My Baseball Story: Tampering, Slotted Bonuses, & Ultimate Control

On June 20th 2012 Gloria Dietz, a Baltimore Pop Culture reporter, was kind enough to have the Baltimore Examiner run an article about how I created the Miracle Belt & Sensory Belt to help children with developmental disabilities.

Title: Former Oriole pitcher Invents Miracle Belt

http://www.examiner.com/article/former-oriole-pitcher-invents-miracle-belt

This story was sent to over 100 different media outlets with only two responses... one from the Frederick News-Post and another from the Daytona Beach News-Journal. After these contacts said they would look into the story we never heard back from them.

It's because of the constant suppression of this story by Major League Baseball that this blog is being written!

Abridged Version – Preface

After some reflection I realize some of my baseball experiences were less than rewarding. When I played for the Bowie Baysox a camera crew was called in to interview me about the balance/sensory aid I created for athletes called the Balance Pro SportBelt. Right before shooting the segment the reporter told me the Baltimore Orioles didn't want the shoot to be a live feed... did they have trust issues or just want to make sure they had full control over the story? During the chat the reporter asked me who I trusted more, baseball or congress? There have been many situations in my career which led me to believe baseball didn't have my best interests at heart and this "slap in the face" so to speak hit a nerve so during the interview I sided with congress over baseball since they make the laws in our country. Ever since the interview I've felt ousted by baseball so when the belt was found to help children with developmental disabilities I felt I had a higher calling to help the children. It’s sad to see and to know it doesn't matter how many negative stories are run about baseball players taking steroids or lying to congress the BIG boys have total control and have made up their minds to close their hearts to an opportunity which directly impacts the development of children with developmental disabilities. Why hasn’t a national article been done about this story? What is Major League Baseball afraid of? The fear mentality has to stop! My goal is to help these children! Should I tell the story or should I tell the full story?

Time to tell the story!

Abridged Version – Tampering

My story begins in June 1997 when I was drafted as a pitcher out of Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas by the Chicago Cubs in the 47th round in the 1997 “First-Year Player Draft” conducted by Major League Baseball clubs. Several days after the draft the Cubs scout, Buzzy Keller, brought by a contract and stated; “We don’t want to sign you, we just want the rights to you.” Given this statement, I accepted a baseball scholarship to play for Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Florida which is coached by Tim Hill who has built one of the premier community college baseball programs in the country. Under coach Hill’s outstanding instruction my fastball was consistently clocked in the 90-95 mph range combined with a devastating curve ball. As the 1998 baseball season progressed, more and more professional and college scouts began to show up at the games with radar guns in-hand. Based on this performance, the Cubs sent their Regional Scout, Joe Housey, to track my progress and he would occasionally take my father and I to dinner to talk baseball and undoubtedly to evaluate my personality.

Playing college baseball was fun, but this is where the journey with professional baseball took a dark turn. Since the draft in 1997, the Cubs owned the rights to signing me unless I went back into the draft. Two weeks before the end of the 1998 season, Joe Housey visited my parents and I and, much to our surprise, told us he was instructed by the Chicago Cubs to offer me contract worth $250,000 and I had learned as much as I could from Coach Hill. Since the college baseball season was not completed, the Chicago Cubs engaged in tampering which is a serious violation of college and professional baseball rules. We were shocked and refused to discuss any contract issues prior to the end of the season.

Abridged Version – Slotted Bonuses

Before getting into details about my experiences with Major League Baseball it is important to note the absolute power over teams and individual players held by the Commissioner of Baseball. When I signed in 1998 Bud Selig was the Commissioner and he remains the Commissioner to this day. Major League Baseball has the unique distinction of having an antitrust exemption granted by Congress. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both, or generally to violate standards of ethical behavior. With an antitrust law exemption in hand, Major League Baseball is not bound by ethical standards of behavior and, in fact, is a monopoly free to do what it wants without fear of penalties for what in other industries would be classified as unlawful behavior.

The Commissioner of Baseball holds virtually unlimited power of his office to act “for the good of baseball.” This includes the ability force owners of baseball clubs to sell their team, approve or disapprove trades, and determine sanctions. In later comments I will identify how my signing and ultimate career in baseball was negatively affected by the power held by the Commissioner.

One instructive exercise of this power is the unfair establishment of “slotted bonuses.” In 1998 I was offered a contract by the Chicago Cubs worth $765,000 which included $80,000 for college expenses. The amount seemed fair as this was the typical signing bonus for a low first-round draft pick. This was, and still is, the highest signing bonus ever paid to a 47^th round draft pick. Low round draft picks are called “draft and follow” players as Major League Baseball clubs want to own the rights to a player but would like to see how they progress in college prior to signing them. This is a form of gambling on the part of the clubs as they get the chance to see the progress of a player without the cost of developing the player. Some of these draft and follow picks will develop spectacularly as they receive better coaching and are surrounded by better players or will fade as their talents fail to progress.

The year after I signed (1999) my father received a call from an advisor (agent) of a draft and follow player who asked what I received as a signing bonus. The advisor told my father the player had similar statistics to mine, had the same body type, and was selected in a low round of the draft the previous year. He said his client was being offered $500,000 by the Montreal Expos to sign and he wanted to get the player “Matt Money.” Therefore, the player refused the $500,000 and went into the 1999 First-Year Player Draft conducted by Major League Baseball. As punishment for wanting a fair signing bonus the player was not drafted by any team until the 10^thround. So how does a player go from being worth at least $500,000 to only $20,000-$50,000 in the course of several days? Is this yet another example of collusion among teams ordered by the commissioner? How does a player who was worth the equivalent of a second round pick drop to the 10^th round so quickly? Is the player being punished to send a message to other players to take what is offered by Major League Baseball and shut up? Was my treatment by the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball intended to send a message to baseball clubs, agents, and players to accept whatever is offered and not negotiate? Why else would I be singled out when all I did was accept what the Chicago Cubs offered and was never advised there was apparently a $500,000 maximum for signing bonuses to draft and follow players?

