Chamberlain-Youkilis feud overblown

I’m so glad Joba Chamberlain and Kevin Youkilis are now best buds. Now the New York Yankees can steamroll their way to the World Series championship that’s rightfully theirs.

Seriously, I don’t doubt that there was genuine bad blood between Joba and Youkilis. The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has gotten nasty at times, despite the fact that some of the players actually enjoy each other’s company (see Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia after being teammates during the last World Baseball Classic). Now, I don’t expect Joba and Youkilis to really become friends and they don’t need to be—seriously, who likes all of their coworkers? But I never thought that there was going to be tension between Joba and the Yankees new third baseman to the point where it was going to wreak havoc with the team’s chemistry.

But perhaps Youkilis could benefit from the Yankees’ superior media operation. If he had only returned Joba’s call in the offseason when the Yankees pitcher called to make peace, the story wouldn’t have blown up the way it did. And Yankee fans shouldn’t overreact to Youkilis’ stated love for Boston and the Red Sox. He played there for eight years and we can’t expect him to start bleeding pinstripes just because he signed with the Yankees. All we should expect is that he will bring the same fire and clutch hitting to the Yankees that he did before his time in Boston came to an ugly end.

But teammates do not have to love each other for a team to win. I distinctly remember that Derek Jeter was no Roger Clemens fan when the Rocket was throwing 95mph fastballs at his head. But spring training started in 1999 and Jeter and Chuck Knoblauch pranked their new colleague by showing up in the batter’s box with full catcher’s gear, getting a big laugh out of the notoriously intense Clemens. The prank lightened the mood in spring training and the Yankees never looked back.

I’m not saying that the Yankees are going to win another title if Joba comes up with a similarly hilarious prank to pull on his new teammate. The Yankees have plenty of problems that are a lot worse than any feud between Joba and Youkilis and that’s where the focus should be.

Will Clemens ever ‘fess up like Armstrong?

I couldn’t care less about cycling and never bought into the myth of Lance Armstrong even before he got caught doping, but I tuned into the first part of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with him out of pure curiosity.

For me, the most astonishing part of the interview was not that he finally told the truth and confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs. The most interesting and infuriating part was his lack of genuine remorse about the way he attacked and tormented good, innocent people who dared to tell the truth about his PED use.

Let’s be clear: Armstrong did not confess because he feels bad about his despicable behavior. He only admitted the truth because the evidence against him was undeniable and because he wants to broker some kind of deal to return to professional cycling one day. He finally came clean only because he wants something in return, a chance to rebuild his legacy. But I don’t think Armstrong’s interview did him any favors. By his own admission, he was a bully and a cheater and I would be shocked if cycling officials decide to give him another chance after all the damage he has done to their sport.

I couldn’t help but wonder if we will eventually see the same kind of confession from Roger Clemens. The former New York Yankees pitcher and 7-time Cy Young award winner has fiercely denied and battled accusations that he used steroids, even through a perjury trial that could have landed him in jail. He has disparaged the reputation of his former trainer Brian McNamee and challenged the memory of his former pal Andy Pettitte in sticking with his story that he did not cheat the game of baseball by using PEDs. But many baseball writers and other observers believe he did and that belief kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try.  

But I doubt Clemens will follow in Armstrong’s footsteps and confess to his sins. I can imagine that Clemens desperately wants to be in the Hall of Fame, but admitting the use of PEDs will probably not be enough to get him in. We saw Mark McGwire tearfully admit to using steroids. While it cleared the path for him to return to baseball, it didn’t win him any more support from the baseball writers, who have consistently chosen to keep him out of the Hall.

Clemens, unlike Armstrong, doesn’t have much to gain from a confession, other than the small chance of Hall induction. He can un-retire whenever he wants and does not need the permission of Major League Baseball to return to the sport since he was not suspended or banished from the game.

If I had to put money on it, I would guess that Clemens will never come clean about his PED use.

Thanks to McSmit via Wikimedia Commons for the Lance Armstrong photo.

