Cliff Lee Goes Back to Philly

There is always that one guy that you can't get over. Despite his playboyish ways - dating you along with many other girls and eventually sending you packing - you only see his good looks and charm and are always ready to come crawling back. Well for all-star pitcher Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies are that guy.

Lee, a free agent (meaning he can be signed by any team), has just announced a new deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for a five-year $120 million deal. The Phillies came out of nowhere to win over Cliff Lee, as the Texas Rangers and NY Yankees were thought to be leading the negotiations. Lee not only gave up a bucket full of cash from the Yankees and Rangers, but also was able to overlook the fact that the Phillies once traded him across the country saying they couldnt afford him and yet signed pitcher Roy Halladay to a huge deal! Don't those Phillies sounds like that skeazy heartbreaker you know all too well?

So now Cliff Lee is running back to the Phillies who once sent him packing. The Phillies are also adding Lee to a stacked list of pitchers so it looks like Lee will be just one of many relationships the team will manage. If Lee had stayed with the Rangers he would have been the prized one and only love of the team. Now, he will have to share the spotlight and attention with an organization that once turned their back on him.

It is hard not to cheer for a player move that involves a player placing his interests over money, but in this case, Lee is still getting a big paycheck yet returning to the team that once left him heartbroken. He claims that he is more comfortable in Philly, but isn't that the tactic of a charmer? Sad to see the heartbreaker win out, cause we all know that they don't change.

Dodger Unable to Dodge Drama

A new development was announced this week in the McCourt divorce drama. The McCourts bought the Los Angeles Dodgers years ago, but now the ownership of the team is in limbo. Here is the short story:

The McCourts bought the team in 2004 and shortly thereafter entered into an agreement that is now the subject of their divorce dispute. The agreement was allegedly created to separate the team from the McCourts other properties in case the team suffered financial hardship. The team was to be Frank McCourt's property, while the couple's real estate would become Jamie McCourt's property. Jamie adamantly denies this allegation, claiming that the team is community property, shared by the couple. The agreement was signed six times, three of which conform with Jamie's understanding of the agreement, and three of which are in line with Frank's opinion of what occurred. The couple was divorced in late 2009 and are still just revving up a lengthy divorce battle over control of the Dodgers.

Last week, Jamie rejected a mediator's decision regarding the divorce and instead proceeded to the first phase of a trial. This week the judge leading the trial ruled that the agreement signed between the couples does not give Frank sole ownership of the team. This is a huge victory for Jamie, but one that is going to draw out this battle for years into the future, unless the parties can agree on a settlement arrangement. A likely settlement would require the parties to sell the team outright and split the proceeds.

Unfortunately, at this point it is bad for baseball, the Dodgers, and L.A. if either of the McCourts continue to control the team. The team will not only be the subject of costly litigation, but also a casualty in an ugly divorce. Any other individual will bring a better image to the team and hope to Los Angeles.

McCourts - it is time to give it up. Take a check now, because otherwise your legal fees will continue to diminish your bottom line, publicly and financially.

Agent Boras Scrutinized

Since making it big by representing players like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez ("A-Rod), competing agents have hoped for a day to catch agent Scott Boras in illegal activity. Boras has dominated the baseball market for many years, making it difficult for other agents to compete. Well now, those agents may have a chance for a little break...

Boras is now being questioned for making illegal payments to prospective players in the Dominican Republic. The NY Times reports that Boras has made payments to prospects in the Dominican that violate the Union's rules for agents. Agents are only allowed to give loans of less than $500 to prospects unless disclosed to the Union. This regulation is designed to minimize the dependence a prospect has on an agent. Boras allegedly provided players in the Dominican of upwards of $70,000!

It is unclear what punishments, if any, Boras will receive from the Union, but this activity will not go unnoticed.

Note: Boras' alleged payments to Dominican prospects are more carefully scrutinized than those made by investors and hedge funds as reported earlier this week. This is due to the additional dependency players have on the expertise of agents, as well as, the regulations agents are subject to within the confines of the Union.

