February 17, 2008

GREG ZAUN—YOU ARE EITHER A LIAR OR AN IDIOT.  CHOOSE ONE. 

      Greg Zaun’s reasoning for being named in the Mitchell Report is certainly novel, if not childish.  He proposes that he has such casual disregard for money that, under a fit of pique, threw a $500 cheque into the air.  Where it would fall—nobody knows.  Here it is world—it is yours to do with what you want.  I don’t care what happens to it.  It’s hard to believe it took him two months to come up with this one.

      Oh, wait.  Maybe I should think about this a moment before I proceed.  There may be a possibility that not writing a name in the recipient’s box of the cheque can create some unknown danger.  There is the possibility that this cheque could end up in the wrong person’s hands.  I should re-think this fit of pique at having lost such minimal amount of money.  Nah, I’m just some second string catcher on a losing club…who the hell will be looking for me.

      Two things strike me as odd.  A few years back Zaun showed up at spring training with the Jays having gained about twenty pounds of muscle to his frame, which was derided from a supposedly intense off-season workout program.  I am certainly not stating, mind you, that at a time when several ballplayers showed up at their spring training camps and claimed the same intense workout program as the reason for their instant growth, that Zaun is lying.  He may have actually had an intense off-season workout program.  It just sounds a little too coincidental, doesn’t it?

      And something else I remember striking me as odd.  During an interview during one particular spring training, I don’t remember which one, Zaun was asked about the troubled times of Barry Bonds.  Zaun was obviously agitated by the topic and directed a strong attack against those who were against the Giant superstar.  It made me wonder why Zaun was so upset about another ballplayer’s plight.

       Zaun must have, through experience, developed a reasonable sense of reality to realize that taking the stance of a wronged ballplayer isn’t really working for anyone.  Hasn’t he?  But then it all started, he claims, because he threw a $500 cheque into the wind. 

NO WINNER YET IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN EVIL-DOER AND EVIL-DENIER

       It was certainly an uneasy feeling watching MacNamee and Clemens being grilled by partisan questions in a choppy inquisition that turned away from the search for truth and towards a goal of bravado and party politics. In the hands of electioneering politicians it’s not surprising that a process begun under the auspices of an inquiry became a struggle between Democratic and Republican ideals. It didn’t matter anymore which person was guilty—it was about politicians trying to look their best for their parties.

      It won’t be long until this particular battle gets old and tired. Clemens is adamantly conducting this process as he always conducted himself on the mound—bullying and berating those standing in his way until they wear down from the pressure. There is little doubt that he has the energy and the commitment to go the distance in this fight. MacNamee, however, is losing interest and is showing the strain from the conflict and would really love it if Clemens would just go away. Nobody least of all Clemens will allow it to go away until one man recants his story, and for Clemens he will continue to assure his opponent that it will not be him. Get set for a long battle Mac—the legend of the Rocket will not be smirched so easily. There is a lot of fight left in the dog. Too bad nobody wants to see him fight anymore.

      Both men will continue to defend their name and their position—and now, so late in this expensive game of chicken, there are legal ramifications to consider as well so neither can afford to cave. MacNamee will continue to defend himself against those that extract his many flaws and use them as hammers against him. He has a history of stupid decisions and bad relationships (Clemens was thought to have been his best but will likely be his worst). He is now simply trying to come clean and end this subterfuge. He is the bullfighter attempting to wave his red flag at the angry bull. But Clemens has no time for flags–he wants vindication. He talks of himself in glowing terms—of being a man that is kind and forgiving and loved by children—but he is faced with the very real fact that his one and only friend just sided with MacNamee in this battle and effectively threw Clemens under the bus. At this point Clemens went into full denial mode. He didn’t want to offend and possibly enrage his former friend by calling him a liar—he chose to simply call him forgetful, and someone who ‘misremembers’ meetings. The Rocket is slowly entering the McGwire Zone.

      Deny. Deny. Deny. Bully your way through this process the same way you bullied your way to a career of victories and awards. What will be the epitaph for you Roger? Will you end as a hero—or will you be just another shmuck that drove off the road on Pete Rose Way.

      …I would rather stay with opinions but occasionally I need to commend a brazen forecast. Taken straight out of a column from more than two years ago (and before his first regular season game in the NBA) is this accurate assessment…“(Babcock’s) one free agent signing will turn out much better this time as rookie Jose Calderon has a veteran’s instinct and a nifty passing touch.. Calderon will be the starter at some point this year as his court awareness, his leadership, and his ability to find the open man are already on display, and as he grows more comfortable with the league, his team and the language his play will improve.”

      Who was that peerless basketball prognosticator? Oh, it was me. (The Fan View…October 24, 2005)

      …So how does a player of such limited ability like Devean George negotiate a no-trade clause in something as benign as a one year contract? Did Mark Cuban, in his anxiousness to collect as many game pieces as possible, give away his chance to actually own a gem by acquiescing to some strong-arming by a player whose only value is that he was a spare part on some championship teams? Who looks like a fool today, Mark? Better do something quick so you don’t look like a fool again tomorrow.

      …I guess we have to believe the old saying—Perfection doesn’t exist. After playing 16 regular season games, two post season games, and 59 minutes of the Super Bowl the Patriots lost their dream of a perfect season in the final minute of the final game. It was an aggressive defence that continually punctured Brady’s protection and forced the Patriots away from their strengths and into a short passing game. And then it was an outstanding play by the quarterback and an amazing catch by the receiver—a play we will witness repeatedly from now on—that enabled the Giants to snatch victory away from the perfectionists. That’s why they play the game.

      …The Jays got a major break when the Twins refused to do business with anyone in the American League and sent Johan Santana to the Mets. Toronto has been looking into the distance at the two beasts in the East—if one of those clubs had acquired Santana the distance between them and the Jays would have grown unreachable. And how much fun would the season be knowing that the Jays, in JP’s last season, could not contend.

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