Youkilis could pull an Ichiro-like Yankees revival

I’m not crazy about the idea of Kevin Youkilis becoming a member of the New York Yankees, but I’m hoping I’m wrong about him, just as I was wrong about Ichiro Suzuki.

Reports indicate that the Yankees are close to finalizing deals with both Youkilis and Ichiro soon. I’m happy to welcome Ichiro back as he proved to be a valuable addition to the Yankees during the 2012 season. I’m a lot less excited about Youkilis playing third base for the Bronx Bombers.

My hesitation about Youkilis has nothing to do with him being a former member of the Boston Red Sox, although he will probably never earn my affection, just like Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon never won me over despite World Series championships. My issue with Youkilis is that I don’t think he’s a very good player anymore, certainly not worth the $12 million the Yankees threw in his direction. His batting average has slipped in recent years although he had a decent second half in 2012 after being traded to the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees were in a tight spot because they needed a third baseman for at least the first half of 2013, but didn’t want to make any multi-year offers to anyone due to their newfound austerity. They had to go with who they could afford and so they decided Youkilis was the best one-year option for them.  

But I’m willing to entertain the possibility of Youkilis becoming a new man in the Bronx and Ichiro is the only reason for that. I wasn’t crazy about the trade for Ichiro last season because I thought it was a typical, old-Yankees style move: trading for an aging veteran with tremendous name recognition who could no longer play up to his previously high standards. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. It turned out that all Ichiro needed was a change of scenery to rediscover his stroke and love for the game of baseball. He proved to be a terrific addition to the Yankees, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Maybe Youkilis will win Yankee fans over, just like he won the hearts of Red Sox Nation, by pulling an Ichiro and reviving his career in pinstripes. I’m willing to give him that chance.

Drug cheats will likely miss out on Hall of Fame

Those of us who do not want performance-enhancing drug users to darken the doorstep of the Baseball Hall of Fame apparently have reason to be optimistic about the 2013 voting.

A rather intensive survey by the Associated Press (apparently more thorough than this year’s election polling) demonstrates that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, all linked to the use of PEDs in some way, likely have no chance of induction into the Hall this year.

I never expected Sosa to have a real chance at first-ballot induction. Sosa was a one-trick pony (even his hometown baseball writers refuse to vote for him) and that trick was up as soon as he was definitively linked to steroids by the New York Times. But I thought there was a slim chance enough writers would overlook the misdeeds of Bonds and Clemens and focus on their earlier careers, which some argue were Hall of Fame-worthy even before they even turned to drugs. I often want to ask people who make that argument how they know that Bonds and Clemens weren’t dirty, cheating in some form or another, back then. When it comes to those two, they have not earned the benefit of the doubt.

The survey does leave open the possibility of future induction, particularly for Bonds and Clemens, as some writers will simply punish the two by not voting for them on the first ballot. But that’s a question for another day, one that will be debated endlessly if they fail to score the first time around.

But Bill Madden today makes an excellent argument that the debate over the PED cheaters is overshadowing truly deserving Hall candidates such as Jack Morris and Craig Biggio. I was disappointed that Morris, the epitome of a big-game pitcher, did not get in last year, partly because of the anti-induction campaign launched by the stat geeks against his candidacy. But he got just shy of 67% in 2012, which bodes well for his chances in this round of balloting. I’d be surprised if Biggio, with his 3,000+ hits doesn’t make it in, although he could be hurt by voters who don’t believe he is worthy of first-ballot induction. If that’s the case, expect him to come really close in the balloting this year, which sets him up for election in 2014.  

So I won’t just be rooting against Bonds, Clemens and Sosa. I will be cheering hard for Morris and Biggio. Let these two deserving candidates in, writers!

 

Thanks to Wjmummert via Wikipedia for the Sosa photo.

Keep the drug cheats out of Baseball Hall of Fame

The next candidates for the Baseball Hall of Fame will be officially announced today, but we already have a good idea of who will make the list. Whether the drug cheats who will appear on the ballot are worthy of induction is another question that for many is difficult to answer, but for me is a no brainer.

