Clemens - For the Love of the Game ---- NOT!!!

Roger Clemens took the Yankees to the cleaners....as a Yankees fan, I have some serious reservations about the signing....

It has always been about the money for Clemens....the guy is 44-years old and he is trying to fool the public that he is playing for the love of the game - that is crap...he's playing for the $$$$.....

The Yankees are fools for paying $4.5 million a MONTH to a 44-year-old pitcher who can only give you 6 good innings.....and to top it off, the bum doesn’t have to travel with the team if he is not scheduled to start on the road.....

The Yankees do need starting pitching, but general manager Brian Cashman should not have bowed down and kissed Clemens’ ass.....at his age, Clemens should have signed a $4.5 million contract for the season, not per month.....Clemens and his family are financially set for life....he should be grateful that he is still able to pitch and contribute to a possible World Series caliber team.....instead, it was about the money.....don’t let Clemens fool you.....

Coming Monday
"I'm just a kid from Toledo who followed her dreams"
Exclusive interview with national sports columnist Christine Brennan of USA Today....Christine talks about some of the good things in sports.....what it's like covering sporting events....and how she got started in journalism.....

Five Good Questions with . . . Rob Bradford & Ed Price about the Red Sox & Yankees

Today we have a classic doubleheader - Red Sox - Yankees.....today’s "Five Good Questions" is with Rob Bradford of The Boston Herald and Ed Price of The Newark Star-Ledger.....Rob covers the Boston Red Sox while Ed covers the New York Yankees.....first up is Rob about the Sox....

Q1. Just over a month into the season, how would rate the Red Sox performance so far?
There are few things which you can pinpoint as disappointments for this team thus far (other than the loss of Roger Clemens). The biggest concern through spring training, the bullpen, has been both protected by the starters' workload, but has come through when counted upon. The bottom the order is starting to hit thanks to the recent hot stretch by Coco Crisp, and most recently, Dustin Pedroia. Perhaps Daisuke Matsuzaka's struggles have come somewhat of a surprise, but he has also shown enough to believe that production isn't far away. It is one month, but you can only go by what you see so far.

Q2. With a lot of the leaders, such as Trot Nixon, Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon, etc, from the 2004 team gone, who is now the clubhouse leader?
Obviously you have Jason Varitek serving the role as the captain, but I think a couple of steady influences have been Mike Lowell and Alex Cora. Both are very professional and seem to set somewhat of a tone. David Ortiz also supplies a pretty big presence in the clubhouse.

Q3. Dice-K has not looked that spectacular so far. Is he just another over-priced pitcher?
Again, I don't think after what he has shown in spring training and early in the season that you can classify Matsuzaka as a bust. Put it this way, if the season ended today and he became a free agent how much money do you think he would command? The answer is a lot ... top of the rotation kind of coin. He just needs to figure out a few things in terms of pitching from the stretch, which is where his problems have popped up. But it certainly seems like a fixable problem.

Q4. What areas do the Sox have to improve upon?
Julio Lugo has to show a bit more offensively at the top of the order, and Hideki Okajima has to prove he can be an 8th inning guy over an extended period of time. I think that the emergence of Alex Cora has really allowed the Red Sox some flexibility with Pedroia's progression and Lugo's effectiveness.

Q5. Last question, the Sox have taken 5 of 6 from the Yankees. Are the Sox that much better than New York or did Boston just catch the Yanks in a slump?
The true test against the Yankees won't come until both rotations are at full strength and matched up against one another. That moment may come in early June at Fenway Park. When healthy, you have two pretty evenly matched teams. The problem for New York is that while it was riding out this rash of injuries to its starters the bullpen has been drastically over-used. The return of Clemens makes it a lot more fun, doesn't it?

Now Ed Price about the Yankees....

Q1. First off, with the sweep of Texas and wins on Saturday and Sunday, has the pressure cooled a bit on Joe Torre about losing his job?
I think the Clemens announcement and the team's recent play has everyone on the Yankees optimistic, so Torre seems to be safe.

Q2. What do you expect from Roger Clemens this season?
He is in his mid-40s? He is 45. But he shows few signs of slowing. I expect him to be able to give 6 innings of 3-run ball most of the time -- good enough to win with the Yankees lineup.

