Hittin' the links

• How is it possible to question LeBron James’ decision to pass up the final shot in Cleveland’s Game One loss last night? Donyell Marshall was as wide open as one could get and he simply missed the shot. If it went in, James would have been praised for his court vision and ability to find a way to win to while scoring just ten points.
  
  
• The Texas Rangers scored 14 runs for the second straight game and Sammy Sosa drove in three more runs What does it say about the MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award if Sammy Sosa wins the award this season? Is Bud Selig okay with consistently giving the award to alleged former steroid users?
  
  
• Clinton Portis is the latest example of a clueless athlete.
  
  
• George Foreman believes he was drugged before the infamous “Rumble in the Jungle.”

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Rickey Henderson could learn a thing or two from Romario

One of the greatest soccer players of all time scored and then celebrated what he is calling his 1000th goal on Sunday.

And if we’re counting pickup games, little league and straight up phantom goals, then Romario deserves to be embraced.

The former World Cup winner, who has called himself the "chosen one,” scored on a penalty kick in the 48th minute of his squad’s 3-1 victory in the Brazilian League. Following the goal, a 16 minute celebration ensued culminating with a lap of honor from the 41 year old.

The people who actually keep these records believe that Romario has scored 929 goals, but he likes to throw his amateur days into the equation as well, which his fans seem to think is okay.

If this can be accepted in soccer, let me be the first to call upon Rickey Henderson to re-open baseball’s record books and make some much needed revisions, particularly in the runs scored department, where he is in danger of being passed by Barry Bonds.

Little does Barry know however, Henderson would now like to count all the runs he scored while playing wiffle ball as a youngster.

Don’t forget about those ghost runners Rickey.

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Hittin’ the links

• Right down to the razor burn over his acne, Tyler Clippard looked like he was in high school making his first varsity start last night.
  
  Fortunately for him, the Mets looked J.V.
  
  
• It’s unfortunate when the best team in sports over the last ten years makes you thank god for poker reruns. The Spurs just keep winning.
  
  
• The Belmont was almost relevant. Almost.
  
  
• The most dominant athlete alive ended one of the most impressive streaks in sports on Sunday. And here I thought he was in a slump.
  
  
• If Jason Giambi wasn’t hitting like his brother, would the Yankees seriously be looking into voiding his contract?
  
  And isn’t it ironic that he is getting slammed for doing just what people begged Pete Rose to do for years.
  
  Apparently, the truth hurts.

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Even with Clemens, Yankees pitching is still flawed

With Mariano Rivera hurting the team worse than all those hamstring injuries combined and the rest of the bullpen on pace to shatter appearance records, the New York Yankees seems to believe Roger Clemens is the solution to all their woes.

Well, the New York Yankees are out of their minds.

I understand signing Clemens. He’s still great. I even understand paying him more than a million dollars per start. Hey, it’s the market. And I know his presence (assuming he can be bothered to show up on days he’s not pitching) will fire the team up. He is the Rocket after all.

But if the issue is durability within the rotation and especially in the bullpen, then Clemens might actually add to the problem.

Of that older group of still gifted pitchers like Maddux, Glavine, Johnson, Moyer, Smoltz and Schilling, only Clemens averaged under six innings per start last season. Since the Yankees last won a World Series, he’s thrown all of two complete games.

Hell, since 2004, Carl Pavano has pitched into the eighth inning nine more times Clemens. So tell me again how Scott Proctor’s arm will be saved by this five inning phenom.

Obviously, a move needed to be made. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There are still lots of questions surrounding this flawed group.

And Clemens is hardly the answer to all of them.

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Mayweather retiring on top. Let's hope it stays that way

Following his close – yet clear – victory over Oscar De La Hoya last night, the ever-ostentatious Floyd Mayweather Jr. continued to say that he was finished boxing, boasting that he had nothing left to prove.

He’s got a point

Here’s hoping the new WBC 154 lb champion – now 38-0 – goes with the Barry Sanders retirement instead of the Michael Jordan or Roger Clemens version. (And yes, without question, Mayweather is in that class of athletes. His career has been that dominant.)

Although it wasn’t the masterpiece he claimed it was to Larry Merchant in the post-fight interview, Mayweather’s victory confirmed what he’s been telling anyone willing to listen for years now: Pound for pound, he’s the best there is and (possibly) the best there ever was. Call him Bret “the hit man” Hart. Only Pretty Boy doesn’t wear tights.

Now a champion at five different weight classes, his legacy in tact, why should Mayweather continue boxing?

The only real answer: The sport needs him.

To lose.

Boxing in this country is about as recognizable as Major League Soccer. The average sports fan wouldn’t know Mayweather from Usher before he fought De La Hoya. Now that he’s assumed this over-confident bad guy role, the sport needs a fan favorite to come along and knock him off his pedestal.

But Mayweather appears to be smarter than that. He watched Roy Jones Jr. go from the greatest fighter ever to a loser of three straight fights a few years ago. Why should he move up in weight again and even risk ruining his unblemished record? It’s simply not worth it.

In that interview with Merchant, Mayweather talked about being the greatest fighter ever and suggested, “God doesn’t make mistakes.”

There’s no reason for Floyd to make one either.

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