I have long argued that baseball players linked to performance-enhancing drugs should not be allowed into the Hall. My position has not changed. But it will be tested for many of the baseball writers now that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will be on the ballot. There will be some writers who will attempt to separate their supposedly clean years when they started to build their Hall of Fame credentials from the latter years of their careers when they were linked to steroids or human growth hormone. That to me is a futile exercise so I have a hard-and-fast rule: if you cheated, you’re out.

That rule has allowed me to draw an unmovable line in the sand, even with players that I have had a great deal of affection for in the past such as Andy Pettitte (whose apparent decision to return for another year is great news for the New York Yankees). Pettitte, to his credit, admitted that he cheated and will likely be kept out of the Hall, even though his career postseason stats build a solid case for induction. I suspect Pettitte will receive a respectable number of votes given his resume and general likeability, but he will fall far short of the Hall of Fame, as he should.

But Pettitte’s probable return means he won’t even be on the ballot for five years after he decides to retire for good so his candidacy can be debated in future years. The writers will face the more immediate test on Bonds, Clemens and some of their contemporaries. There will be a lot of outside pressure from those who believe that rejecting such dominant players would make the Hall selection process a farce, but I hope the writers stick to their guns and keep the drug cheats out.   

 

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the Clemens photo.

Baseball cannot escape its drug problem

Major League Baseball just can’t get a break in its quest to rid itself of its drug problem.

Bartolo Colon becomes the latest baseball player to get caught cheating, earning a 50-game ban after testing positive for testosterone. It’s a major blow for a surprisingly competitive Oakland A’s team. But it’s not at all shocking that Colon was busted. There were suspicions about his turnaround performance going back to last year with the New York Yankees. (The suspension news is a vindication for the New York Times, which published an article last year that stopped short of accusing Colon of cheating, but investigated a questionable procedure that he had undergone without uncovering direct evidence of wrongdoing.)

Last week, it was Melky Cabrera being punished for using a banned substance. Both Colon and Cabrera are former members of the Yankees. It’s not a coincidence. To my great annoyance, the Yankees have become the poster child for performance-enhancing drug usage in baseball. It’s no surprise that two former Yankees have gotten busted. But it is a black mark, not just for these guys and the Yankees, but for all of Major League Baseball.

Neither player is as famous or infamous, as Roger Clemens, who is making a baseball comeback for an independent team. Clemens, who has already beaten government prosecutors trying to make an example out of him, could target MLB next by trying to return to the sport. A return to the big leagues could be a smart move on his part because it would restart the clock on his Hall of Fame candidacy, putting more distance between his alleged misdeeds and the time when the baseball writers have to cast their votes for or against him.

Not that I think many writers will forgive or forget the damage he has done. But a Clemens comeback would just rub MLB’s failure to control its drug problem right in the faces of Bud Selig & Co. Not that they need a reminder from Clemens. They’re getting plenty of reminders that their drug problem is not ancient history, no matter how much they wish it was, from the guys still trying to game their system.

Jackson: Keep PED users out of Hall, except Pettitte & Clemens?

I don’t blame Reggie Jackson for being angry at Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and the other performance-enhancing drug users. I can’t even imagine how bad it feels to watch these guys pass you on baseball’s all-time home run list, knowing that they cheated their way to the top.

But unlike Jackson, I make no distinction between ARod and Andy Pettitte when it comes to PED usage. It’s clear that Jackson would be okay with Pettitte being elected to the Hall of Fame out of an abundance of affection for the lefty, who grew up in the New York Yankees organization. He clearly does not have the same level of affection for ARod. 

Some writers may follow that route, voting in favor of good guys like Pettitte while ignoring controversial players such as Bonds and ARod. But I don’t think that’s fair. I’ve always liked Andy Pettitte myself, a lot more than I ever liked ARod, but I still wouldn’t put him in the Hall if I had a vote because he cheated. Affection for the player should not be the deciding factor. The damage they caused to the game by cheating should outweigh everything else.

