The Rocket, the Draft and a Look Around the Majors

Kudos to J Schubes' new O's. I hate Roger Clemens. I hate him for Game 2 of the 2000 World Series when he threw Monster's broken bat at him and I hate him for drilling Monster in the head earlier that season.

I hate that baseball is a game where the Yankees can pay more for one player ($28 mil) than the Devil Rays can pay their entire ball club ($24.1 mil) and then put them in the same division. Put two and two together and when Roger Clemens pitches for the Yankees, there is a lot of anger running through an otherwise happy Sip's veins.

Which is why this delectable 1-3 start of the Rocket's is so appealing. Wednesday's 6 innings which started with some grimacing and ended in pain (getting lit up) was so satisfying.

That the Yankees can't beat the Orioles, the joke of basebasll for the entire month of June is funny. But Roger Clemens looking like a #4 starter is funnier.

This is a guy that should be the best pitcher never to win a World Series ring. That he has one is the product of begging his way on to the end of the Yankees dynasty, onto a team that would have won one without him.

Any way you slice it, 1-3 is a nice start for the $28million dollar man. And 36-39 is a swell place to see those Bombers almost halfway through the season.

Here are some other thoughts. Back to back solid starts for Tommy G. No longer "The Spy" and no longer pitching like he did for about 3 weeks leading up to June 22nd, it's good to have our ace back. It's no surprise that as your #1 starter goes, so does your ball club.

Case in point, the New Cubs. Carlos Zambrano has looked like the $150 million dollar starter he will probably be come December (4-1, 37.2IP, 6 ER, 43K's in his last 5 starts). If they continue to get the consistent starting out of Hill, Marquis and Lilly, and if Ryan Dempster doesn't blow up completely, this team can make a serious run in the Central.

The Dodgers also look really really tough. Losing Jason Schmidt killed them but Penny-Lowe-Wolf is very solid, Broxton-Saito has been lights out and with the emergence of James Loney, the lineup is very very good 1-8.

All this means the NL is getting stronger. The league is abot 5-6 solid teams deep, compared to last year when there may have been 2.5.

And now to one of my favorite days of the year: The NBA Draft.

I'm off to Chicago to visit my boy Danny D, see my cousins and hit up Wrigley. Of course, 2 months back I booked a flight the night of the draft. KILL ME/Don't call or text me. I'm tivoing.

A couple of notes regarding the draft.

- Whatever the Knicks do will be comical.

There are hints of them trading up to get Sean Williams, a 6'11 shotblocker from BC who got kicked off the team after about 19 incidents.

The other guy you read a lot about is Wilson Chandler. He's a 6'7 scrappy swingman who is supposed to be a 2nd rounder. Some Renaldo Balkman deja vu.

According to Isiah, what he does with his pick is not that important because he already stole a 1st rounder in Randolph Morris. That's about the dumbest thing I could imagine. Why not get 2 good players, Isiah, instead of making an excuse for your 2nd pick before you even select him?

- Oden vs. Durant.

You have your choice. Seems to me like you can't go wrong either way. I would saty I like Durant more, but Bill Simmons ruined that. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER PART OF THIS DRAFT.

- Billy Simmons has been raving about Al Thornton, a 6'8 forward from Florida State.

He won't shut up about the guy, claiming he is the next messiah and whatever else. I am almost positive that Bill simmons has not seen Al Thornton play more than 5 times in his entire life. How could he have? Thornton plays for FSU who is NEVER on television as the #8 team in the ACC.

Simmons saw one memorable highlight dunk, read his name when FSU was on the bubble and after reading that Chad Ford likes him (where Simmons gets every ounce of info only to regurgitate as his own -- unlike Gordon Wood).

Simmons' lack of true knowledge is so obvious it's sad. That he tries to pawn it off like he is an expert is even more sad. There is nothing wrong with allowing the experts to be experts and doing what you do best, Bill, and be a fan.

We all know about the Gators and Oden and Durant and most guys in the top15 because they were on TV so often. To say that you are in love with the one Top-15 prospect that is not Chineese who most people might not know about, just so that if he pans out, you look smart and if not, you shrug it off is a pansy's approach to sports forcasting.

Whoever can deliver this message to the Sports Guy, please do. I'd love to get in an altercation. I think he is great when he is being Bill the "Super Fan," I really do.

But if I sit here and listen to him babble about "Cap Space" just because he understand a very basic concept of the NBA salary structure, I might go out to LA and do something really bad to him.

That's all. New Mets, Old Knicks, Same Sip.

Vaya,

Sip

(Images courtesy of chroniclejournal.com, digitalderke.typepad.com and mlive.com)