As the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.”

It appears Red Sox Nation has had enough of Manny being Manny. For the past week, Boston sports talk-radio airwaves have been inundated with callers who appear to have had enough of the savant slugger, who recently pulled himself out of the Sox lineup twice. Manny stated it was due to a cranky knee, but MRIs came up negative on both knees.

It was one thing for Ramirez to pull himself out of the lineup against the lowly Seattle Mariners, but when he sat again in the first game of the most recent Yankees series at Fenway Park, all hell broke loose in New England. More important than fans and radio talk-show hosts, it also appears the Red Sox brass has had enough of Manny’s quirkiness. What appeared to be a no-brainer two weeks ago – that the Sox would pick up the team’s $20M 2009 option for Ramirez – now seems as likely as John McCain winning Massachusetts in November.

Manny quitting on loyal Sox fans and, more importantly, his teammates is deplorable. Letting teammates down is the mortal sin of an athlete. However, let’s not kid ourselves. Pro sports are all about winning. As a reminder, until 2004, Sox fans had not seen a World Championship since 1918. They’ve now witnessed two since 2004. Would they have done so without Ramirez? Probably not. Had they not won those two championships, would fans and Sox brass still want Manny to walk? My guess is no.

Manny Ramirez is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Does that forgive him for his recent actions? Not in real life, but this is not real life. It’s Major League Baseball. Lest we forget the indiscretions of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Juan Marichal, Mickey Mantle, Barry Bonds, et al.

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are the best 3-4 hitters the game has seen since Ruth and Gehrig. So, be careful what you wish for Sox fans … and enjoy it while you can. Those days may be gone soon. And with it, championships.

The Texas Con Man was a name given to Roger Clemens during his tenure with the Boston Red Sox by the late, great Boston Globe sportswriter William “Will” McDonough. Will took much grief from Sox fans and some media colleagues for what many thought a harsh title for one of the Red Sox all-time greats. Little did we know the true wisdom of Will.

Unfortunately, McDonough passed away on January 9, 2003 at the tender age of 67. However, I’m sure those who knew him – or was occasionally in his company at sporting events, as was I – know that Will has a huge grin on his face today. How right he was.

I was a huge Clemens fan. I remember the skinny kid’s debut with the Red Sox in May of 1984. I watched him pitch many times at Fenway Park and saw every one of his 20-strikeouts in the historical game versus the Seattle Mariners in April 1986. It was a masterpiece – and, to this day, probably one of the great pitching performances of all-time. I also recall numerous arguments with a New Jersey friend – a Mets’ fan, regarding who was better; Clemens or Dwight Gooden. That argument faded after the 1986 season when Clemens posted a 24-4 record and won both the CY Young and MVP awards.

For many Sox fans, McDonough’s The Texas Con Man name began gaining popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as Clemens’ words became more confounding and nonsensical. But, little did we know how much real truth there was to Will’s insightful nickname.

Has any sports hero fallen from grace as quickly as Roger Clemens? In 2006, a poll of 32 ESPN analysts voted Clemens the greatest living pitcher – and many considered him the greatest pitcher of all-time, or at least of the modern game. However, in a matter of a few months, Clemens has been accused of possible steroid use, potential infidelity, a questionable relationship with an under-age girl, and only God (and the New York Daily News) knows what’s next.

Clemens has gone from Cooperstown to OJ-town … the town of non-desirables.

My apology to Will McDonough. You were accurate from the beginning.

---

Would you vote Roger Clemens into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Cast your vote on The Hall Of Fame Network poll: www.HOFN.com.

---

This year’s Hall of Fame Baseball Game in Cooperstown, New York will be the 69th and last. Major League Baseball has cancelled the game. The Annual Hall of Fame Game began in 1940, with the Chicago Cubs defeating the Boston Red Sox, 10-9. This year’s game, showcasing the Cubs versus the San Diego Padres, will be played on June 16 at Doubleday Field.