US Investors Look to Latin Baseball Futures

The NYTimes ran an interesting article yesterday revealing the new investment of some big players in Domincan Republic youngsters. The idea is that the investors and hedge funds front money now for young baseball prospects in the DR with the hope of receiving a big payday when the youngster gets signed to the MLB. These investors furnish trainers with facilities and resources to train boys in their young teens. When the player is then signed to a MLB team, the investors receive 50% of the player's bonuses (while an agent only gets 15%).

Sounds interesting, but is it exploitation of these desperate young teens? Many of the boys forgo formal schooling for this baseball training and are rumored to possibly being intertwined in steroid use. Moreover, the facilities vary between the camps, from state-of-the-art to cramped quarters resembling a prison with barbed wire.

The bottom line is that there is no regulation of investment in Latin baseball futures as there are in other investments. With this investment, boys are encouraged to forego schooling and other opportunities to make US investors a profit. Money is money and as usual it seems to put our priorities a bit out of whack.

The SF Misfits are Unlikely Champions!

No one thought that they could do it, but the SF did the impossible and won the World Series last night by beating the Texas Rangers. This is the first title for the Giants since 1954 and the first for the San Francisco Giants, since the team relocated to California from New York. Despite the team's great pitching, the squad is more well known for its hair styles and love of marijuana - quite a good fit for its home city.

Although winning was a bit surreal, the players sound as though they are enjoying a high:

• Closer Brian Wilson with his secret power beard felt "stoic" but that he "want[s] to rage, right now." Not sure how the "rage" is going to happen with his stocisim and slow talking, especially, because all he could say about winning was that it was "sweet."
• Barry Zito reflected on the night saying "Holy Crap, this is pretty special."

Keep the high going, because it may be another 50 years before you can recapture the feeling.

Leavin' it to the Youngins

Last night in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series, SF rookie duo, pitcher Madison Bumgarner and catcher Buster Posey, were the first rookie pair to win a World Series game. Bumgarner is only 20 years old - the fourth youngest starter to win a World Series game! His amazing performance last night was mainly due to his incredible ability to throw strikes on his first pitch to each batter (he averaged strikes 50+% of the time in his first pitch during the season, but last night reached 70+%).

Game 5 of the series, which SF now leads 3-1, is tonight in Texas with star pitcher Cliff Lee returning to the stage. Tune in to see whether Cliff Lee can pull it out and keep the Rangers alive.

Explosive Hitting in Game 1

Despite the match up of two all-star pitchers in Game 1 of the World Series (Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers took on Tim Lincecum of the SF Giants), the teams scored a total of 18 runs! The Giants pulled out the win with 11 runs and forced Rangers manager to pull Cliff Lee in the 5th inning. Between the two teams, 12 pitchers were used throughout the game!

Even with the great hitting by the Giants, former Giant all-star batter, Barry Bonds , stated that one day he would like to be a hitting coach for his old team. Bonds said that he "[has] a gift and sooner or later I have to give it away. . .I have to share it. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity here." Well, it doesn't look like the Giants need you Barry - especially since you are soon to face perjury charges in federal court for denying your use of steroids. Why don't you focus on not going to jail before you try to get a fresh start in baseball.

What to Watch This Weekend

Whatever your fancy, there is a ton of good sports to tune into this weekend:

MLB

• Tonight see the Yanks face the Rangers, where Texas will try again to close it out and head to the World Series. (8 pm est.)
• And since the SF Giants failed to close out the Phillies last night at home, they will now be forced to head back east and win on foreign soil. (Saturday 4 pm est.)

NFL

• As you are aware, Sunday is all about football. This week just catch a few minutes and see if you can see the hits get softer. The players are worried about getting suspended and fined so it will be interesting to see if the game changes.