Q3. Have the New York fans finally relented and accepted A-Rod?
A-Rod will be accepted wholeheartedly if he helps the Yankees win a World Series, like Scott Brosius or Tino Martinez.

Q4. What is the status of Mariano Rivera?
I think Rivera will be OK, but one of these years he has to drop off -- I think.

Q5. After a terrible April, have the Yankees begun to steady the ship and get back on course for the rest of the season?
I think there are still pitching questions, so it will be an uphill battle.....

I want to thank Rob and Ed for their time....

Five Good Questions with . . . Rick Braun of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about the Brewers

Today's "Five Good Questions" is with Rick Braun of The Milwakee Journal-Sentinel....Rick covers the Milwaukee Brewers and was gracious enough to take a few minutes to respond about the Brewers stellar season so far....

Q1. Are you surprised the Brewers have one of the best records in baseball so far?
I would say I'm not surprised they're good, but the best record in baseball has to be a surprise. Still, it's no fluke. They have top-notch starting pitching and a top-notch bullpen.

Q2. Before last season, the Brewers were many publications "surprise" team. However, that did not happen last year. Why are the Brewers a better team than they were last season?
Well, the easy answer is they aren't having the injuries they had last year. Hardy is playing like he's Robin Yount in his prime, and he missed all but the first six weeks last year. Fielder is the real deal. At this point last year, almost to the date, they lost Sheets and Tomo Ohka for extended periods. This year they may very well have the best five-man rotation in baseball. And they have the depth to withstand injuries this year.

Q3. Many people across the country do not know much about manager Ned Yost. Briefly tell us about him and his baseball philosophy.
Simply put, he's just a baseball guy. Lives it, breathes it. And he's not afraid to go against the grain every now and then.

Q4. What are the strengths of the Milwaukee team?
Probably the best pitching in baseball from a 1-12 standpoint. They have five starters and a good starter in the bullpen and another good, young starter at Triple-A in Yovani Gallardo, who is a future No. 1 starter.

Q5. What areas must the Brewers improve upon in order to stay in the race?
Just stay healthy and maybe add a left-hander for the bullpen. Other than that, just keep doing what they're doing.

I want to thank Rick for taking the time to respond.....

Coming next week!!! -- an interview with USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan....

Five Good Questions with . . . Bruce Jenkins of The S.F. Chronicle about the Golden State Warriors

Today's "Five Good Questions" is with Bruce Jenkins of The San Francisco Chronicle....Bruce covers the Golden State Warriors and was gracious enough to take a few minutes to respond after the Warriors' stunning upset of Dallas last week.....

Q1. How significant was this series win for the Golden State franchise?
It was its most significant in 32 years, since the night they beat Washington for the 1975 NBA title. Their last playoff appearance was 1994, their last first-round victory 1991. But this ranks so high because it is, literally, the biggest playoff upset in NBA history.

Q2. Why did the Warriors have Dallas' "number" this year? Why were they able to beat this team?
Because they found a way to defense Dirk Nowitzki and because Don Nelson, who basically groomed Dallas coach Avery Johnson for his job, is a superior basketball mind.

Q3. How far do you think the Warriors can go in the playoffs?
I think they will win the next round, against either Utah or Houston, but lose to either San Antonio or Phoenix.

Q4. In your opinion, was it good for the NBA as a whole to see its best team, Dallas, lose in the first round?
If it were a truly compelling team like Phoenix, it would have been a disaster. After watching this hopeless-looking Dallas team at work, I don't think anybody's going to miss them.

Q5. Could you talk about the play and leadership of Baron Davis?
Only injuries have slowed his play, which has been on a world-class level since his days at UCLA. His toughness is remarkable, especially as he plays through knee and hamstring injuries. He leads the team by playing through pain, telling the guys there is no such thing as pressure, and by taking the important shots.

I want to thank Bruce for taking the time to respond......

Note - There will be no blog entry tomorrow because I will be at an all-day work-related conference....."Five Good Questions" will be back on Wednesday with a report from Rick Braun of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about the red-hot Brewers.....