The cancellation of the game has created controversy and anger. Below is a letter from Baseball Commission Bud Selig in response to various members of Congress asking him to reverse MLB’s decision to cancel the game. Below the Commissioner’s letter is a response from www.savethefamegame.com creator Kristian Connolly.

Posted by Don Gilbert
_________________________

Commissioner Selig’s Letter to Lawmakers

Note: Bracketed text indicates the two parts of the letter that were different in the various versions.

Dear [Lawmaker]

Thank you for your thoughtful letter of [Date]. I certainly agree with you that the Hall of Fame and Cooperstown are important parts of Baseball’s heritage.

While I appreciate the sentiments expressed in your letter, allow me to elaborate on some of the reasons that went into the decision to eliminate the annual Hall of Fame Game in its current format after this year. As you know, our teams play 162 games in 180 days. With interleague play and interdivision matchups, finding two teams that could be scheduled into Cooperstown during an off-day has become exceedingly difficult. As you know, for several years the game has not been played in conjunction with the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, making the logistics of presenting the game that much more complicated.

Also, as you are aware, the Hall of Fame, while a key part of Baseball history and lineage, is independently owned and operated. Major League Baseball and my office provide significant support to the Hall. I, myself, serve on its Board. Just this year, we committed to an $8 million dollar grant over three years to assist the Hall in its funding requirements. We share your view that the Hall is a special place for all baseball fans and a significant tourist attraction for that part of the State of New York. That is why we have embarked on a program to make our fans more aware of the Hall of Fame and its importance. This year at the All-Star Game in New York’s own Yankee Stadium, we will be featuring a tribute to all the living Hall of Famers, bringing as many as possible to New York for this historic event at considerable expense to Baseball. Beginning this year, and continuing into the future, we will use the Hall of Fame’s Induction Sunday in all of our major league parks where games are played that day as a special event, complete with video and on-field tributes and a recognition of what is going on in Cooperstown that day. We developed this plan in full conjunction and cooperation with the Hall of Fame’s management.

Frankly, we think this is a much better deployment and our resources in terms of ensuring the Hall of Fame’s long-term success, and will attract far more visitors to the area than a single game, played on a variable date each year, with the Major League players participating for a only a few innings. While I am sure the local residents of Cooperstown will be disappointed, we are hopeful that a thriving base of visitors each year enhanced by our promotion will help assuage their disappointment. And remember exciting minor league baseball can be found in the area all summer in Oneonta, Binghamton, Troy and Syracuse among other locations.

Thank you again for your interest. I hope you will be able to attend the Induction ceremony some year. It is always a memorable occasion.

Sincerely,

Allan H. Selig
Commissioner of Baseball

Commissioner Selig’s letter to lawmakers can also be found at savethefamegame.com. PDF copies of each letter are also available from savethefamegame.com upon request.

_______________________________________

Response From www.savethefamegame.com

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig recently responded to requests made by various United States senators and representatives to reverse the decision to end the annual Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown after 2008. The savethefamegame.com campaign obtained copies of three of those letters — sent to Representatives Michael Arcuri, Maurice Hinchey, and Senator Hillary Clinton — and savethefamegame.com creator Kristian Connolly responds as follows:

“Commissioner Selig’s identical, form-letter response to members of Congress is stunning in its refusal to directly address the lawmakers’ concerns, and in the way it sweeps the central issue under the rug in favor of self-congratulating or hollow statements. It’s insulting to the senators and representatives that have expressed their desire to see the tradition continue, and insulting to baseball fans across the globe.

“The commissioner’s obvious disregard for his responsibility as the steward of America’s national pastime — not national industry — is appalling, as is his clear lack of caring about the sport’s fans — unless it involves how they can increase the bottom line. For all intents and purposes, Commissioner Selig should have used the word ‘customers’ rather than ‘fans’ or ‘visitors’ in his response, since it is unmistakable from his words that he views those of us who care about baseball — its past, present and future — only as sources of revenue.