NCAA Football

• The SEC showdown of the week is fourth ranked Auburn v. sixth ranked LSU. You won't see any southern charm at this match-up because the pride of the south is on the line. (Saturday 3:30 pm est. CBS)
• Wisconsin, ranked 15th, takes on Iowa, ranked 13th, will be a tight match. Will it be the corn or the cheese that wins out? (Saturday 3:30 pm est. ABC/ESPN)

Baseball Update - Year of the Underdog?

It looks like it is going to be the year of the underdog in the MLB. The SF Giants have the opportunity to go to the World Series tonight by beating out the Philadelphia Phillies. And on Friday night, the Texas Rangers go home to try to knock out the almighty Yankees.

If these two teams can pull out wins it will be bigger than Jason Wu beating out the Oscar de la Rentas for Michele Obama's inaugural gown and Roberto Benigni beating out Tom Hanks and Nick Nolte for Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance in "Life is Beautiful." (Although Benigni's winning speech will never be topped by any game winning celebration!)

Underdog Rangers

The Texas Rangers just a couple of months ago were in the midst of a tumultuous bankruptcy proceeding where Nolan Ryan beat out Mark Cuban to get control of the team. Well now, the Rangers are just one game away from the World Series!!! And to add to their credit, it is the Yankees that they are about to take down to get there - yes, the Yankees, the team with the highest payroll and stacked line-up.

Tune in tonight to see if the Rangers can make it to the big dance. 3 p.m. est.

The Next Round: MLB Playoff Picture

The MLB is divided into the American and National Leagues. Each league crowns a champion that then go head to head in the World Series. Well, after last night's Texas Rangers victory, the fields have been set. In the American League, the Texas Rangers will face the NY Yankees, and in the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies are matched up against the San Francisco Giants.

American League Division Series:

The Yankees seem to always be a favorite, but the Rangers are coming with some strong momentum. The Rangers postseason series win against the Tampa Bay Rays is the first in the team's franchise history! And more importantly, it wasn't only the pitching of Cliff Lee that got them there, but also their heads up aggressive base running. (In last night's game, runs were scored from two infield hits!)

National League Division Series:
The pitching is the talk of the 2010 postseason, but the match up between the Phillies and Giants will be the ultimate pitching exhibition. The Phillies have the big three, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, agains the Giants' top four (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner). Every game of the series will be a showdown with these lineups. The Phillies are hoping to be the next dynasty - if they win this series they will be the first NL team to reach the World Series three years in a row since the 1940s! (Now mind you, there is much more these Phillies will have to prove in the World Series to truly be a dynasty.)

MLB Instant Replay Discussions

This year's MLB postseason is already spurring more talk about implementing instant replay into the game. Last night, two managers were ejected from their respective games after arguing with the umps over calls - Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon and Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. Instant replay would minimize arguments, ejections, and most importantly, the risk that a game (or even a series) would be decided on a poor call by an ump. Despite the benefits, many feel that instant replay would effect the integrity game - its like buying a pack of cookies instead of baking them yourself.

Nonetheless, representatives from the MLBPA, the players' union, are trying to set up a meeting between players, umpires, and the Commissioner's office, after the season to discuss the issue. The likelihood of this meeting happening is slim, and in the meantime the MLB can only pray that a postseason game or series is not decided on a blown call.

Fidel Castro's Olive Branch

Apparently, Fidel Castro is getting smarter with age. The Wall Street Journal reports that Castro, the controversial Cuban leader, is attempting to get the United States to drop its travel ban to Cuba in order to spark the struggling Cuban economy. And one way with which Castro attempts to boost his government is by exploiting Cuban baseball players in the MLB.

ESPN Deportes reports that Castro is considering allowing his Cuban baseball phenoms to enter the MLB. (Cuba is known for some great baseball so it would definietly boost the MLB.) Yet, nothing is quite as it seems with Castro - and the same is true here as indicated by the conditions Castro would impose on the Cuban players. The most startling is the requirement that the Cuban government would automatically take 40% of the MLB players' salaries for government use. Crazy, right? Cuban baseballers are supposed to make big MLB dollars with hard work to then support Castro's Cohiba addiction!