Major League Baseball came up with a unique solution allowed by their antitrust exemption. In 2000, just in time for the 2000 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball implemented the aforementioned “Slotted Bonuses” system. This draft system means no player drafted in a lower “slot” or after another player may receive a higher bonus than the player selected prior to his “slot” in the draft. There are instances of players receiving a higher signing bonus than the player drafted before they were, but this is rare and requires approval by the Commissioner of Baseball. The institution of slotted bonuses has undoubtedly saved Major League Baseball clubs millions of dollars by severely limiting the flexibility of players to negotiate their own contracts. This is money which is taken directly out of signing bonuses of deserving players and put in the pockets of Major League Baseball clubs.

Another interesting aspect of the First-Year Player Draft is that it only applies to American baseball players. Foreign baseball players are not included in the draft and Major League Baseball clubs may pay signing bonuses of any amount since they are not bound by slotted bonus limitations. Therefore, the draft system is blatantly unfair to American baseball players and further reflects the concentrated power of the Commissioner of Baseball.

As I mentioned above, the Commissioner of Baseball has tremendous power to take actions for the “good of baseball.” Using this power the Commissioner is able to help a former player, who unnecessarily experienced the wrath of Major League Baseball simply by signing a contract with a fair bonus, and help the player provide assistance to children with sensory disorders. This assistance could take many forms such as not blocking publicity efforts, using his office to garner national publicity, or provide other means of support. This would certainly be an appropriate and positive exercise of his power as Commissioner of Baseball.

Interesting fact

The Baltimore Orioles have spring training in Sarasota now... where I happen to live... and there has been no story here locally about the connection! They have had spring training here for two years... I've spoken with and emailed one of the owners of the Orioles (Louis Angelos) about the belt so they know about the story! Interesting fact: the Orioles only charity is a children's charity... we even sponsored the 2011 Miracle League Golf Tournament which was put on by the Orioles. Why haven't they done a story? In 2011 I was interviewed by a local reporter... and nothing! If a national story about how the belt is helping disabled children would have come out before another set of road "blocks" was put up from baseball I would have had no reason to bring up the past and tell this story.

Thank you for all your support!

Would like to give a big “Thank You” to the many players who have responded to my blog and offered support! While encouraging, some of the emails related similar stories of mistreatment. A sample from a player who wishes to remain anonymous for the time being follows.

“I'd say anyone who played professional baseball has been mistreated. Being a piece of meat is something I experienced also. Despite not allowing a single hit or walk in spring training 1999 I was released.”

Most players eventually realize their career is based not so much on performance but rather other factors which are beyond their control. It is easy to identify which players the clubs are grooming for promotion and the indifference, at best, and downright maliciousness at worst, to the development, health, and well being of the “others.” The reality is the clubs need most players to help them develop their chosen few and could care less about the development of the other players. A truly sad state of affairs considering young players are sacrificing a prime time of their lives to play a game they love.

The most common question people have been asking is; “Why MLB?”

Why focus on Major League Baseball?

One would think MLB would be happy to help share a story about an ex-player who invented a tool to aid children with sensory disorders. Unfortunately, this has not been the case over the last five years. This begs a question. Why would MLB not want to help? I have good reason to believe, MLB has actually stifled the story through their media contacts. I strongly believe the suppression goes back to the tampering at signing and bonus paid. It may seem odd to focus on the signing bonus, but that is where the story begins. It is important to note the signing bonus was the equivalent to a low first-round or supplemental first-round draft pick. From the very beginning the Chicago Cubs (then owned by the Tribune Company) made it clear they wanted me to quit or have a career ending injury. I love baseball too much to quit so that left MLB and the Cubs with very few options. Perhaps Jim Hendry, the Scouting Director who signed me and later became the General Manager of the Cubs, was being punished by MLB due to the bonus he offered. Interestingly, when we were negotiating my bonus, Jim Hendry kept stating he thought we had a deal with another club and; therefore, another club was forcing up the price he'd have to pay. For the record, we never had contact with another baseball club and to this day do not know how he came to this conclusion or why he would sign me if he thought I was a liar. Perhaps another club was having a bit of fun with him. Unfortunately, I ultimately paid the price for his decision to sign me and so has every other player drafted since 1999 with the implementation of the "slotted bonus" system used today by Major League Baseball to regulate and limit signing bonuses.

Just some of the questionable behavior on the part of the Chicago Cubs organization follows:

During the summer of 1998 while in the NY-Penn League in Williamsport, PA the Cubs Pitching Coordinator (Lester Strode) for the minor leagues came to visit our team. While only 19 years old this coach bought me a tequila shot and then other older players joined in by buying me more drinks. At the time, I was not a drinker nor should I have been drinking since I was not 21 years old. When a coach asks you to do something, you do it so I felt pressure to keep drinking. I should not have done this as I became very ill and only remember Coach Strode trying to “hook me up” with an older woman who had no teeth (which I didn’t). Why would a person in a position of authority (who determines whether or not a player is promoted) encourage under aged drinking and public humiliation? This must not be unacceptable behavior for the Cubs as Lester Strode eventually rose through the system to become the Bullpen Coach for the major league Cubs.