“Furthermore, I am in complete and utter disbelief that the commissioner of baseball believes that people need to be made ‘more aware of the Hall of Fame and its importance.’ As someone who grew up in Cooperstown and has traveled all over the country and met many different people — baseball fans and otherwise — I feel confident that there is not a single village in America that is more well known than Cooperstown, and baseball and the Hall of Fame are the main reasons why. For some, Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame are symbols. For others, they’re a goal. For others still, they’re the centerpiece of debate. And for many, Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame are destinations held in such high esteem that people spend months, years, or even a lifetime dreaming about and planning for a trip to visit them.

“As the commissioner and his deputy Bob Dupuy know first-hand from the letters that savethefamegame.com has helped facilitate, disappointment over the decision to cancel the Hall of Fame Game is found not only among the local residents of Cooperstown and the surrounding area, but stretches far and wide across the United States, and beyond.

“To say that the Hall of Fame Game creates a scheduling problem is completely ludicrous. The CBA specifically allows for the Hall of Fame Game, and even allows for it to be factored into consecutive-days-played and off-day provisions, so saying that the game takes place on an off-day is disingenuous, at best. If the commissioner was so concerned about giving players days off in lieu of maximizing profits during a 162-game, six-month season, then perhaps his office could craft a schedule which contained a few doubleheaders mixed in, to create further opportunities on the calendar for players to get some rest. But simply throwing in the towel on a nearly 70-year-old tradition rather than making it work — in the interest of what is best for the sport — should be embarrassing for those making that decision.

“The recent steroid and drug scandals, the late starts to playoff and World Series games, and more have all helped to put baseball on the defensive against accusations of greed, of having lost sight of tradition and sportsmanship in baseball over profit motives, and of ignoring and/or imperiling its most impressionable fans, the nation’s children. Since 1940, the Hall of Fame Game has celebrated the national pastime on the sport’s historic home field in the sport’s celebrated hometown. It has been symbolic of sportsmanship, of exciting kids and adults alike about the game, of connecting to the present and reconnecting to the sport’s revered history, and of fine athletic traditions.

“Many of the game’s greatest players have played on Doubleday Field, and they’ve done so for fans in a setting that is as pure, intimate and historical as there is in baseball today. Baseball is a sport that thrives on values and traditions, and preserving the Hall of Fame Game is a relatively easy way to help restore and retain the values and traditions that have been celebrated annually for almost 70 years.”

Kristian Connolly, Creator
www.savethefamegame.com

While opinions regarding whether of not Roger Clemens used performance enhancing drugs may not have been altered by the recent Congressional hearings…you must admit, it was great theatre. And even better politics.

Make no mistake about it, good ‘ole boy politics’ was at work. The Clemens – McNamee Congressional hearings had nothing to do with gaining the truth or protecting America’s youth from drugs. It was Democrats versus Republicans. It was time to call-in political favors. Clemens’ Texas roots were prevalent. How else can one explain this becoming a battle of political parties? Do you think it was a coincidence that most Republicans came to Clemens’ defense? Do you think it was coincidence that leading Republican Tom Davis rushed to Clemens side immediately after the hearing?

American politics is often behind-closed-door deals. Unfortunately, we saw it at its worst during this hearing. And politicians wonder why Americans question the integrity of its leaders? When lobbying is allowed during depositions and prior to Congressional hearings regarding the use of illegal drugs, it has gone too far.

My opinion as to whether Clemens used steroids or HGH is irrelevant. However, I find it difficult to believe that McNamee was telling the truth about Pettitte, Knoblauch, and Debbie Clemens, yet lying about Roger. Why? I also find it difficult to believe Debbie Clemens would get a shot of HGH from McNamee without her husband’s knowledge. Plus, if Roger wasn’t getting shot-up by McNamee – nor did he ever discuss drugs with him (as he claims), how did Debbie know to go to McNamee for the injection?

In every poll I’ve seen, most American’s believed McNamee. So what did the Republicans hear that the rest of us didn’t, which led them to support Clemens? Maybe they heard a Republican “voice” who was the former General Managing Partner of the Texas Rangers.