I do wonder if Jackson is right about Roger Clemens being elected to the Hall of Fame. His eligibility begins next year and he was acquitted of the federal charges filed against him, as Jackson notes. But a court of law and the court of public opinion are two completely different things. Just because he beat the charges doesn’t mean he is innocent. A lot of guilty people beat the system, because of incompetence by the prosecutors, weak evidence or even their likability.

I wonder if the Clemens acquittal will give enough baseball writers cover to vote for him, if they are so inclined. But I suspect that too many writers hold my view, that anyone even linked to PED usage should not get in, which kept Mark McGwire out of the Hall of Fame for years before he even admitted his steroids use.

Jackson will always court controversy because that is just who he is, but I doubt that Major League Baseball will be happy to see such a prominent Hall of Famer talking about an issue that they probably hoped would go away for a while after the Clemens trial. But Jackson has every right to express his belief that the cheaters don’t belong in the Hall. I also hope that the Hall remains free of the PED users and I make no exceptions for anyone, not even Pettitte and his pal.  

Pettitte’s cocoon of silence won’t protect him from the truth

Andy Pettitte didn’t want to talk about Roger Clemens’ acquittal on perjury and other charges. I don’t blame him. If I were Pettitte, I wouldn’t want to talk about how I put my hand on a Bible, swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, then completely bent the truth to save my old pal.

Clemens was acquitted for many reasons, but Pettitte’s suddenly hazy memory didn’t help the prosecution’s case. I’m still quite shocked that the jury couldn’t bring itself to find Clemens guilty of even one charge. But the members of that jury were not baseball fans – some of them had never even heard of Clemens – and didn’t understand the context of just how much damage Clemens and the other performance-enhancing drug users did to the game and how he should have been punished for that.

It’s amazing how my opinion of Pettitte has completely changed since his appearance at the Clemens trial. I root for him to pitch well for the New York Yankees’ sake and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the starters have been on such a hot streak since he came back. (Phil Hughes, brilliant of late, has openly talked about how much of a help Pettitte has been to him). But I get no joy from watching Pettitte pitch. Not anymore. I went from being uncontrollably excited about Pettitte’s comeback when it was first announced to completely disappointed at his off-the-field actions.

By the way, I couldn’t disagree more with Derek Jeter about the acquittal being good for baseball. I know that the Yankees Captain grew fond of Clemens as a teammate, but what Clemens and the other baseball cheaters did has put a permanent black mark on the game. I believed that the biggest names among the cheaters, Barry Bonds and Clemens, had to pay for what they did for the game to truly begin to heal and neither of them did.

But Pettitte’s cocoon of silence won’t protect him from the fact that he went out of his way to bend the truth to get his friend off the hook. And that is something he will have to live with.  

Andy Pettitte's return brings mixed emotions

Even after a full day, I still have mixed emotions about seeing Andy Pettitte return to the New York Yankees.

I was in Pittsburgh watching Syracuse play in the NCAA tournament when I first heard the news about Pettitte’s un-retirement and I couldn’t have been happier. I was so excited that I vowed to be there for his first start back, regardless of the cost. But then Pettitte testified in the Roger Clemens trial, giving his friend a potential out by all of a sudden claiming there was a 50-50 chance he was mistaken about what Clemens told him, even though he was certain about what he heard the day before. All that excitement was gone in an instant, replaced with anger that Pettitte would bend the truth in such a way to save someone who doesn’t deserve to be saved.

Watching Pettitte pitch again on Sunday was by far the most confusing time. I refused to attend the game in person to support him because of what he said and did on the witness stand. And I wasn’t giving him a standing ovation at home either or cheering for him when he first took the mound. But just watching on television every time he got a batter out or induced a ground-ball double play, I felt the rush of positive emotions that I always felt watching him pitch during his glory days. It’s a classic case of old habits dying hard.

