The FBI has opened the investigation..

So now, we all just grab a chair and some popcorn and watch the spectacle. Jeez, wotta load of bs. From the MSNBC writeup:

The probe could result in charges against Clemens of perjury, making false statements or obstruction of justice. Lawmakers did not ask for a similar investigation of McNamee.
*snip*

IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, a key member of the government's prosecution in the BALCO drug cases, attended the hearing and watched from the second row.

In real baseball news..ITS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! ST has begun!

Congress asks Justice Dept to investigate Clemens..

As if Congress has nothing better to do..they are now demanding a formal investigation into whether Clemens lied to them under oath.

Such. fucking. bullshit.

The assholes running our country need to be drug behind a truck for about a thousand miles if this is what they are spending their fucking time on.

Tags: Roger Clemens

Koufax visits with Pedro.

Wow-freaking-wee. He told the Dodgers to kiss off a few years back. They treated him shabbily as I recall..but I am in awe of Sandy Koufax.

I remember listening to Dodger games as a kid. Him and Don Drysdale were one helluva combination. A lot like RJ and Curt on the Dbacks World Series winning team. I lived in AZ when they won that. Best WS I had ever seen. But I digress..

Mr. Koufax visited with Pedro Martinez this week. I would of loved to of been a bag of rosin on that pitchers mound.

I have no love for Pedro..arrogance, thy name is Pedro Martinez. Hope he picked Koufax's brain.

An open letter to Mike Helton

Probably neither of the two folks that read this blog are NASCAR fans..but I must publish this letter I sent off today in the hope that someone else will read it and send it to the idiots that run NASCAR. Yes I, a progressive female, love the hell out of NASCAR! You got a problem with that??

Dear Mike Helton and your Gestapo Minions,

I, Dusty ****, proudly and forcefully stand up for Robby Gordon and the #7 Jim Beam team's right to appeal the excessive and totally ridiculous 100-point penalty and suspension handed down by NASCAR following the Daytona 500.

I am a Tony Stewart fan but I can not sit by and watch this travesty of justice one minute longer.

I am sick and tired of the crap that passes for fairness in NASCAR. This action by you and your minions reeks of bat guano. What balls you have Helton, Pemberton and Darby, it isn't even a performance issue for the love of God! Just once in your worthless lives..let the penalty fit the crime!

Neither Robby nor his Crew Chief or team were deliberately attempting to circumvent NASCAR rules. The mistake was discovered by NASCAR officials during the very first inspection prior to qualifying which was more than a week before the Daytona 500.

What part of the above paragraph do you not understand? It's not rocket science gents!!

Robby's team changed out all 11+ noses on all of the new Dodge cars and the three built specifically for Daytona overnight. The approved nose was on his car in time for qualifying.

Top teams and drivers have been stricken with similar fines for intentional reasons, but Robby's team earned an honest 8th place finish in the Daytona 500 through tireless dedication, quality, and character - not because of rule violations.

Your decision unfairly penalizes Robby, his sponsors and ALL NASCAR fans. It's pathetic to say the least..its unconscionable to say the most.

If your ruling stands I, as a 20+ year fan of NASCAR, will seriously consider giving up the sport I love. I can no longer tolerate your bs and bravado that is meted out unfairly and without one ounce of common sense.

Robby is a man of true character and talent. As the only driver/owner to finish in the top ten this past weekend, he shows his dedication to the sport.

I request..no, I demand you show your dedication to the sport by dropping this crap now. It needs to end here gents..or your going to lose even more fans than you already have with your asinine rules changes and penalties that are arbitrary to say the least. You might be making new fans..but they are only replacing the old fans like myself and others that are sick and tired of all the crap you mete out on a weekly basis.

Each of you need to rent a pair of balls and rescind your penalty now!

Sincerely,
Dusty ****
B**********, CA

You too can send this letter to Helton and the gang..send it to:

fanfeedback@NASCAR.com

Tags: NASCAR, Mike Helton, John Darby, Robby Gordon, Daytona 500 penalty

A picture is worth a thousand words..

Especially a picture showing Clemens at Canseco's party no?