By the way, that former Managing Partner currently lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A three-ring circus has nothing over Major League Baseball. Whatever happened to arguments about who’s better – Mantle or Mays, Williams or DiMaggio, Koufax or Gibson? What about a good old-fashioned debate regarding the designated hitter? Or how about this one: Who hit the greatest home run ever – Bill Mazeroski, Bobby Thompson, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Joe Carter, Calton Fisk or Roger Maris?

Nope…none of that talk anymore. This good ole baseball bar-room banter is now replaced with talks of steroids, cheating, congressional hearings, and phone-tap conversations. Thank you Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, MLB, et al.

To make matters worse, we now have a potential cheater even downplaying the importance of his election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If he made nothing else clear in his recent press conference charade, Roger Clemens made it perfectly clear that he doesn’t give a “rat’s ass” about getting inducted in baseball’s most treasured shrine in Cooperstown. I wonder how that plays with some of the legendary players of the game who cherish their place in the Hall – or, even more so, with those still waiting for the honor like Rice, Blyleven, Dawson, or Lee Smith?

Whether innocent or guilty, I hope writers remember how important the Hall of Fame is to Clemens. A one-time first-ballot lock, I guess he now has more to worry about than Cooperstown.

As I listen to admissions and denials of players named in the Mitchell Report regarding steroid use in Major League Baseball, I am neither surprised nor disappointed. Since the McGwire-Sosa run at immortality in 1998, it has been apparent that Major League Baseball players had joined the ranks of Olympians and other professional athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. But for those thinking drugs in baseball began in the 90s, keep sticking your head in the sand – as most did during that fraudulent year the Maris family politely watch Roger’s record demolished by the two Hulk-like characters.

Denial is a trait most often used when it relates to oneself or a loved one. To be in denial regarding a baseball player’s use of steroids is bewildering. No one questioned the use of testosterone by the Soviet Union’s Olympic team in 1954. And lest we forget Dr. John Ziegler who aided the CIBA Pharmaceutical Company in the development of the drug Dianabol (methandrostenolone) in the mid-50s to help western Olympians compete with the Soviet Union. So, to think performance-enhancing drugs were only available to modern-day baseball players is naive.

How will all this steroid-use influence baseball writers who are entrusted with the privilege of voting for a player’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame? They negated McGwire in his first year of eligibility. What about Bonds, Sosa – and now Clemens? Is it a vote for all, or a vote for none? Are we to believe only Olympic athletes used performance-enhancing drugs during the Dianabol years?

So many questions, so many decisions for Baseball Hall of Fame voters.

Every player in Major League Baseball should be sending Curt Flood, Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith a piece of each paycheck. And while I won’t indulge the squabbling of billionaires versus millionaires called “free agency,” I do begin to wonder if I’ll see the demise of Major League Baseball in my lifetime.

Considering MLB just completed its most financially-successful season by generating more than $6-Billion in revenue, I know the talk of demise may sound foolish. However, when will this excess stop … and how long will average Americans continue to support their home-town teams?

By the way, how many players of today even know the names Flood, McNally or Messersmith? I would bet not many … but, I bet they could tell you who’s on a $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, and $100,000 bill.

Hey, I’m a true-blue capitalist, so I really don’t care how much money players make. Good for A-Rod and his $275 million contract and Torii Hunter and his $90 million windfall. And, only God knows what the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets or Dodgers will offer Johan Santana if traded by the Twins. To billionaire owners it’s all Monopoly money, anyway. But just remember, even in the game Monopoly, there’s only one Rich Uncle Pennybags. How many “Pennybags” are in MLB? And, I hope, you do know that baseball is really playing the game with your money. How long will you keep rolling the dice?

Today’s bandwagon baseball fans could care less about the future of the game. But, for baseball’s purists, where will the game be in 10, 20, or 25-years?

God willing and with a little luck, I’ll probably only be around another 20 years anyway. I just hope baseball’s demise will wait.