However, every warm feeling was always quickly followed by a reminder of how much damage Pettitte’s suddenly faulty memory did to the government’s case against Clemens. That has completed changed my opinion of Pettitte as a person, who once was one of my favorites largely because he seemed like such a good, honest guy. But he will now find himself, for me, in Alex Rodriguez territory, a baseball player I merely tolerate because the Yankees need him to do well if they are going to be successful.

While I will root for Pettitte to do well for the Yankees’ sake, he will no longer get my unconditional support as he had before. I just don’t think he deserves it anymore. 

For Cole Hamels, honesty not the best policy

For Cole Hamels, honesty was definitely not the best policy.

Hamels’ candor about intentionally plunking Washington Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper earned him a five-game suspension. For me, the most surprising aspect of this whole situation is that it seems that people are criticizing Hamels for his honesty rather than actually hitting the kid. Nobody seems bothered by the fact that he had no good reason for plunking Harper, who got the best revenge by stealing home.

I must have missed the part when Cole Hamels was appointed keeper of the flame. It is not his job to try to return baseball to its glory days by plunking batters. Those days are over and for good reason in many ways. Hamels could have made the same point by throwing a pitch inside without hitting Harper. In that sense, I agree with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, who called Hamels “gutless” and “fake tough.”

But I do give Hamels some credit in that he is a National League pitcher without the protection of the designated hitter so he knew hitting the kid would earn him his own hit by pitch, which Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann quickly delivered. Hamels wasn’t doing a Roger Clemens impersonation, where Clemens hit guys left and right, including future New York Yankees teammate Derek Jeter, with impunity because he generally didn’t have a bat in his hand. Who could forget the one time the New York Mets try to retaliate and hit Clemens, with Shawn Estes missing the target completely.

But I’m disappointed that Bud Selig and Major League Baseball did not come down harder on Hamels. A five-game ban for a starting pitcher just pushes his next start back one day. To me, the punishment didn’t fit the crime because it should have been a longer ban, one that would have actually forced Hamels to see the error of his ways and served as a deterrent. But it sure put other pitchers on alert: if you hit a guy intentionally, it’s best just to lie about it because the truth will cost you.  

Thanks to Mel Rowling via Flickr for the Cole Hamels photo. 

Is Pettitte trying to save his pal Clemens?

Andy Pettitte is a deeply religious man, a fact about his life he has no problem sharing with anyone who asks. So I have to hope that he didn’t put his hand on the Bible, swear to tell the truth and then lie to protect his old friend Roger Clemens.

On cross-examination, Pettitte said that he might have misunderstood Clemens when he thought his mentor and work-out partner told him about using human growth hormone. Pettitte went as far as to call a defense lawyer’s statement that there is a 50-50 chance of a misunderstanding “fair.” That answer is a huge blow to the prosecution’s case because it could discredit the testimony of its most reliable witness, with the judge now considering a motion to dismiss Pettitte’s entire testimony.

Pettitte’s suddenly faulty memory seems incredibly suspicious to me. Prior to his testimony yesterday, he has never given any indication that he had doubts about what Clemens told him. I would imagine that the prosecutors would have grilled him endlessly on this particular point since it’s so crucial to their case. But the prosecution has already seriously screwed up this case before, leading to that quick mistrial last year, so it’s not completely unbelievable that they didn’t make sure Pettitte was 100% certain about what he said Clemens told him before putting Pettitte on the stand.

I don’t think Pettitte would tell an outright lie about what Clemens told him, but even opening the door that widely to the possibility that he is wrong could help keep his pal out of prison. Pettitte is smart enough to know about reasonable doubt and this is just the kind of information that could give the jury the opportunity to set Clemens free.

It seems like Pettitte’s part in this legal drama may be coming to an end, which would allow him to try to regain momentum in his efforts to return to the New York Yankees. But the full ramifications of his testimony and the possibility of another player getting away with breaking the rules are enormous for the game of baseball. However, I’m fairly sure none of that entered Pettitte’s mind when he swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help him God.   

