I Hate Roger Clemens, Yankees

Roger Clemens is a punk. Arguably the greatest pitcher of all time, but a punk nonetheless. He’s like the pudgy kid in fourth grade that becomes a bully out of self-defense, so no one will make fun of what a fat sack of crap he is. That kid will pick on you right up until you fight back, then run home and cry when you pop him one on the nose.

That’s why Mike Piazza has no sack. There, I said it. When Clemens threw that bat fragment at Piazza in the Series, Clemens was testing the Mets, specifically Piazza, to see if they were willing to stand up to him, like a bully picking on the new kid on the first day of school. By not charging the mound, Piazza effectively gave up his lunch money, and the rest of the team followed his lead and rolled over, too.

If Rocket Roger was really interested in being the pitching savior for the Yankees, he damn well would have been ready to pitch against the Red Sox in Fenway. Instead, he waited to join the team until he would start against the punchless Pirates. Whether or not the Yankees have a shot at the postseason this year will depend not on how well they play against other teams (they're too talented, slow start aside, not to win their share of games) but on how well they do against the Red Sox. If they want to hold onto the AL East, they pretty much need to win out against the Sox, not beat up on a crappy NL Central team that Roger's beaten six times in nine starts since 2004. Wuss.

Having said that, the Mets are playing like absolute crap right now. I would actually cut off a finger for a win at this point. Not my finger, mind you; but somebody's.

Anyway, one of my favorite things on the internets are the upcoming series previews on Metsgeek.com. I always check it out when the Mets start a new series, especially if it's against a team with whose pitchers I am not familiar. Alex Nelson does a great job of telling you about the match-ups, who's pitching against whom; who throws what, and how both teams are playing in general. Good stuff.