FYI, in case you don’t know any MLB players, faces on those bills are Grover Cleveland, James Madison, Salmon Chase, and Woodrow Wilson, respectively

When the late John Denver sang about a Colorado Rocky Mountain High, this is what he must have meant. After sweeping the Colorado Rockies in four games, the Boston Red Sox have become the first team in Major League Baseball to win two World Championships in the 21st century - and Red Sox Nation is flying high.

For years, Red Sox fans suffered summer after summer and probably tagged the term, “wait ’till next year.” Sox fans have had to endure their Yankees’ friends for almost a lifetime. No longer. The 2004 Championship got a “monkey off their backs,” while this championship may signify a new era in Red Sox baseball.

When one looks at this Red Sox roster and its minor league system, the combination has all the earmarks of a juggernaut for years-to-come. It reminds me of another team from the American League East that was built in the mid-90s and won four championships in five years. With home-grown players on its current roster like Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis, Papelbon, Lester, and Delcarmen, plus some nasty arms in their minor league system like no-hit-phenomenon Clay Buchholz and a kid named Masterson - added to their “rookie” pitchers Matsuzaka and Okajima - this organization is built for now and the future. And, don’t forget, the Red Sox were able to trade for baseball’s best pitcher, Josh Beckett, and World Series MVP, Mike Lowell, because they had prospects in the system to do so. So, love them or hate them, the Red Sox are here to stay.

World Series Thoughts

Employers throughout New England must have thought Halloween came early this year, as baseball fans headed to work today looking like zombies. For those lucky to be young enough (or foolish enough) to celebrate into the wee-hours of the morning after the Red Sox victory, I can just image what they looked like today. But c’mon Mr. Selig, what are you thinking? Why is a World Series game starting after 8:30 Eastern time on a Sunday night? And don’t give me this “prime time” television ratings stuff, as the biggest sports event in America - that little game called the Super Bowl, is also played on Sunday and is scheduled to kick-off at 6:18 Eastern time. Kids and hard-working people simply can’t stay up after midnight to watch your game. Why are you trying to hide your marquee event? Maybe it’s time the tail stops wagging the dog and you step up to do what’s right for your fan base and put the game on at a decent viewing-time.

Also, was it just me, but were you offended during the game by the two-headed monster called Rodriquez-Boras? Bud Selig and team owners must have been furious that these two money-hungry capitalists, Alex Rodriquez and agent Scott Boras, used MLB’s greatest stage to announce and promote that baseball’s albatross was opting out of his Yankees’ contract. While I know Fox talking heads had no choice but to make the announcement - its media-machismo 101 in play - I wish they had not prolonged the dialogue. Let’s hope the Yankees stick by their guns and not play the Rodriquez-Boros game and say sayonara to A-Rod - and that other owners also keep away from a duo that seems to have no interest in the game. It time for baseball owners to say, “Enough is enough.”

It’s that time of the year again when baseball traditionalists look at the calendar and wonder why the Yankees are playing the Mets, the Red Sox playing the Braves, the Cubs playing the White Sox, and the Dodgers playing the Angels. Where did the summer go? Is it October already?

Get with it you old-timers. Put away your slide-rule…it’s that time of the year again for baseball’s Interleague play. You know – that Bud Selig idea of shedding baseball tradition and the senior circuit plays those junior-circuit guys long before any World Series tickets are printed. Since the All-Star game lost its luster, Bud must have thought he needed to reinvent the game rather than preserve its history.

Okay, so I like the DH rule. I’m not a purist. But I have no interest of watching National League teams come into Fenway Park and play “small ball.” Nor do I like to watch American League pitchers hitting in NL parks. American League teams aren’t built to play National League rules. However, any team can throw a DH into their lineup and play AL rules.

However, more importantly, I’d prefer having the Tigers, White Sox, or Angels come to town more often rather than watching those Punch-and-Judy-hitters from that AAAA League (Yes, the NL is only a step above AAA Baseball right now).

So, where do you stand? Do you enjoy Interleague play, or has it too lost its luster? It’s been with us since 1997…and it’s “here to stay,” said Selig during an interview this week at Fenway Park. Spare me.

And to think, we have to do it all over again from June 8 through June 24!

So…Yea or Nea?