Pettitte comeback sullied by Clemens retrial

Andy Pettitte should be completely focused on his (hopefully imminent) return to the New York Yankees. Thanks to his old pal Roger Clemens, that’s just not possible.

Pettitte had another strong outing this weekend as he gets ready to head north to the Bronx to reclaim a spot in the Yankees starting rotation. The veteran lefty is working on his stamina and his control on the mound. He seems to be in a good place mentally for his comeback. But that could be seriously hindered when and if he is called to testify against Clemens.

Pettitte is considered a star witness so in all likelihood he will have to testify, unless some plea deal is reached before the trial starts tomorrow (highly doubtful as Clemens has consistently and quite stubbornly maintained his innocence).

If Pettitte does take the stand, it will break his heart to have to tell the court that his pal confessed to using a banned substance. But he will do it, because Pettitte is an honest guy and he will tell the truth after putting his hand on the bible and swearing to do exactly that. I just hope that whatever pain and anguish he feels over possibly helping to send his former friend to prison does not follow him to the Bronx. 

Baseball making progress on PED abuse

Major League Baseball is making a valiant effort to ensure it never again suffers the ignominy of widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs. That effort will take a major step forward this week as baseball inches closer to signing a new labor contract with its players.

The reported deal, if finalized, will include blood testing for human growth hormone. Players caught using HGH will be subject to the same penalty that they currently face for using steroids. It’s a major victory for Bud Selig, whose legacy in the game has been tarnished by the use of PEDs by some of baseball’s biggest stars, including Alex Rodriguez.

As a fan of the New York Yankees, I welcome such progress. Players such as ARod, Roger Clemens and, sadly, Andy Pettitte have made the Yankees the poster team for PED abuse in baseball. In fact, now that Pettitte is retired, many of the news stories I’ve seen that mention his name revolve around his admitted HGH use. It’s a sad legacy for a player with a borderline Hall of Fame career, a history that will keep him out of Cooperstown.

Bravo to the players’ union for not putting up as much of a fight this time around. The union’s resistance to drug testing during previous contract negotiations is a major factor as to why PED use was allowed to wreck the game of baseball. The union seems to have wised up to this or perhaps the majority of the players, those who are clean at least, forced the union leadership’s hands on this issue.

Of course, there will always be players and their helpers trying to game the system so MLB will have to continue to stay on top of the latest research to ensure their testing is as up-to-date and accurate as possible. But I look at the pending HGH announcement as a positive step toward cleaning up the game of baseball and repairing the damage done to its image.

Thanks to Major League Baseball via Wikipedia for the photo.

PED cloud will forever hang over baseball

The baseball players union finally prevailed in its long battle to force the government to destroy the list of more than 100 dirty players it has in its possession. Does this mean that the cloud of performance-enhancing drug usage is starting to dissipate for baseball? Not quite.

As the court battle dragged on, the list was well preserved as potential state's evidence, which means that at least a few government employees have seen it. Names have already leaked, including Alex Rodriguez, in what has been a slow, painful release of supposedly confidential information. And even though the government is giving up its legal fight, the employees already know who else is on the list. Could they be motivated to leak other names since they no longer have any hope that the list will come out through legitimate legal proceedings? Possibly. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some more names leaked in 2011.

Barry Bonds was already outed as a steroids user and his upcoming trial for obstruction of justice and perjury will bring a fresh round of PED revelations, especially if the government succeeds in putting other players such as Jason Giambi on the stand. Roger Clemens will also go on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice related to his 2008 Congressional testimony. Bonds' trial is set to begin on March 21, 10 days before the first regular-season game of the 2011 baseball season, with Clemens' trial due to begin in April. Can you imagine worse timing? Perhaps a postponement of either the Bonds or the Clemens trial that drags it through the 2011 postseason, overshadowing the best time of the year for the sport.

Moreover, as guys such as Bonds and Clemens become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, the PED debate will resurface again and again as baseball writers, fans and critics all debate their candidacies. For me, there is no gray area on the PED issue. If a player has been caught using PEDs, there is no room for him in the Hall. It's not as black and white for other observers so the debate will rage on, bringing the PED story front and center for years to come.

