Sunday, January 13th, 2008

Who are you fooling? Let's Move On.

Roger Clemens didn't do much to convince anyone of his innocence. He continued his denials on "60 Minutes" Sunday evening, getting angry at times, but somehow didn't come across as honest. Watching the interview I couldn't help notice he seemed to fidget and blink a lot and looked nervous. Despite that, he appeared to be very prepared, more so than any big baseball game he has pitched in, and was careful in his choice of words.

He said just enough to not slander McNamee and just enough to not commit to a lie detector test.

Overall, I was impressed that Clemens stuck to his guns. If he goes down, you can't say he didn't battle. The thing I don't understand is the release of the taped phone call early in the week that seemed to not really convey anything, and only seemed to make both parties look bad. Roger looks underhanded for secretly making the recording, and in some cases, stupid, for not getting McNamee to admit he lied (if he did). McNamee looks bad for asking his famed line over and over of "What do you want me to do?" This only solidifies what we knew; we aren't dealing with the most ethical or brightest of characters.

The saga will continue when both will be in front of a baseball congressional committee sometime in February. Under oath, will the Rocket stick to his story or break down? Will he gain support if he continues to deny the reports? Will McNamee add anything, like hard proof, to corroborate his story? Will anything at all be solved, or will baseball be left with the same questions?

Donald Fehr, Bud Selig and George Mitchell will first go in front of the committee next week, and will try to shed some light on how baseball will move on, but can they really move on with all of these unanswered questions and no HGH test? I think they are in for a long and tedious battle.

 
Cameron Close to going to Milwaukee

The latest home for Mike Cameron looks like it will be Milwaukee. I really don't understand the interest in Cameron every year. Besides his barely decent 20 stolen bases a year and above average Center Field play, Mike Cameron is nothing special. He somehow has justified himself to teams to rake in around 7 million a year over the last 5 years. Mike can be counted on to battle for the league lead in strikeouts year after year, and be injured a few times. He NEVER hit .280, has hit 30 homers once, and has knocked in 100RBI only once as well, which is remarkable for someone making 7 million a year and mentioned in deals all the time. He was a major piece in the deal for Seattle when they traded Ken Griffey Jr., but obviously didn't fill those shoes.
Fantasy Impact: I always recommend leaving Cameron alone unless you are desperate for steals and don't get penalized for KOs.

Glaus-Rolen Deal....rolling the dice...

Both teams here are taking a shot here with this injured third basemen swap. Scott Rolen had to leave St. Louis, we know that, but I thought the Cards would go a different direction and try to land some prospects.Troy Glaus may work out well though in St. Louis. He was out at times last year with foot injuries, so playing on grass every day will extend his career. Although he rarely hits over .260 and strikes out a ton, he can blast the homers with the best of them and play a decent 3B. Rolen on the other hand had upper body injuries, so the turf won't be much of an issue. He is a constant gold glover and former offensive star. He averages in the .280s over his career with Philly and the Cards, and should be able to exceed in the Sky Dome and against American League pitching.
Fantasy Impact: Both players will be ranked higher this year than last year. Look for Rolen to put together a great year, although I don't see 30 homers anymore for him. Something in the .290 25 95 is very feasible. Glaus on the other hand will hit over 30 home runs, but the lack of DH will prevent 40 and 100 RBIs for him. Also, although the slower infield will lower his errors, it will also keep his average down. I see something like .260 36 85 for him. When shopping for a 3B, if you want a possible sleeper, take Rolen. If you need the power and don't mind the KOs, go for Glaus.

• What happened to Marcus Giles? He was heralded as the next Ryne Sandberg for a few years and now can't even land a secure major league job. HGH?

• The more and more Johan Santana goes untraded, the more I feel the Mets will get him.

• If Roger was innocent, why wouldn't he push the issue further than he is?
 
• Has the idea of freezing the blood for later HGH testing been thought of? This might deter a lot of use.

• Texas hasn't been able to field a good team since AROD joined the team. Wow, he really messed them up.

• Do you think Donald Fehr will admit he is part to blame for the lack urgency towards drug issues? I am sure he will take some credit, but he always seems to have an excuse or a "but" when discussing any issues.

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