interesting article about pitch counts and abuse):
I want to close by looking at the pitcher who was ridden as hard as any in the game last year, C.C. Sabathia.
Sabathia gobbled up innings late in the year as the Brewers desperately attempted to make the playoffs. There was much talk about the Brewers' right to use a rented player this way, and about then-manager Ned Yost in particular.
Near the end of the season, I looked at these effects and found that Sabathia didn't seem to be having any issues. With this new metric, we can ask how close Sabathia came to the injury zone. The answer: not very... This is very good news for Yankees fans who shouldn't worry that the Brewers wore Sabathia out. And this probably means Sabathia will be able to handle a large load this season as well.
As I think most of us believe, Sabathia will be the biggest addition to the team this year. He hasn't pitched less than 180 innings in any of his eight seasons, and the Yankees haven't had any pitcher (since Herb Pennock in 1924-25) that posted back-to-back seasons of at least 240 innings and an ERA+ of 140 or better. That's who we're bringing aboard in Sabathia.
- Mike Gimbel tackles the question of whether steroids actually helped Arod:
The actual peak season for baseball players is 34 to 37 years old. Those players who stay relatively healthy up to those ages will perform better than their younger selves. The older player has had years of training and performance, which gives that player a significant advantage over the more inexperienced player or pitcher. The fact that Barry Bonds had his best season at 37, therefore, is "normal," and not "bewildering!"
Alex Rodriguez’s best individual performance in the 2001 to 2003 seasons was only his fifth best season overall, and most importantly, as he continued to use steroids his performance essentially "tanked." If anything, the only thing that you could claim from the above comparative performance list, is that steroids impaired his performance.
It sounds a bit far-fetched to me (especially the Bonds part), and there's plenty of disagreement in the comments section - my biggest question is how Gimbel came to the conclusion that 'peak' is 34-37.
- Jimmy Scott conducted an interview with the last great Yankee third-baseman. ;)