So unfortunately, the dark cloud of PED use will continue to linger over baseball, with attempts to move on constantly disrupted by fresh revelations. It's something that baseball fans and officials will just have to find a way to live with.

Thanks to Kevin Rushforth via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees revamp can't just revolve on Lee

The New York Yankees are setting themselves up for potential trouble if their entire plan to revamp the team revolves around Cliff Lee.

Most of the baseball world assumes that Lee will take the biggest contract he can get, which undoubtedly will come from the Yankees. But what if, after vanquishing the Yankees, Lee sees the Bronx Bombers as a team on the decline, with an aging roster and many problems despite their massive payroll? What if new owner Nolan Ryan, a legendary pitcher himself, knows what he has in his ace, has visions of a possible dynasty and refuses to let him leave, emptying his pockets with a contract offer that Lee finds reasonable? What if Lee decides he has finally found his baseball home in Texas after multiple trades and pulls a Roy Halladay, signing for a lot less than he can get on the open market?

Lee wouldn't be the first stud pitcher to reject the Yankees. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux declined to wear the pinstripes, preferring to remain in a more sedate baseball home in Atlanta. Roger Clemens famously spurned the Yankees, even after lifting weights with George Steinbrenner, until he realized he couldn't win that elusive World Series ring without them.

Lee is widely depicted in the media as a hired gun aiming for the biggest score. What if it's not true? What if Lee is not willing to let money be the biggest factor in deciding where he will play the next five years of his baseball career? If that's the case, the Yankees better put away the wallet and come up with a back-up plan, one that doesn't revolve getting the best guy on the market.

Thanks to artolog and Fui in terra aliena via Wikipedia for the photo.

Happy go lucky routine bad idea by Clemens

Roger Clemens acted like he did not have a care in the world on the day of his arraignment on perjury and other charges, laughing with his lawyers before the hearing and playing golf afterwards. It's the wrong approach, but not at all surprising from a very stubborn man.

What many people want to see from an athlete accused of a crime is a little humility, if not remorse. Acting like he is not at all worried about the charges against him is probably supposed to come off as evidence of his innocence. Instead, it seems like evidence of his arrogance, that he is not taking the case seriously.

What's worse is that Clemens doesn't seem the least bit sorry for the mess he will drag former friends such as Andy Pettitte (and Andy's wife Laura) into. He does not seem to care that his former teammates on the New York Yankees and other teams will be hounded by reporters over the next year whenever there are developments in the criminal case. He does not care that this case (and the Barry Bonds trial) will continue to cast light on a shameful period in baseball history.

Maybe this is just an act and Clemens is really worried about his freedom. But I think he might have so convinced himself that he will be acquitted that he doesn't care how the case plays out. He really should. Even if he's found not guilty, the case is going to be very bad for him, bringing things into the light that he'd probably rather not have public.

The happy-go-lucky approach is just not a good idea.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Pettitte, Yankees forever haunted by Clemens

Leave it to Roger Clemens to ruin a beautiful effort like HOPE week.

His indictment on perjury and other charges cast a terrible pall over the wonderful week of outreach by the New York Yankees. The week that started with baseball players spreading hope to their most disadvantaged fans ended with them fending off questions about their former teammate.

Obviously, Clemens didn’t control the timing of the release of the indictment, but he had a chance to make this issue go away more quietly and stubbornly refused to take it. But the indictment is just more evidence that the Yankees will forever be haunted by their association with Clemens. Remember, they greedily traded for Clemens after they won 125 games and the second World Series championship of their modern dynasty and then brought him back with great fanfare years later.

Of all the Yankees, Andy Pettitte is the player most entangled in the Clemens drama. The two of them used to be thick as thieves. Now they are just brothers in shame, no matter how much Clemens denies using performance-enhancing drugs. It was Pettitte's testimony that has given the most credence to the Rocket's alleged drug use and his subsequent indictment on perjury and other charges. It never made sense that Pettitte would admit to using human growth hormone himself and then “misremember” or falsely accuse his friend of steroids use. Apparently the grand jury didn’t buy that argument any more than the legislators did.

