Hello once again.
It has come to my attention that a certain major league baseball star might be on to something, or in this case, just plain ON something. I mean, Not many, if any, guys his age are doing what he's doing. It takes a lot to defy Father Time, and while some athletes might be able to hold him off for a few years, very few, if any, actually beat him. Look at the facts. The man we all thought as a sports immortal was proven to be less than that when he tried to come back with the Wizards. How many people in baseball today over the age of forty are either on the DL, or are sidelined with some sort of injury? So, in light of these facts, I can only come to one conclusion:
Roger Clemens is on some kind of sauce.
I won't say the other "s" word here. We all know what I'm talking about. Now, while some of you are getting ready to e-mail me back and bombard me with all kinds of hate mail, consider the facts. In his early years with Boston, he was a lights out pitcher. He had double digit wins from 1986 to 1992. But, in 1993, he falls below .500 with a mark of 11-14, then it gets worse. He starts to show signs of wear and tear, and it's the prime reason Boston chose not to re-sign him. That, and former GM Dan Duquette was an absolute jerk. But really, look at the numbers. He has some mediocre seasons at the end of his Boston career before going to Toronto in 1997. There, he experiences a reniassance of sorts, winning over 20 games a season his two seasons there. Wait a minute......didn't Jose Canseco once play in Toronto? But, as Clemens got deeper into his career, his numbers either improved or stayed the same. He didn't experience a decline as we see in most aging major league players. Former Arizona Diamondback pitcher Jason Grimsley told anyone who'd listen that Clemens was on the sauce, but we all laughed it off. Clemens himself said he was going to sue Grimsley for slander, but so far, no such suit has been filed. Hmmmm. Everyone that was named in Canseco's book said they would also sue. Again, no suits have been filed. And, for the record, everyone who Canseco named in the book has turned out to be a user to some degree. Now, am I saying this because I hate Clemens? Certainly not. I loved it that he threw a piece of a bat at Mike Piazza. I loved it that he also beaned Piazza with some high heat. I like Clemens, and can certainly appreciate the fact that he's won 350 career games. After Greg Maddux and soon-to-be 300 game winner Tom Glavine, we won't see another pitcher approach this win total for some time. All I'm saying is that there's more here than meets the eye. Call me whatever you want, but the facts still remain. Clemens hasn't experienced a slowdown into his 40's, and there's a good reason for that. The sauce is good for whatever ails you.
To the NBA, where the draft was held last week, and already, the top two picks have signed, and they are in summer league basketball with their respective clubs. And, while some may see this as no big deal, the NFL draft was held in April, and only three guys have signed a contract, and one of those is the last pick in the draft, Mr. Irrelavent. Why does the NFL continue to accept this as status quo? If I'm an NFL owner, I get my picks under contract as soon as I can so I can start making plans for the upcoming season. Too often, we see a high NFL draft pick holdout of training camp, only to see a can't-miss type player look foolish once the season starts. Is it really that difficult to sign an NFL draft pick? I mean, pick up the phone, set up a meeting, go over some numbers, etc. It could certainly drag on throughout a weekend, but it shouldn't take nearly this long to get some of these guys signed. Don't gve me the argument of "Well, they just want to see how much money the other guy is getting". Baloney! That kind of infomation will get out in its due time, and if the player is worth a darn to begin with, he'll still get the fat contract before its all said and done. Come on, NFL GM's, start getting this done. We're two and a half weeks from trining camp, and this hould have been done long ago. It's probably the only area that the NBA beats the NFL.
Speaking of the NBA, have you heard all about the trade rumors flying about? I mean, this player is going here, that player is going there.....oh, wait a minute. Some of the players mentioned have started saying that they don't want to go to a particular place to play. Well, let me let all of them in on a secret: YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT! At the end of the day, you'll go to wherever has your contract, and you'll like it. I'm more than tired of all of the NBA players dictating what GM's can do. If you get traded, you get traded, period, end of story. Just deal with it. I mean, you're still playing a game for more money than you'll ever spend in a lifetime, with the exception of Latrell Spreewell. Remember when he turned down 14.5 million because, and these are his words "I have a family to feed. That ain't enough". Again, you signed the deal, now live up to it.
That's about it for today. I won't go into Bonds making the All-Star team on an obvious ballot box stuff in San Francisco. Besides, I don't want to give him too much space here. I'll just say that I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th, and thank you all for your support.
Till next time...........
Patrick
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