Ah yes..it surely should shut the piehole of Clemens and his attorneys now wouldn't you say?

But I ain't holding my breath..like Marion Drew-Jones..he could lie for years before confessing the truth..but..to avoid a Barroid Bonds type of problem.. he might want to rethink that position.

Oh, this can't be good..

Manny Ramirez who now wants to stay in Boston after years of bitching that he wants out..has switched agents. He has signed with..drumroll please..

Scott Boras. Boras, as most fans of baseball know..is the devil incarnate. From a May 07 writeup on Scotty:

Major League Baseball is a $6 billion-a-year industry, more profitable than ever. To Boras and his clients, that makes it a game of percentages on and off the field. As baseball revenues grow, so do salaries, thanks in large part to him. He was the first agent to sign players to multiyear $50 million, $100 million and $200 million contracts, as league revenues rose to $1 billion, $3 billion and $6 billion, respectively. Last year, he negotiated the largest contract ever for a Japanese player, Daisuke Matsuzaka, who signed with the Boston Red Sox for $52 million — after the Sox paid $51 million for the rights to sign him — and the largest ever for a pitcher, Barry Zito, who went with the San Francisco Giants for $126 million.

The Zito contract is a bust at this point..unless he does something this year..the Giants got hosed on that deal. His era last year was a whopping 4.53..up from 3.67 the year before with the A's. He also lost more games(11-13) than he won. I call it a bust because of the stats I just quoted..I could however be wrong..its been known to happen. I just hate how guys sign huge contracts and then promptly suck hind tit the following year..

K-Rod loses in Arbi..

Damn, if he doesn't deserve a friggin raise..who does? He will be eligible for Free Agency next year. He lost, but he won..ya know? From the writeup:

Even though he lost.."Rodriguez tied the record for the highest salary in an arbitration decision, a mark he shares with Alfonso Soriano, who lost his case against Washington in 2006, and Ryan Howard, who beat Philadelphia on Thursday".

Krod is the shit. I draft him within the first five rounds in every league. His era last year? Please..a magnificient 2.81 people!

He is still getting 10 large out of the deal. Last year it was a little over 7 large.

Its a Boone lovefest in DC..

Christ the whole damn family works for the gNats:

Bret Boone came out of retirement to sign a non-guaranteed, minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on Monday, joining his younger brother, infielder Aaron, and their father, assistant general manager Bob, with the club.

Bret isn't a spring chicken either, by baseball standards..he's 39. Don't you just love this bit of nepotism?

The first spring training game begins:

08 DAYS 02 HRS 18 MIN 01 SEC

Andy Pettitte says he is sorry..

He spent roughly an hour and a half apologizing to everyone and their mother. He refused to discuss Clemens and he doesn't think what he did was cheating..and the topper.. but he was desperate man!

Oh, and God will give him the strength to deal with all this. My question is why didn't God give him the strength to just say no to using HGH?

If you need to know anything else..read this.

Fantasy Baseball league..on Yahoo

It drafts two days before the season starts..so if anyone pulls a hammy or tears their ACL, you should know about it. If you want to play..here are the particulars:

League ID 89091
password baseball

Draft is Live: Sat Mar 22 10:00am PDT

Only ten teams, and its Head-to-Head. It's on Yahoo, so you need a Yahoo ID (duh). Stats we use can be negotiable..but I have set up the basics I like. I also like more than one DL..since I pick some real winners usually ;p

Game for the bored among us: Flight of the Hamsters..ok, its not very nice..but its not real ok? Launch them suckers for points..I got a 78 ft in my first hamster flight..not bad eh? H/T to my blog bud in Palm Springs..the inimitable Friday Fishwrap!

Jon Stewarts take on the Congress Critters investigating roids..

Its here!!! Spring Training People!

The first game of this spring training season will begin in:

11 DAYS 12 HRS 44 MIN 18 SEC
from now..

The big deal so far is of course..the Dodgers new manager..Joe Torre. With the ball and chain being a ferocious Dodger dog..I have to hear about this ad-naseum. I hate the Dodgers by the way, with every fiber of my being. When the Dodgers and Padres play each other..we are at opposite ends of the house.