In the fall of 1998, after pitching a full season of college baseball and a full season in the NY-Penn League, I was sent to Instructional League where I caught pneumonia. The very first reaction of the training staff was to give me Alka Seltzer and told me to go to bed. There was no trip to the doctor or medical treatment the next day until a call was made to Joe Housey (my scout) and my agent at the time. Despite the diagnosis of a medical doctor (full pneumonia in one lung) the head trainer continued to insist it was not really pneumonia and I was kept isolated in my room. While being kept a virtual prisoner in my room (with only about five days left of training) the club refused to let me return home for decent medical care until we again contacted my agent. Why was it so important for the Cubs to keep me isolated without medical checkups with so little time left in the Instructional League? What could have happened without medical treatment?

During the 1998-1999 off-season I was told to put on weight and bulk up (played college ball at 170-185 pounds). I began an off-season training and nutritional program. At 6’7” tall I reported to Spring Training in 1999 weighing a rational and modest 215 pounds. This is certainly not overweight yet the training staff placed me on the weight management program to lose weight. Players in this program tend to be very overweight and participation in the program requires additional exercise to lose weight. Was this simply retaliation by the training staff for revealing their deficiencies in their treatment when I was diagnosed with pneumonia? This is doubtful as nothing happens without the approval of management.

While at Lansing in 1999 I was publicly humiliated, spat upon, and personally attacked by the Manager. The Manager of Lansing ultimately became the Pitching Coach for the major league Cubs. How does a club expect a player to do well with this kind of treatment? Was the treatment sanctioned by the club? Does anyone perform well while working in a hostile work environment?

Back to medical treatment. The 1999 season in Lansing did not get off to a good beginning. In one of my first starts (it was in the mid-30s) I strained an oblique muscle in my ribs which caused difficulty breathing and missed a start. However, when I did pitch again the strain and accompanying pain remained. Why pitch in pain? The Manager told me he did want me to seek treatment from the training staff and the nagging injury lasted for weeks and greatly affected my pitching motion. Trying to avoid the pain my body simply would not allow me to follow-through with the pitches or allow me to find my balance. As players know, a bad motion places undue stress on the arm. What was the motivation behind this ill treatment?

In attendance at my first start, upon my return to the lineup after the injury, was the Minor League Pitching Coordinator, Lester Strode. The injury had changed motion and greatly affected my velocity. After the first inning where I was pitching only 85 mph, rather than being concerned for my health, Coach Strode dragged me into the clubhouse and began yelling at me to increase my velocity. After the yelling session I was sent back out to continue pitching. Does this sound like a club who is concerned with the health and well-being of a player? Did Coach Strode want me to further injury myself? If so, did he or the club see this as an opportunity to end my baseball career?

Also in 1999, Lansing Pitching Coach Stan Kyles constantly wanted me to change mechanics, even during games. He would change mechanics one way, then back again, then on to another experiment. This can lead to arm injuries and waste valuable development time. Why would a professional pitching coach do this?

In 2000, I reported to Spring Training weighing 224 pounds. Again the training staff placed me on the weight management program and ordered me to perform extra workouts. On March 10, 2000 I began coughing and felt congested. Having been treated poorly by the training staff in the past I was reluctant to seek their medical attention. Within 3 days I was coughing up green phlegm, saw the training staff, and they told me to “give it a few days” before seeing a doctor. That afternoon I saw a doctor on my own since the club was not going to provide medical care. The next morning I advised the Pitching Coordinator of the medical diagnosis which was a viral infection and a heavy dose of antibiotics. This led to an interesting day. Jim Hendry came over while we were training and told me that he had; “talked to the trainer” and asked if I wanted to take two days off. Told Jim I wanted to keep to the regular training schedule. A bit later in the day the Trainer came by and was very upset. Told me he had been yelled at and would be taking me off of the weight management bike program for three days. Not long after this conversation, the Conditioning Coach told me to continue on with the full weight management program including the extra bike riding. Following events made it appear the Cubs were putting on a good show to deflect blame should I be injured. On March 16, 2000 I pitched one inning after a full day of workouts. This is a regular part of Spring Training, but this time I was extremely weak and had a sore arm. Velocity was down to 88-92 mph and after the game Jim Hendry came by and, while shaking his head, he said; “Matt, Matt, Matt” in a very disapproving tone of voice. On Sunday, the 19^th of March my velocity was down to 86-88 and the soreness had now spread to my left arm and legs. Shortly after this outing Jim Hendry said; “Matt, you are running out of time.” Pitching Coordinator also got in my face yet again yelling about increasing the velocity of my pitches and scheduled an early morning "extra" workout session for the next day. Anyway, why require extra work when a player is sick and hurting? Does this serve the long term interests of the club or player? Were the Cubs looking for yet another opportunity to injure me?

