PHOENIX -- Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, the Cactus League edition. Here are some points to ponder while you wait to fill out your brackets.
ADD it up: If he was more famous or played in a bigger market, Jason Kendall's story would be creating national headlines.
That's a small consolation for the former Brewers catcher.
Kendall, who signed with Kansas City this winter after two years in Milwaukee, is going through a messy divorce with his wife, Chantel. Gossip Web sites TMZ.com and radaronline.com have reported somewhat salacious and embarrassing details of physical and emotional abuse between the couple, Chantel's affair with Sean Stewart, the son of rock singer Rod Stewart, and Jason's destruction of property at the couple's Malibu home.
Sadly, situations like this aren't rare in pro sports, where the divorce rate runs higher than in the general public.
The detail that could generate the most attention in this case, however, is Jason Kendall's use of Adderall, a prescription drug used to combat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Chantel said in court documents that Kendall used the drug, which is widely reported to increase focus and concentration while having a stimulative effect, as a performance-enhancer and suffered mood swings and fits of rage as a result.
Jason Kendall admitted in a deposition that he used regular 60-mg doses during the regular season, but then cut back during the winter. He also said that he believed other players used Adderall as well, reportedly naming Pittsburgh infielder Bobby Crosby and recently-retired outfielder Brian Giles among the users. When questioned by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Friday, Crosby declined to comment.
Although it hasn't received much media attention, use of Adderall is common on college campuses and in big-league clubhouse. Though Adderall is listed as a stimulant on the banned substance list, players can get "therapeutic use" exemptions from Major League Baseball.
"As soon as they started testing for "greenies" (illegal stimulants) and banned things like ephedra, guys started getting prescriptions for Adderall," one major league scout said.
"I heard about it a lot at first, but it has kind of quieted down since then. I'm sure there are guys using it. I think players will try just about anything if they think it might give them an edge."
Kendall's case has been a topic of conversation in the Brewers' clubhouse this spring, with most players expressing empathy for a teammate that was almost universally liked and respected among his peers.
Good moves: The Packers did the right thing by signing safety Nick Collins and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett to contract extensions on Friday. Word has it that tackle Mark Tauscher could be next in line.
Collins signed a three-year, $23.4 million extension that will be tacked on to the $3.3 million deal he signed earlier in the week. He'll reportedly get about $14 million of the nearly $28 million total in salary and bonuses in 2010.
Pickett, who was designated as a "franchise" player last month, got a four-year, $28 million deal that will pay him $10 million in 2010.
Fear the deer: Slowly but surely, the Bucks are taking on the look of a playoff team. Not only that, they are looking like a team that opponents won't want to face. There is plenty of work remaining, but victories over Cleveland, Boston and Utah have put the Bucks in a solid position.
Although crowds at the Bradley Center remain somewhat anemic, the progress being made by this team is reminiscent of the Brewers' leaps of four or five seasons ago.
Larry King Lounge: Infielder Hernan Iribarren was getting ready to start on Saturday when word came that he had been claimed on waivers by Texas. "I thought it might happen," Iribarren said. "I have a lot of friends in this organization, but this could be good for my career."... Call me crazy, but it might be a good thing that Marquette lost on Friday night. The Golden Eagles need to be rested for the tournament ... That said, it would have been nice to see Bo Ryan's Badgers play at least one more game ... The Packers' uniforms are classic. Did they really need to add that alternate?... Game time temperature at Maryvale, 68. Milwaukee was 43 ... Look for the Brewers on Fox Sports Wisconsin Monday afternoon. They face Cleveland ... Eric Young, Jr., whose father hit the first homer in Rockies history and played for the Brewers, led off for Colorado on Saturday ... Cheering is prohibited in the press box, but I'm rooting for the alma mater Menomonee Falls to make it to the boys state basketball tournament. Go Indians!
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