Reporters ran after Pettitte when news of the Clemens indictment broke Thursday, with the Yankee lefty so far not saying much on the topic. But during his Centerstage interview with Michael Kay on the YES Network, Pettitte showed a disturbing yearning for his friendship with Clemens. It was striking to me given that Pettitte probably wouldn't have touched PEDs without his pal's input. Not that I'm absolving Pettitte of the blame. He is a grown man who ultimately made his own choice. But I just think it’s strange that he is still hoping his friendship with Clemens can be repaired when clearly Clemens is still angry at him for telling the truth.

Unfortunately for Pettitte and the Yankees, the Roger Clemens they will forever be linked to is not the friend and co-champion, but the liar, cheater and possible criminal.

No Hall should be no-brainer for Clemens

Roger Clemens might end up in prison for allegedly lying to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. But there's one place he absolutely shouldn't end up: the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Clemens was indicted by a grand jury for perjury for allegedly falsely denying he used PEDs. The indictment is interesting reading. It goes out of its way to point out that Clemens were under no legal obligation to testify in front of Congress, that he was not subpoenaed and that he could have invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination. But he showed up and firmly stated that he did not use steroids or human growth hormone. It speaks to his arrogance that Clemens thought he could lie to Congress and get away with it.

The criminal case is far more important, but the indictment also again raises the question of whether Clemens should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. Prior to the steroids allegation, Clemens was seen as a lock and I'm sure there are writers who will try to separate the good years from his bad behavior and still vote for him. Heck, even some of his former teammates such as current New York Yankees player Lance Berkman firmly believe he should still be elected to the Hall.

But now that Clemens has been indicted, I hope that a majority of writers will see it as a no-brainer that they should not cast votes in his favor. I've long believed that entrance to the Hall should be the punishment for PED users in baseball, mostly because of the permanent pall they have cast over the game, but also because there is no other suitable punishment.

It's ironic that if Clemens goes to jail, and I think he should, it will be for perjury, not for using steroids. I think he should still be kept out of the Hall as punishment for his drug use, especially since there's no other punishment available. He's definitely not giving back any of those seven Cy Young awards, even if they are now tainted.

The government is ready to try to punish Clemens for his misdeeds. It’s time for the baseball community to do the same and keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankee, Red Sox players friendly rivals

One thing has become incredibly clear about the fierce rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox: the players don't hate each other. Make no mistake about it; they definitely want to beat each other every time they play. But they actually get along quite well, much to the dismay of their fans.

Case in point. During last night's game, Andy Pettitte accidently hit Kevin Youkilis in the head with an inside pitch. It was a scary moment, but there's no doubt it was unintentional and Pettitte was genuinely concerned about Youkilis. After getting hit, the Red Sox first baseman told Derek Jeter that he was going to get hit next. Jeter laughed it off, stepped up to the plate the next inning and then got hit by starter John Lackey. On the way to first, Jeter playfully shoved a laughing Youkilis out of the way.

Back in the old days, that kind of episode would have triggered a near riot, something the umpires were surely aware of when they warned both benches last night. But now, it's a cause for players on both sides to openly mock each other.

Long gone are the days of Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens throwing at opposing batters and starting a fight in a key playoff game. I think the rivalry has simmered for the players in large part because they don't have nasty guys like Martinez and Clemens who were known for throwing at hitters on their rosters anymore. The other reason is that these players spend so much time together that they actually start to like each other, as Jeter did with Dustin Pedroia and Youkilis while representing Team America in the World Baseball Classic last year.

Jeter talked about this in an interview with the Sporting News, saying that the one thing fans don’t understand about the Rivalry is that the players can be determined to beat each other without resorting to hatred.

The Rivalry is still as intense as ever. But as the old saying goes, "can't we all just get along?" The Yankees and Red Sox surely do.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.