Began the 2000 season at Lansing and, injury free and not harassed, became a Midwest League All-Star and was promoted to Daytona mid-season without getting to pitch in the All-Star game. When promoted to Daytona, the club made reservations on two separate airlines from Lansing to Daytona and scheduled the flights with no possibility to make the connecting flight. After picking up my luggage and being told I'd missed my flight I began calling the Cubs front office and the Daytona Cubs trainer to figure out what to do. Without a response from the Cubs I had to use my own funds to purchase a ticket to make sure I arrived in Daytona the same day. The only flight which arrived the same day near Daytona was in Orlando. Luckily I lived in Orlando in the off-season so my girlfriend picked me up at the airport and took me directly to Daytona where the team was in the middle of a game. Rather than bother the manager during the game I waited in the stands until the game was over to let him know I had arrived. When the game was over and the team was back in the locker room the manager flew into a rage and screamed at me which isolated me from the rest of the team. He was yelling at me because the Cubs staff thought I changed the flight to meet my own desires, which simply wasn’t true. If I had not taken the initiative, I would not have arrived until the following day. It was as if the Cubs had this scenario already planned given the reaction of the manager. As I would learn while playing for Manager Zisk, this screaming was very out of character for him and I never saw him raise his voice to me or any other player again. Why would the Cubs order a manager to publicly berate a player who had just been promoted? What ends are served by trying to shake the confidence of a player and isolate him from his teammates?

While driving on the interstate going to a game in Daytona, where I was the scheduled starting pitcher, my car was clipped while travelling at 70 mph on the interstate and ended up in a multiple car crash in the ditch. While uninjured, I was quite shaken and in shock. The lack of care was surprising as the club had me pitch and the results were not pretty. Between innings the Hitting Coach for the Daytona Cubs, Joey Cora recommended the manager to change pitchers since it was obvious I was in shock and not pitching well after the accident. I certain appreciate Coach Cora for being concerned about my well being.

Also in 2000, the Daytona Cubs won the Florida League Championship. As good fortune would have it, I had the honor of being the starting pitcher for the final game of the championship series. While the rest of the team was taking off to enjoy a celebration of the championship with the owner of the Daytona Cubs, Lester Strode told me I had to take Juan Cruz to the Orlando airport. Normally, players would fly out of Daytona the next day and in this case there was no guarantee we would win and may have needed another game to clinch the championship. Therefore, the flight had to be scheduled after the game. Why then would the club schedule Juan’s flight for that evening and seemingly deny me the opportunity to the victory celebration?

When I was pitching very well and my mechanics were solid, Pitching Coordinator Lester Strode would always try to get me to speed my delivery to the plate while in the stretch. My speed to the plate was at the major league average of 1.2 seconds yet he was always trying to get me to be faster. When you rush your motion, a pitcher can start “dragging” his arm which adds additional pressure on the elbow and shoulder. Was Coach Strode trying to get me to injure myself?

In 2001 I started the season with the Daytona Cubs. After a good start to the season, I was promoted to West Tennessee (AA). My first game at AA was outstanding! The second game began the same, with a strikeout. Unfortunately, the next pitch resulted in a line drive that hit off my right knee and the speed of the ball (at over 100 mph) knocked me down. The pain was intense but rather than replace me, the manager left me out to pitch despite my hobbling around the mound. Needless to say, it got ugly from there as my entire pitching motion was now thrown off. My parents told me later the radio announcers were shocked I was being left out there and even commented about how much I was limping. No medical treatment or even simple x-rays were taken to see if there was serious damage to my knee. On only three days of rest and despite still limping and having a knee which couldn’t even be touched without great pain I was sent to the mound to start another game. With the injury, undoubtedly I wasn't successful. Shortly afterwards my parents came to watch me start a game against Greenville and while the final result was good, my father was concerned because my changed motion had me finishing my pitches not looking at the plate, but rather into the first base dugout. This reflects tremendous pressure on the shoulder with such a motion and certainly not a pitching motion which would foster long-term success. At this game my father saw Oneri Flieta who was the Director of the Minor Leagues for the Chicago Cubs. Mr. Flieta praised my results but my father told him my mechanics were off. At this point, Mr. Flieta asked no questions, showed no concern, but rather said he had to make a phone call and disappeared. This serious injury was allowed to fester for weeks until I was finally sent back down to Daytona. All it would have taken was some rest and care by the training staff and I would have been good as new in no time. However, the Cubs obviously wanted me to play while hurt. In fact, while in Daytona I could not pitch my last scheduled start due to arm soreness and weakness caused by the poor mechanics. The coaching staff ignored my arm soreness and weakness and even tried to harass and shame me into pitching despite being injured. Given my past experiences, I knew they did not have any concern for my health and would not be disappointed if I had a career ending injury at that point. Why would the Chicago Cubs not be concerned about a serious injury or potentially want to see a player injured?

In 2002 I was delighted to have Bobby Dickerson as my manager and Alan Dunn as the pitching coach. Both of them were the most supportive coaches I ever had. The results speak for themselves. I was selected for the AA All-Star game. The Cubs even found a way to take the joy and confidence building of this honor. When the selections for the All-Star team were announced, Manager Dickerson received a phone call. He refused to tell me the news, instead he handed me the phone. On the other line was Lester Strode, then the Pitching Coordinator for the Minor Leagues. Coach Strode advised me I was not going to go to the All-Star game because the Cubs would not let me pitch in the game. To pitch one inning of the All-Star game would have taken only about 15-25 pitches, which is less than the amount of pitches thrown during a side/bullpen (about 45 pitches). Told Lester I wanted to go to the game whether I pitched or not. The Cubs still wanted to deny me this opportunity and even tried to get a replacement player but the AA Commissioner told the Cubs they wanted me there and would not accept a substitute from the Cubs. While at the All-Star game, the Manager for our team asked if I wanted to pitch, and if so, he would “bump” the replacement pitcher and put me in for an inning. While I appreciated the offer, I thought it best not pitch out of respect for the replacement pitcher and the wishes of the Cubs. Upon return to West Tennessee, Lester Strode was waiting for me and had me throw two sides on back-to-back days (approximately 90 pitches). This proves lie to the claim the Cubs were concerned about the number of pitches I would have thrown in the All-Star game. It was obvious Coach Strode was sending a message that I was not in their plans. This explains why there never was a concern by the Cubs for my health. Why were the Cubs so petty and vindictive? Is this internal to the Chicago Cubs or were they following orders from Major League Baseball?

