Dumb & Dumber

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae.

A wild day in the American League East yesterday to be sure.

Roger Clemens likely became public enemy number one yesterday after announcing that he and the New York Yankees had agreed on a contract that would seem him start pitching in early June at a pro-rated salary of $28 Million - $10 Million more (pro-rated its more like $7M) than the Boston Red Sox offered.

Clemens will undoubtedly be criticized for turning his back on the team he broke into the major leagues with - choosing big dollars over a chance to write a story book ending to his career (winning a World Series with Boston).

I doubted all along that Clemens would sign with Boston - some may blame (wrongly I might add) Tavarez for comments he made about the Sox not needing Clemens; others may say that the prospect of walking into a clubhouse that was no longer his, with leaders like Schilling, Ortiz and Varitek, might have been too much for his ego to take; all plausible.

However, I'll put this one out there for consideration. I think Clemens refusal to sign with Boston was first and foremost, definitely about money - when the Sox signed Matsuzaka, I said Clemens would be watching and any offer that wasn't substantially more than what the Sox offered Dice-K would likely be refused. The Sox are investing approx $17M/year in Dice-K (including posting fee), a guy who had never pitched in the major leagues...do you really think Clemens would accept a deal for roughly the same amount of money?

Also, I think this was more about screwing the city of Boston one last time - I never believed the crap about "Roger and his family loving Boston"...it was a negotiating ploy; if he loved Boston so much, he would have signed. Clemens didn't give a rat's ass about coming full circle - certainly not if it meant taking considerably less money than other teams were offering. The flaw in the "Prodigal Son" fantasy Red Sox Nation had was that they had already won a World Series - Clemens wouldn't be Moses parting the Red Sea to give the Sox their first championship in 89 years (had they not won in 2004) - it wasn't like they needed Roger to ride in on his horse to win it. Plus, I think he likes screwing fans in New England - considering how he left all those years ago.


The Jackass of the Day - The Chickenhawk




Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P Ricciardi told a Toronto radio station that he misled fans and media in spring training when he said that Jays' closer B.J. Ryan was suffering from a back injury - opting not to reveal that Ryan had a bad elbow in order to "protect the player". In talking to the radio staion, Ricciardi asked people to cut him some slack because this was the first time he had ever misled them about a player's status. He went on to take a shot at the Maple Leafs by saying "Its not like we tell you guys its an upper body injury."

Where do you start with the depths of stupidity in this one?

• Ricciardi wanted to protect his player from having to answer questions about his elbow - like the media didn't ask Ryan about his back?
  
  
• Knowing that Ryan had a bad elbow - he allowed Ryan to start the season on the roster and pitch in a few games before having him examined.
  
  
• Taking a shot at the Maple Leafs - hey Chickenhawk...don't take cheap shots at the city's number one team; didn't Hazel teach your dumb ass anything while she was still Toronto?

Ladies and Gentlemen - MLB's version of Dumb and Dumber.

On to the NHL - the Buffalo Sabres exploded for four second period goals en route to a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, and with it, a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals against the SenaTards. Yesterday's game was yet another case of the Sabres not having their "A game" for a full 60 minutes - instead outplaying the opposition for a period and riding it to a victory. The Sabres better hope they find their regular season form against the SenaTards.

HAZEL'S THREE STARS
Buffalo Sabres LW Jochen Hecht found his game yesterday - breaking a 2-2 tie in the second period and adding an insurance goal in the third (which would up being the deciding goal).

San Diego P Jake Peavy steamrolled the Marlins yesterday in Florida. Peavy limited the fish to no runs on one hit and two walks over seven innings, striking out ten in the process.

Milwaukee Brewers 1B Prince Fielder hit two home runs and drove in three runs in the Brewers 6-4 victory over the Pirates - Hazel would be down with this one for two reasons: 1) chicks dig the long ball; 2) Hazel would remember Prince's dad Cecil from his days with the Jays.


MONDAY THREE PLAY
A great day yesterday going 5-0 and finishing the day at + $425 - the total for the week was + $675. So far this year the balance sheet on our account is + $1,375.

Los Angeles over Florida - we like Brad Penny to get it done against his former team tonight. When don't we like Red Sox West? Lay $100 on the Dodgers - $120.

San Jose over Detroit - we like the Sharks to get their stuff together tonight and send the series back to Motown. Lay $100 on the Sharks - $145.

Milwaukee over Washington - we like Capuano today over a weak hitting Nationals lineup. Lay $100 on the Brewers - $230.

I'm done for the morning - have a great one peeps!


KEEPING HAZEL UP ON WHAT'S WHAT IN TORONTO
Interesting article on Leafs Chairman Tanenbaum

Vernon has a sense of humour


HAZEL'S MONDAY HOROSCOPE
Love looks promising. Travel, taking courses or visiting old familiar places will all lead to meeting someone to whom you can relate. Don't let your emotions take over, however. 2 stars

Hazel, I hope things are groovy in your world.

Song of the Day on Hazelspeeps - for Roger and J.P.

Liar - Sex Pistols

Peesth Out...Buh Bye!