Once again..My Padres are starting the season thin in the pitching department..and a big-assed hole in the outfield...from Scotty's take on my home team:
Bud Black, not comedian Bill Murray, is managing this club, but nevertheless, it will be Groundhog's Day in Peoria again this spring. Stop us if you've heard this one: The Padres are loaded with pitching but lacking in sticks. Currently, the outfield lines up like this: Brian Giles, recovering from microfracture surgery in his knee, in right field; past-his-prime and brittle Jim Edmonds in center; and a big hole in left. Rookie Chase Headley, moved from the infield to be given a chance in left, perhaps? Right now, Scott Hairston is the clubhouse leader. Tadahito Iguchi will be an upgrade over Marcus Giles at second. Kevin Kouzmanoff will start much better at the plate this year than last. Still, Cy Young winner Jake Peavy, ageless Greg Maddux and Chris Young will have to pitch lights out. Two spring projects to watch: Rehabbing right-handers Randy Wolf and Mark Prior, each of whom could have a strong impact in Petco Park.- Of course they can have a strong impact..and I am sleeping every night with Brad Pitt too ya freak.

General manager Kevin Towers is adroit at bringing in damaged or declining players on one-year, incentive-laden deals that give them a chance to restart their careers.

Restarting their careers, how about buying old broken-down players all the while praying to GOD they will rise like a phoenix and give em one last decent year? Give me an effin break dude..Towers is an idiot..plain and simple...I can't stand KT and I think he has something very damaging on the owner John Moores or his ass would of been gone years ago.

And for the love of everything holy..we have the roomiest damn outfield in the NL..yet we have ZERO long ball hitters? WTF? Does this fact elude Moores, Towers and everyone else in the front office?

Clemens and McNamee live on Cspan..

Its interesting..but not riveting..and basically both men have been nailed for lying at this point by a Congress critter or two.

The fact that McNamee is sitting just a few feet from Roger at the same table is interesting and surely makes him a tad uncomfortable.

Some Video via TPM Muckraker:



And the following vid is a nice exchange that shows how Clemens and his attorney's tried to pull a fast one on Waxman's committee..check it out..the transcript can be read here via TPM muckraker.

Back in town..sigh..

I just spent five glorious days in SoCal. At my youngest sisters house dogsitting. You can see the ocean from her front bay windows. The temperature was a perfect 75 degrees during the day.

I liked that. I needed that.

Now, back to the reality of life..damn it!

As for Roger Clemen's little tour through the halls of Congress..if he won't shut his piehole about this..why should we? He was doing everything but kissing babies it seems. But enough about ol Roger..baseball commences very soon...

02 DAYS 15 HRS 01 MIN 56 SEC- to be EXACT!!!!!!!!!!

And I can't freaking wait. GOD, I can't wait. Bring on the boys of summer ;)

36 year old Tony Clark is in the process of inking a deal with my hometown boyz..the Padres. For 900k and a single year..those Padres..they know how to wheel and deal don't they? said with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Arbitration is now ongoing..there are still some big names in the mix. Frankie Rodriquez, the Angel's closer is one of those names, as is Josh Bard of the Pads.

McNamee has physical evidence on Clemens..

I report, you decide..Per The Sports Network:

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The Roger Clemens steroid controversy has reportedly taken another turn that could damage the star pitcher's claims that he has never taken performance-enhancing drugs.

According to a report by the New York Daily News, Brian McNamee, Clemens' former personal trainer, has turned over physical evidence to federal investigators that could support the findings in the Mitchell Report.

"This is evidence the government has that we believe will corroborate Brian in every significant way," McNamee lawyer Earl Ward told the Daily News.

McNamee's attorneys did not tell the paper the exact nature of the evidence, but the Daily News cited a source close to McNamee as saying investigators are now in possession of vials with traces of steroids and growth hormone, as well as blood-stained syringes and gauze pads that may contain Clemens' DNA.

Clemens gave a closed-door deposition to Congress on Tuesday, in preparation for next Wednesday's public hearing, and emerged from the five-hour session by saying "it was great to be able to tell them what I've been saying all along -- that I never used steroids or (human) growth hormone. I look forward to being here, I guess, in this room next week."