A player having an incredible AA season such as I had in 2002 at West Tennessee (ERA of 3.16 as a starter which was 3^rd in the league, 174 innings pitched which was 2^nd in the league and a league leading 158 strikeouts while walking only 48 and pitching at least 6 innings in 22 starts including 14 games in a row) would normally earn a pitcher a September call-up to the major league team to gain experience. This is particularly true of a team in last place as were the Chicago Cubs at the time. When my agent asked the Cubs about this, he was told a call up would cost too much money. An interesting position from one of the most popular baseball clubs. During the off-season I never heard from the Cubs with one exception. Lester Strode called me to tell me I might not be placed on the 40-man roster. Now very confident, I told Coach Strode that the Cubs should do what they think is best for them and I was sure some team would pick me up since I was eligible for the rule 5 draft. The Cubs did place me on the 40-man roster so no other team could select me in the draft. Why would the Cubs want to retain the rights to a player when they had no intention to use the player on their major league club? Did Major League Baseball force Jim Hendry, General Manager of the Cubs, to keep control of my contract so the issue of tampering during the signing process did not come to light? Or was this an attempt to cover the story of a significant signing bonus which led to the creation of slotted bonuses for drafted players?

For those who might wonder about if and how the above treatment can occur, I would invite you read a book published by Indiana University Press: Stealing Lives: The Globalization of Baseball and the Tragic Story of Alexis Quiroz. The authors are Arturo J. Marcano Guevara, a Venezuelan attorney and David P. Fidler, a professor of law at Indiana University.

The book describes inadequate medical treatment, abuse, and refusal to admit responsibility along with improper conduct by coaches, deception, exploitation, and disrespect at the hands of the Cubs. The treatment was so egregious the Cubs paid a settlement equal to five times the original signing bonus to the player.

Having been placed on the 40-man roster in the off-season meant an invitation to Major League Spring Training in 2003. The Chicago Cubs had hired a new manager—Dusty Baker. Dusty Baker is one of the finest gentlemen I ever met in baseball and was thrilled to play for him. In the past Cubs management had suggested I was a racist or a clubhouse cancer. These lies were started to further isolate me from teammates and coaches. It was refreshing to have a manager who would evaluate a player for who he really was rather than simply believing what management had told him. Evidently Manager Baker had similar untrue statements made about him during his career and he wanted to get to know the players himself. Manager Baker served in the military and I grew up in a military family so you just understood a person doesn’t last very long or get very far in life if you are racist or not a team player. Needless to say, I greatly respect the man, coach, and manager that is Dusty Baker. He was also kind enough to sign a photo for my father which reads “To: Papa Bru – you did a great job! Very good son. Dusty Baker 03”

In late July 2003 I was included in the trade which sent Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton of the Pirates over to the Cubs. While at AAA Nashville I had only four starts before the Pirates took me off their 40-man roster (even though they had room on the roster). The San Diego Padres picked me up, kept me on their 40-man roster and I finished the season playing for the AAA Portland Beavers with a 2.61 ERA.

In January 2004 the Padres sent me to Rookie Career Development in Washington DC. This is a course for future major league players. During this seminar players were advised to call Major League Baseball contacts rather than the local police should they run into any problems. Why would Major League Baseball have their own police/security force in cities with Major League Baseball teams? Is this part of their control to ensure negative stories don’t get out or get told the way they want? During one of their group sessions I asked why we shouldn’t contact local authorities (other players also questioned the instructions) and the seminar handlers began taking copious notes and never really did answer the question. Within two weeks of attending the seminar I was designated for assignment (Feb 5, 2004) by the Padres and no other Major League Baseball club claimed me. Designated for assignment means I was taken off the 40 man roster and no other club picked me up. Was I being punished for questioning baseball? Why would a team take a player off the 40 man roster after sending him to an elite player development seminar? This move doesn’t make any sense unless you are the Cubs.

Although not on the 40-man roster, the Padres invited me to Major League Spring Training. In the meantime, the Cubs had not protected Jason Zuminski on the 40-man roster and the Padres selected him in the December Rule 5 Draft. Normally, a club (in this case the Cubs) would accept a minor leaguer in trade from the Padres so the Padres would not have to place Zuminski on the 25-man Major League roster to start the season. This is highly unusual as the option for the Padres, if they believed Zuminski was not ready for the Major Leagues, would have to send him back to the Cubs. This would place Zuminski in an untenable position and I respect the decision by the Padres, but the Cubs could have avoided the rush of Zuminski to the Major Leagues by accepting a trade. Why would the Chicago Cubs not accept a trade when that is the established solution in these cases? Was it because of how successful I was during major league spring training? Despite having a Major League Spring Training ERA of 1.83 there was no roster room and I was assigned to AAA Portland. Not making the Major Leagues with such a stellar ERA shook my confidence and I didn’t play well for Portland and was released shortly thereafter and made a free agent.

Several weeks later I was contacted by the Baltimore Orioles and offered a contract and completed the season at their AA club in Bowie, MD. Interestingly, the President of the Orioles was Andy MacPhail, who was the General Manager of the Cubs when I was signed by the Cubs. Coincidence or was something being covered up?

