Sid Hartman: Blyleven thinks little of drugs, pitch count

With all of the talk of some players not getting the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America for entry into the Hall of Fame because of allegations and admissions regarding banned performance-enhancing drugs, pitcher Bert Blyleven, who was elected to the Hall earlier this month, was asked if he ever considered using such substances to prolong his career.

"In our era we had hemorrhoids, not steroids, so what comes out of my mouth you can't always believe," said Blyleven, who won World Series with the Twins in 1987 and Pirates in 1979. "In 1992 when my shoulder was killing me, I was 41 years old, I said if somebody had come up to me at that time and said, 'Here you take this drug,' whatever it may be, HGH or whatever, I probably would have done some research behind it, exactly what does it do?

"I'm not going to put something in my body I have no idea what it's going to do, then it would be up to me to decide whether I do it or not. If it's an illegal drug, then I know I'm cheating the game and I'm cheating myself in trying to prolong my career. Yes, I may have tried it -- I probably doubt it, only because I was 41 years old. I already had 22 years in the big leagues; it was time to give somebody else a chance because I was stinking it up back then."

On another subject, Blyleven voiced his displeasure on how important pitch counts have become.

"The integrity of the game, the pitch count has come into play," Blyleven said. "The players today are bigger and stronger; that's what they talk about. Well then, why can't a pitcher go nine innings? Why do we have to stop a pitcher at 100 pitches? Why can't they go 120?

"Why don't they worry more about getting that guy out on one pitch rather than trying to strike out everybody?"

Blyleven added: "I'm fifth on the all-time strikeout list, but believe me, most of my complete games -- I had 242 complete games -- they were probably between 90 and 120 pitches. I wasn't like a Nolan Ryan because I didn't walk that many guys, I didn't strike out that many in one ballgame, I was consistent that way. But to go out and worry about if I'm at 90 pitches, 'Oh my goodness they're going to take me out,' I'm glad I pitched when I did, when going nine innings meant something."

"Being born in Holland, of course my mother doesn't really know that much about sports; it's not really an interest. As long as she can knit or crochet, she's a happy camper at 85 years old," he said.

"So when January 5th came and they elected me into the Hall of Fame, of course the first person I called was my mother, and my dad is no longer with us, he died of Parkinson's in 2004. So she said, 'Oh, congratulations son, I've got to finish my knitting can I call you back?'

"So I talked to her two days later and she said to me, she said, 'Son, are they still putting you into the Hall of Fame?' I said, 'Mom they haven't changed their mind yet, I'm still in there.' But she's 85 years old and God willing she's going to be there July 24th at the inductions in Cooperstown."

Yes, Mr. Blyleven has hidden my tape recorder many times, given many people hot foots and pulled other tricks, but he could sure pitch.

Royston season saved Give Dan Berezowitz, who was the recruiting coordinator for former Gophers football coach Tim Brewster, credit for getting safety Kim Royston a sixth year of eligibility after he missed his senior season because of a broken leg. Other members of the athletic department had given up on Royston getting another year.

Talk about being in a tough situation. Berezowitz did a good job at Minnesota, is a father with four kids, and will draw his final Gophers check on Feb. 15. I watched him work, and he'd be a good man for somebody.

Jottings• Maturi said he has received a number of e-mails critical of men's hockey coach Don Lucia, whose contract is up at the end of the 2011-12 season. "They forget all of the good things Lucia did, too," Maturi said. "We will talk about the hockey situation at the end of the season."

• In the next year the Gophers athletic department will spend $700,000 for a turf to cover the football practice field, $300,000 to remodel the men's and women's weight room and $250,000 to improve the Aquatic Center.

• It has been 34 years since the Vikings went to the last of their four Super Bowls, losing to the Raiders 32-14 in Super Bowl XI. Meanwhile, every other team in the NFC has gone to the Super Bowl except the Lions. In the AFC, the Chiefs, Browns, Jaguars and the Texans are the only teams who haven't gone to the Super Bowl since 1977.

• Carl Pavano, who recently signed a two-year contract to remain here, said there was little talk with Texas as rumored and that most of the negotiations were with the Twins. "This is my second time going through free agency, third time, and I've always signed like the middle of January," he said. "It's a time where you can be patient a little bit. I ended up where I needed to be. It's just you put all of your opportunities on the table and once that emotion of going here or going there, you start to find out where you need to be." Incidentally, manager Ron Gardenhire said a decision hasn't been made whether Pavano or Francisco Liriano will pitch the opener, but the Twins are leaning toward Pavano.

• Marcus Sherels, the former Gophers defensive back who signed as a free agent with the Vikings and was on the 53-man roster at the end of the season, will serve as a graduate assistant football coach for the Gophers this spring.