McNamee is slated to give a private deposition to Congress on Thursday, at which time he will likely talk about the alleged physical evidence.

"We will provide Congress with corroborative physical evidence that takes this case out of the he-said, she-said purview," another McNamee lawyer, Richard Emery, told the Daily News. "From our point of view, this corroborates that Brian told the truth from Day One and Clemens has not."

Here is the link to the NY Daily News piece referenced in the Sports Network piece.

Tags: Clemens, McNamee, evidence

Bobby Knight resigns..

(Click the image to read the print)

Hot damn..I think its a selfish, bullshit move..but it is what it is..From WaPo:

Knight believed it was the best time to turn over the program to his son and assistant, Pat Knight, who was named his successor in 2005. Pat Knight said in a television interview that his father plans to be around the program. Texas Tech is 12-8, in sixth place in the Big 12 Conference.


What. a. fucking. tool.

Falcon's can not recoup Vick's signing bonus

Per a judge this morning:

Jailed quarterback Michael Vick can keep nearly $20 million in bonus money he received from the Atlanta Falcons following a ruling Monday by a federal judge.

The Falcons sought to recover the bonuses after Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges in a dogfighting operation. The bonuses were paid from 2004-2007.

A special master ruled in October that the Falcons were entitled to recover the bonuses. The Falcons argued that Vick used proceeds from a contract he signed in 2004 to finance his illicit activities.

But U.S. District Judge David Doty of Minneapolis ruled that the Falcons' recovering the bonus money would violate the NFL collective bargaining agreement. The agreement does not allow signing bonuses to be forfeited for years a player has already performed.

Arguments turned on interpretations of the collective bargaining agreement. At a November hearing, a union attorney argued that Vick's "roster bonus" should be treated the same as a "performance bonus," which can't be forfeited under the agreement. The league maintained that the roster bonus should be treated like a "signing bonus allocation," which could be forfeited.

Personally, I thought it was pretty smarmy for the Falcon's to go after his signing bonus for the years he did provide them services. Besides..the man is broke..his last known bank account was taken to provide services and support for the dogs that were taken from his property.

Well I'll be dipped..

It was a good game..the Defenses were evenly matched until the Giants scored their first TD..

Fucking Eli, I hate that guy..but he did good.

The commercials were pretty sucky. A couple I enjoyed. I am to medicated to recall which ones right now.

Thats all I got..have a Happy Monday :)

The newest NFL HOF members..

Two 'skins got in, Darrell Green and good ol' Art Monk. Tag's didn't make it..makes me smile don't ya know? The remaining new members are:

New England linebacker Andre Tippett, San Diego/San Francisco defensive end Fred Dean, Minnesota/Denver tackle Gary Zimmerman and a senior committee choice, Kansas City cornerback Emmitt Thomas.

Green was an awesome corner..you have to give him his props I think. It took Monk eight freaking tries to get in..wtf? I also think Andre Reed was one helluva WR..but it was his first year of eligibility. I loved watching Fred Dean work..I am glad he got in as well.

Pissed me off Ray Guy didn't make it too. Fuckers..Oh, and that Football HOF is one fugly friggin building..whats up w/ the phallus symbol too?

The NFLs HOF Nom's..

Seventeen finalists will be cut to seven, with at least four - and a maximum of seven - chosen for the Canton, Ohio, shrine by a panel of 44 selectors. To be elected, a finalist must receive a minimum of 80 percent of the votes.

Paul Tagliabue gets another shot..yawn..

Darrell Green and Cris Carter are the only first-time eligibles who made the finals.

Art Monk and Andre Reed.- I say hell yeah to both these gents.

Guards Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Randall McDaniel.- Randall was a force.

Tackle Gary Zimmerman

The defensive finalists are ends Fred Dean and Richard Dent; linebackers Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett.

The Senior Committee nominees are Chicago Cardinals back Marshall Goldberg and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas

The final guy is punter Ray Guy.-Can I get an amen on Ray Guy please?