In the off-season of 2004 I received a call from David Elson, who had been my agent. He gave me a contact in the Atlanta Braves organization to call about a contract. David begged me to take the offer immediately so I called the Braves and was offered a contract but asked for a day to think about it. The Braves representative told me that would be okay so I called David to tell him I’d call Atlanta the following morning. When I called to accept the offer by the Braves, the representative told me they were withdrawing the offer. Asked why and was told it was because I was a “cancer in the clubhouse.” Where had they heard such a lie and why wouldn’t they divulge the information when I asked? Did my ex-agent have to contact the Cubs about the offer since his business partner had recently become a paid consultant for the Cubs? Did the Cubs tamper yet again by telling lies to the Braves? Why would Atlanta offer a contract and the next day withdraw the offer?

Several weeks later I was offered, and accepted, anther contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization. After Spring Training I was assigned to the Orioles AAA affiliate in Ottawa, Canada as a long reliever. Early in the 2005 season I dominated in this role. Unfortunately, the Ottawa Lynx had me go 11 games without throwing an inning despite many opportunities to use me. As a long reliever, you don’t have typical bullpen sessions to pitch and keep sharp because you never know when the club might need you in a game that night. After such a long layoff I lost the sharpness needed to pitch effectively and began struggling.

After being sent down to the Bowie Baysox I bounced between being used as a starter and relief pitcher. During one of the starts I had the pleasure of having Javy Lopez as my catcher. After the game Javy asked me why I wasn’t in the major leagues... I told him that was a good question, but his guess was as good as mine. He told me he was wondering why he was placed on the major league disabled list and sent to Bowie since he wasn’t hurt. So why would the Orioles lie about a player being hurt? Is a roster spot really that important? What could being sent down to open a roster spot do to a players confidence? In Javy’s last season he hit a combined career major league low of .235. Was major league baseball sending Javy a message?

In 2006 I was sent back to Bowie to pitch which was around the same time the steroids use in Major League Baseball had become a hot topic. After a month or so into the season a local Baltimore TV reporter was planning a live interview with me about the sensory aid I created called the Balance Pro SportBelt. Before the interview the reporter told me he wanted to do a live broadcast but the club had told him the interview would be recorded instead. Why is a reporter taking orders from a private industry? Does Major League Baseball really own the media? During the interview I was asked a few questions about the belt I developed but was also asked if I would take the side of baseball or Congress in the steroid controversy. I told the reporter Congress was responsible for the laws and, therefore, I would side with Congress. The next day I was scheduled to visit a children’s hospital in Annapolis and planned on making this visit on my own without any of the clubs media relations staff. When the media relations staff found this out I was immediately sent down to Frederick, the Orioles High A level affiliate, which is where I finish the season and my organized baseball career. The last thing my Frederick pitching coach told me was “I should take what I learned from baseball and apply it to the real world.” What did he mean? One of my AAA managers was interviewed and asked how he had made it so far in baseball, his response was... “To keep your head down and mouth shut”. Was this the pitching coach’s message? Not to evaluate, not to speak up, not to challenge authority? The Orioles never contacted me again. Why would Major League Baseball be concerned if a player respects Congress (or did at the time)? Was Major League Baseball afraid of losing their antitrust exemption because it had not banned the use of steroids? Or were they really just testing me to see if I would keep my head down and mouth shut about the way I had been treated?

Control is an essential element of Major League Baseball. It begins with controlling young players out of high school and college and continues throughout a player’s professional career. Once a player signs with a club, the club “owns” the player for six years. These are the prime development years which determine the outcome of all the effort put in by a player. In what other industry does an employer own the rights to an employee for 6 years… or for any amount of time for that matter? This is modern day slavery and the only reason it still goes on today is because we are raised from little boys to love a game and give our all to be the best we can be and the reality is it doesn’t matter because once management makes up their mind your future is locked and your mouth better be sealed or else… you may get a visit from someone you know within the organization who might just try to push you over the edge, “Matt, you’re looking kind of slender there aren’t you” said Joe Housey. This time I responded, “Why would you say that Joe, why would you really say that?”

Random fact: The Cubs had me fill out a psychological evaluation before I signed. Did they use this against me during my career? No doubt about it!

Since baseball is a game of statistics, as revealed in the book and movie Moneyball, it is relatively easy to influence player statistics and even the outcome of games. To understand the effects of this control you have to know how the system works. Scorekeepers for minor league games work for the club, not the league. Therefore, there is the opportunity for the employer (a club) to influence player statistics. The most control includes what plays are categorized as hits and errors. Fielding statistics, batting averages, and earned run averages are all determined by how a play is statistically entered by a scorekeeper. Managers are even known to contact scorekeepers to make changes after a game. While with Daytona I even had an imaginary run added to game statistics and clear errors characterized as hits. Over time this has a negative effect on statistics (or positive effect for the chosen players).

Another tactic to greatly influence statistics is the decision to play or not play certain players or put them in unfamiliar positions where easy outs become hits and batting order shuffles decrease run production. Some lineup shuffling is to be expected, but some are highly questionable. One example is a game I pitched where the regular 3^rdBaseman (who had just started to play Left Field) was moved to Right Field, the regular Centerfielder (big hitter) was out of the lineup, the 2^nd Baseman was moved to 3^rd Base, the regular 1^st Baseman (another big hitter) was out of the game, the replacement 3^rd Baseman played 1^st base, and the replacement 3^rd Baseman was playing 2^nd base. Confusing eh? All this was one in one game. Also, run production is controlled through batting orders where good hitting players are lowered in the batting order to reduce run production.

