Rosenthal Is Blunt On Clemens

Ken Rosenthal pulls no punches in his article today, telling it like it is on all sorts of pressing baseball issues.  It’s like his editors told him to inject an extra dose of attitude into today’s column.

On the Rocket:  "Is there anything more tired than the annual Clemens courtship ritual? Clemens’ flirtations with the Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers are merely designed to get him top dollar from the Astros."

I have to agree; the Clemens thing feels like deja vu all over again and it’s a shame that this is currently one of the biggest stories.  Let’s play some ball already!

On Bonds:  "Even if Bonds stays healthy, his passing of Ruth likely would be met with ambivalence outside of San Francisco, even anger. Unknowingly or not, Bonds used substances alleged to be steroids."

I know a lot of folks feel this way, but I’m in the minority.  I’m not going to worship Bonds as a role model, but I have to witness in person the greatest player of my generation.  I’ll be in attendance when the Cubs host the Giants in early September, and I’m going to tell my grandkids about watching Bonds play.  Unless he sits that day, in which case I’ll be really pissed.

On Bagwell:  "…sympathy for the Astros should go only so far — they’re the ones who awarded Bagwell a back-loaded, five-year contract when he was 32."

No kidding!  Same goes for the Yankees when 35 year-old Johnny Damon is earning $13MM to bumble around in center field in 2009.  I have a feeling, though, that the Yankees won’t be complaining as they’re fully aware that 2009 is a sunk cost here.