Steroids, tee shirts and a Chase Uttley bobble head doll

I was depressed reading the Net this morning,. A Mets player, Martin Anderson, was quoted in the latest drugs controversy as saying that when he was a player over the last 10 years, he could have taken steroids but didn't(and credit to him for that), but that people like a bit of controvesy and Hey, they are still coming to baseball games.

Bonds, Glaus, Gibbons and perhaps most depressingly of all Ankiel(say it aint so Ricky), the list seems to grow almost daily of the latest player to be names as a suspect steroid taking junkie cheating muppet.

I could write a deep and meaningful post on steroids but it's Monday, it's the end of summer, I have 2 mortgages as I slowly try to sell my house and move and the performance of the Irish rugby team last night against Namibia is deeply worringly.

So instead, let's talk about another very important piece of baseball, tat.

Tat to me is what you get in the "supporters" shop or buy online via the MLB shop. It is a crucial part of any visit to any ground for the first time, and depending on what you have, you may even want to repurchase at a later stage. As I am in the process of moving house, I did a very scary inventory of my stock over the weekend, (much of which my good lady wife will throw in the charity bag if I am not careful). So here is my list

Boston Red Sox:

3 tee shirts, a cap and one team logo baseball. I always buy one of these on my first visit, no idea why however. Maybe it's because I never seem to catch a fly ball

Oakland As,

1 tee shirt, 1 fleece and 1 very nice hoodie, a cap as well as a ball, quality of tat at the A's was very good I have to say

San Francisco Giants,

2 white tees and one black and orange one and a cap which is very good for cutting the lawn in. And of course a ball

Baltimore Oriels:

2 tees, including 1 3-quarter sleeve one, and a ball. I lost my cap at the stadium, a very nice green one with an oriel on the front. Might have had something to do with the half a dozen beers I'd had at that stage

Philadelphia Phillies.

2 tees, one very nice red cap and a ball. Oh yeah, I also have an 18 inch Phillie Phanatic in full uniform and sketchers that some of my work colleagues gave me for my small person at home, and a Chase Utley bobble doll. I know why I bought the teddy home but what on earth and I going to do with a bobble doll?

Unfortunately it doesn't stop there, throw in

1 Washinton Wizards tee, the first, last and only basketball tee I will ever buy

4 Washington Capitals long sleeve and short sleeve tees, 1 puck and 1 cap

2 Montreal Canadiens tees and a puck

2 Toronto Maple Leafs tees, one windebreaker and a puck

2 Vancouver Cannucks tees, and a puck

1 Toronto Argonauts tee(very paint spattered at this stage) and a minature football. I also have a Blue Jays ball from my visit to Toronto.

1 Vancouver Grizzlies tee. The later 2 are, by the way, CFL teams, Canadien football with it's 3 downs is almost as silly as basketball. Almost as silly

It doesn't stop there however, I also have 3 London Irish rugby jerseys, 2 Munster rugby jerseys, 2 Arsenal polo shirts and 1 retro jersey from 93, 1 Leyton Orient Jeresy and an Orient Fleece.

Now I am getting scared. In total I own

5 Rugby jerseys

2 Soccer jerseys

23 tee shirsts from various teams

2 polo shirts

3 fleeces/hoodies

6 baseballs

5 baseball caps

4 hockey pucks

1 windbreaker

1 bobble head doll

1 18 inch stuffed green monster

I'm 38, need to loose a few pounds and my hair is not just going, it left the building many moons ago. Yes I own suits, wear a tie to work and have respectable chinos. Please tell me I am normal and that my collection does not indicate that I am beginning a middle age crisis at an early age.