When watching a baseball game, look at how long a pitcher is left in. The “prospect” pitchers will be pulled quickly when they get into a jam and if they leave with runners in scoring position, you will see the best relievers put in. Other pitchers will be left out on the mound, no matter how much they are struggling and when they leave the game the relief pitcher sent out invariably isn’t the ace from the bullpen. Just an observation but why would a manager make these decisions or are these decisions coming from the top? Management knows a lineup directly affects player statistics.

Also, there is control on the fan message boards. If you look at comments objectively on the message boards you will almost always see one or two “apologists” for management decisions, regardless of how such decisions negatively affect the team or outcome of a game. In fact, I have tried to post my story about helping children with sensory disorders only to have the posts quickly removed and banned from further posting. Recently, the Orioles Hangout message board took my post down and then reinstated the post after I uploaded a picture to Facebook which showed the link to the board and an empty page saying no thread specified. Find it interesting a guy by the name of kirchhousen posted of the board to point out a negative about me not being in the big leagues with the Orioles. Was this guy a plant from the Orioles? Why point out something so trivial? It's a story about a ball player who gave up his baseball career to help special needs children. Why would Major League Baseball not want to share a positive story about a former player who is helping children with developmental disabilities? Do you see the trend?

Another question people have been asking is; “Why now?”

Why tell my baseball story now?

It’s very simple! Major League Baseball has known how the belt has been helping children with developmental disabilities for years and has done nothing to help share the story and at times have even stifled the story from being told!

It all began back in 2006 when the Balance Pro SportBelt was first found to help children with sensory deficits. As soon as the belt had been redesigned for the children I contacted a buddy of mine who had been on the media relations staff for one of the old teams I played for and also subcontracted for the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters. He told me he would contact some people and look into getting some national publicity for the belt since “it was a good story”, he said. A week later he contacted me back to tell me there was nothing he could do to help with the story. Of course being curious I asked my friend why… and He said; “He didn’t know the rationale, but it wasn’t going to happen.” Is Major League Baseball suppressing the story and, if so, why? Being an eternal optimist I shrugged it off and focused on getting local press to help get the word out to those families who could benefit. On April 8^th 2007, Easter Sunday, we had our first news article printed in the Bradenton Herald and shortly thereafter discovered the first child we helped from this article started walking for the very first time. The article was aptly titled “Belting out Miracles”.

The testimonial from the parents of this child follows:

"We have tried many things over the years to help in our son's development. At 10 years of age he was unable to walk unassisted. We knew the problem was his balance. After reading about the Miracle Belt™ in the newspaper, we immediately ordered one online. Our son is now walking all around the house without any help. In fact, he constantly surprises us when he just walks into the room. We've dreamt of this moment for ten years. So, in our mind, the Miracle Belt truly is a miracle!"

Drs. Frank and Lisa Lanzisera,
Parents of a Child with Down Syndrome (Bradenton FL)

We had high hopes this article would be picked up and go national but to our surprise and disappointment the article came and went. Our next article was published in the Sarasota Tribune on Aug 20^th 2007. This article was titled “Weighted to Win” and featured a young boy by the name of Pacsun who had been resistant to walk with his walker but with the use of the Miracle Belt his confidence and ability to move around was greatly improved! This article was dealt the same fate as our first news article with no follow up from affiliated newspapers.

On February 25^th 2012 during the Miracle League Field Dedication Ceremony for the Miracle League of Manasota I had an opportunity to chat with Bob Mitchell who is the President of the league and thanked him for helping bring the league to Sarasota. During our chat we talked about how the league had come a long way since we first spoke with the Sarasota County Commissioners and also brought up the question about potential publicity to help generate the needed funds for phase two of the Miracle League field. When I brought up the possibility of doing an article on the league and the belt Bob told me I would have to get permission from the Baltimore Orioles. Why would a non-profit need permission from a baseball club to do any kind of fund raising or media relations? About a year earlier on February 9th 2011 Louis Angelos, an owner of the Baltimore Orioles, responded back from an email I sent which said, "Matt, pleasure meeting you at the ballpark today. Please send any information regarding the product at your convenience. Thanks. Louis". There was no response after I sent the information he requested. On February 29^th 2012 I sent Louis another email this time asking for "his blessing" on the article and again did not receive a response nor did my email bounce back. Why no response now? Did Major League Baseball say something to Louis to change his mind about the belt story? After seeing what Major League Baseball did to the Los Angeles Dodgers owner it's no doubt why he has had to cut off contact.

We have worked hard to get the word out to help the children through typical media avenues with very little support beyond a local story and a Woman’s World article. The belt helps children with developmental disabilities so we are dealing with a time sensitive issue for these kids. What doesn’t Major League Baseball understand? Or do they even care? If baseball would have helped get this story out to the public years ago we could have dramatically influenced the lives of children who are now 8 and 9 years old but instead they did nothing!

