Blogger crafts a post wherein he speculates about the possibility of Philadelphia’s Raul Ibanez using performance-enhancing drugs.

“…any aging hitter who puts up numbers this much better than his career averages is going to immediately generate suspicion that the numbers are not natural, that perhaps he is under the influence of some sort of performance enhancer.”

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist takes notice and writes a column about the blog post. An Inquirer writer then goes to the ballpark and asks Ibanez about the febrile specuation.

“I’ll come after people who defame or slander me. It’s pathetic and disgusting. There should be some accountability for people who put that out there … You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool – anything you can test. I’ll give you back every dime I’ve ever made” if the test is positive … “I’ll put that up against the jobs of anyone who writes this stuff. Make them accountable. There should be more credibility than some 42-year-old blogger typing in his mother’s basement. It demeans everything you’ve done with one stroke of the pen.”

Mini-internet shitstorm ensues. Blogger is invited into the Bob Ley-less cauldron of Outside the Lines.

And … scene.

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Dimestore opinion: Tough to call Ibanez out after just 1/3 of a season. It is not uncommon for guys to have a torrid month or two and tail off. Kevin Maas immediately comes to mind. But this isn’t really about stats – the media’s making it about bloggers who don’t play by any rules – Ken Rosenthal’s opinions, usually on point, are quite jarring in the OTL video – and the alleged damage they are capable of. That’s a valid point … if you pay attention to the bloggers.

[Ahhhh, the dilemna of newspaper guys: Let's say the Inquirer ignored the blog post. The story putters around for the web for a day or two, and then it's swallowed by the Stanley Cup, another Orlando win, Tiger at Bethpage, whatever. Ibanez never hears about it, never mouths off, and life goes on. The focus is on Mets-Phillies, not Raul Ibanez. But, a story like this can go viral when given a nudge from a credible columnist, and the Inquirer probably was thrilled with the traffic it drew (though a corner office had to joke: "Wish we had saved this for when we start charging people for content"). Would another paper have written this if not the Inquirer? Is that a "chance" the Inquirer wants to take?]

Baseball’s drug testing is a joke. It’s no secret that the players know well in advance of the tests, and flush their systems accordingly. But the smoking guns are out there. Documents have to exist of who is shooting up what and when (in the case of Bonds, a calendar), because if a trip to the doctor is necessary, a medical history will have to be provided. Will reporters be able to get their hands on the evidence? Will bloggers? For a story like this, that’s when the media should take notice – when there’s evidence, not opinions.

Just a guess, but we’re going to hear more names this summer of players who were on The List with A-Rod.