True, it is unlikely that the MLB or even the US would permit such an arrangement, but compromise of some kind may be on the horizon as Cuba's economy could use a boost and lifting the embargo is the way to do it.

Cuban Pitching Phenom

The Cincinnati Reds lucked out with a Cuban minor league pitcher, Aroldis Chapman, whom the team just called up from the minor league. Chapman pitched one perfect inning in his major league debut yesterday against the Milwaukee Brewers, by throwing pitches that were just too fast to hit. He threw several pitches that clocked over 100 mph!!! Most star MLB pitchers consistently pitch in the high 80s and 90s mph. One of the fastest MLB pitchers ever, Randy Johnson, once clocked a pitch at 103 mph. Well, phenom Chapman already has that beat in the minors with a pitch of 105 mph! And just one mph can truly make a difference to a batter. Chapman will surely make a difference in the Reds' bullpen towards the end of this season.

One thing that the Democrats and Republicans can Agree on: Roger Clemens is a Liar

Yesterday, a federal grand jury indicted Roger Clemens for lying to Congress about his use of performance enhancing drugs ("PED"). Clemens, also known as the "Rocket," was an all-star pitcher in the MLB from 1984-2007, who played for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. The Rocket won a record seven Cy Young Awards (the best pitcher award) and is one of only four pitchers to have over 4,000 strikeouts in his career.

The indictment is based upon statements Clemens made during a hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2008 regarding his PED use, where Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee contradicted each other numerous times. McNamee insists on having injected Clemens with steroids and HGH upon Clemens' instruction and since the hearing has presented Congress with damning evidence including syringes containing steroids. (The Washington Post reported that those syringes contained not only steroids, but also Clemens' DNA.) Some of Clemens' former teammates have even corroborated McNamee's story. Clemens is likely to face a jury trial in the upcoming year and if convicted, will probably face over one year in jail.

Clemens will have an uphill battle fighting this indictment and hopefully he has the evidence to back up his innocence. His constant and outspoken denial of PED use (including a tweet just after the indictment) reveal that he is in for a long fight.

Yet, the real issue here to me is why the hell Congress is wasting its time and resources investigating MLB PED use? Isn't the economic hole our country is in a much more important battle for our Congress to focus on then that of MLB steroid use? Why isn't MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig taking on this fight on behalf of the league instead of leaving it to Congress to fight on his behalf? (To his credit, Selig did initiate some of the steroid investigation with the Mitchell Report, but only after he ignored PED usage for years and has since turned the responsibility over to Congress.)

Call me crazy, but our Congress' priorities are out of whack: a baseball player lying about steroid use takes a backseat to our economy and the implications of the recession.

Will the MLB make an Example out of Rodriguez?

For years, the professional leagues have failed to take a hard stance on domestic abuse incidents with their players. Instead, the leagues seem to focus on the illegalities of steroids, marijuana, and, oh yeah, dog fighting. Well, after last night's arrest of New York Mets player Francisco Rodriguez, maybe the tides have turned (yet, I wouldn't bet on it).

Last night, Rodriguez was arrested and charged with assault after injuring his father-in-law in an altercation at Citi Field. Rodriguez was immediately charged with third degree assault, because this incident falls within the domestic violence laws of NY state, which permit the state to impose assault charges in a domestic violence situation regardless of whether the victim chooses to press charges.

The cause of the fight is still unknown. Rodriguez did not play in the Mets loss, so the incident likely involves a personal issue.

Rodriguez has a history of confrontations with various individuals in the league, yet none reaching the level of this altercation with his father-in-law and none resulting in any type of sanction. Although, this situation does not involve a typical domestic abuse altercation, as Rodriguez's wife was not involved, it is important to see how the MLB and the Mets respond.