The main reason I felt it was time to share my story is to show how locked down the media has become even when the story could benefit the lives of thousands of children with disabilities. On June 20^th 2012 an article titled “Former Oriole Pitcher Invents Miracle Belt” came out in the Baltimore Examiner where we received over 300+ likes of Facebook very quickly. In the next few days I sent over 300 emails to the Baltimore Sun newspaper and didn’t get one response! Not one!!! Are you kidding me? What has journalism turned into or are we really that controlled? Time is running out for these kids! It’s not a metaphor for them it’s real life and baseball should be ashamed for what they have done to stifle the story. We have had to work very hard over the past 6 years to build a strong distribution network which has allowed us to help over 10,000 children in that time. It’s a blessing to be put in a position to help children and I just don’t understand how or why Major League Baseball could stifle this story unless they are trying to cover up their mistakes when handling my signing. To me, I don’t see any other reason. This isn’t about me, it’s about the children and how those in power in baseball see nothing but fear. Because of this fear Major League Baseball has limited its scope to protect themselves from the unethical decision of instituting slotted bonuses. Slotted bonuses have undoubtedly saved major league clubs tens of millions of dollars since 2001 and all for the “good” of baseball. It’s time to focus on doing what’s best for the children. I’m not talking about taking generous fan donations collected through MLB charities, which the clubs then take credit for and then donate the money back into society. I’m talking about doing the right thing, supporting those who are truly making a difference in our society by paving the way for a brighter future for the developmentally disabled! Time is running out and now is the time for truly supporting children!

For more information about how the Miracle Belt & Sensory Belt helps children with developmental disabilities such as autism, ADHD and sensory disorders, please visit http://www.miraclebelt.com/ and http://www.sensorybelt.com/.

July 26th 2012

Please read the article below from John Perrotto who is a national writer for Baseball Prospectus.com and a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and thus one of the voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame and other annual Major League Baseball awards.

Web article: http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/john_perrotto/nine-years-later-ramirez-trade-still-rankles-bucs-fans/article_aa71a3fd-4783-5229-a90b-ef0d74e82136.html/

Quote from article...

"Bruback has lived an interesting life since his short-lived time in the Pirates' farm system.

In 2006, he created a weighted therapy belt (http://www.miraclebelt.com/) that helps increase body awareness for infants and children with development disorders. Bruback also has a blog (mlb-tampering.blogspot.com) in which he writes about his belief that his career path was altered because he angered Major League Baseball by receiving a $765,000 signing bonus.

The bonus led to MLB developing its current slotting system to hold down money going to draft picks.

The MLB lawyer who devised the slotting system was Frank Coonelly. Today, he is the Pirates' club president and has given general manager Neal Huntington the go-ahead to seek trades that would add to the payroll like the one that has brought Rodriguez to Pittsburgh.

My, how times have changed."

My goal is to help as many children with developmental disabilities as possible and share the story about how Major League Baseball puts profits over players!

July 27th 2012

Here is a quote I received

"I am with you 100%, it is entirely un-American to limit a person's ability to maximize their earning potential."

Mark Linden, Owner

Baseball Positive

July 28th 2012

"When the clock struck 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, it marked the end of an era in scouting circles. With the new rules, courtesy of the collective bargaining agreement, teams will no longer be able to select a player late in the Draft, send them off to junior college and then sign them the following season after watching their development closely."

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

05/31/07

“The thing that bothered me most about the collective bargained new draft system is that the amateur players were not represented at the table. As you know, the MLBPA do not represent players unless they are on the 40 man roster, and in this case, they had no fiduciary duty to them and treated them that way. So they were really sold out, fair or unfair.”

Richard Bier, Owner

High Profile Sports, LLC

July 29^th 2012

“Personally I’d prefer MLB concentrate more on promoting the growth of the game around the world. Let teams worry about who they want to sign and how much to pay them. I am not a fan of the slotted system. I don't have a very high regard for MLB's operations.”

Bob Oettinger, President

International Baseball Association, Inc.

July 30^th 2012

“I could write several books about the negative experiences told to me by pro ball players. Signed with the Phillies in 1959 and played for 16 years. It didn't take long for me to realize that MLB was about one thing -- money. All of the decisions were made to increase their profit margins. It hasn't changed, of course, but now teams have to be sneakier and cleverer about it all.

MLB is a huge corporation with multiple wealthy CEOs that do what is necessary to maintain complete control over their product and to make it more profitable.“

Dave Baldwin

Former Professional Baseball Player

August 15th 2012

Here is a new article on ESPN Chicago titled “Cubs fire Oneri Fleita”.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/conversations/_/id/8271423/chicago-cubs-fire-vice-president-player-personnel-oneri-fleita

A few weeks ago a prominent baseball reporter told me “MLB runs a cartel and could care less if it ruins people's lives.”

Book excerpt:

Oneri Flieta talks to me/Recommends I think about my family - Daytona FL 2001

After I got called down from Double-A Oneri Flieta, Cubs director of Minor League Operations, sat down and had a chat with me outside the clubhouse. Our pitchers practice had just ended and I was taking off my cleats when Oneri sat down next to me and told me I should think about my family and my future. At the time of this conversation I was only 22 years old. Why were the Cubs trying to get me to quit?

Oct 10th 2012

“Bad mechanics are part of the injury problem but the injury itself is an overuse injury. We MUST spread the word to help get rid of Tommy John Surgery.”

Tommy John, Owner

Tommy John Pitching Academy

"Abuses of any kind (verbal, emotional and physical) can definitely take their toll on one's confidence, concentration and motivation levels, not to mention self-esteem. In sports, people in power sometimes rationalize bullying behaviors by saying that they are trying to build "mental toughness" in their players. But no one ever gets good by being told they are bad or by being treated poorly.”
Jim Afremow Ph.D, Doctor of Philosophy in Sport Psychology
Sports Psychologist and Licensed Counselor at Arizona State Univ.

My Baseball Story: Tampering, Slotted Bonuses, & Ultimate Control

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Playing Catch with Destiny

Monday, October 15, 2012

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

About Me